Seoul: South Korea's bourse operator announced plans to launch a 200 billion-won (US$144 million) fund this week aimed at investing in constituents of a value-up index and index-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to bolster the struggling stock market. According to Yonhap News Agency, the fund, which is partly financed by the private sector, has the potential to grow to 500 billion won within the year. This expansion is anticipated as private companies and stock market-related agencies have committed to injecting additional resources into the fund. Beginning Thursday, the fund will commence investments in shares included in the value-up index, which was introduced in September this year, as well as in index-tracking ETFs. Efforts to enhance corporate value are part of the government's strategy to stimulate the stock market. Recently, the KOSPI index experienced a decline of 5.63 percent over the past week, closing at 2,416.86 on Friday. Notably, tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. saw its share price drop b elow the 50,000 won mark for the first time in nearly four and a half years.