Marston Investment Management Invites Chung-Ang University Alternative Investment Society to ‘Pro Bono Seminar’

Sustaining Pro Bono Initiatives Tied to Core Business

Marston Investment Management said on November 9 that it had invited students from KAIC, the Alternative Investment Society at Chung-Ang University, to its headquarters and held a pro bono seminar.

The seminar was held on November 6 in a mid-sized conference room on the 21st floor of Marston Investment Management’s headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Its theme was “Alternative Investments, Unpacked.” The Center for Positive Impact, under the company’s Social Contribution Task Force, oversaw the entire process, from selecting the topic and speakers and designing the program to running the event.

KAIC (Korean Alternative Investors at Chung Ang Univ.) is an alternative investment society at Chung-Ang University, founded in 2016. Its members independently study a broad range of alternative investments, including real estate finance.

The seminar opened with KAIC President Choi Nakjun introducing the society’s activities under the theme “Alternative Investments Through Students’ Eyes.” Next, Choi Yungon, an outside director at Marston Investment Management, led a session titled “Q&A on the Capital Markets, from A to Z,” answering students’ questions directly. Through a question-and-answer format, he addressed their questions about the structure and workings of the capital markets and the investment decision-making process, deepening their understanding of the industry.

Next, Kim Beomsoo, a director in Marston Investment Management’s REITs Division, gave a talk titled “Why Are They So Different If They’re Both Real Estate Finance?” Drawing on his experience in overseas alternative investments, listed REITs, and domestic real estate investment, Kim compared how investment structures and decision-making processes differ across areas within real estate finance.

The final session was led by Kim Minseok, head of the Center for Positive Impact under Marston Investment Management’s Social Contribution Task Force, who also served as moderator for the event. Centered on the message “Investments End, but Spaces Remain,” Kim explained why alternative investment managers should consider their social responsibilities and outlined the direction of the task force’s activities.

Since its launch in April this year, Marston Investment Management’s Social Contribution Task Force has steadily expanded its engagement with young people, focusing on university societies. It has invited groups including the International Relations Institute (IRI) and the Finance Research Society (HIF) at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea University’s real estate finance society KREDIT, Sungkyunkwan University’s real estate finance society SRF, Hanyang University’s real estate society SHARE, and the Korea chapter of the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA) to its headquarters for pro bono lectures.

“This was an opportunity for our members, who have studied alternative investments broadly, to understand that different investment rationales apply across areas even within real estate finance,” said KAIC President Choi Nakjun. “By hearing directly from industry professionals about everything from questions on the capital markets to the social role of investment managers, we were able to form a concrete picture of what the alternative investment industry is really like.”

“Spaces created by alternative investment managers remain in cities for decades after an investment ends, embracing people’s everyday lives,” said Marston Investment Management CEO Park Hyeongseok, who heads the Social Contribution Task Force. “We will generously share the experience we have built in the field to help the next generation, who will inherit these spaces, grow into professionals who consider values beyond returns.”

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