ETF Evaluator:
Matthews Korea Active ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Focused Region Over the Last Year
| 211.1% | VanEck Russia Small-Cap ETF (RSXJ) |
| 175.8% | Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF (FLKR) |
| 126.5% | iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) |
| 106.0% | Matthews Korea Active ETF (MKOR) |
| 80.7% | iShares MSCI Peru ETF (EPU) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
Matthews Korea Active ETF Overview
Matthews Korea Active ETF (MKOR) is an actively managed International Equity Focused Region exchange-traded fund (ETF). Matthews Asia Funds launched the ETF in 2010.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Under normal circumstances, the fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in the common and preferred stocks of companies located in South Korea.
About Matthews Korea Active ETF (MKOR)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.26 years: Sojung Park (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI Korea 25-50 NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Matthews Korea Active ETF has 55 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 49.1% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Matthews Korea Active ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Matthews Korea Active ETF has 93.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.8% There is 93.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Matthews Korea Active ETF has 6.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $126 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Focused Region category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
MKOR Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Matthews Korea Active ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Focused Region category. Matthews Korea Active ETF has an expense ratio of 0.79%, which is 53% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Matthews Korea Active ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 69%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 26% for the Focused Region category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Matthews Korea Active ETF returned -13.7%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Focused Region category had an average return of 1.8%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Matthews Korea Active ETF has a trailing yield of 1.60%, which is below the 5.57% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Matthews Korea Active ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 61.7%, 51.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 106.0% over the past year (grade of A), 32.0% over the past three years (grade of A) and 13.4% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 11.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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MKOR Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| MKOR Return (NAV) | -13.7% | 2.2% | 106.0% | 32.0% | 13.4% | 11.6% |
| MKOR Return (Price) | -19.3% | -6.1% | 97.7% | 29.9% | 12.3% | 11.1% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 5.611% | 8.297% | 8.230% | 2.163% | 1.078% | 0.532% |
| Focused Region Avg | 1.8% | 1.8% | 29.5% | 85.6% | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| MKOR Grade (NAV) | F | C | A | A | A | A |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -15.4% | 0.4% | 76.5% | -53.6% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| MKOR Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 2.0% |
MKOR Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MKOR Return (NAV) | 61.7% | 70.2% | -16.1% | 15.5% | -25.4% | -0.2% | 40.8% | 4.0% | -22.2% | 44.1% | -6.3% |
| MKOR Return (Price) | 55.6% | 70.4% | -15.7% | 13.7% | -25.4% | -0.2% | 40.8% | 4.0% | -22.2% | 44.1% | -6.3% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.099% | 0.003% | -0.027% | -0.116% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Focused Region Avg | 10.6% | 40.0% | 7.6% | 33.4% | -15.0% | 8.3% | 3.6% | 20.0% | -13.7% | 26.4% | 13.0% |
| MKOR Grade (NAV) | A | A | F | C | F | D | A | F | F | A | F |
| +/- Category | 51.1% | 30.2% | -23.7% | -17.9% | -10.4% | -8.5% | 37.2% | -16.0% | -8.4% | 17.7% | -19.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 2.27 |
| R-Squared: | 66% |
| Standard Deviation: | 38.8% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.48 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 3.16 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 1.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 127 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 127 Mil |
| Turnover: | 69.9% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.79% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI Korea 25-50 NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.3 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Park Sojung (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 55 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 49.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 93.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 93.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.2% |
| Cash: | 6.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Matthews Asia Funds |
| Phone Number: | 833-228-5605 |
| Website: | www.matthewsasia.com/ |
| Inception Date: | October 29, 2010 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.79% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
