Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd.

What Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd. does

Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd. (한국투자신탁운용) is a Seoul-headquartered, privately held asset management company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea Investment Financial Holdings. Founded in 1974 as Korea's first investment trust company, it operates a comprehensive asset management platform spanning Target Date Funds (TDF) across 13 vintages from 2015 to 2060, MySuper-style inflation-linked default pension funds, corporate retirement pensions (DB/DC/IRP), personal pension savings accounts, the ACE ETF brand, and traditional equity, fixed income, and alternative funds. Its product architecture is built around automated glide-path management, tactical asset allocation bands, and a proprietary Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions (LTCMA) framework that analyzes 40+ years of economic cycles to derive strategic asset allocation, with the TDF알아서ETF포커스 product applying this framework through low-cost global ETFs aligned to Korean human capital profiles.

The company generates revenue primarily through recurring management fees on AUM across its fund lineup, with no public fee schedule disclosed. Distribution is multi-channel: indirect through Korean securities firms, banks, and insurance companies, and direct via the corporate website and the 알아서 연금 mobile app, supported by content marketing on YouTube, Naver blog, and Instagram. Customer segments include individual retail pension savers, corporate HR/benefits buyers of retirement schemes, default-option DC/IRP investors, and institutional/government pension pools (selected as MEF public pension pool manager in 2012 and private pension pool manager in 2015). The firm maintains overseas offices in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam, upgraded to a local corporation in 2020), Shanghai (China, representative office since 2011), and Jakarta (Indonesia, local subsidiary established 2024), and spun off its real assets division in 2022 into Korea Investment Real Asset Management. As of 2019, total AUM stood at 50 trillion KRW, with TDF AUM reaching 1 trillion KRW by 2022.

Name

Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Legal name

KOREA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.

Website

https://kim.koreainvestment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd. (한국투자신탁운용) is a Seoul-based, privately held asset manager and Korea's first investment trust company (founded 1974), offering TDF, MySuper, personal and corporate retirement pensions, and ETFs to individual and institutional investors in Korea and select Asian markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Open-End Investment Funds (525910), Pension Funds (525110)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Target-Date & Lifecycle Funds (FSAAAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pension Master Trusts, Superannuation & Provident Funds (FSAAAGAB), Corporate & Public Pension Funds (DB/DC Sponsors) (FSAAAGAA), Target-Risk / Risk-Managed Allocation Funds (FSAAAEAG), Money Market Funds (FSAAAEAC)

Keywords

• Asset management services
• Target date funds
• Retirement pension products
• Exchange-traded funds
• Investment trust products

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fee Revenue: Korea Investment Management generates revenue by charging management fees on its range of pooled investment funds (equity, bond, mixed, alternative, real estate, MMF, and special asset funds). Fees are assessed as a percentage of assets under management (AUM), which is the primary revenue driver for the asset management business.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Korea Investment Management operates as Korea's first investment trust company, managing pooled investment funds and pension products for individual and corporate clients. The company offers Target Date Funds (TDF) with automated glide path management across 13 vintage years (2015-2060), MySuper inflation-linked pension products, personal pension savings accounts with tax benefits, and corporate retirement pension schemes (DB/DC/IRP). Revenue is generated primarily through management fees assessed as a percentage of assets under management (AUM), which reached 50 trillion KRW in 2019. Funds are distributed directly via the company website and mobile app, and indirectly through Korean securities firms, banks, and insurance companies.

Product overview

Korea Investment Management operates as a comprehensive asset management company offering a unified platform of pension-focused investment products. The core offerings include TDF (Target Date Fund) products under the "알아서 (Auto)" brand, personal pension accounts, corporate retirement plans (DB/DC/IRP), and MySuper inflation-linked funds. These products are complemented by tools like fund calculators, peer monitoring analytics, and ACE ETF sub-brand products. The portfolio spans from lifecycle-based target date funds (TDF 2015-2060) to traditional equity/fixed income funds, all designed for long-term retirement planning with varying risk profiles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACE ETF: ETF brand operated by Korea Investment Management for exchange-traded fund products.
• 알아서 연금

