Kang Byung-won "National Pension Service Invested 1.5 Trillion Won in Japanese War Criminal Companies... Not Aligned with Public Sentiment"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Ji-hwan] The National Pension Service has invested more than 1.5 trillion KRW in stocks of Japanese war crime companies, raising concerns that this is not in line with public sentiment.

According to investment data submitted by the National Pension Service to Kang Byung-won, a member of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, as of February this year, the amount invested in Japanese war crime companies designated by the Prime Minister's Office reached 1.57 trillion KRW. Direct investments amounted to 880 billion KRW, while indirect investments totaled 690 billion KRW.

The investments include Shin-Etsu Chemical (direct 162.9 billion KRW, indirect 196.3 billion KRW), Toyota Motor (direct 277.2 billion KRW, indirect 63.3 billion KRW), Kubota (direct 54.5 billion KRW, indirect 62.2 billion KRW), and Daikin Industries (direct 103.6 billion KRW, indirect 6.5 billion KRW). A total of 94.2 billion KRW was also invested in Mitsubishi Group affiliates related to forced labor on Hashima Island.

Assemblyman Kang Byung-won stated, "Considering the characteristics of pension management and the Japanese economy, completely excluding all investments in war crime companies is unrealistic, but direct investments, not even indirect ones, are against public sentiment and violate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investment principles."