SEOUL (Bloomberg) - Samsung Securities Co., South Korea's largest brokerage by market value, said it will hire 50 people in Hong Kong by the end of this year and is in talks with at least three potential partners for a venture in China.

Samsung Securities aims to begin operations in China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and India through internal growth or acquisitions, CEO Park Chun Hyeon said today in an interview in Hong Kong. He will attend a ceremony in Hong Kong tomorrow to launch increased services, including broking of stocks on the Hong Kong exchange.

Mr. Park, 56, took the helm at the Seoul-based company in June last year, vowing to bolster investment banking operations and to make the company a "regional player in Asia." He said today he wants to achieve his goal in about six years.

"We are going to focus on expanding in Asia because Asia is the growth engine," Mr. Park said. "If you have a strong presence in Asia, that can be a short-cut to become a global player."

The brokerage this year invested $100 million more in its Hong Kong unit, Samsung Securities Asia Ltd., which is expanding to offer advisory services for capital raisings and acquisitions, stock trading and investment management.

Samsung Securities is helping a company to list its shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange by the end of the year, senior executive vice-president Kim Suk later told reporters in Hong Kong, refusing to identify the company or give more details.

The brokerage said in July it would consider a joint venture in China and convert its Tokyo office into a branch. The company aims to begin operations in China in two to three years, Park said today.

Samsung Securities shares fell two percent to 76,800 won at the 3 p.m. market close in Seoul, outperforming the 56-stock financial index's 4.1 percent drop.

The new hires would boost the total number of staff in Hong Kong to about 60 by the end of this year. Colin Bradbury, a former strategist at Deutsche Bank AG, was hired in June as Samsung Securities' Hong Kong research head.

Samsung Securities, affiliated with Samsung Electronics Co., the world's biggest maker of memory chips, is the top South Korean adviser on acquisitions involving Korean companies so far this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It is fifth in overall rankings including overseas advisers.

Mr. Park began his career in 1979 at Samsung Life Insurance Co., where he became chief investment officer in 2003. Samsung Securities and Samsung Life are part of Samsung Group, South Korea's largest family run conglomerate.

Samsung Securities on August 7 reported a four percent increase in profit to 79.8 billion won ($64 million) for the three months ended June 30. The stock market rebound helped boost brokerage commissions 33 percent from a year earlier, and 57 percent from the preceding three months.

South Korea's Kospi index has gained 38 percent this year after a 41 percent slump in 2008. South Korea's economy, Asia's fourth largest, expanded at the fastest pace in almost six years in the second quarter.