Samsung top pick of South Korean retail investors this year

South Korean retail investors have loaded up on shares in top-cap Samsung Electronics this year, reaping a huge return on their investments, data showed.

Local individual investors had bought a net 14.7 trillion won (US$13.3 billion) worth of common and preferred shares in the global tech giant as of Thursday, according to the data from the Korea Exchange.

Retail investors’ massive purchase has made Samsung, the world’s leading smartphone and memory chip maker, the most-bought stock among companies listed on the local bourse.

No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor came next with net buying worth 2.6 trillion won, followed by portal giant Naver with 2.2 trillion won and its rival Kakao with 1.4 trillion won.