Samsung Asset Management's KODEX exchange-traded funds (ETF) net assets surpassed 200 trillion won, the first in South Korea's asset management industry. As South Korea's ETF market grows rapidly this year, a large inflow of retail investor funds into KODEX ETFs drove the increase in net assets.

Samsung Asset Management said on Sunday that total net assets in KODEX ETFs stood at 201.4589 trillion won as of May 29. South Korea's ETF market started the year at 297 trillion won and expanded to 507 trillion won at the end of last month.

Samsung Asset Management explained that KODEX ETFs are South Korea's top ETF brand and that, based on ETFGI, it achieved the performance of Asia's top ETF manager excluding Japan. It is maintaining the top spot with about 40 percent share of the domestic ETF market.

Since the start of the year, 20.6 trillion won, or 43 percent, of the 47.7 trillion won in ETF purchases by retail investors flowed into KODEX ETFs, highlighting strong retail inflows.

KODEX 200, South Korea's first ETF, has taken in 2.5 trillion won of retail funds since the start of the year, ranking first in net retail buying this year. Of the top 30 ETFs by net retail buying this year, 15 were KODEX products.

Samsung Asset Management listed 17 new products, the most in the industry, after KODEX net assets surpassed 100 trillion won. Net assets in 13 of those products exceeded 100 billion won, achieving early scaling.

The lineup of large ETF products also expanded. Samsung Asset Management explained that it holds the most 1 trillion won club ETFs in the industry and that the number of 5 trillion won club products increased to 10.

A Samsung Asset Management official said, "We will continue to contribute to investors' asset growth and the development of the capital market by supplying safe and innovative products."