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Mergers & Acquisitions Mubadala, Goldman Sachs to invest $700 mn in Kakao Mobility

United Arab Emirates’ sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co. and Goldman Sachs are set to invest a combined $700 million in Kakao Mobil...

Automobiles BMW surpasses Mercedes in Korean sales for 1st time in 10 years

The top five imported car brands in South Korea underwent a major shake-up last year. BMW overtook Mercedes-Benz in sales for the first time in a de...

Entertainment Kakao Entertainment scraps IPO, seeks new buyer

Kakao Corp., South Korea’s largest mobile platform, is looking to sell a majority stake in Kakao Entertainment Corp., dropping a plan to take ...

Earnings Samsung’s Q1 profit beats expectations; Q2 outlook murky on tariff war

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest memory chipmaker, posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter operating profit on Tuesday, booste...

Mergers & Acquisitions IMM consortium owns 100% of Hyundai LNG Shipping; Stake sale eyed

A consortium of IMM Private Equity Inc. and IMM Investment Corp. has secured full ownership of Hyundai LNG Shipping, South Korea’s top liquefi...

Banking & Finance Hana Asset Management to merge with Hana Alternative Asset

Hana Financial Group, the parent of Hana Bank and Hana Securities Co, will merge its two asset management arms to bolster its non-banking services, ...

Banking & Finance Hana Financial CEO set for reappointment with foreign investor backing

More than half of the foreign shareholders in Hana Financial Group have thrown their support behind Chief Executive Ham Young-joo for a second term,...

Private equity Red flags raised even before Homeplus crisis: Sales fall, credit ratings cut

Even before South Korea’s second-largest hypermarket chain Homeplus Co. was put under court receivership due to its worsening financial woes, ...

Automobiles Kia to release PV9 in 2029, retains CEO for 3 more years

Kia Corp. will release a new purpose-built vehicle (PBV) model every two years, with plans to launch the PV9 in 2029 and its first model, the PV5, t...

Business & Politics Trump says Korea interested in Alaska gas project; Korean firms skeptical

South Korea, Japan and other countries want to partner with the US in a $44 billion natural gas pipeline project in Alaska, President Donald Trump s...

Korean food China under spell of Korean spicy instant noodles; Samyang leads  

South Korea’s spicy instant noodles are poised to captivate China, the world’s largest ramen market, with their shipments to the neighbo...

Cryptocurrencies Dunamu slapped with 3-month business suspension order

Dunamu Inc., the operator of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, has been hit with a three-month partial business suspension ...

Sovereign bonds Foreigners return to Korean debt market; Korea on course to join WGBI

Foreigners scooped up South Korean government bonds in January despite the country’s ongoing political upheavals, betting big on the country&r...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HD Hyundai in talks to buy back Korean ship parts maker

HD Hyundai Co., the world’s second-largest shipbuilder, is in talks with a private equity firm to buy back a South Korean ship parts manufactu...

Earnings Shinhan Bank reclaims top spot as S.Korea’s leading lender

Shinhan Bank, a key arm of Shinhan Financial Group, reclaimed its position as South Korea’s top lender posting its largest-ever profit in 2024...

Banking & Finance KB Financial to buy back $359 bn in shares after record net profit in 2024

KB Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s largest financial holding group, will spend nearly 1.8 trillion won ($1.2 billion) to boost shareholder...

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...

Korean stock market Foreign investors sells $3.86 bn in S.Korean stock market

The Bank of Korea (BOK) said on Wednesday that the foreign investors' net selling in the South Korean stock market was $3.86 billion in December las...

Automobiles Hankook Tire gains edge over Chinese rivals under Trump tariffs

CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee -- Early this month at the Hankook Tire plant in Clarksville, construction workers were installing the steel framework of its...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor: First auto brand available for purchase on Amazon Autos

You can now buy a Hyundai on Amazon.You read that right. You can buy a vehicle on the same site where you purchase dinosaur balloons and roller skat...

Debt financing POSCO’s new bond sale seven times oversubscribed

South Korean steelmaker POSCO’s new bond issue for 500 billion won ($343 million) was seven times oversubscribed, which may encourage the comp...

Real estate Seoul office sales rebound for first time in 4 years in 2024

The Seoul office market bounced back for the first time in four years in 2024, with transaction volume soaring 78.7% to 13.4 trillion won ($9.1 bill...

Electric vehicles Hyundai, Kia EVs qualify for US subsidies for first time

Five electric vehicle models from Hyundai Motor Group, encompassing Kia Corp., were included in the 25 EV models qualifying for US tax credits in 20...

Economy Korea’s 2024 exports hit all-time high, driven by chips, shipments to China

South Korea’s exports, the country’s main growth driver, reached an all-time high in 2024, buoyed by strong semiconductor exports and a ...

Energy KEPCO expects all-time high $207 mn in 2024 overseas investment returns

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the state-run utility company, expects to post its highest-ever overseas business performance this year, thanks ...

Tech, Media & Telecom RaonSecure to supply biometrics to SBI Sumishin Net Bank

South Korean cybersecurity firm RaonSecure Co. said on Monday it signed a $2.5 million contract with SBI Sumishin Net Bank, the largest internet ban...

Electric vehicles Gensis launches motorsport team to race in high-performance segment

Hyundai Motor Co.'s premium brand Genesis on Wednesday launched a racing team and unveiled a motorsports prototype to raise its presence in the glob...

Economy Korea’s export growth at 14-month low, adds to BOK rate cut views

South Korea’s export growth fell to a 14-month low in November with shipments to the world’s two biggest markets the US and China down, ...

Korean stock market Korean pension funds buy a net $1.2 bn in Kospi stocks in November

South Korean pension funds continued their Kospi market buying spree for a fourth straight month in November, notching their largest net purchases o...

K-pop K-Pop group ATEEZ tops Billboard 200 for 2nd Time

K-pop group ATEEZ  has claimed their second No. 1 spot on Billboard's main album chart, the Billboard 200, with their latest mini-album, Golden...