Foreign Funds Scoop Up Samsung Shares Just as Lee Family Sells

Foreigners were the main buyers of shares tied to the Samsung conglomerate just as members of the founding family were selling to raise funds for tax payments.

Investors outside of South Korea were net buyers of more than $1.3 billion in shares of Samsung Electronics Co. and three other firms on Jan. 11, according to data provided by the exchange. Members of the Lee family were said to be behind the four block trades that raised $2 billion in an offering that opened late Wednesday, as they seek to pay an inheritance bill after the death of the group’s chairman in 2020.