Indo-Pacific strategy

ASK 2025 Korean pension funds, insurers seek customized investment vehicles

South Korean institutional investors are increasingly interested in separately managed accounts (SMAs) that offer customized strategies, as well as ...

Shareholder value Korean financial firms launch global IR blitz to woo foreign capital  

Chiefs of South Korea’s major financial groups – Shinhan, Woori and iM – are ramping up global investor outreach with new sharehol...

Infrastructure KIC discusses post-US tariff infrastructure strategy with pension funds

The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) on Tuesday discussed infrastructure investment opportunities and risks in the wake of the US government&rsquo...

Food & Beverage Hanwha acquires Ourhome for $622 million in push to revive food business

South Korea’s Hanwha Group has completed the acquisition of the country’s No. 2 food service and catering company Ourhome Ltd. for 869.5...

Mergers & Acquisitions Centroid to divest control of TaylorMade as exit strategy, drops IPO plan

Centroid Investment Partners, a South Korean private equity firm, has confirmed plans to divest its controlling stake in US sports equipment manufac...

Business & Politics Samsung, LG review strategies as Trump slaps Vietnam with steeper tariffs

South Korea’s two leading electronics makers – Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. – are being forced to reassess thei...

Pension funds S.Korea’s pension fund NPS to overhaul alternative investment strategy

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s state-run pension fund and the country’s largest institutional investor, plans to intr...

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 ...

Automobiles Kia’s Chinese operations turn to profit after 8 years; Export strategy pays off

South Korea’s No. 2 automaker Kia Corp. saw its Chinese operations turn profitable in 2024 for the first time in eight years as brisk exports ...

Private equity MBK-owned Homeplus files for corporate revamp with Seoul court

South Korea’s leading hypermarket operator Homeplus Co., wholly owned by North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners, on Tuesday filed...

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...

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 ...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor launches future strategy division overseeing M&As

Hyundai Motor Group has created a future business strategy division that serves as a control tower for the automotive group’s expansion into n...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HD Hyundai, Hanwha to tap into $242 billion US Navy warship market

South Korea’s two warship builders – HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Hanwha Ocean Co., – are set to ride tailwinds in their bi...

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...

Korean chipmakers Samsung foundry ‘relief pitcher’ Han Jin-man vows to improve 2-nm yields

Samsung Electronics Co.'s new contract chipmaking business chief said on Monday he will go all-in to improve the company’s advanced 2-nanomete...

Business & Politics Hyundai's new CEO Munoz vows to proactively respond to Trump policy

LOS ANGELES – José Muñoz, the incoming chief executive of South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co., said on Thursday the co...

Electronics Samsung Electronics, LG Uplus to jointly develop ixi-O AI smartphone

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has joined forces with mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. to unveil an AI smartphone embedded with a high...

Private equity US private equity giant Apollo opens Seoul office for APAC expansion

Apollo Global Management Inc., a US private equity powerhouse, said on Monday it has opened an office in Seoul to expand its business in the Asia Pa...

Cloud computing Salesforce outage disrupts businesses across Asia Pacific

Salesforce Inc., the world’s top customer relationship management (CRM) platform, is grappling with a major service outage affecting more than...

Artificial intelligence Naver’s AI-powered search, online shopping services to go into full swing

South Korea’s Naver Corp. has been preparing for years to take its artificial intelligence-based services to the next level. The tech giant no...

Electronics Samsung’s AI-powered robot vacuum cleaner takes on China’s Roborock

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co.'s AI-powered robot vacuum cleaners are rapidly catching up to Chinese products, which dominate the K...

Banking & Finance Samsung Asset releases KODEX India ETF Investment Guide

South Korea's Samsung Asset Management said on Monday it released its KODEX India ETF Investment Pocket Guide.The guide provides information on the ...

ASK 2024 Australia, Asia real estate whet Korean pension funds' appetite

South Korean pension funds and insurance companies are raising their bets on real estate as they diversify their US and Europe-focused portfolios in...

ASK 2024 Private debt remains attractive; NPLs rekindle interest

Private debt remains attractive for South Korean pension and big asset owners, although they may offer lower yields than before given recent interes...

Retail Lotte Duty Free renews Tokyo Ginza Store

South Korea's Lotte Duty Free reopened its Tokyo Ginza Store in Tokyu Plaza Ginza on Wednesday after a complete renovation. This is the company's ...

Fintech Naver Pay partners with GLN International

South Korea's Naver Pay announced on Wednesday that it partnered with Hana Bank’s global payment network subsidiary, GLN International, to lau...

Banking & Finance Korea Investment to publish emerging market investment guidebook

Korea Investment Management Co. said on Friday that it will publish an Emerging Market Guidebook on September 30, which will contain investment stra...

Sovereign wealth funds Korea Investment Corp. appoints Park Il Young as its new CEO

South Korean sovereign wealth fund Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) announced on Thursday that it has appointed former World Bank Group executive ...

Electric vehicles Toyota chairman to visit Seoul, discuss hydrogen cars with Hyundai’s Chung

Akio Toyoda, chairman of Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp., will fly to Seoul in late October to meet with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman...