K-Bio Lab Hub

Beauty & Cosmetics Seoul-backed K-beauty brands set to make global mark

As Korean beauty products continue to captivate global consumers, five Seoul-based cosmetics and wellness companies are gearing up to penetrate deep...

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...

Retail When in S. Korea, it’s a ritual: Foreigners make stops at CU, GS25, 7-Eleven

“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair,” as Scott McKenzie sang in the late 1960s and 70s.If...

Mergers & Acquisitions CJ CheilJedang scraps $3.5 bn green bio sale, shifts gears to expansion

CJ CheilJedang Corp., South Korea’s largest food and beverage company, said on Wednesday it has scrapped a planned sale of its green bio busin...

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...

Beauty & Cosmetics Packaging rides K-beauty wave: Shares of cosmetics container makers soar

As South Korea’s independent beauty brands continue to take the global stage by storm, investors are now looking beyond the creams and serums ...

Food & Beverage India: Tantalizing frontier for K-food’s global ambitions beyond China

South Korea’s processed food exports to India have surged to a record 6 trillion won ($4.1 billion), marking a significant milestone in the gr...

Beauty & Cosmetics Korea launches $27 mn fund to invest in K-beauty startups

South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups on Thursday announced the launch of a 40 billion won ($27 million) fund to invest in Korean beauty...

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...

Bio & Pharma ABL Bio lands $2.8 billion license-out deal with GSK

ABL Bio Inc., a South Korean biotech company, will license out its proprietary blood-brain barrier shuttle platform, called the Grabody-B, to UK-bas...

Beauty & Cosmetics K-beauty exports to China rebound after 4-month slump

South Korea’s beauty industry is showing signs of recovery in China, with exports rebounding after four months of decline.The turnaround follo...

K-pop K-pop exports boom as end of Chinese K-wave ban looms large

Exports of Korean popular music, or K-pop, have seen a significant surge in recent months, driven by increasing demand from China and Japan, accordi...

Bio & Pharma SillaJen: First to use lab-grown human tissue to find best cancer drug dose

South Korean biotechnology firm SillaJen Inc. is pioneering a new approach to determine the best dose for a cancer drug combination in clinical tria...

Beauty & Cosmetics K-beauty shake-up: APR, Shinsegae rise as Aekyung declines

South Korea’s beauty industry is undergoing a major reshuffle, with new players rising to prominence while established giants face growing com...

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 ...

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...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK Partners poised to acquire CJ Cheiljedang’s $3.5 billion bio business

North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners is on the verge of clinching a major acquisition deal by offering a higher bid than other conten...

Bio & Pharma Chong Kun Dang to build new plant for foray into biologics market

Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Corp. is discussing building a research center and a plant in Siheung, about 30 kilometers southwest of Seoul, with th...

Business & Politics China likely to lift ban on South Korea’s K-wave as early as May

BEIJING – China will likely lift its ban on Hallyu, or Korean popular culture in the country, as early as May, moving away from its “wol...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK Partners, 2 Chinese firms vie for CJ Cheiljedang’s $4 bn bio business

North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners and two leading Chinese biotechnology firms are vying for management control of CJ Cheiljedang C...

Beauty & Cosmetics Korean beauty giants Amorepacific, LG H&H come back from China woes

South Korea’s two largest cosmetics makers, Amorepacific Corp. and LG H&H Co., are recovering from years of lackluster overseas business p...

Beauty & Cosmetics Sales of K-Beauty surges in US e-commerce

The popularity of South Korean cosmetics in the US has increased, with sales of the products growing at four to five times the rate of the market ...

Korean startups Allsale, K-beauty's leading ambassador to the US

Allsale Corporation, a South Korean startup operating an influencer marketing platform, is in talks with investors to further support Korean cosmeti...

IPOs Korean entertainment powerhouse K Wave Media to debut on Nasdaq in Feb

K Wave Media Ltd., an umbrella entity of South Korean entertainment companies, is set to go public on the Nasdaq next month in a bid to raise money ...

Bio & Pharma Samsung Biologics signs initial deal with LigaChem Bio on ADC production

Samsung Biologics Co., the world’s largest contract drugmaker, said on Thursday it has signed an initial agreement with LigaChem Biosciences I...

Mergers & Acquisitions Corstone, Q Capital in talks with foreign investors to sell K-chicken chain

Seoul-based private equity firms Corstone Asia and Q Capital Partners are in talks with foreign investors to sell a South Korean fried chicken chain...

IPOs K Bank drops 2025 IPO in 3rd Kospi listing cancellation

K Bank, a South Korean online lender, said on Wednesday it has again canceled its initial public offering plan amid the languid stock market an...

Beauty & Cosmetics Korean cosmetics beat Chanel, Lancôme to rank top in US, Japan

South Korea’s cosmetics products, also known as K-beauty, have gained global renown, overtaking French brands such as Chanel and Lancôme...

Korean food K-food, fashion, beauty to up ante on global push in 2025

South Korean food, beauty and fashion companies, which have enjoyed robust demand for their products in overseas markets this year, will grow bolder...

Upcoming IPOs Online lender K Bank eyes Feb 2025 IPO at lower valuation

K Bank, a South Korean online lender, is making a fresh attempt to list on the Korean stock market in February 2025 as bitcoin’s record-breaki...