Asia fourth largest economy

Arts Seoul appeal: Korean art captivates Indonesia’s affluent connoisseurs

JAKARTA – Last Thursday, Baik Art gallery in Jakarta, Indonesia, was crowded with well-heeled art patrons eager to meet a revered artist from ...

Alternative investments Meritz backs half of ex-manager’s $210 mn hedge fund

Meritz Financial Group Inc., one of South Korea’s most aggressive alternative asset managers, has committed 150 billion won ($105 million) to ...

Culture & Trends S.Korea’s medical tourism thrives on weak currency

Foreign visitors to South Korea jumped nearly 20% early this year, largely driven by a sharp depreciation in the country’s currency value agai...

Asset management South Korea’s young rich vs old rich: Coins, art outpace bonds, funds

Young South Korean millionaires, placing bold wagers on unconventional financial assets such as cryptocurrencies and art, are gaining ground fast, g...

Korean stock market NPS pours $3.9 bn to buttress Korean stock market

South Korea’s National Pension Service, the country’s largest institutional investor, has come to the rescue of the domestic stock marke...

Steel POSCO eyes investment in Hyundai Steel’s US plant

POSCO, the world’s seventh-largest steelmaker, is seeking to invest in smaller rival Hyundai Steel Co.'s first overseas plant in the US, in ex...

Korean chipmakers SK chairman in Taiwan to deepen ties with TSMC

Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, the parent of SK Hynix Inc., is visiting Taiwan amid the threat of escalating US tariff threats, suggesting the ...

Mergers & Acquisitions Korea Zinc faces multiple legal, regulatory challenges in fight against MBK

Korea Zinc Inc. Chairman Choi Yun-birm appears to have kept his grip on the world’s largest zinc smelter after successfully fending off an MBK...

Business & Politics S.Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ousted; new presidential election coming

South Korea’s Constitutional Court permanently removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday, making him the country’s second pr...

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...

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...

Private equity South Korea emerges as private equity firms’ global hub

New York-based Apollo Global Management and London-based Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) have joined the ranks of global private equity firms that ...

Hydrogen economy Hyundai Motor to build fuel cell plant in South Korea

Hyundai Motor Co. will build a local fuel cell plant in South Korea, accelerating its bid to create an entire hydrogen fuel cell value chain in line...

Pension funds South Korea’s pension fund NPS risks massive loss from Homeplus fiasco

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), the nation’s biggest institutional investor, could lose more than 1 trillion won ($692 mil...

Business & Politics Asia’s defense stocks climb on hopes of more European arms spending

Defense stocks in key Asian markets jumped on Tuesday, buoyed by expectations that European nations will boost security spending amid fears that the...

Korean startups South Korea loses tech startups at rapid clip amid dwindling funding

Concerns are growing that the tech startup ecosystem in South Korea, home to global tech household name Samsung Electronics Co., would be trapped in...

Corporate bonds One-third of Korean petrochem bonds incur valuation losses

South Korean institutional investors, including banks, insurers and securities companies, have yet to fully benefit from recent declines in bond yie...

Alternative investments Korea Investment & Securities aims to be Asia's top securities firm

Korea Investment & Securities Co. will step up its asset management business by launching innovative global investment products, aiming to surpa...

Business & Politics Woori Financial CEO Yim Jong-yong should stay for governance: FSS chief

Woori Financial Group Chief Executive and Chairman Yim Jong-yong should keep his post through to the end of his term and lead the banking group&rsqu...

Corporate restructuring Lotte Chemical nears offloading Pakistani unit as part of restructuring

Lotte Group, South Korea’s sixth-largest conglomerate, is speeding up its business streamlining efforts amid mounting debts as it has moved on...

Real estate PAG raises $4 bn for opportunistic Asia real estate fund

PAG, an Asia Pacific-focused alternative investment firm, on Friday announced the final close of its 10th opportunistic real estate fund at $4 billi...

Electronics Hanmi Semiconductor to retire $90 mn treasury shares in May

Hanmi Semiconductor Co. on Thursday announced a plan to retire 130.0 billion won ($90 million) worth of treasury shares in May, marking its largest-...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK-led consortium to take over Japan’s FICT for $656 mn

MBK Partners, the largest private equity firm in North Asia, will acquire a controlling stake in FICT Ltd., a semiconductor printed circuit board (P...

Real estate NPS closes $1.6 bn Korean office deal; scientists pension eyes NCSOFT building

The National Pension Service (NPS) has completed the purchase of One Grove for 2.3 trillion won ($1.6 billion), its largest single real estate inves...

Shipping & Shipbuilding LX Pantos enters US intermodal logistics market with Japan’s ONE

LX Pantos Co., South Korea’s largest logistics company under LX International Corp., has advanced into the US intermodal logistics market join...

Earnings Korean financial holding firms log record-high profits in 2024

South Korea’s top four financial holding firms are estimated to have posted their highest-ever profits in 2024, driven by hefty interest incom...

Korean startups Funding to Korean tech startups at 7-year low; seed funding soars

New funding to South Korean tech startups dropped to its lowest level in seven years in 2024. But seed funding soared 142% led by semiconductor, hea...

Robotics LG Electronics secures control of Bear Robotics

LG Electronics Inc. has secured control of Bear Robotics Inc., a service robot developer, by raising its stake to 51% from 21% as it aims to expand ...

Economy S.Korea’s economy grows 2.0% in 2024; Q4 GDP below forecast

South Korea’s economy expanded 2.0% last year, falling short of the central bank’s forecast on weaker-than-expected growth in the fourth...

Beauty & Cosmetics Amorepacific's Aestura to enter US market with Sephora

South Korean beauty and cosmetics giant Amorepacific Corp. said on Wednesday that its derma cosmetic brand Aestura will enter the American market wi...