May 2020
07May

S. Korea’s NPS joins int’l buyout of Portuguese toll roads operator Brisa

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) joined Dutch pension manager APG Asset Management and Swiss Life Asset Managers for multi-billion dollar acquisition of a combined 81.1 percent stake in Portugal’s leading toll roads operator Brisa – Auto-Estradas de Portugal (Brisa). The consortium in the biggest-ever Portuguese buyout amidst an ongoing virus pandemic will assume 40.55 percent from London-based Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 1 (Arcus) and another 40.55 percent from Portuguese conglomerate Jose de Mello Group (JdM), according to industry...

May 7, 2020
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December 2019

27Dec

South Korea. finalizes guidelines on pension fund’s shareholder activism

South Korea on Friday approved proposed guidelines for shareholder activism by the country's largest state pension fund, paving the way for the fund to press companies it holds stakes in to dismiss board members over breach of trust and other illegal activities. "The guidelines are part of efforts to manage the National Pension Service in a more transparent and fair manner," Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a meeting of the management committee -- the highest decision-making...

December 27, 2019
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September 2019

05Sep

Samsung Securities Signs MOU with Canadian Pension Fund for Infrastructure Investment

Samsung Securities Co. has joined hands with a foreign pension fund for the first time in the domestic investment banking industry to expand its reach in global infrastructure investment. The company announced on Sept. 4 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on mutual business partnership with Montreal-based institutional investor Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) at the company’s head office in Quebec, Canada, on Sept. 3 (local time). Founded in 1965, CDPQ...

September 5, 2019
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03Sep

South Korea. Stalled reform

After 10 months of discussion, a committee on national pension reform last week suggested three options, all of which fall short of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the pension scheme, now under increasing strain. Differences in views between labor and business representatives barred the panel formed in October under the Economic, Social and Labor Council from working out a single proposal. The first option calls for freezing the income replacement rate, which is set to be lowered to 40...

September 3, 2019
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June 2019

14Jun

South Korea’s Pension Fund to Adopt New Hiring Policy Amid Staff Exodus

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) has reportedly decided to introduce a new hiring policy for its portfolio managers. According to the new policy, one of the largest pension funds in the world now wants to hire fresh talents and nurture them instead of hiring experienced managers as it currently does. To date, the NPS has hired only experienced professionals for portfolio manager positions. Since the pension manages massive assets — about 675 trillion South Korean won ($571 billion)...

June 14, 2019
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March 2019

25Mar

How Korean pension service can be saved

The South Korean National Pension Service (NPS) is the third-largest national pension fund in the world with US$560 billion in assets. It was founded in 1988 to ensure that all South Koreans after retirement would have a stable source of income. Currently, a certain amount of money is automatically deducted from the salaries of employees and employers as a contribution to the NPS by law. However, many Koreans worry that the NPS will run out of funds in the...

March 25, 2019
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December 2018

21Dec

Korea Proposes Pension Reform

The world’s third-largest pension fund is in jeopardy of being depleted by 2057. The South Korean government has unveiled proposals to help reform the country’s pension system, as an aging population combined with record-low birth rates threatens to deplete South Korea’s $578.7 billion National Pension Fund by 2057. The country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare announced four proposals to maintain a balance between reinforcing recipients’ benefits and securing the fund’s stability, according to the Korea Herald. “The national pension...

December 21, 2018
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14Dec

S.Korea says pension fund to boost investment in risk assets

South Korea on Friday said its National Pension Fund, the world’s third-largest, would aim to boost its ratio of risk assets, such as stocks and real estate, to 60 percent over time from 50 percent now, as it looks to lift investment returns. The fund, which managed assets of 654 trillion won ($578.77 billion) by the end of September, will also aim to boost the ratio of overseas investment to about 45 percent from 30 percent now. The steps are part...

December 14, 2018
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October 2018

05Oct

Two Korean pension funds to boycott coal finance

Korea’s Teachers’ Pension and Government Employees Pension System announced they will not consider financing any new coal-fired power plants, becoming the first Korean financial institutions to boycott coal financing amid the global movement to tackle climate change and air pollution problems. Although the two hold no history of having invested in coal projects in the past, their refusal to participate in any future projects can be a catalyst for other institutions to follow suit, according to environmental activists. In Korea, the...

October 5, 2018
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March 2018

11Mar

Causes and Characteristics of Population Aging

By Kyounghoon Park (The Bank of Korea) Korea’s level of population aging remains lower than the OECD average. However, the pace of population aging in Korea is faster than that of many other member countries, as its total fertility rate is the lowest among OECD countries while its life expectancy exceeds the OECD average. Using panel data from OECD member countries, this paper divides the common causes of population aging in OECD countries into declining fertility rate and increasing life...

March 11, 2018
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