Central Europe growth

Pension funds S.Korea’s GEPS to commit $143 million to foreign mid-cap buyout funds

The Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS), one of South Korea’s top three public pension programs, will commit up to 200 billion won ($1...

Bio & Pharma Korea’s pharmaceutical exports set to top $10 bn, led by ‘K-M7’ champions

South Korea’s pharmaceutical exports are on course to surpass $10 billion this year, underscoring the country’s growing clout in the glo...

Earnings Shinhan Financial’s overseas business blooms, on track for record earnings

Shinhan Financial Group Co., South Korea’s leading financial holding company, is poised to surpass 1 trillion won ($692 million) in annual net...

Economy Korea’s Q1 economic contraction adds to stimulus expectations

South Korea's economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter as exports and consumption fell amid a political crisis and fears over the impact...

Earnings KB Financial logs 61% profit growth, rebounding from ELS fiasco

KB Financial Group Inc. on Thursday reported a 61% jump in first-quarter profit, led by a nearly threefold rise in earnings at its flagship unit Koo...

Central bank BOK stands pat; rate cut likely within 3 months as economic growth slows

The Bank of Korea (BOK) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75% on Thursday, with Governor Rhee Chang-yong warning that a surge in globa...

Batteries LG Energy Solution clinches multibillion-dollar ESS deals in Japan, Europe

LG Energy Solution Ltd. has secured a string of billion-dollar energy storage system (ESS) deals in Japan and Europe, outmaneuvering Chinese rivals ...

Private equity Glenwood PE to increase blind fund to $1 bn on pension funds’ interest

South Korea’s Glenwood Private Equity Co. is set to increase a blind fund to 1.5 trillion won ($1 billion) as pension funds at home and abroad...

Real estate Colliers to lead $689 million sale of IGIS Asset-owned Signature Tower

Colliers Korea, a unit of global real estate asset management group Colliers, has been chosen as the adviser for the sale of Signature Tower in cent...

Beauty & Cosmetics K-beauty defies trade headwinds as exports to China, US lead sales growth

South Korea’s beauty industry is mounting a powerful global push, defying trade pressures and economic uncertainties with a surge in exports t...

Electronics LG’s global HVAC push takes off with new deal in Singapore

LG Electronics Inc. has landed a deal to supply its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to a fulfillment center in Singapore, a...

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,...

Leadership & Management Kakao founder Kim to resign as control tower chair

Kakao Corp. founder Kim Beom-soo, also known as Brian Kim, will step down as chairman of the South Korean tech giant’s top decision-making bod...

Bio & Pharma Samsung, Celltrion lead biosimilar market in Europe, US

Samsung Bioepis Co. and Celltrion Inc. are outpacing long-established global drug manufacturers such as Amgen Inc. and Sandoz in the antibody biosim...

Economy S.Korea logs current account surplus in Jan; Growth slows

South Korea reported a current account surplus for 21 straight months in January but with a moderated gain largely due to a contraction in the goods...

Electric vehicles Hyundai, Kia ready to ramp up EV output in Europe, US

South Korea’s top two automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. are expected to ramp up electric vehicle production in Europe and the US to b...

Real estate European student housing is top of the class: Savills IM

The appeal of European purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) to real estate investors is growing rapidly. In the recent 2025 INREV Investor Int...

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...

Earnings Coupang posts profit for 2 straight years in 2024 on new growth drivers

Coupang Inc., South Korea’s answer to global e-commerce giant Amazon.com, ended last year with profit for the second straight year thanks to t...

Bio & Pharma Celltrion wins EU approval for autoimmune disease treatment Avtozma

Celltrion Inc.’s Avtozma, a biosimilar to Roche’s autoimmune disease treatment Actemra, has won approval from the European Commission, f...

Central bank Bank of Korea cuts rates, growth forecast on Trump tariff policy

South Korea’s central bank on Tuesday cut interest rates while sharply reducing its economic growth forecast as lingering political turmoil fo...

Alternative investments KIC explores Europe middle-market private equity opportunities

The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) on Monday explored investment opportunities in Europe’s middle-market private equity sector with other ...

Electronics LG Innotek ventures into automotive AP module market

LG Innotek Co., a major South Korean electronics parts developer, has forayed into the automotive application processor (AP) module market, poised f...

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...

Corporate bonds LG companies flock to debt, equity markets to raise $2.8 billion

Companies under South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate LG Group scrambled to sell shares and bonds to raise 4 trillion won ($2.8 billion) e...

Economy South Korean state think tank cuts 2025 growth forecast, flags US tariff risk

South Korea’s state-run think tank has cut its growth forecast for the country this year, citing President Donald Trump’s trad...

Medical devices Middle East: New land of opportunity for Korean medical devices

South Korea is making inroads into the Middle East's medical device market dominated by the US and Europe, aiming to leverage the region’s str...

Real estate Sale of Doosan Tower attracts bids from IGIS, Kiwoom, Korea Investment

The much-anticipated sale of Doosan Tower in Seoul’s central business district (CBD) has attracted bids from three interested parties – ...

Artificial intelligence LG, SNU team up to develop AI modeling for protein structure predictions

LG AI Research Institute, the artificial intelligence think-tank of LG Group, South Korea’s fourth-biggest conglomerate, on Thursday signed a ...

Bio & Pharma Celltrion’s Vegzelma: Most-prescribed cancer treatment in Europe

South Korea’s leading biosimilar drug developer Celltrion Inc.'s Vegzelma, a cancer drug referencing global biopharma Roche’s Avastin, h...