According to the CEO Score survey by the Corporate Data Research Institute released today (July 15, 2026), overseas investors' investments in major domestic listed companies surged nearly 30% over the past year, demonstrating global capital's keen interest in the Korean market. In particular, as U.S.-based investors led the market by accounting for more than half of the total investment deals, record-breaking capital poured into the cosmetics industry backed by the K-beauty boom.

According to the CEO Score survey by the Corporate Data Research Institute, as of the end of June 2026, the total number of investment deals by overseas companies (including funds) that invested 5% or more in the top 500 domestic listed companies by market capitalization was 123. This represents a sharp increase of 29.5% compared to 95 deals a year earlier in June 2025. By country, U.S.-based investors accounted for 69 deals (56.1%), taking the lead in domestic market investment flows.

Among them, the movements of BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company, stood out most prominently. Based on its massive capital exceeding 2 quadrillion won in total assets under management as of the end of last year, BlackRock increased its 5% or more investment holdings by 12 over the past year, rising to become a major shareholder in a total of 19 domestic companies. Major investment targets included financial stocks such as KB Financial (7.41%), Hana Financial Group (7.22%), and Woori Financial Group (7.18%), as well as IT and semiconductor companies such as LG Display (7.16%), Samsung Electronics (5.14%), and SK Hynix (5.11%).

Capital from other major countries besides the U.S. also actively invested in the Korean market. European investors recorded 25 investment deals, Japanese investors 10 deals, and Chinese investors 8 deals. Among European capital, Norway's Central Bank invested in 6 companies including CJ Logistics (6.16%) and Cosmax (6.08%). Japan showed a concentrated investment pattern in technology and security companies such as TCK (Tokai Carbon, 52.63%) and S-1 (SECOM, 25.65%). China, led by Tencent, secured stakes in 8 Korean companies including game and entertainment firms.

[Photo=Yonhapnews]

In terms of industry-specific investment increases, the cosmetics industry riding the K-beauty wave stood out notably. Over the past year, the number of 5% or more stake investment deals surged more than fourfold from 2 deals in June 2025 to 9 deals in June 2026. In particular, Cosmax, a cosmetics OEM and ODM company, saw an unprecedented case where three major sovereign wealth funds and institutions—Singapore's Temasek Holdings (6.33%), Norway's Central Bank (6.08%), and Singapore's Government (5.40%)—each newly acquired stakes of 5% or more. Dalba Global attracted investments from the U.K.'s M&G Investments (7.58%) and Fidelity International (5.06%), while APR attracted investment from Fidelity Investments (5.01%), receiving concentrated attention from global capital.

Beyond the cosmetics industry, semiconductor and pharmaceutical and biotech sectors also saw increases of 4 investment deals each compared to the previous year, earning recognition for their growth potential. These industries have also emerged as major investment targets for overseas capital.

Overseas capital's interest in the domestic market is expanding in all directions, from traditional strongholds such as finance, technology, and biotech, to the cosmetics industry led by K-beauty. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, and attention is focused on what new opportunities Korean listed companies will create as strategic partners for global investors. This CEO Score survey has become an important indicator that reconfirms the attractiveness of the domestic economy and the growth potential of specific industries.