National Pension Fund Posts 27.2% Return in First Half... Domestic Equities Surge 107.37%

"Domestic and Overseas Stock Performance Drives Returns"
Fund Assets Reach 1,866 Trillion Won

The investment return on the National Pension Fund for the first half of this year was found to be 27%.

According to the National Pension Service Fund Management Headquarters, as of the end of June this year, the National Pension Fund's accumulated assets stood at 1,866 trillion won, with a provisional return of 27.22% (money-weighted rate of return), as announced on the 28th.

By asset class, returns were reported as follows: domestic equities 107.37%, overseas equities 17.81%, domestic bonds -3%, overseas bonds 9.22%, and alternative investments 9.6%.

Domestic stocks showed a triple-digit rise, driven by solid performance in the semiconductor sector and reduced uncertainty related to the Middle East conflict. Overseas equities also posted gains thanks to the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) investment cycle and strong results in technology stocks.

Both domestic and overseas bonds were impacted by factors such as the U.S. Federal Reserve keeping its benchmark interest rate unchanged, and continued monetary tightening by major central banks, which led to higher interest rates. Domestic bonds recorded negative returns due to a decline in valuation from rising rates, while overseas bonds delivered positive returns helped by the rise in the won–U.S. dollar exchange rate.

Sungjoo Kim, Chairman of the National Pension Service, stated, "In the first half of the year, we were able to deliver stable results supported by favorable trends in domestic and overseas stock markets. Although there has been some volatility in returns in the second half of the year, performance remains strong."

He added, "Moving forward, we will continue to thoroughly manage risks and diversify investments to generate long-term, stable returns, and we will do our utmost to achieve strong results again this year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.