Hanwha Asset Management Lists 'PLUS K Core Manufacturing Companies Active ETF'

Focused Investment in AI Hard Power and National Strategic Industries
Plans for Listing in Major Markets Including the United States

Hanwha Asset Management announced on March 24 that it will newly list the 'PLUS K Core Manufacturing Companies Active' Exchange Traded Fund (ETF).

The PLUS K Core Manufacturing Companies Active ETF invests in leading Korean manufacturing companies that have emerged as key pillars in the global supply chain restructuring amid the U.S.-China power rivalry and Middle East geopolitical risks.

In particular, the ETF focuses on "hard power" and "national strategic industries." The AI hard power category includes semiconductors and energy (nuclear power, solar power, ESS, and electric power equipment), while national strategic industries encompass defense, shipbuilding, space and robotics, key minerals, and bio (CDMO), among others.

The ETF's holdings include Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Seojin System, Doosan, Hanwha Vision, Hanwha Solutions, LG Energy Solution, LS, LS ELECTRIC, and Hanwha Aerospace.

Korea holds strong competitiveness in the semiconductor sector, which is at the center of the AI technology supremacy competition. As of the end of last year, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix accounted for approximately 80% of the HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) market, a key component, and with the supply of next-generation HBM4, both price increases and volume expansion are anticipated.

Korea also maintains a comparative advantage in the energy sector, including solar power, ESS, and electric power equipment. In the U.S. market, where electricity demand has surged due to the construction of data centers, Korean companies receive tax credits and subsidies, whereas Chinese companies are subject to high anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

Attention is also being paid to Korea's expanding market share within the United States, the world's largest energy consumer, through nuclear power projects, replacement of aging power grids, and the construction of ultra-high voltage, large-capacity transmission networks.

Choi Youngjin, Vice President of Hanwha Asset Management, stated, "We will expand the PLUS ETF 'K Manufacturing' series abroad," adding, "We aim to broaden the foreign investor base in countries where investing in Korean stocks is difficult, in a format similar to the successful 'U.S.-listed K-Defense ETF' case."

The responsible manager is Kim Seoyoung from the ETF Strategy Management Team, who has over 20 years of asset management experience. Kim has managed Hanwha Asset Management's growth-type and ESG-type public funds, as well as major pension fund mandates.

Kim commented, "Korea possesses world-class manufacturing competitiveness in the key growth sectors of the AI era. The landscape of global manufacturing is changing, and Korean companies are at its center, which will lead to the continued revaluation of Korea."

Meanwhile, Hanwha Asset Management launched the 'Hanwha K Core Manufacturing PLUS Fund' the previous day. This fund pursues a strategy similar to that of the PLUS K Core Manufacturing Companies Active ETF. Investors can access the fund through Hanwha Investment & Securities and the direct sales app PINE. Until April 15, an event is underway offering 'Pine Cones,' which can be used for fund investments, to customers who purchase the fund through PINE.

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