Average-is-over

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...

Cryptocurrencies Koreans flock to cryptos amid Trump-fueled crypto craze

The number of South Koreans investing in cryptocurrencies recently broke past 15 million — about 30% of the country’s population —...

ASK 2024 UCK Partners advises Korean-style approach for buyout deals

An increasing number of South Korean companies are on the radar of private equity investors as the firms undergo digital transformation and generati...

Food & Beverage HiteJinro to boost soju marketing in UK

South Korea’s leading soju maker HiteJinro Co. said on Friday that it's boosting soju marketing in the UK. From August 16 to 25, HiteJinr...

Central bank Bank of Korea holds rate steady, signals pivot to easing soon

South Korea’s central bank held interest rates steady but cut its inflation and growth forecasts for the year and signaled that it will pivot ...

Petrochemicals S.Korea's refining industry sees record export of 245.3 mn barrels

South Korea's four major oil refiners—SK Energy, GS Caltex, S-Oil Corp., and HD Hyundai Oilbank—achieved a record high in petroleum pr...

Foreign exchange Korean won hits 15-year low in Q2 amid FX, economic uncertainty  

The South Korean currency fell to its lowest level against the US dollar in 15 years in the second quarter amid growing uncertainties surrounding gl...

E-commerce Shein cracks Korea's ultra-low-cost online fashion market

Shein, a Chinese fast fashion online retailer, announced on Thursday its official debut in South Korea with the launch of its Korea-dedicated platfo...

Markets Korean retail investors’ US stockholdings at record high

South Korean individual investors’ US stockholdings swelled to a record $82.19 billion as of early June amid the US stock market rally, while ...

Korean stock market Korea Inc. nearly triples dividend payments in decade

Cash dividend payments by companies listed on the Korea Exchange, the country's main bourse, have nearly tripled in a decade. They have returned a l...

Automobiles LG Innotek's Nexlide celebrates its 10th anniversary

South Korea's LG Innotek announced on Monday that it will accelerate its global expansion into the automotive lighting market to commemorate the 10t...

Korean stock market Kospi 200 firms' values sharply below MSCI developed market rivals

South Korea’s listed firms are undervalued compared with companies in public markets of developed and emerging countries, according to the Kor...

Electric vehicles Hyundai Mobis to build battery pack plant in Spain for Volkswagen

NAVARRA, Spain -- Hyundai Mobis Co. said on Wednesday it has broken ground for an electric vehicle battery pack plant in Spain for stable supply to ...

Electric vehicles EVs in S.Korea exceed 500,000

The cumulative number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered in South Korea exceeded 500,000 last year.The number of EV chargers supplied domesticall...

Tech, Media & Telecom S.Korean government seeks to lower streaming service rates

The South Korean government is seeking to lower the country’s video streaming service, or over-the-top (OTT) media service, rates as part of i...

Earnings Hyosung Advanced Materials' operating profit down 45% in 2023

Hyosung Advanced Materials announced on Monday that its operating profit for last year on a consolidated basis was 172.4 billion won ($129 million),...

Private equity PEs exit Korean assets at average 2.5 times purchase price

Global private equity firms, which recover their principal investment in South Korea, sell their assets for 2.5 times the purchase price on average,...

Mergers & Acquisitions Korea’s Glenwood PE in spotlight with carve-out deals

South Korean investment firm Glenwood Private Equity Co. is solidifying its leading position with a carve-out strategy in the domestic market, execu...

Automobiles Korea’s small diesel truck ban powers LPG-fueled models

South Korea plans to prohibit small trucks with diesel engines from new registrations next year, increasing sales of liquefied petroleum gas-powered...

Korean startups SK-backed social impact startups see higher corporate values

South Korean social impact startups backed by the country’s second-largest conglomerate SK Group enjoyed higher corporate values with two of t...

Regulations Koreans work longer hours than OECD average? Not in some sectors

South Korea has had notoriously long working hours for decades.Long hours – alongside high levels of education and an increase of women in the...

Cloud computing Amazon bets big on Korea digital transition with new spending

Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS), the world's largest cloud platform provider, said on Wednesday it will nearly triple its investment in South Korea t...

Korean chipmakers Average fixed transaction DRAM price in Sept bottoms out at $1.30

The average fixed transaction price of DRAMs last month stayed at $1.30, maintaining its sluggishness in the $1 range for the ninth consecutive mont...

Culture & Trends S.Korea’s web novel sector hits $750 mn in value: Study

South Korea's rising web novel industry, which has seen popular works like "Reborn Rich" and "The Red Sleeve" made into TV series, has exceeded 1 tr...

Food & Beverage HiteJinro to strengthen soju marketing in UK

South Korea’s leading soju maker HiteJinro Co. announced on Tuesday that its soju sales in the UK are showing consistent growth year by year. ...

Electric vehicles Carmakers in race for low-cost EVs amid tepid sales growth

Global carmakers such as Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor Group and Stellantis N.V. are in a race to release cheaper electric vehicles with the entry price...

Pension funds Korea's NPS maintains good grade despite heavy losses: finance ministry

National Pension Service (NPS) of South Korea, the world’s third-largest pension fund with 939 trillion won ($713 billion) in assets as of end...

Economy S.Korea’s public spending on maternity, child care falls short of OECD average

South Korea’s government budget for tackling the nation's low birth rate has risen to 2.25% of GDP, but housing support accounts for a major p...

Economy S.Korea lags Taiwan in GNI per capita for first time since 2002

South Korea’s gross national income (GNI) per capita dropped 7.7% on-year last year, coming in below that of its smaller rival Taiwan for the ...

ESG S.Korea’s HMM tops carbon efficiency ranking on key shipping route

South Korea’s largest container line HMM Co. said on Thursday it had the lowest carbon emission intensity on East Asia–US West Coast rou...