Korean Wave Rising

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...

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 food Ramen, ready-to-eat meals lead 10% rise in 2024 K-food exports

South Korea’s food exports climbed 10% on-year to $7.26 billion in 2024, led by ramen, ready-to-eat meals and seasoned seaweed, according to g...

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...

Shareholder value Celltrion shares rise after bonus issue announcement   

Celltrion Inc., South Korea’s largest biosimilar developer, will issue bonus shares to bolster its stock performance, which has been in the do...

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...

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...

Beauty & Cosmetics Europe looms large as K-beauty brands look to blue ocean; shares rise

South Korea’s beauty industry has been reaping decent gains from traditionally strong markets such as China and the US – the world&rsquo...

Banking & Finance NPS gobbles up Korea’s top 4 financial holding stocks

South Korea’s largest institutional investor, the National Pension Service (NPS), remains a strong backer of the country’s top four fina...

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...

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...

Real estate Seoul’s prime office transactions rise 6% in Q1 despite weak sentiment

Despite mounting economic headwinds and heightened investor caution, the prime office market in Seoul posted a modest recovery in the first quarter,...

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 ...

Healthcare Korea’s aesthetic medicine enjoys golden era with surge in foreign spending

As beauty-conscious tourists continue to flock to Seoul’s clinics, South Korea’s aesthetic medicine sector may be entering a golden era,...

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 ...

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...

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...

Aerospace & Defense Hanwha's 'Sea Ghost' makes waves as Greece eyes unmanned naval tech

GEOJE, South Korea – Under a slate-grey sky at the quiet port of Jangmok on South Korea’s southern coast, a sleek, 12-meter vessel slipp...

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...