How to invest in South Korea using ETFs
How do I invest in South Korean stocks?
The easiest way to invest in the whole South Korean stock market is to invest in a broad market index. This can be done at low cost by using ETFs.
On the South Korean stock market you'll find 3 indices which are tracked by ETFs.
Alternatively, you can invest in indices on the Asia-Pacific region and Emerging Markets.
Performance of South Korean stocks (MSCI Korea 20/35)
Indices in comparison
The best indices for ETFs on South Korea
For an investment in the South Korean stock market, there are 3 indices available which are tracked by 6 ETFs. On the FTSE Korea 30/18 Capped index there is 1 ETF. On the MSCI Korea 20/35 index there are 4 ETFs. On the MSCI Korea 20/35 Custom index there is 1 ETF. The total expense ratio (TER) of ETFs on these indices is between 0.09% p.a. and 0.65% p.a..
| Index | Investment focus | Number of ETFs | Number of constituents | Short description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FTSE Korea 30/18 Capped | South Korea | 1 ETF | 152 (30.01.26) | The FTSE Korea 30/18 Capped index tracks the largest stocks from South Korea. The largest company in the index is limited to a maximum of 30 percent of the index capitalization, all other index components to a maximum of 18 percent. Index factsheet |
MSCI Korea 20/35 | South Korea | 4 ETFs | 81 (30.01.26) | The MSCI Korea 20/35 index tracks large and mid cap Korean stocks. The weight of the largest constituent is constrained to 35% and the weights of all other constituents are constrained to a maximum of 20%. Index factsheet |
MSCI Korea 20/35 Custom | South Korea | 1 ETF | 81 (30.01.26) | The MSCI Korea 20/35 Custom index tracks large and mid cap Korean stocks. The weight of the largest constituent is constrained to 35% and the weights of all other constituents are constrained to a maximum of 20%. A buffer of 10% is applied on these limits at each index rebalancing. Index factsheet |
| ETF ISIN | Fund size in m EUR | TER in % | Use of profits | Fund domicile | Replication method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin FTSE Korea UCITS ETF IE00BHZRR030 | 2,562 | 0.09% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI Korea UCITS ETF (Dist)IE00B0M63391 | 701 | 0.65% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI Korea UCITS ETF (Acc)IE00B5W4TY14 | 492 | 0.65% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Amundi MSCI Korea UCITS ETF AccLU1900066975 | 418 | 0.45% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| HSBC MSCI Korea Capped UCITS ETF USDIE00B3Z0X395 | 374 | 0.50% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Xtrackers MSCI Korea UCITS ETF 1CLU0292100046 | 180 | 0.45% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Full replication |
| Index | 1 month in % | 3 months in % | 6 months in % | 1 year in % | 3 years in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTSE Korea 30/18 Capped | 23.40% | 71.00% | 111.15% | 152.03% | 151.12% | |
| MSCI Korea 20/35 Custom | 22.69% | 71.17% | 114.18% | 156.99% | 149.82% | |
| MSCI Korea 20/35 | 22.66% | 71.17% | 114.17% | 157.20% | 150.18% |
| Index | 2026 in % | 2025 in % | 2024 in % | 2023 in % | 2022 in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Korea 20/35 | 54.21% | 76.27% | -17.48% | 15.59% | -24.03% | |
| MSCI Korea 20/35 Custom | 54.72% | 75.85% | -18.11% | 17.84% | -24.50% | |
| FTSE Korea 30/18 Capped | 54.88% | 72.46% | -17.16% | 18.89% | -24.31% |
Source: justETF.com; As of 28.02.26; Calculations in EUR based on the largest ETF of the respective index.
