The Korea Fund, Inc.

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-Q

 

 

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

Investment Company Act file number: 811-04058

 

 

The Korea Fund, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

 

555 Mission Street, Suite 1700,                      
          San Francisco, CA                         94105
(Address of principal executive offices)                     (Zip code)

 

 

Lawrence G. Altadonna

1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 212-739-3371

Date of fiscal year end: June 30, 2013

Date of reporting period: March 31, 2013

 

 

 


Item 1. Schedule of Investments

The Korea Fund, Inc. Schedule of Investments

March 31, 2013 (unaudited)

 

Shares

        Value*  

COMMON STOCK—94.9%

  

Air Freight & Logistics—1.2%

  

26,612

       Hyundai Glovis Co., Ltd.    $ 4,615,509   
     

 

 

 

Auto Components—4.5%

  

45,783

       Hyundai Mobis      12,852,427   

328,060

       Nexen Tire Corp.      4,423,079   
     

 

 

 
        17,275,506   
     

 

 

 

Automobiles—7.3%

  

94,059

       Hyundai Motor Co.      19,013,534   

176,712

       Kia Motors Corp.      8,966,001   
     

 

 

 
        27,979,535   
     

 

 

 

Chemicals—3.4%

  

39,689

       LG Chem Ltd.      9,521,827   

124,831

       SKC Co., Ltd.      3,612,909   
     

 

 

 
        13,134,736   
     

 

 

 

Commercial Banks—7.4%

  

334,414

       DGB Financial Group, Inc.      5,069,963   

173,370

       Hana Financial Group, Inc.      6,146,626   

229,440

       KB Financial Group, Inc.      7,664,723   

264,262

       Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd.      9,511,519   
     

 

 

 
        28,392,831   
     

 

 

 

Construction & Engineering—2.9%

  

208,930

       Hyundai Development Co.      4,674,747   

110,273

       Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.      6,616,256   
     

 

 

 
        11,291,003   
     

 

 

 

Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components—4.1%

  

296,265

       LG Display Co., Ltd. (e)      8,663,530   

78,385

       Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.      7,065,775   
     

 

 

 
        15,729,305   
     

 

 

 

Food Products—1.7%

  

20,920

       CJ CheilJedang Corp.      6,442,661   
     

 

 

 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure—2.3%

  

176,082

       Hotel Shilla Co., Ltd.      8,730,160   
     

 

 

 

Household Durables—3.0%

  

121,460

       Coway Co., Ltd.      5,392,885   

80,465

       LG Electronics, Inc. (d)      5,922,358   
     

 

 

 
        11,315,243   
     

 

 

 

Household Products—1.9%

  

13,243

       LG Household & Health Care Ltd.      7,279,831   
     

 

 

 

Industrial Conglomerates—2.3%

  

148,056

       LG Corp.      8,646,823   
     

 

 

 

Insurance—3.1%

  

21,155

       Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd.      4,146,699   

80,439

       Samsung Life Insurance Co., Ltd.      7,532,181   
     

 

 

 
        11,678,880   
     

 

 

 

Internet & Catalog Retail—0.9%

  

26,736

       Hyundai Home Shopping Network Corp.      3,335,042   
     

 

 

 

Machinery—2.7%

  

323,310

       Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.      10,277,922   
     

 

 

 

Media—1.8%

  

504,370

       CJ Hellovision Co., Ltd. (e)      6,933,256   
     

 

 

 


The Korea Fund, Inc. Schedule of Investments

March 31, 2013 (unaudited) (continued)

 

Shares

        Value*  

Metals & Mining—6.6%

  

38,244

       Hyundai Steel Co.    $ 2,805,908   

34,007

       Korea Zinc Co., Ltd.      10,894,044   

38,852

       POSCO      11,433,036   
     

 

 

 
        25,132,988   
     

 

 

 

Multi-line Retail—2.6%

  

42,310

       Hyundai Department Store Co., Ltd.      6,222,857   

252,985

       Hyundai Greenfood Co., Ltd.      3,863,310   
     

 

 

 
        10,086,167   
     

 

