[New Year's Message] Jin Seungho, KIC President, "Laying the Foundation for Becoming a Global Leading Sovereign Wealth Fund"

Key Initiatives Proposed for Leading Sovereign Wealth Fund Advancement
Overall Economy, Stock, Bond, and Alternative Asset Markets Expected to Remain Strong
"The Stronger the Wind, the Higher the Fed Will Rise"

Jin Seung-ho, President of Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), emphasized the need to establish concrete plans to leap forward as a 'global leading sovereign wealth fund' ahead of KIC's 20th anniversary in 2025.

In his New Year's address on the 2nd, President Jin stated, “In the new year, we must lay the foundation for KIC's sustainable growth,” adding, “We must become a global leading sovereign wealth fund and a trusted investment institution for the people.” He outlined key focus areas for this year, including ▲achieving excess returns over benchmarks ▲strengthening alternative investment capabilities such as expanding direct and co-investments ▲successful establishment of the Mumbai office in India, scheduled to open this year ▲supporting domestic companies' investments in overseas core and strategic industries ▲and creative efforts to advance the domestic financial industry.

He expressed a positive outlook on the economy this year. President Jin said, “With recent inflation stabilizing, the previously tightening monetary policies that increased financial market volatility are expected to ease to some extent,” and added, “Due to the U.S. government's expansionary fiscal spending, the possibility of a sharp economic downturn is limited.” Regarding the global stock market, he viewed it optimistically, stating, “Supported by easing monetary tightening and new investments related to artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change, a gradual upward trend is expected.”

President Jin also noted, “Compared to the past low-interest-rate environment, interest income is favorable, and in the mid to long term, interest rates are expected to decline or remain stable,” evaluating the bond market as having a favorable expected return. On alternative asset investments, he said, “The advantages remain, such as excellent risk-adjusted returns through illiquidity premiums and enhanced portfolio diversification,” and added, “We will steadfastly continue efforts to expand the proportion of alternative assets in the mid to long term.”

Finally, he addressed KIC employees, saying, “There is a saying, ‘The stronger the wind, the higher the kite rises,’” and expressed his hope that “all of us, united in one mind, will achieve outstanding results even in difficult circumstances and soar to even greater heights this year.”

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