The best South Korea ETFs
by 1 year return
| 1 | HSBC MSCI Korea Capped UCITS ETF USD | 158.41% |
| 2 | Amundi MSCI Korea UCITS ETF Acc | 158.12% |
| 3 | iShares MSCI Korea UCITS ETF (Acc) | 157.23% |
The cheapest South Korea ETFs
by total expense ratio (TER)
| 1 | Franklin FTSE Korea UCITS ETF | 0.09% p.a. |
| 2 | Amundi MSCI Korea UCITS ETF Acc | 0.45% p.a. |
| 3 | Xtrackers MSCI Korea UCITS ETF 1C | 0.45% p.a. |
Asia-Pacific indices with a large share of South Korea
Besides South Korea ETFs, you may consider ETFs on the Asia-Pacific region. In total, you can invest in 5 Asia-Pacific indices, which are tracked by 12 ETFs. The total expense ratio (TER) of ETFs on Asia-Pacific is between 0.15% p.a. and 0.74% p.a..
| Index | Investment focus | Number of ETFs | Number of constituents | Short description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan | Asia Pacific South Korea: 28.19% (30/11/2022) | 2 ETFs | 370 (30.01.26) | The FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan index tracks large and mid cap stocks from developed countries in the Asia Pacific region excluding Japan. Index factsheet |
| MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan | Asia Pacific South Korea: 11.25% (30/11/2022) | 1 ETF | 1,057 (27.02.26) | The MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan index tracks equity markets of the emerging and developed countries of the Asia and Pacific region, excluding Japan. Index factsheet |
| MSCI AC Asia ex Japan | Asia Pacific South Korea: 13.61% (30/11/2022) | 2 ETFs | 1,006 (27.02.26) | The MSCI AC Asia ex Japan index tracks equity markets of the emerging and developed countries of the Asia region, excluding Japan. Index factsheet |
| MSCI AC Far East ex Japan | Asia Pacific South Korea: 16.39% (30/11/2022) | 3 ETFs | 843 (27.02.26) | The MSCI AC Far East ex Japan index tracks equity markets of the emerging and developed countries of the East Asian region, excluding Japan. Index factsheet |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Asia | Asia Pacific South Korea: 15.31% (30/11/2022) | 4 ETFs | 964 (27.02.26) | The MSCI Emerging Markets Asia index tracks large and mid cap companies from Asian emerging markets. Index factsheet |
| ETF ISIN | Fund size in m EUR | TER in % | Use of profits | Fund domicile | Replication method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares MSCI EM Asia UCITS ETF (Acc)IE00B5L8K969 | 5,437 | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan UCITS ETF DistributingIE00B9F5YL18 | 1,887 | 0.15% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Amundi MSCI Emerging Markets Asia UCITS ETF EUR (C)LU1681044480 | 1,439 | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| State Street SPDR MSCI EM Asia UCITS ETF USDIE00B466KX20 | 1,193 | 0.55% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI AC Far East ex-Japan UCITS ETFIE00B0M63730 | 1,170 | 0.74% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| UBS MSCI AC Asia ex Japan SF UCITS ETF USD accIE00B7WK2W23 | 774 | 0.23% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Swap-based | |
| Amundi MSCI Emerging Markets Asia UCITS ETF USDLU1681044563 | 745 | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi MSCI AC Asia Pacific Ex Japan UCITS ETF AccLU1900068328 | 651 | 0.60% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan UCITS ETF (USD) AccumulatingIE00BK5BQZ41 | 602 | 0.15% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Amundi MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan UCITS ETF AccLU1900068161 | 395 | 0.50% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| HSBC MSCI AC Far East ex Japan UCITS ETF USDIE00BBQ2W338 | 327 | 0.45% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI AC Far East ex-Japan UCITS ETF USD (Acc)IE00BKPX3K41 | 118 | 0.74% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication |
| Index | 1 month in % | 3 months in % | 6 months in % | 1 year in % | 3 years in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan | 5.82% | 15.68% | 23.68% | 28.28% | 53.31% | |
| MSCI AC Asia ex Japan | 5.71% | 15.24% | 25.93% | 31.10% | 59.75% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Asia | 6.04% | 15.99% | 27.45% | 32.43% | 63.16% | |
| MSCI AC Far East ex Japan | 6.24% | 19.81% | 31.70% | 38.53% | 66.23% | |
| FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan | 13.49% | 33.76% | 43.50% | 55.83% | 67.70% |
| Index | 2026 in % | 2025 in % | 2024 in % | 2023 in % | 2022 in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan | 13.76% | 13.84% | 16.92% | 2.96% | -12.62% | |
| MSCI AC Asia ex Japan | 13.99% | 16.79% | 18.97% | 2.12% | -14.88% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Asia | 14.33% | 17.07% | 19.10% | 3.84% | -15.09% | |
| MSCI AC Far East ex Japan | 17.58% | 23.73% | 18.71% | -1.28% | -15.89% | |
| FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan | 27.62% | 24.57% | 0.30% | 7.20% | -7.26% |
Source: justETF.com; As of 28.02.26; Calculations in EUR based on the largest ETF of the respective index.
