Korean AI startups

Mergers & Acquisitions Hanjin KAL, LS expand defense business alliance to counter Hoban Group

South Korea’s Hanjin Group and LS Group are tightening their alliance further against Hoban Group, which is raising its stake in Hanjin.Korean...

Venture capital South Korea’s startup M&A winter deepens capital bottleneck  

South Korea’s startup M&A winter has deepened as once major investors like conglomerates are prioritizing restructuring over expansion, ch...

Aerospace & Defense Hanwha Aerospace to build defense plant in Germany as European base

Hanwha Aerospace Co. plans to build a precision missile manufacturing plant in Germany as part of its global strategy to expand its presence across ...

Shareholder activism Elliott loses appeal over $19 mn claim against Samsung C&T

A South Korean appellate court has rejected Elliott Investment Management Corp.’s claim for 26.7 billion won ($19.3 million) in interest for a...

Korean games Netmarble set to spark subculture craze at Summer Game Fest

Netmarble Corp., South Korea’s leading game developer and publisher, is seeking to capitalize on the surging global demand for so-called subcu...

Real estate S.Korean military fund to make $73 mn commitment to real estate funds

The Military Mutual Aid Association (MMAA), a South Korean retirement fund, is stepping up efforts to diversify its investment portfolio with a 100 ...

Mergers & Acquisitions DB Group eyes Hanyang Securities amid KCGI deal uncertainty

DB Group, which owns DB Securities Co. and DB Insurance Co., is considering acquiring Hanyang Securities Co., as a deal by South Korean private equi...

Batteries LG Energy, Samsung SDI to build 1st US LFP battery plants with GM

In a pivotal shift for the North American electric vehicle battery landscape, South Korea’s two leading battery makers – LG Energy Solut...

Tech, Media & Telecom Korea’s KT signs $95 million AI partnership with Vietnam’s Viettel Group

South Korea’s leading telecommunications service provider KT Corp. said on Tuesday it has signed a 130 billion won ($95 million) strategic par...

Bio & Pharma Samsung Biologics drives foreign lead in Korea’s biotech supply chain

A surge in orders from Samsung Biologics Co., the world’s largest contract drugmaker, has propelled South Korea to the forefront of global rev...

Artificial intelligence OpenAI sets up entity in Korea with most paid ChatGPT users outside US

OpenAI Inc., the creator of generative AI ChatGPT, has established a legal entity in South Korea, which has the largest number of paying ChatGPT sub...

Korean food Bold food tech R&D fuels global rise of Korean cuisine

South Korea’s processed food exports are expected to reach 6 trillion won ($4.4 billion) this year after Korean food companies have aggressive...

Artificial intelligence LG CNS, Cohere co-develop Korean-specific agentic AI

LG CNS Co., the information technology services arm of South Korea’s LG Group, has unveiled a lightweight Korean-specific large language model...

Energy Hanwha Q Cells eyes tandem cell mass production in 2027

Hanwha Q Cells Co., the solar panel manufacturing unit of South Korea's Hanwha Solutions Corp., is expected to commercialize tandem modules by 2027,...

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 ...

Korean Investors Carlyle CEO shares investment tips with Korean retail investors

The head of The Carlyle Group met with Korean retail investors in a rare session on Thursday, sharing insights on the US economy and global credit m...

Asset management Mirae Asset Global Investments’ AUM tops $288 bn as global push pays off

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. now manages more than 400 trillion won ($288 billion) in assets for the first time since its first global venture...

Tech, Media & Telecom Google partners with Samsung, Gentle Monster for new smart glasses

SILICON VALLEY – Google LLC is making a renewed push into the smart glasses market in partnership with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics...

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...

Electronics LG Electronics poised to extend OLED TV market lead into 2025  

LG Electronics Inc. is on track to retain its lead in the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV market for the 13th consecutive year, bolstered by ...

Bio & Pharma S.Korea’s Lunit installs breast cancer AI diagnostic tool at 200 US hospitals

Lunit Inc., a South Korean AI-powered cancer diagnostics company, said on Monday that more than 200 healthcare institutions across the US have now a...

Mergers & Acquisitions LS moves closer to role as Hanjin KAL’s white knight vs Hoban

Hanjin KAL Corp., the largest shareholder of Korean Air Lines Co., is strengthening its alliance with LS Group, the parent of LS Cable & System ...

Tech, Media & Telecom S.Korea’s Naver to launch Silicon Valley venture arm in aggressive AI push

Naver Corp., South Korea’s top internet portal operator, plans to set up a dedicated venture capital arm in Silicon Valley in a move seen as a...

Machinery Hyundai Rotem lands $301 mn Taiwan driverless train deal

Hyundai Rotem Co. has won a 420 billion won ($301 million) order to build autonomous electric trains for Taiwan’s Taichung Metro, adding to a ...

Bio & Pharma South Korea’s Rznomics inks $1.3 bn out-licensing deal with Eli Lilly

Rznomics Inc., a South Korean RNA therapeutics developer, has signed an agreement worth more than $1.3 billion with US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lill...

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...

Business & Politics Shinsegae Chair Chung joins Trump’s Middle East tour

Chung Yong-jin, chairman of South Korea’s retail group Shinsegae Inc., is the only Korean businessperson accompanying US President Donald Trum...

Capital raising Korean firms rush to issue bonds ahead of presidential election

South Korean companies are flocking to the corporate bond market ahead of the country’s presidential election early next month, seeking to loc...

Private equity Korean teachers' fund to commit $495 mn to 10 PE firms

The Korean Teachers’ Credit Union (KTCU), a retirement fund operator for South Korean teachers, has picked 10 local private equity firms to ru...

Beauty & Cosmetics In China’s waterway city Hangzhou, K-beauty redefines ‘shuiguang'

HANGZHOU – The capital of China’s Zhejiang province, Hangzhou, is the southern terminus of the ancient Grand Canal waterway, which origi...