The Bank of Korea bought 679,765 shares of SPDR Gold Shares, the world's largest physically backed gold exchange-traded fund, in the second quarter for about $250 million, marking its first purchase of gold-linked assets since 2013. The position was not held at the end of the first quarter and is classified as a security within foreign-exchange reserves, meaning it gives the central bank exposure to gold prices without increasing its official physical gold holdings, which remain about 104.4 metric tons. A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed the stake was valued at $250.4 million at the end of June and made up roughly 6.4% of four disclosed holdings worth $3.89 billion in total. Earlier in August, the BOK said it had built a framework for domestic gold purchases, its first such step in almost six decades. The move comes as central banks globally increase gold allocations; the World Gold Council said net central-bank gold purchases reached 289 tons in the second quarter, the highest ever for that period, led by Poland's 51 tons, while China added about 20 tons in July alone. Gold-backed funds also drew $3 billion in July, ending a two-month outflow streak.