As the KOSPI rose above 5,000 in intraday trade on Wednesday, President Lee Jae-myung (이재명)'s investment in exchange-traded funds that track the KOSPI and Kosdaq indexes also appears to have been a major success.

Lee bought 40 million won of ETF products on May 28 last year, when he was a presidential candidate, after pledging a "KOSPI 5,000" era.

He also promised to invest another 60 million won in total by putting in 1 million won each month over the next 5 years, bringing the total to 100 million won.

At the time, Lee also used a YouTube broadcast to reveal his portfolio investing in domestic ETFs, showing his determination to reach a KOSPI 5,000.

The products Lee bought were KODEX 200, which tracks the KOSPI200 index, and KODEX Kosdaq150, which profits when the Kosdaq150 index rises.

According to Yonhap Infomax, KODEX 200 returned 103.27 percent from Lee's purchase through Jan. 21, the previous trading day. KODEX Kosdaq150 rose 31.40 percent over the same period. Even a simple calculation suggests gains of more than 27 million won.

Earlier, the presidential office said on Sept. 18 last year that Lee's ETFs had an unrealised profit of 11.6 million won based on the closing price. That corresponds to a return of 26.4 percent. The KOSPI closed at 3,461.30 that day, up 47.90 points, or 1.40 percent, from the previous session.

Lee said, "We will increase the appeal of investing in the domestic stock market and accelerate the flow of real estate funds into equities," and added, "Until the day I leave office, I will be with 14 million retail investors to achieve a KOSPI 5,000," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung (강유정) was quoted as saying.

As the president invested in index-tracking products rather than individual stocks, investors' interest in ETFs also rose.

As more individual investors have invested in ETFs through regular monthly contributions, total ETF net assets topped 300 trillion won on Jan. 5.

Total ETF net assets were 303.58 trillion won at the close that day. It crossed the 300 trillion won mark about 7 months after surpassing 200 trillion won in June last year.

According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, as the KOSPI has set fresh record highs day after day since the start of the year, ETF net assets were tallied at 327.69 trillion won at the close on Jan. 20.

That was an increase of more than 27 trillion won in 11 trading sessions since topping 300 trillion won on Jan. 5. Investor deposits also stood at 95.53 trillion won as of Jan. 20, nearing 100 trillion won.