February

Business & Politics Korea sees record February auto exports before looming Trump tariffs

South Korea enjoyed record February auto exports on strong demand in the US ahead of its looming tariffs, the government said on Tuesday, while the ...

Food & Beverage Korean snacks mesmerize global consumers amid K-pop popularity

South Korea’s snack exports soared to a record high in February, surpassing $40 million for the first time, as global demand surged amid the s...

Foreign exchange South Korea’s forex reserves dip to nearly 5-year low in February

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves diminished to the lowest level in nearly five years last month, largely due to the expanded forex swap...

Economy Korea’s weak exports add to Trump tariff risk woes

South Korea’s exports in the first two months skidded as sales to the world’s two largest economies China and the US fell, adding to con...

Corporate bonds S.Korea’s corporate bond market cools amid poor earnings

Investors’ appetite for corporate debts sold by South Korea’s petrochemical, retail and battery companies has waned this month amid grim...

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...

Debt financing Korean bonds heavily oversubscribed in January boom

South Korea’s debt market got off to a strong start this year, as several blue chip companies made a bold return to the bond market for new is...

IPOs LG CNS set to price February IPO at top of price band

LG CNS Co., an information technology service company, is set to price its initial public offering at the top of its proposed price range to raise 1...

Bio & Pharma Celltrion obtains approval of Steqeyma from FDA

South Korea's Celltrion Inc. said on Wednesday it received new drug submission (NDS) approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Steq...

Upcoming IPOs LG CNS to use IPO proceeds to buy foreign IT firm

LG CNS Co., the information technology service unit of South Korea’s LG Group, plans to acquire a foreign IT company with the proceeds from it...

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, ...

Shareholder value Hyundai Motor to buy back $720 mn in shares

Hyundai Motor Co. said on Wednesday it will buy back 1 trillion won ($720 million) in shares in line with the government campaign to unlock corporat...

Central bank S.Korea’s inflation dips below 2% for 1st time in 42 months

South Korea’s headline inflation slowed below 2% for the first time in three and a half years in September on lower international oil prices, ...

Tech, Media & Telecom South Korean developers fret over inflow of Indian talent

South Korea is opening its doors wide to Indian developers, causing some concerns that the inflow of highly talented software developers from the So...

Aerospace & Defense Hanwha Systems signs $867 million missile radar deal with Saudi Arabia

Hanwha Systems Co., a leading South Korean defense company, said on Tuesday it has clinched a $867 million deal to supply its advanced mobile multi-...

Pension funds NPS overweight in beauty, food; chases APR, Samwha higher

The National Pension Service (NPS) has raised its bets on South Korean beauty and food companies in the second quarter of this year on expectations ...

Economy S.Korea’s current account surplus near 3-year high on chips

South Korea’s current account surplus touched a near three-year high in February as goods exports continued to grow on strong overseas sales o...

Electronics Samsung returns to top, to up ante against troubled Apple

Samsung Electronics Co. snatched the crown from its archrival Apple Inc. as the top global smartphone seller last month thanks to brisk sales of its...

Economy Korea’s factory output rebounds in February on chip recovery

South Korea’s factory activity last month bounced back in three months thanks to strong recovery in the country’s semiconductor sector b...

Korean chipmakers Hanmi Semiconductor wins $16 mn HBM equipment order from SK Hynix

South Korean chip equipment company Hanmi Semiconductor Co. announced on Friday that it has secured a 21.5 billion won ($16.1 million) supply deal f...

Automobiles Hyundai, Kia's European sales reach 79,000 units in February

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. reported a 2.3% rise in European sales in February, selling a combined total of 79,130 vehicles, according to data f...

Korean food Korea’s ramen exports on course to reach $1 bn in 2024

South Korea’s instant ramen noodle exports soared to a record monthly high in February, data showed, on course to hit the $1 billion mark in 2...

Foreign exchange Korean investors’ yen savings flirt with record high

South Korean retail investors, hunting for bargains, have flocked to shovel in the Japanese currency hovering around its record low value in anticip...

Automobiles BMW EV sales roar in Korea on strong lineup of new models

BMW, already one of the top two best-selling imported car sellers in South Korea, has beaten the world’s No. 1 EV seller Tesla Inc. in the cou...

Corporate bonds Korea’s bond sales up in February; corporate bonds remain buoyant

Bond sales in South Korea amounted to 71.8 trillion won ($54.4 billion) in February, 12.4% up from a month prior, according to a report from the Kor...

Shipping & Shipbuilding Korea reclaims top spot in global shipbuilding orders in February

South Korean shipbuilders reclaimed the global No. 1 position in new orders last month for the first time since October 2023, according to data by U...

Economy S.Korea’s GNI per capita rebounds in 2023 as won stabilizes

South Korea’s gross national income (GNI) per capita rebounded last year as the won currency stabilized amid signs of a recovery in exports fr...

Economy Korea’s July factory output slows at fastest pace since February

South Korea’s factory output contracted at the fastest rate in six months last month on subdued global demand especially from China, while its...

Shareholder value SK Square to buy back $152 mn of its stocks by March 2024

South Korean investment firm SK Square Co. will buy back 200 billion won ($151.9 million) worth of corporate shares by March of next year as an effo...

Regulations Big Bang deregulation poised to bolster S.Korean ST market

South Korea’s fractional investment market is gearing up for a grand opening after the government earlier this year unveiled security token of...