Digital Edge

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...

Electronics Now, slim is in – and Samsung aims to be No. 1 with Galaxy S25 Edge

With the advent of mobile AI, the performance arms race among smartphone makers is reaching diminishing returns, as some market analysts put it.The ...

K-pop K-pop stocks surge as China set to loosen cultural ban after 9 years

Shares in South Korea’s leading entertainment companies are rallying amid growing signs that China will likely lift its longstanding ban on Ko...

Earnings Kia maintains double-digit margin in Q1 with record revenue

Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, extended its double-digit profit margin streak to a 10th consecutive quarter, posting recor...

Corporate strategy Samsung seeks tech alliance with top US universities for robotics, AI, 6G

In an ambitious bid to shape the future of technology, Samsung Electronics Co. is launching a sweeping initiative to collaborate with elite North Am...

Asset management Strong momentum in non-US markets, digital real estate: Principal AM CEO

It is time to shift focus toward non-US markets after years of stellar performance of US assets driven by the robust world’s No. 1 economy, sa...

Cryptocurrencies BlackRock sees digital assets at critical turning point

Digital assets are poised for robust structural growth – not just as investment vehicles but as strategic assets – fueled by growing ins...

Real estate Shinhan REITs picked as sole bidder for BNK Digital Tower

Shinhan REITs Management is expected to acquire BNK Digital Tower, an office building in the affluent neighborhood of Gangnam in southern Seoul, aft...

Shipping & Shipbuilding Hanwha develops cutting-edge stealth paint for next-generation warships

Hanwha Ocean Co., a leading South Korean warship builder, has developed and tested an advanced stealth paint designed for the country’s KDDX n...

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 ...

Aerospace & Defense S.Korea’s Hanwha eyes L-SAM exports with UAE’s EDGE  

Hanwha Group’s Vice Chairman and heir apparent Kim Dong-kwan is on the front line to export South Korea's latest homegrown air defense system ...

Korean chipmakers TSMC’s potential deal with Intel keeps Samsung on edge

South Korea’s semiconductor industry is closely watching developments in talks between TSMC and Intel Corp. over the world’s largest con...

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...

Earnings Kia hits record 2024 sales; profit margins highest among global automakers

South Korea’s second-largest automaker Kia Corp. on Friday posted its highest-ever annual sales, operating profit and profit margins in 2024, ...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HD KSOE wins $2.6 bn order for 12 container ships

South Korea’s largest shipbuilder HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE) said on Thursday it got 3.716 trillion won ...

Deals IMM PE exits Woori Financial with double-digit return

IMM Private Equity has divested its remaining 1.38% stake in Woori Financial Group for 166.4 billion won ($115 million), exiting the South Korean fi...

Webtoons Piccoma tops consumer spending ranking in Japan

Kakao Piccoma, a Japanese digital comics app subsidiary of South Korean mobile giant Kakao Corp., topped the consumer spending ranking in the Japane...

Cryptocurrencies Korea seeks tighter control over digital coins, mulls mandatory disclosures

South Korea plans to tighten its controls over cryptocurrency trade in the country by mandating information disclosures for listed virtual assets an...

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...

Korean startups Imagoworks raises $15.6 mn in Series C funding

Imagoworks, South Korea's AI-based digital dental service startup, said on Tuesday it raised 23 billion won ($15.6 million) in Series C funding.Foun...

Batteries LG Energy, Qualcomm to commercialize BMS solution

South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd. said on Monday it partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to commercialize its new system-on-chip (SoC)-based bat...

Electronics Samsung unveils AI-powered Galaxy Book5 Pro to take on Apple’s MacBook

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday unveiled its new Galaxy Book5 Pro, packed with various AI functions, to compete with archrival Apple Inc.’...

Banking & Finance Hanwha's financial companies open AI center in San Franciso

South Korea’s seventh-largest conglomerate’s financial companies have opened a joint artificial intelligence center in San Francisco, a ...

Tech, Media & Telecom Naver, Saudi Arabia's NHC to build JV

South Korea’s Naver Corp. said on Monday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC...

Tech, Media & Telecom Team Naver unveils digital twin platform in Saudi Arabia

Naver Cloud, the cloud subsidiary of South Korean online giant Naver Corp., said on Friday that Team Naver participated in the Cityscape Global 2024...

Cryptocurrencies Korea’s crypto exchanges ride bitcoin rally on Trump optimism

South Korea’s crypto exchanges are enjoying a global boom in virtual currencies, including bitcoin, as US President-elect Donald Trump is expe...

Tech, Media & Telecom SK C&C unveils digital SHE consulting service

South Korea's SK C&C said on Thursday that it launched its Digital SHE Consulting Service,  the artificial intelligence (AI) platform tha...

Korean Investors Toss Securities names Richard Hagen as CEO of TSAF

South Korea's Toss Securities said on Tuesday that it has appointed Richard J. Hagen as CEO of its US subsidiary, TSA Financial LLC (TSAF), and plan...

Banking & Finance KakaoBank, SCBX to open internet bank in Thailand

South Korea's KakaoBank Corp. said on Sunday it partnered with Thailand’s financial giant SCBX to establish a local virtual bank.   ...

Electronics LG Elec launches modular home Smart Cottage

LG Electronics Inc. said on Wednesday it started selling its LG Smart Cottage, a compact, prefabricated modular home that utilizes its cutting-edge ...