Nearly five-point-seven trillion won in foreign investment was taken out of the South Korean stock and bond markets last month, when the country was briefly under martial law.

According to the Bank of Korea(BOK) on Wednesday, there was a net outflow of three-point-86 billion U.S. dollars from the domestic securities investment funds in December.

It was the highest figure since March 2020, when the net outflow totaled seven-point-37 billion dollars amid the coronavirus pandemic.

At one-thousand-472-point-five won against the greenback as of late last month, last month’s outflow amounts to about five-point-68 trillion won.

The net outflow from foreigners’ stock funds reached two-point-58 billion dollars, continuing a five-month outflow streak that began in August.

The BOK attributed the protracted outflow of foreign investment to political uncertainties, continued concerns over the growth of domestic semiconductor companies, and delays in worldwide interest rate cuts.

Foreigners’ bond funds, which posted a net inflow of 810 million dollars in November, recorded a net outflow of one-point-28 billion dollars the following month.