PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF)

NYSEARCA: KDEF · Real-Time Price · USD
35.52
-2.21 (-5.87%)
Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT - Market closed
Assets$109.34M
Expense Ratio0.65%
PE Ratio23.29
Shares Out2.64M
Dividend (ttm)$2.22
Dividend Yield6.26%
Ex-Dividend DateDec 30, 2025
Payout Frequencyn/a
Payout Ratio151.14%
Volume50,407
Open36.91
Previous Close37.73
Day's Range35.52 - 37.18
52-Week Low33.17
52-Week High67.41
Betan/a
Holdings21
Inception DateFeb 5, 2025

About KDEF

Fund Home Page

The PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Korea Defense Industry index. The fund is passively managed to track an index which provides concentrated exposure to Koreas leading defense companies. The fund uses an AI program to identify, score and select companies for industry relevance KDEF was launched on Feb 5, 2025 and is issued by PLUS.

Asset Class Equity
Category Industrials
Stock Exchange NYSEARCA
Ticker Symbol KDEF
ETF Provider PLUS
Index Tracked Korea Defense Industry Index

Top 10 Holdings

71.63% of assets
NameSymbolWeight
Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd.01245020.50%
Hyundai Rotem Company0643508.76%
Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd.0478107.99%
LIG Defense&Aerospace Co., Ltd.0795507.22%
SK oceanplant Co.,Ltd1000905.69%
Poongsan Corporation1031404.97%
Snt Dynamics Co.,Ltd.0035704.64%
SNT Motiv Co., Ltd.0649604.24%
Satrec Initiative Co., Ltd.0993203.94%
Samhyun Co., Ltd.4377303.69%
View More Holdings

Dividend History

Ex-DividendAmountPay Date
Dec 30, 2025$2.2217Dec 31, 2025
Full Dividend History

Performance

KDEF had a total return of -11.75% in the past year, including dividends. Since the fund's inception, the average annual return has been 45.94%.

News

South Korea is positioned to capture reindustrialization trend: Mizuho

Sean Darby, Equity Strategist at Mizuho, says reindustrialization is re-emerging as a key investment theme, driven in part by Middle East tensions that are spurring investment in LNG and other energy ...

Other symbols: EWYFLKR
3 days ago - CNBC International TV

'I couldn't breathe': South Korea's frenzied stock trading exposes margin loan risks

Lee Seung-ho watched the nearly 300 million won ($202,515) stock trading fortune he built with ‌a 500% margin loan evaporate in just four weeks in May, but he plans to borrow again and return to the m...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORU
11 days ago - Reuters

South Korea Regulators Unveil Curbs on High-Risk ETFs

The Financial Services Commission said Thursday that it would suspend new listings of single-stock leveraged ETFs.

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORU
15 days ago - WSJ

Bank of Korea Raise Rates for First Time Since 2023

South Korea's central bank raised its base rate for the first time in three-and-a-half years, joining global peers in tightening monetary policy to counter inflationary pressures fueled by the U.S.-Ir...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORUMKOR
16 days ago - WSJ

South Korea forecasts 2026 economic growth at 5-year high on AI chip boom

South Korea pledged on Tuesday to swiftly advance artificial intelligence investments to bolster economic ‌performance, as it raised its 2026 growth forecast to a five-year high of 3.0% on the back of...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORU
17 days ago - Reuters

It was the world's hottest stock market. Now South Korea's stock-market index has entered bear-market territory

The cumulative impact of several different narratives – competition, sustainability, excessive leverage, international outflows- has sapped the Korean market of its upward mobility since clocking up a...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORUMKOR
23 days ago - Market Watch

South Korean shares slump 5.2% as AI valuation concerns trigger chip stock selloff

South Korean shares fell sharply for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, with heavy losses in semiconductor stocks and growing concerns over AI-related valuations dragging the benchmark index in...

