The National Pension Corporation, which manages the $53 billion national pension system for South Korea - the nation's largest pension fund - has just mandated Watson Wyatt as its investment consultant for international investments, according to market players.
The move is not only significant as a piece of business for Watson Wyatt, which affirms its lead in mainland Asia's investment consulting market, but for launching Korea's institutional presence overseas.
Korean investors, both retail and institutional, have traditionally shied from overseas investing, with only one or two names such as Samsung Life Insurance having any meaningful offshore exposure. Virtually no pension funds invest overseas. Korean investors tend to view anything offshore as 'risky' and Korean fund...
