State pension fund logs 5.69-pct return rate through May

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's state pension fund posted a return rate of 5.69 percent in the first five months of the year, down from 6.81 percent as of end-May, mainly due to sluggish performances in domestic and foreign stock markets, the fund's operator said Tuesday.

The state pension logged a 2.27-percent investment return from the local stock market as of end-May and a 16.31 percent yield from investments in overseas stocks, according to the National Pension Service (NPS).

The NPS' return rates from investments in domestic and foreign bonds reached 2.44 percent and 11.07 percent, respectively, while the yield for alternative asset investments was tallied at 5.56 percent, it added.

The cumulative return rate of the state pension fund, which was launched in 1988, stood at 5.28 percent as of the end of May, with its cumulative earnings at 330.3 trillion won (US$281.9 billion).

The value of the assets under its management stood at 685 trillion won as of end-May, compared with 690 trillion won a month earlier.

khj@yna.co.kr
(END)