Kyocera founder

Shareholder activism STIC Investments draws activist interest, including Align Partners

STIC Investments Inc., South Korea’s only listed private equity firm, has become the latest target of shareholder activism as Seoul-based Alig...

Leadership & Management Naver to build sovereign AI, says founder Lee after return

South Korea’s No. 1 internet portal operator Naver Corp. will build strong sovereign artificial intelligence to fight the growing dominance of...

Leadership & Management Kakao founder Kim to resign as control tower chair

Kakao Corp. founder Kim Beom-soo, also known as Brian Kim, will step down as chairman of the South Korean tech giant’s top decision-making bod...

Earnings Naver founder to return as board chair; 2024 earnings solid

Lee Hae-jin, the founder of South Korea’s No. 1 internet portal operator Naver Corp., is set to return to the company to lead the board amid t...

Korean food BTS Jin to enter liquor business

BTS Jin plans to enter Korean traditional liquor business with Baek Jong-won, founder and CEO of The Born Korea Co., the entertainment industry sour...

Markets LX Pantos founder’s son sells shares to LX International for $37 mn

The only son of LX Pantos Co.’s late founder has unloaded his additional shares in the company to South Korean logistics-to-trading conglomera...

IPOs Korea’s Gordon Ramsay accelerates moves for $63 mn IPO

TheBorn Korea Inc., a leading South Korean food and beverage group operated by TV celebrity and chef Paik Jong-won, has accelerated its moves for an...

E-commerce Qxpress investors to take over Qoo10 founder's control

Financial investors of Qxpress Pte. are set to take over Singapore-based Qoo10 Pte. and its founder Ku Young Bae’s control amid financial turm...

Korean startups Baemin founder strikes out for new trophy platform

Kim Bong-jin, a former chairman and CEO of Woowa Brothers Corp., operator of South Korea’s No. 1 food delivery app Baedal Minjok — Baemi...

Food & Beverage HiteJinro invests in table order service startup

HiteJinro Co., South Korea’s largest soju maker, announced on Monday that it invested in a stake in the table order service startup TMR Founde...

Corporate strategy Hanwha Ocean to adopt Kyocera founder Inamori’s amoeba management

South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean Co., the world’s third-largest shipbuilder, said on Friday it has partnered with Japan’s Kyocera Commun...

Corporate governance Hanmi to fire founder's wife, entering new round of family feud

South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group is set to enter a new chapter of an ongoing family feud less than two months after the founding famil...

Korean startups Korean startup CEOs away from home lead global expedition

South Korea’s promising startup founders, who normally double as chief executive officers for their companies, are leaving their home turf to ...

Korean startups SM Entertainment founder invests $5.2 million in Mindlogic

K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment Co.'s founder and former Chief Producer Lee Soo-man is expected to invest up to 10 billion won ($7.5 million) in Mind...

Mergers & Acquisitions Proxy advisor KCGS backs Hanmi founder's sons return to board

South Korea’s top proxy advisory firm has recommended that shareholders of Hanmi Science Co. vote in favor of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group&rsquo...

Artificial intelligence Upstage establishes US subsidiary in Silicon Valley

South Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) startup Upstage announced on Monday that it established the US corporation Upstage AI in Silicon Valley, ...

Artificial intelligence Meta’s AI, XR push to gain speed with Korea’s support

South Korea is backing Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., in the Facebook operator’s artificial inte...

Korean startups Korea announces 1st local firm to issue multiple voting shares

South Korea announced on Wednesday that Colosseum Corporation Inc., an artificial intelligence-powered logistics services provider, has become the f...

Mergers & Acquisitions OCI-Hanmi merger faces tougher hurdles amid family feud

Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group’s aim to merge with chemicals giant OCI Group is hitting some roadblocks amid a prolonged feud between the family o...

IPOs Fintech platform operator Viva Republica revives IPO plan

Viva Republica Inc., the operator of South Korea’s fintech platform Toss, has revived plans to go public after pushing back its stock market d...

Mergers & Acquisitions Mirae Asset acquires Indian brokerage firm Sharekhan for $360 million

South Korea’s leading asset manager Mirae Asset Financial Group has acquired Sharekhan Ltd., India’s 10th-largest brokerage firm, to enh...

Leadership & Management Hyundai Motor chief aims to revive grandfather’s spirit in Saudi Arabia

Back in the 1970s, the Middle East was where many South Korean companies longed to be as the region was the country's main source of foreign income....

Mergers & Acquisitions Dongwon founder vows to acquire Korea’s top container line HMM

Dongwon Group, South Korea’s leading seafood and logistics conglomerate, has vowed to acquire HMM Co., the country’s top container ship ...

Mergers & Acquisitions Mirae Asset seeks to buy India’s 9th-largest brokerage Sharekhan

South Korea’s leading asset manager Mirae Asset Financial Group aims to enhance its presence in India by acquiring Sharekhan, the Southeast As...

Bio & Pharma Celltrion to merge with global sales affiliate by end-2023

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion Group has begun procedures to merge biopharmaceuticals developer and producer Celltrion Inc. with global...

The KED View Why do so many S.Korean innovators bow out following success?

Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of the global luxury goods leader LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is well known for sporting a full head of...

Tech, Media & Telecom Tinder owner Match Group taps Sam Ahn as Asia's chief innovation officer

Match Group Inc., operating online dating and chat platforms like Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid in some 40 languages, has appointed its subsidiary Hyper...

Future mobility SM Entertainment founder invests in Chinese drone maker

Lee Soo-man, founder and former executive producer of South Korea's SM Entertainment Co., has reportedly made a huge investment in the Chinese self-...

Real estate Germany's real estate mezzanine market to shine in 2023: Lenwood Capital

The global real estate market is under significant pressure due to increased interest rates and banks' tighter loan standards in 2023. Commercial re...

Private equity MBK co-founder meets with Korean CIOs to finance 6th buyout fund

Asia’s private equity giant MBK Partners Ltd. is set to accelerate fundraising for its new fund, which is expected to become the firm’s ...