NPS eyes corporate pension oversight, stirring competition concerns

South Korea’s National Pension Service is seeking to serve as an outsourced chief investment officer, or OCIO, for corporate retirement pension funds, raising concerns that its entry could distort competition and expand state influence over private-sector capital.

An OCIO oversees a pension fund’s investment strategy, selects and monitors asset managers and manages risks on behalf of the fund.

According to financial industry sources on Thursday, the NPS submitted a proposal titled “Plan for Pub ...