The Bank of Korea announced Thursday that it holds more than $250 million worth of a gold exchange-traded fund listed on the US stock market, marking the central bank's first gold investment in 13 years.

According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the BOK held 679,765 shares of SPDR Gold Trust — one of the most widely traded gold ETFs in the United States — valued at $250.4 million as of the end of the second quarter.

Gold ETFs give investors exposure to gold by tracking changes in the price of the precious metal, allowing them to benefit from gold price movements without owning physical bullion.

The BOK did not specify the exact timing of its ETF purchase. However, the holding was absent from its first-quarter filing, indicating the position was built after that period. SPDR Gold Trust was recently trading at around $400, having rebounded from the $360 level recorded last month.

This represents the first gold investment by South Korea's central bank since it purchased 20 tons of the metal in 2013. Gold ETFs are classified as foreign securities and are included in the country's foreign exchange reserves. South Korea's foreign exchange reserves totaled approximately $412 billion as of mid-2025, with the US dollar comprising the largest share.

The move places the BOK among a growing number of central banks expanding gold exposure. Global central banks have been net buyers of gold for over a decade, with annual purchases reaching record levels in recent years as institutions seek to diversify reserves away from the US dollar and hedge against geopolitical instability.

Separately, the BOK recently announced plans to purchase domestically produced gold as part of broader efforts to diversify its reserves and hedge against geopolitical and inflation risks.

Source: Yonhap