3D avatar-based communication platform

Korean startups Korea's science ministry picks 10 AI, digital startups to back global growth

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday announced that it has selected 10 startups founded by Koreans in a program to support th...

Cryptocurrencies RedotPay lands in Seoul with crypto cards

RedotPay, a Hong Kong-based blockchain fintech company, has arrived in South Korea with its cryptocurrency-based payment cards and is poised to disr...

Beauty & Cosmetics Seoul-backed K-beauty brands set to make global mark

As Korean beauty products continue to captivate global consumers, five Seoul-based cosmetics and wellness companies are gearing up to penetrate deep...

E-commerce Naver, Kurly tie up to counter e-commerce giant Coupang

South Korea’s online giant Naver Corp. and dawn grocery platform service provider Kurly Inc. have joined forces for a potential stake acquisit...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix bets on 3D HBM as next game-changer in AI chip race

SK Hynix Inc., the world’s top DRAM memory chipmaker, aims to redefine the competitive landscape in artificial intelligence memory chips with ...

Bio & Pharma ABL Bio lands $2.8 billion license-out deal with GSK

ABL Bio Inc., a South Korean biotech company, will license out its proprietary blood-brain barrier shuttle platform, called the Grabody-B, to UK-bas...

Real estate Asia Property to buy WeWork building in Seoul

Seoul-based real estate investment firm Asia Property has been picked as the sole preferred bidder for an office building currently occupied by cowo...

Mergers & Acquisitions Hahn & Co. acquires SK Specialty for $1.8 billion

Hahn & Co., South Korea’s largest private equity firm, has finalized the acquisition of SK Specialty Co., the world’s leading produc...

E-commerce Luxury fashion platform Balaan files for court receivership amid slump

South Korea’s top luxury goods e-commerce platform Balaan Co. said on Monday it has filed for corporate rehabilitation with a Seoul court as t...

Entertainment SM Entertainment acquires additional 11.4% stake in DearU for $9.2 mn

SM Entertainment Co., South Korea’s music powerhouse behind internationally popular boy and girl bands like EXO and aespa, has acquired an add...

Retail Koreans’ craving for luxury goods fades

Until recently, it was not unusual to see people waiting in a long line in front of foreign haute couture brands’ stores early in the morning ...

Batteries SK On to supply 100 GWh of EV batteries to Nissan

SK On Co. has landed a deal to supply nearly 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electric vehicle batteries to Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co., which cou...

Pension funds KB, Samsung SRA, Capstone named NPS’ core property fund operators

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) has selected three asset managers to oversee its domestic core real estate platform fund — ...

Korean Investors Samsung to invest $10 million in US-based C2N Diagnostics

Samsung Group companies will jointly invest $10 million in C2N Diagnostics LLC, a U.S.-based company specializing in blood-based Alzheimer’s d...

Webtoons Naver’s Webtoon hints at ad business expansion in 2025

Webtoon Entertainment Inc., the Nasdaq-listed storytelling platform operator under South Korea’s internet giant Naver Corp., is set to expand ...

Future mobility Hyundai, Avride join hands to develop autonomous robotaxis

Hyundai Motor Co. has agreed to partner with Avride, an autonomous driving technology startup, to develop driverless robotaxis based on all-electric...

Mergers & Acquisitions S.Korean grocery delivery platform Oasis at forefront to acquire TMON

South Korea’s grocery delivery platform Oasis Corp., which has been looking to expand its e-commerce market at home and abroad, is seeking to ...

E-commerce Korea’s beauty wholesaler to invest $10 mn in fashion platform Balaan

South Korea’s cosmetics wholesaler Silicon2 Co. is set to invest $10 million in financially troubled luxury fashion e-commerce platform operat...

Electric vehicles Kia CEO stands firm on electrification strategy, premieres EV4 in Europe

TARRAGONA, Spain – Despite a temporary slowdown in electric vehicle demand and intensifying competition from Chinese automakers, Kia Corp. rem...

Regulations S.Korea needs to allow short-selling for all listed stocks: FSS chief

Lee Bok-hyun, governor of South Korea’s top financial watchdog body, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), said on Thursday that there shou...

E-commerce Korean e-commerce platforms’ growth cools; Naver Shopping sales down

South Korea’s major e-commerce platforms, including Naver Shopping, are showing signs of slowing growth amid the rise of Chinese platform gian...

Food & Beverage Korean bakery giant SPC to build $160 mn US plant as tariff war escalates

SPC Group, the operator of South Korea’s largest bakery chain Paris Baguette as well as Paris Croissant, SPL, Dunkin and SPC GFS, is building ...

Bio & Pharma Partners Investment, GordonMD eye $150 mn biotech fund launch

South Korean venture capital firm Partners Investment said on Thursday it will raise up to 215.5 billion won ($150 million) in a biotech fund jointl...

Retail Coupang Eats starts food delivery service in Japan

Coupang Eats, a food delivery app operated by South Korea's No. 1 e-commerce platform Coupang Inc., launched its first overseas service in Japan.Acc...

Regulations South Korea to tighten delisting rules to remove ailing firms

South Korea will sharply raise the threshold for listed companies to remain trading on the domestic stock market to facilitate the delisting of fina...

Robotics LG CNS, Bear Robotics to co-develop autonomous robots

LG CNS Co., a South Korean information technology service company, said on Monday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bear Robotics...

Real estate NPS commits $800 mn to Almanac for strategic partnership

The National Pension Service of Korea (NPS) has committed $800 million to Almanac Realty Investors, the private real estate investment arm of Neuber...

Private equity Korea’s Hwasung Cosmetics shines with Affirma Capital’s Midas touch

Singapore-based private equity firm Affirma Capital has turned Hwasung Cosmetics into an emerging original design manufacturer (ODM) for global beau...

Carbon neutrality KG Mobility, Phinia to co-work for hydrogen engine

South Korea's automaker KG Mobility Corp. said on Thursday it partnered with the global car aftermarket solutions company Phinia to develop hydrogen...

Robotics Lotte Duty Free unveils robot bartender in Gimpo Int'l Airport

South Korea's Lotte Duty Free said on Thursday it placed its AI-based robot bartenders in Gimpo International Airport.Lotte Duty Free offers robot...