Emerging markets indices with a large share of South Korea
Besides South Korea ETFs you may consider emerging markets ETFs. In total, you can invest in 1 emerging markets index, which is tracked by 24 ETFs. The total expense ratio (TER) of ETFs on emerging markets is between 0.09% p.a. and 0.65% p.a..
| Index | Investment focus | Number of ETFs | Number of constituents | Short description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Emerging Markets | Emerging Markets South Korea: 11.95% (30/11/2022) | 24 ETFs | 1,195 (27.02.26) | The MSCI Emerging Markets index tracks stocks from emerging markets worldwide. Index factsheet |
| ETF ISIN | Fund size in m EUR | TER in % | Use of profits | Fund domicile | Replication method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1CIE00BTJRMP35 | 9,387 | 0.18% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Optimized sampling | |
| iShares MSCI EM UCITS ETF (Dist)IE00B0M63177 | 7,469 | 0.18% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI EM UCITS ETF (Acc)IE00B4L5YC18 | 6,799 | 0.18% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Amundi Core MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF DistLU2573966905 | 4,143 | 0.14% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi Core MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF AccLU2573967036 | 3,982 | 0.14% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF EUR AccLU1681045370 | 3,500 | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi Core MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF AccLU1437017350 | 3,433 | 0.18% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
| HSBC MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF USDIE00B5SSQT16 | 3,235 | 0.15% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| UBS Core MSCI EM UCITS ETF USD disLU0480132876 | 2,211 | 0.15% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Optimized sampling | |
| State Street SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF USDIE00B469F816 | 1,457 | 0.18% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Amundi MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF USD AccLU1681045453 | 1,320 | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi MSCI Emerging Markets Swap II UCITS ETF EUR AccFR0010429068 | 882 | 0.55% p.a. | Accumulating | France | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi Core MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF EUR DistLU1737652583 | 866 | 0.18% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
| HSBC MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF USD (Acc)IE000KCS7J59 | 861 | 0.15% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF 1CLU0292107645 | 713 | 0.49% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1DIE000GWA2J58 | 288 | 0.18% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Invesco MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETFIE00B3DWVS88 | 284 | 0.19% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Unfunded swap | |
| UBS MSCI EM SF UCITS ETF USD accIE00B3Z3FS74 | 182 | 0.14% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Swap-based | |
| Deka MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF DE000ETFL342 | 176 | 0.65% p.a. | Accumulating | Germany | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi MSCI Emerging Markets Swap II UCITS ETF USD AccFR0010435297 | 137 | 0.55% p.a. | Accumulating | France | Unfunded swap | |
| Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF 1DLU2675291913 | 124 | 0.18% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| iShares MSCI EM Swap UCITS ETF USD (Acc)IE000S3N6R34 | 86 | 0.14% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Unfunded swap | |
| BNP Paribas Easy MSCI Emerging UCITS ETF AccLU3086273813 | 50 | 0.09% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| BNP Paribas Easy MSCI Emerging UCITS ETF EUR AccLU3257630437 | 0 | 0.09% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap |
| Index | 1 month in % | 3 months in % | 6 months in % | 1 year in % | 3 years in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Emerging Markets | 5.02% | 15.82% | 27.08% | 32.41% | 61.25% |
| Index | 2026 in % | 2025 in % | 2024 in % | 2023 in % | 2022 in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Emerging Markets | 14.84% | 18.22% | 14.36% | 5.75% | -15.28% |
Source: justETF.com; As of 28.02.26; Calculations in EUR based on the largest ETF of the respective index.
