Analysis:Korean 'ants' swarm back to Wall Street as KOSPI rout dents homecoming drive

SEOUL, Aug 7 : South Korea's stock market rout is unravelling a government-backed effort to lure retail 'ant' investors home, driving the biggest rush into the U.S. market in six months and reviving a long-standing risk to the won.In July, as the benchmark KOSPI sagged to its largest monthly loss since the depths of the 2008 global financial crisis, retail buying of U.S. stocks hit $4.6 billion, according to Korea Securities Depository data. That was well above the $2.7 billion monthly average in 2025, a year in which retail investment in U.S. equities more than tripled from the previous year.Reuters calculations show those purchases surpassed buying of domestic shares for the first time since February, highlighting how quickly confidence in the local market has evaporated. The reversal th