# KDEF (PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF)

PLUS · Thematic ETFs · data as of Sep 11, 2026

KDEF holds 20 stocks, and 100% of its weight is outside the S&P 500.

## Key facts

- KDEF, already in the S&P 500: 0.0%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- KDEF, active share vs the S&P 500: 100.0%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- KDEF, top ten holdings: 71.4%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- KDEF, total return, 1 year: −6.6%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- KDEF, net assets: $157m (SEC filing, whole fund, as filed for May 31, 2026).
- KDEF, expense ratio: 0.65% (485BPOS XBRL, Mar 27, 2026).

## KDEF over each window to Sep 11, 2026

| Window | Total return | S&P 500 | Gap to S&P 500 | Gap to Nasdaq-100 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3 months | −9.5% | +3.3% | −12.8 pts | −8.7 pts |
| 6 months | −25.4% | +16.0% | −41.4 pts | −46.1 pts |
| 1 year | −6.6% | +17.5% | −24.1 pts | −29.6 pts |
| Since launch | +116.4% | +28.6% | +87.7 pts | +79.7 pts |

## Every published field

| Field | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Theme | Defense | ETFIQ, editorial |
| Launched | Feb 5, 2025 | ETFIQ |
| Already in the S&P 500, by weight | 0.0% | ETFIQ |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 100.0% | ETFIQ |
| Already in the Nasdaq-100, by weight | 0.0% | ETFIQ |
| Active share vs the Nasdaq-100 | 100.0% | ETFIQ |
| Top ten holdings weight | 71.4% | ETFIQ |
| Holdings | 20 | ETFIQ |
| Holdings as of | May 31, 2026 | SEC N-PORT |
| Top holdings | HANWHA AEROSPACE CO LTD 18.7%, HYUNDAI ROTEM COMPANY 17.1%, LIG DEFENSE & AEROSPACE CO LTD 5.9%, HD HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES CO LTD 4.8%, KOREA AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD 4.6%, FIRSTEC COMPANY LTD 4.5%, POONGSAN CORP 4.1%, HANWHA SYSTEMS CO LTD 4.1%, SNT DYNAMICS CO LTD 4.0%, SAMHYUN CO LTD 3.6% | ETFIQ |
| Net assets | $157m | SEC filing, whole fund, as filed for May 31, 2026 |
| Below its all-time high | −33.8% | ETFIQ |
| Expense ratio | 0.65% | 485BPOS XBRL, Mar 27, 2026 |
| Fee for the part that differs from the S&P 500, active expense ratio | 0.65% | ETFIQ |
| Closest funds by holdings overlap | WDAF 37%, KMCA 12% | ETFIQ |

## Questions

### How much of KDEF is in S&P 500 companies?

By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of KDEF by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Its active share against the index is 100%, so that share is the part doing something different.

### What does KDEF hold?

20 positions as filed for May 31, 2026, with the top ten at 71% of the fund. The largest are HANWHA AEROSPACE CO LTD at 18.7%, HYUNDAI ROTEM COMPANY at 17.1%, LIG DEFENSE & AEROSPACE CO LTD at 5.9%.

### Has KDEF beaten the S&P 500?

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 KDEF returned −6.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so it finished behind the index by 24.1 points.

### What does KDEF cost?

The prospectus expense ratio is 0.65% a year. Because 100% of the fund differs from the S&P 500, the fee on that differing part works out at 0.65%.


## Cite this page

ETFIQ, KDEF, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/funds/kdef
Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at https://etfiq.com/data/.

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