ING Real Estate Investment Management has been selected by the Public Officials Benefit Association (POBA) of Korea to invest £170 mln (EUR 193 mln) in the central London office market.

This is the first time POBA, a public sector pension fund, has entered the UK property market.

ING REIM UK said it will be seeking 'good quality buildings in the City core, both single and multi-let with strong long term income'.

Kevin Aitchison, CEO of ING REIM UK, said: 'The success of winning this mandate was a joint effort between the ING REIM Korean office and the UK office which demonstrates the advantages of our strong global presence. We were appointed last year by a large Malaysian pension fund to build their first UK property portfolio and following this win from POBA it is clear that Asian investors are becoming increasingly prominent in the UK commercial investment market.'

'The team has already begun to source deals,' added Gary Moore, head of Acquisitions at ING REIM UK.