ISHARES MSCI SOUTH KOREA INDEX FUND $57.12 (New York Exchange symbol EWY; buy or sell through brokers) is an exchange traded fund that aims to track the MSCI Korea Index.

The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 23.1%; Hyundai Motor Co., 5.3%; Posco (steel), 3.4%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 3.2%; SK Hynix Semiconductor, 2.8%; Shinhan Financial, 2.7%; Kia Motors, 2.6%; KB Financial, 2.2%; LG Chemical, 2.1%; and NHN (Internet content), 2.1%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Information Technology, 32.3%; Consumer Discretionary, 18.2%; Financials, 14.7%; Industrials, 13.2%; Materials, 10.0%; Consumer Staples, 5.4%; Energy, 2.7%; Utilities, 1.4%; Telecommunication Services, 1.2%; and Health Care, 0.8%.

iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund was launched on May 9, 2000. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.60%.

South Korea has Asia’s fourth-largest economy after China, Japan and India. The country is heavily reliant on exports, and China is now its biggest market. South Korea’s exports to China have slowed recently, as have its sales to the U.S. and Europe.

The steady rise of South Korea’s currency, the won, is adding to the slowdown by making the country’s goods more expensive for foreign buyers. As well, South Korea’s exporters directly compete against exporters from Japan and China.

Still, the country’s economy will likely grow 2.6% this year and as much as 3.6% in 2014. It expanded by just 2.0% in 2012.

South Korea recently elected a new president, Park Guen-hye, the daughter of the country’s dictator from 1961 to 1979, Park Chung-hee.

South Korea’s communist neighbour, North Korea, remains a serious threat. But China wants peace in the region, and North Korea needs China’s continued goodwill for food and military aid.

iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund is a buy for aggressive investors.