Dividends

Korea Foreign Investor Taxes: 22% Dividend Withholding, 0% CGT

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Korea withholds 22% on dividends paid to non-residents (often reduced to 10-15% by tax treaty), charges a securities transaction tax — 0.2% on KOSPI sales as of 2026 — on every sale, and exempts most foreign portfolio investors from capital-gains tax entirely. Here is how each rule is applied at source, how to claim the treaty rate before a record date, and how to reclaim over-withheld tax.

Korean Share Buybacks: Why Cancellation, Not the Announcement, Is What Lasts

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In Korea, a buyback lowers the share count for EPS purposes the moment the repurchased shares become treasury stock — but only cancellation makes that reduction permanent. Uncancelled shares can be resold or deployed for control, so the market prices a cancellation clause very differently from a bare repurchase pledge. Here is how to read the disclosures, the trust-contract loophole, and a checklist for judging any Korean buyback announcement.