The South Korean won has depreciated nearly 6% against the U.S. dollar year-to-date, driven by a massive exodus of foreign capital from local equity markets.
Central bank data released Sunday indicates that overseas investors have offloaded more than 156 trillion won ($102.3 billion) in Korean stocks, marking a significant deterioration in the currency's standing.
This selling pressure has pushed the won to its weakest level against the greenback in 17 years.
The sharp depreciation reflects a broader trend of risk aversion among international portfolio managers, who have been systematically reducing exposure to Korean equities amid global market volatility and domestic economic headwinds.
The scale of the outflow underscores the vulnerability of emerging market currencies to shifts in foreign sentiment.
With the won weakening further on Thursday in recent sessions, the Bank of Korea faces mounting pressure to intervene or adjust monetary policy to stabilize the exchange rate.