 

 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels—2.4%

  

156,215

       GS Holdings      9,142,620   
     

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals—1.2%

  

42,343

       Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (b)      4,719,155   
     

 

 

 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment—25.9%

  

68,921

       Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.      93,941,354   

183,751

       SK Hynix, Inc. (e)      4,864,964   
     

 

 

 
        98,806,318   
     

 

 

 

Software—2.3%

  

59,725

       Gamevil, Inc. (e)      5,362,228   

23,291

       NCSoft Corp.      3,261,045   
     

 

 

 
        8,623,273   
     

 

 

 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods—0.5%

  

49,670

       Youngone Corp.      1,899,312   
     

 

 

 

Tobacco—1.3%

  

75,192

       KT&G Corp.      5,102,459   
     

 

 

 

Trading Companies & Distributors—1.6%

  

98,231

       Samsung C&T Corp.      6,080,405   
     

 

 

 
  

    Total Common Stock (cost—$233,972,339)

     362,650,940   
     

 

 

 

Collateral Invested for Securities on Loan—1.2%

  

4,613,650

       BNY Institutional Cash Reserves Fund (cost-$4,613,650) (c)      4,613,650   
     

 

 

 
       Total Investments (cost—$238,585,989) (a)(f)—96.1%      367,264,590   
     

 

 

 
       Other assets less liabilities-3.9%      14,740,361   
     

 

 

 
  

    Net Assets—100.0%

   $ 382,004,951   
     

 

 

 

 


 

Notes to Schedule of Investments:

 

* Portfolio securities and other financial instruments for which market quotations are readily available are stated at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, on the basis of quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or independent pricing services. An investment in a mutual fund is valued at its closing net asset value per share as reported on each business day.

Portfolio securities and other financial instruments for which market quotations are not readily available, or for which a development/event occurs that may significantly impact the value of a security, are fair-valued, in good faith, pursuant to procedures established by the Board of Directors, or persons acting at their discretion pursuant to procedures established by the Board of Directors. The Fund’s investments are valued daily and the net asset value (“NAV”) is calculated as of the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on each day NYSE is open for business using prices supplied by the dealer quotations, or by using the last sale price on the exchange that is the primary market for such securities, or the last quoted mean price for those securities for which the over-the-counter market is the primary market or for listed securities in which there were no sales. For foreign equity securities (with certain exceptions, if any), the Fund fair values its securities daily using modeling tools provided by statistical research service. This service utilizes statistics and programs based on historical performance of markets and other economic data (which may include changes in the value of U.S. securities or security indices).

Short-term securities maturing in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, if their original term to maturity was 60 days or less, or by amortizing their value on the 61st day prior to maturity, if the original term to maturity exceeded 60 days. Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. As a result, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the NYSE is closed. The prices used by the Fund to value securities may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold and these differences could be material.

 

(a) Securities with an aggregate value of $347,436,441, representing 91.0% of net assets, were valued utilizing modeling tools provided by a third-party vendor.

 

(b) Fair-Valued—Security with a value of $4,719,155, representing 1.2% of net assets.

 

(c) Purchased with cash collateral received from securities on loan.

 

(d) A portion of securities on loan with an aggregate a market value of $4,393,568; cash collateral of $4,613,650 was received with which the Fund invested in the BNY Institutional Cash Reserves Fund.

 

(e) Non-income producing.

 

(f) At March 31, 2013, the cost basis of portfolio securities for federal income tax purposes was $239,721,776. Gross unrealized appreciation was $138,451,346; gross unrealized depreciation was $10,908,532; and net unrealized appreciation was $127,542,814. The difference between book and tax cost basis was attributable to wash sale loss deferrals.


Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e. the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

 

   

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical investments that the Fund has the ability to access

 

   

Level 2 – valuations based on other significant observable inputs, which may include, but are not limited to, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates or other market corroborated inputs

 

   

Level 3 – valuations based on significant unobservable inputs (including the investment manager’s or Valuation Committee’s own assumptions and single broker quotes in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The following are certain inputs and techniques that the Fund generally uses to evaluate how to classify each major category of assets and liabilities for Level 2 and Level 3, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

Equity Securities (Common and Preferred Stock)—Equity securities traded in inactive markets and certain foreign equity securities are valued using inputs which include broker-dealer quotes, recently executed transactions adjusted for changes in the benchmark index, or evaluated price quotes received from independent pricing services that take into account the integrity of the market sector and issuer, the individual characteristics of the security, and information received from broker-dealers and other market sources pertaining to the issuer or security. To the extent that these inputs are observable, the values of equity securities are categorized as Level 2. To the extent that these inputs are unobservable, the values are categorized as Level 3.

The valuation techniques used by the Fund to measure fair value during the nine months ended March 31, 2013 were intended to maximize the use of observable inputs and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers between levels at the end of the reporting period. An investment asset’s or liability’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level input, individually or in aggregate, that is significant to the fair value measurement. The objective of fair value measurement remains the same even when there is a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for an asset or liability and regardless of the valuation techniques used. Investments categorized as Level 1 or 2 as of period end may have been transferred between Levels 1 and 2 since the prior period due to changes in the valuation method utilized in valuing the investments.

A summary of the inputs used at March 31, 2013 in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities is listed below (refer to the Schedule of Investments for more detailed information on Investments in Securities):

 

     Level 1 -
Quoted Prices
     Level 2 -
Other Significant
Observable
Inputs
     Level 3 -
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
     Value at
3/31/13
 

Investments in Securities—Assets

           

Common Stock:

           

Household Durables

   $ 5,392,885       $ 5,922,358       $ —         $ 11,315,243   

Pharmaceuticals

     —           —           4,719,155         4,719,155   

Tobacco

     5,102,459         —           —           5,102,459   

All Other

     —           341,514,083         —           341,514,083   

Collateral Invested for Securities on Loan

     4,613,650         —           —           4,613,650   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Totals

   $ 15,108,994       $ 347,436,441       $ 4,719,155       $ 367,264,590   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

At March 31, 2013, there were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2.


A roll forward of fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the nine months ended March 31, 2013, was as follows:

 

     Beginning
Balance
6/30/12
     Purchases      Sales      Accrued
Discount
(Premiums)
     Net
Realized
Gain (Loss)
     Net Change
in Unrealized
Appreciation/
Depreciation
     Transfers
into
Level 3*
     Transfers
out of
Level 3
     Ending
Balance
3/31/13
 

Investments in Securities—Assets

                          

Common Stock:

                          

Pharmaceuticals

   $ —         $ —         $ —         $ —         $ —         $ —         $ 4,719,155       $ —         $ 4,719,155   

The following tables present additional information about valuation techniques and inputs used for investments that are measured at fair value and categorized within Level 3 at March 31, 2013:

 

     Ending
Balance
at 3/31/13
     Valuation
Technique Used
   Unobservable
Inputs
   Input Values

Investments in Securities—Assets

           

Common Stock

   $ 4,719,155       Last Exchange Price    Trading Volume    KRW 124,000

 

* Transferred out of Level 2 into Level 3 because a March 31, 2013 closing exchange price was not available.

The net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation of Level 3 investments which the Fund held at March 31, 2013 was $1,599,865.


Item 2. Controls and Procedures

(a) The registrant’s President & Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))), are effective based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this document.

(b) There were no significant changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d))) that occurred during the registrant’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 3. Exhibits

(a) Exhibit 99.302 Cert.—Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Registrant: The Korea Fund, Inc.
By:   /s/ Christian W. Pachtner
  Christian W. Pachtner
  President & Chief Executive Officer

Date: May 23, 2013

 

By:  

/s/ Brian S. Shlissel

  Brian S. Shlissel
  Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer

Date: May 23, 2013

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:

  /s/ Christian W. Pachtner
  Christian W. Pachtner
  President & Chief Executive Officer

Date: May 23, 2013

 

By:

  /s/ Brian S. Shlissel
  Brian S. Shlissel
  Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer

Date: May 23, 2013