23 days ago - Invezz

South Korea Inflation Accelerates to 30-Month High in June

Elevated inflation in the country is likely to strengthen the case for the central bank to tighten monetary policy at its rate-setting meeting later this month.

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORUMKOR
4 weeks ago - WSJ

South Korea's Exports Post Biggest Surge Since 1978

Exports were powered by the unabated demand for advanced chips to fuel the global artificial-intelligence boom, resulting in their largest increase in nearly five decades.

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKORU
4 weeks ago - WSJ

Korea's Chips Rally Is Driving Its Stock Market Into a Danger Zone

The rally driven by the global artificial-intelligence boom has exposed structural vulnerabilities in a stock market unaccustomed to wild swings.

Other symbols: EWYFLKR
4 weeks ago - WSJ

Korean Stocks Plunge 9% on Chip Selloff

South Korean stocks were hit by a second trading suspension this week as chipmakers plunged, highlighting the market's sensitivity to swings in global artificial-intelligence sentiment. The benchmark ...

Other symbols: EWYFLKR
5 weeks ago - Bloomberg Markets and Finance

Bank of Korea Warns Inflation May Stay Elevated Despite Middle East Truce

South Korea is likely to see elevated inflation for a prolonged period as higher energy costs spread into the broader economy and creates fresh risks for policymakers, the Bank of Korea said.

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORU
6 weeks ago - WSJ

Korean Stocks Under Pressure, Jensen Huang in Seoul

South Korean stocks plunged as investors pulled back from artificial intelligence bets. Meanwhile, a tech-centered camaraderie was on display last week with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's night out in Seou...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORU
7 weeks ago - Bloomberg Markets and Finance

One quadrillion is the number used to describe the wealth effect of South Korea's stock-market miracle

Having more than doubled already this year, Korea's stock market returns have driven a wealth effect that under an optimistic scenario could generate a wealth effect among the populace of KRW 43 trill...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKORU
2 months ago - Market Watch

The hottest stock market in the world has doubled this year. Now Goldman Sachs sees another 40% gain from here.

Earnings are the principal driver behind the breathtaking rallies achieved by Korean and Taiwanese benchmark indices in 2026, and Goldman Sachs thinks the market is still underestimating the longevity...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORUMKOR
2 months ago - Market Watch

South Korea Inflation Accelerated to 26-Month High in May

The benchmark consumer-price index rose 3.1% from a year earlier in May, reflecting the effects of higher oil prices amid Middle East tensions and the won's weakness against the U.S. dollar.

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORUMKOR
2 months ago - WSJ

Korean chip stocks will win no matter who survives the AI giants' 'deathmatch': KB Financial Group

Peter Kim, global investment strategist at KB Financial Group, says from a valuations and fundamentals perspective, we are "not even halfway through" the rally in South Korea's semiconductor and memor...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKORUMKOR
2 months ago - CNBC International TV

Bank of Korea Holds Rates Steady, Raises Inflation and Growth Forecasts

South Korea's central bank held rates steady at its first meeting under Gov. Shin Hyun-song, but kept the door open to policy tightening as it forecast higher growth and inflation.

Other symbols: EWYFLKR
2 months ago - WSJ

Debt-fueled bets turbocharge South Korean stock-market returns as Kospi jumps 8%

News that Samsung management had managed to negotiate successfully with labor unions prompted a steepling rally in SOuth Korean stocks, augmented by the bullish comments from Nvidia's CEO about the AI...

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKMCAKORUMKOR
2 months ago - Market Watch

Goldman Sachs says AI and energy resilience are creating a North-South divide in Asian markets

Investors are focusing on AI developments in North Asia. China is coming out of more than three years of deflation measured by the producer price index.

2 months ago - CNBC

Korean Stocks Are Up 89%. Hedge Funders Suggest How to Play It.

South Korea is often-overlooked but its stock market is the hottest in the world this year. The boom is led by chip powerhouses SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

Other symbols: EWYFLKRKORUMKOR
2 months ago - Barrons