□ The National Pension Service (NPS; Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Kim Tae-hyun) opened a new office in San Francisco, a hub for financial and high-tech innovation, to actively pursue lucrative investment opportunities.

  ○ The NPS Investment Management, a dedicated fund management arm of the NPS, announced today that it held an opening ceremony of the San Francisco office at the One Bush Street building in San Francisco on Sept. 5.

  ○ The new office marks the NPS’s fourth overseas office, following ones in New York in 2011, London in 2012, and Singapore in 2015.

□ The event was honored by the presence of over 40 distinguished guests, including Consul General in San Francisco, Lim Jung-taek; Director of National Pension Finance at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Park Min-jeong; CEO of Franklin Templeton, Jenny Johnson; President & COO of Blackstone, Jonathan Gray; CEO of Tishman Speyer, Rob Speyer; representatives from global pension funds and investment partners including GIC, CPP Investments, CalPERS and CalSTRS.

   ○ “As a stepping stone toward a better future, we opened our fourth overseas office in San Francisco, a hub for innovation and technology,” the NPS CEO Kim Tae-hyun said in a speech during the opening ceremony. “Last Wednesday, the Korean government released a national pension reform plan. Our overseas offices will be instrumental in contributing to the development of a sustainable pension plan and enhancing returns. With the presence in San Francisco, we look forward to deepening cooperation with global asset managers and industry peers in the region and beyond.”  

□ The San Francisco office has been in operation since July 15 to ensure a smooth launch, and at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, its official opening was commemorated.

  ○ The office will be comprised of four investment professionals, including the office head, Lim Seong-hwan, and one administrative manager, and it is expected to scale further in the coming years.

□ The new office is located in San Francisco’s financial district, home to high-profile tech companies and global investment institutions.

  ○ Capitalizing on the city’s geographic advantage, the office will focus on researching and gathering the latest investment information on the global economy and financial markets. Additionally, it will continue to foster communication and mutual cooperation with leading global companies in the region.

  ○ The San Francisco office will play a pivotal role in publicprivate equity and real asset investments, and serve as a strategic base to boost investments across North America, coupled with the New York office centered on equities and fixed income.

 □ On the occasion of attending the opening ceremony, CEO Kim visited Toronto, Canada to have meetings and conduct a site visit to a prime office, CIBC Square, which the NPS has invested with Hines, a global real estate manager. During the meeting, Hines confirmed the opening of its liaison office in Jeonju. In addition, Tishman Speyer, a global real estate manager, which took part in the event, will open its contact office in Jeonju to strengthen cooperation with the NPS.