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Launched

PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF

KDEFNYSE ArcaPLUSD

$31.98+0.72 (+2.29%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

D28/ 100

Rank 25 of 26 in Defense & Aerospace

D28/100Rank 25 of 26inDefense & Aerospace
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 31.26 to 31.98. Range 31.87 to 32.66. Use the arrow keys to read each point.31.5031.7532.2532.5010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.65%
Fund size
$86M
1Y total return
−31.1%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
21
Avg volume · 30D
50.6K sh
52W range
low $30.96high $67.41
Launched

The ETF.net KDEF Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

D

Score 28 out of 100

Category
Defense & Aerospace⁠
Rank
25 of 26
Six-pillar profile for KDEF. Scores out of 100: Cost 26, Risk 17, Mission not scored, Tradability 41, Holdings 21, Durability 58. Strongest: Durability (58). Weakest: Risk (17). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 28 of 100 falls in the D band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    D26 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 26

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    F17 out of 100
    Rank 25 of 26

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 17 of 26

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    F21 out of 100
    Rank 26 of 26

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B58 out of 100
    Rank 12 of 26

Our read on KDEF

ETF.net Research

In short

DMost defense ETFs are a bet on American primes. KDEF points somewhere else: an index fund built entirely around South Korea's defense industry, which landed on the US shelf in 2025.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks investment results corresponding generally to the total return performance of the Korea Defense Industry Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

  • A rare single-country angle: South Korean defense specifically, not the US aerospace-and-defense names that fill XAR, ITA and PPA.
  • Plain plumbing: a 1940 Act index fund tracking the Korea Defense Industry Index. No leverage, no options overlay, no swap wrapper.
  • Narrow theme, but the shares change hands with moderate regularity rather than going quiet for stretches.

Worth knowing

  • The 0.65% fee sits above the typical defense ETF, the toll for reaching into one overseas industry.
  • Launched in 2025, so the live record is short, and the ride has been choppier than broad defense funds.
  • One country, one industry: Korean policy, the won and export orders drive it, and cash comes back only once or twice a year.

KDEF Holdings

Holdings pillarF21 out of 100Rank 26 of 26 in Defense & Aerospace
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
21
Top-10 weight
65%
Largest holding
012450.KS19.3%

Sectors

  • Industrials85.3%
  • Consumer Discretionary7.1%
  • Technology3.9%
  • Health Care3.7%

Geography

  • South Korea100.00%

Developed 0% · Emerging 100% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 2.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1012450.KSHanwha Aerospace Co Ltd19.26%29,097$16.5M98
2079550.KSLig NEX1 Co Ltd6.52%17,510$5.6M66
3064350.KSHyundai Rotem Co Ltd6.24%90,721$5.36M82
4047810.KSKorea Aerospace Industries Ltd Ord6.00%68,611$5.15M69
5064960.KSSnt Motiv Co Ltd4.70%222,009$4.04M17
6003570.KSSnt Dynamics Co Ltd4.69%210,549$4.03M15
7100090.KSSk Oceanplant Co Ltd4.52%564,438$3.88M18
8No dataSamhyun Ord4.43%112,649$3.81M1
9272210.KSHanwha Systems Co Ltd4.43%78,679$3.8M69
10103140.KSPoongsan Corp4.32%84,957$3.71M42
11No dataSphere Corp4.24%234,707$3.64M1
12No dataSatrec Initiative Co Ltd4.14%83,488$3.55M2
13484870.KSMnc Solution Co Ltd3.72%312,925$3.19M2
14097230.KSHj Shipbuilding & Construction Co Ltd3.72%360,409$3.19M36
15011210.KSHyundai Wia Corp Ord3.68%83,722$3.16M39

Showing 1–15 of 21 holdings

KDEF Performance

Launched Feb 5, 2025

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
KDEF$6,890
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. KDEF $6,890. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$7,500$10,000$12,500Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for KDEF. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodKDEF
Year to date−28.8%
1 month−24.5%
3 months−12.0%
1 year−31.1%
3 yearsFund is under 3 years oldper yearNo data
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper yearNo data
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for KDEF
YearReturn barKDEF
2026 YTD−28.8%
2025+120.9%

Since listing, Feb 5, 2025

KDEF in the news

KDEF Dividends

Last payment
$2.96 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Irregular

Distribution data unavailable.

Distribution history

2025–2026

One bar per payment. 1 payment from 2025 to 2026 YTD. Dec 30, 2025 $2.96. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 30, 2025Dec 31, 2025$2.96

$10,000 in KDEF 1 year ago paid $612 in dividends.

KDEF Risk

Risk pillarF17 out of 100Rank 25 of 26 in Defense & Aerospace
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
58.1%
Annualised · 20 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.53
vs 3-month T-bills · 20 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−52.1%
20 months · trough Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.67
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

KDEF Cost

Compare KDEF and XAR

Overpaying vs XAR, tied cheapest in Defense & Aerospace

$5,591

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • KDEF 0.65%

    $12,717

  • XAR 0.35% Tied cheapest

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • KDEF 0.65%
  • XAR 0.35%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530KDEF $12,717XAR $7,126

Year by year

YearKDEFXAROverpaying
10$1,163$634$529
20$4,440$2,454$1,986
30$12,717$7,126$5,591

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