Products and services

• 한국투자적격TDF알아서 펀드 (Korea Investment TDF) Target Date Fund that automatically adjusts portfolio risk asset allocation based on individual retirement timeline (glide path), providing lifecycle-based pension management. Offers 13 customized fund vintages from 2015 to 2060, with equity allocation decreasing from 76% (young investor) to 39% (near retirement) as retirement approaches.
• TDF알아서ETF포커스 (TDF Self-Pension ETF Focus) ETF-focused Target Date Fund that invests in quality global assets at low cost following Korean lifecycle patterns, using Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions (LTCMA) methodology for strategic asset allocation and economic cycle neutral allocation.
• 개인연금 / 연금저축계좌 (Personal Pension Savings Account) Individual pension savings account providing tax deduction benefits up to 990,000 KRW (16.5% rate) or 792,000 KRW (13.2% rate) annually, with separation taxation at 3.3%-5.5% upon pension receipt.
• 퇴직연금 (Retirement Pension) Corporate retirement pension offering DB (Defined Benefit), DC (Defined Contribution), and IRP (Individual Retirement Pension) schemes with tax benefits and flexible payout options for both employers and employees.
• 한국투자 MySuper 알아서 펀드 (Korea Investment MySuper) Inflation-linked pension fund benchmarking Australia's MySuper default option system, offering 안정형 (stable) and 성장형 (growth) variants that invest in real assets (real estate, infrastructure, commodities), bonds, and global equities to exceed inflation rates. Growth variant invests 70%+ in equities and alternatives; stable variant invests 70%+ in bonds.
• 전체운용상품 (All Operating Products) Comprehensive fund product lineup including equity, fixed income, mixed, alternative investments, MMF, and specialty asset categories with risk ratings 1-6, distributed through authorized Korean securities firms, banks, and insurance companies.
• ACE ETF Exchange-traded fund (ETF) sub-brand operated by Korea Investment Management, providing a separate ETF product lineup accessible at aceetf.co.kr with its own Instagram presence (aceetf_official).
• Global EV & Battery Fund Thematic investment fund focused on global electric vehicle and battery industry equities, reaching 1 trillion KRW in AUM in 2021.

Quantifiable outcome

• Total AUM reached 50 trillion KRW in 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AB (AllianceBernstein): Global asset manager with strong TDF and retirement solutions franchise used by Korean institutional investors and pension funds. Comparable in lifecycle/glide-path investment philosophy and low-cost ETF-led products.
• Vanguard: Global asset manager famous for low-cost index TDFs and ETFs. Indirectly comparable as Korea Investment Management's TDF ETF Focus competes with passive/index strategies that Vanguard pioneered globally.

Direct peers

• KB Asset Management: Subsidiary of KB Financial Group offering a similar product lineup including TDFs, retirement pensions, and mutual funds. Competes directly with Korea Investment Management in DC/IRP and ETF markets.
• Mirae Asset Global Investments: Korea's largest asset manager and a direct competitor in TDFs, mutual funds, ETFs, and pension products. Competes head-to-head with Korea Investment Management in retail and institutional pension mandates.
• Hanwha Asset Management: Mid-tier Korean asset manager offering TDFs, mutual funds, and pension products. Directly competes in the same distribution channels (banks, securities firms) and product categories.
• Samsung Asset Management: Major Korean asset manager offering mutual funds, ETFs, and pension products. Directly competes with Korea Investment Management in TDFs, retirement pensions, and personal pension accounts.
• Shinhan Asset Management: Affiliated with Shinhan Financial Group, offering mutual funds, TDFs, and retirement pension products. Competes with Korea Investment Management in corporate DB/DC mandates and retail pension accounts.
• NH-Amundi Asset Management: Joint venture between NH Financial and Amundi, offering TDFs, ETFs, and pension products with global asset allocation expertise. Directly comparable in TDF glide-path and ETF product sets.
• Woori Asset Management: Affiliated with Woori Financial Group, offering comparable TDF, retirement pension, and mutual fund products. Direct competitor in DB/DC/IRP corporate pension schemes and retail personal pensions.

Others

• National Pension Service of Korea (NPS): Largest Korean pension fund and a customer/standard-setter. Korea Investment Management references NPS data for human capital modeling and was selected as a delegated pension pool manager. Comparable in pension investment governance but operates as an asset owner rather than manager.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0in5lbrkMgRurBXsux3SOA
• Instagraminstagram.com/aceetf_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd.