EWY UCITS Equivalent: IDKO
EWY (iShares MSCI South Korea ETF, iShares) is a US-listed ETF you can't buy from Europe. Its closest UCITS equivalent is IDKO — iShares MSCI Korea UCITS ETF (Dist) — a 95% match by index, holdings and cost.
EWY vs IDKO: side-by-side
| EWY (US) | IDKO (UCITS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | iShares MSCI Korea UCITS ETF (Dist) |
| Strategy | MSCI Korea 25/50 | Korea equity |
| Domicile | United States | Ireland |
| Ongoing charge (TER) | — | 0.65% |
| Income | Distributing (semi-annual) | Distributing (semi-annual) |
| Trailing yield | 1.5% | 0.42% |
| Trading currency | USD | USD |
| Fund size | — | 1.2B |
| Buyable by EU/UK retail investors | Usually blocked (no PRIIPs KID) | Yes |
| US estate-tax exposure (non-US investors) | Yes, above $60k | No |
| US dividend withholding | Withheld on each payout (15% with a W-8BEN, else 30%) | 15% inside the fund (Ireland–US treaty), nothing extra to you |
UCITS data from UCITSIncome, updated October 2026. EWY figures are indicative.
About EWY
Why you can't buy EWY in Europe
US-domiciled ETFs like EWYdon't publish the EU “KID” disclosure document required by the PRIIPs regulation, so European and other non-US brokers block the order. It isn't illegal — you simply buy the UCITS equivalent (IDKO) instead. UCITS funds are also more tax-efficient for non-US investors: lower US dividend withholding and no US estate-tax exposure. Read the full explanation →
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Similar US ETF equivalents
Matches are based on the underlying index, holdings overlap and cost, sourced from UCITSIncome data. Information only — not financial advice. Always do your own research before investing.