Entrepreneur reclaims leadership role in international growth ambitions for Mirae Asset

Mirae Asset Group, one of South Korea's leading financial services providers, has made a significant move towards strengthening its global strategy with the appointment of its founder, Park Hyeon-joo, as the global strategy officer.

Park, who has spent more than half his time overseas each year, advising affiliate CEOs on global business decisions, has described himself as a global strategy officer since 2016. His role is to set mid- to long-term directions for international business, identify growth opportunities, and manage the group's global strategy office.

The change is practical, aimed at strengthening the accountability system necessary for business strategy and shareholder value. This appointment comes in response to Korea's revised corporate governance law, which introduced a "responsibilities map" system this year.

Under Park's leadership, Mirae Asset's asset management arm pioneered Korea's entry into the Hong Kong exchange-traded fund (ETF) market in 2011 and expanded into mainland ETFs through the Connect program in 2023. Mirae Asset's ETF brand, Global X Hong Kong, leads expansion in the region.

Mirae Asset Securities, the group's brokerage arm, now operates the largest overseas network among Korean brokerages, with a presence in 11 markets. Offshore affiliates handle 272 trillion won, or about 27% of the total client assets, with the group generating a record 223.8 billion won in pretax profit from overseas units in the first half of 2025, accounting for 26% of the group's total.

In India, Mirae Asset Asset Sharekhan, fully integrated in late 2024, operates brokerage, wealth management, and research services. The group also operates index development, digital fund distribution, and stock-backed lending platforms in the country.

Mirae Asset Securities aims to continue growing as a trusted global investment house based on its "client first" philosophy. Six vice chairs from diverse backgrounds now form the "first generation of nonfounder leadership" at Mirae Asset. Notably, the current President (CEO) of Mirae Asset Securities in Hong Kong is Ms. Judy Zhu. She holds the CEO position at Mirae Asset Global Investments (Hong Kong) Limited.

Park's emphasis on Mirae Asset's "no dynastic succession" model initially drew skepticism from some investors. However, the group's success in the global market seems to have silenced those doubts. Mirae Asset Securities' strategy rests on five pillars -- overseas business, investment banking, trading, wealth management, and principal investment.

Hong Kong has become the hub for Mirae Asset's Greater China ambitions. The group's focus on expanding its ETF business and strengthening its presence in the region reflects this strategic decision. As Mirae Asset continues to grow, it remains committed to its mission of being a trusted global investment partner for its clients.