Lotte Chemical credit outlook

Central bank BOK turns more dovish after 25 bp rate cut; 2025 growth outlook halved

The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 2.5%, citing growing concerns over faltering do...

ASK 2025 KIC bets on Asian real estate; eyes residential, data centers

The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) is zeroing in on Asia’s real estate market by region, while targeting residential facilities and data c...

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...

IPOs Lotte to retake $269 mn stake in logistics arm after flopped IPO

Lotte Group, South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate by assets, will buy back a stake in Lotte Global Logistics Co. from the latter’s f...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK’s Lotte Card sale gains momentum amid Homeplus fallout

North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners’ second attempt to exit Lotte Card Co., South Korea’s fifth-largest car issuer, is g...

Mergers & Acquisitions Kyobo Life poised to buy Japan’s SBI Group-owned savings bank

Kyobo Life Insurance Co. is in the final stages of negotiation with Japanese financial group SBI Holdings Inc. to buy about a 50% stake in SBI Savin...

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...

Economy S&P reaffirms South Korea’s AA credit rating with stable outlook

S&P Global Ratings has reaffirmed South Korea’s sovereign credit rating at AA with a stable outlook, citing the country’s resilient ...

Travel & Leisure S.Korea’s foreigners-only casinos bask in return of Chinese high rollers

South Korea’s foreigners-only casinos are witnessing a significant rise in their sales revenue with the return of high rollers from China and ...

Earnings Samsung’s Q1 profit beats expectations; Q2 outlook murky on tariff war

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest memory chipmaker, posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter operating profit on Tuesday, booste...

League table UBS tops Korea’s buyout deal advisory in Q1 thanks to Lotte

UBS Group AG, the frontrunner in South Korea's M&A market last year, retained the top position in the country's buyout advisory market in the fi...

Energy OCI to build $265 mn solar cell plant in Texas, expects $80 mn tax credit

South Korean solar cell company OCI Holdings Co. said on Thursday it will build a solar cell manufacturing plant in Texas through its US subsidiary ...

Shipping & Shipbuilding S.Korea’s Hanwha acquires 9.9% in Australia’s Austal

South Korean chemicals-to-defense conglomerate Hanwha Group has taken a 9.9% stake in Austal Ltd., an Australian shipbuilder, for 183.3 million Aust...

Private equity Red flags raised even before Homeplus crisis: Sales fall, credit ratings cut

Even before South Korea’s second-largest hypermarket chain Homeplus Co. was put under court receivership due to its worsening financial woes, ...

Pension funds NPS to buy stake in Australia’s Metrics to expand alternative investments

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), the world’s third-largest pension fund, has agreed to buy a stake in Australian asset mana...

Upcoming IPOs Lotte aims to take Lotte Global Logistics public by end-June

Lotte Group, grappling with a prolonged downturn in the petrochemical industry, plans to take Lotte Global Logistics Co. public by the end of June a...

Mergers & Acquisitions Affinity Equity set to close $1.1 bn purchase of Lotte Rental

Affinity Equity Partners said on Friday that it will sign a definitive agreement on March 11 with Lotte Group to acquire a 56.2% stake in South Kore...

Electronics LG renames premium built-in appliance brand; Moody’s outlook up

LG Electronics Inc., South Korea’s top appliance maker, has rebranded its 10-year-old premium built-in kitchen appliance business to double do...

Corporate restructuring Lotte Chemical nears offloading Pakistani unit as part of restructuring

Lotte Group, South Korea’s sixth-largest conglomerate, is speeding up its business streamlining efforts amid mounting debts as it has moved on...

Corporate bonds LG companies flock to debt, equity markets to raise $2.8 billion

Companies under South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate LG Group scrambled to sell shares and bonds to raise 4 trillion won ($2.8 billion) e...

Mergers & Acquisitions Hanwha agrees to buy 60% stake in Ourhome for $599 mn

South Korea’s Hanwha Group, which is seeking to re-enter the catering market five years after leaving the sector, has agreed to buy a nearly 6...

Private equity Glenwood Credit stresses role as reliable financial partner: CEO Lee

Many companies, big and small, sell or buy affiliated units to raise funds or narrow their focus during economic downturns, and to fund expansion or...

Mergers & Acquisitions LG Chem embarks on sale of dermal filler business worth $343 million

LG Chem Ltd., the world’s fourth-largest chemicals producer that is fostering vaccine and new drug development as new growth drivers, has kick...

Mergers & Acquisitions SK, Lotte's restructuring to drive Korea's M&A market in 2025

SK and Lotte groups remain the focus for South Korean dealmakers as the two conglomerates accelerate restructuring by divesting non-core assets, a s...

Banking & Finance Hana Financial, Bain Capital to expand investment in S.Korea

South Korean Hana Financial Group and the US-based global well-known private equity fund (PEF) Bain Capital plan to strengthen their strategic par...

Bio & Pharma Lotte Biologics eyes first ADC CDMO order in 2025

SAN FRANCISCO -- Lotte Biologics Co., the drug consignment development and production unit of South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, will seek to wi...

Robotics Lotte Duty Free unveils robot bartender in Gimpo Int'l Airport

South Korea's Lotte Duty Free said on Thursday it placed its AI-based robot bartenders in Gimpo International Airport.Lotte Duty Free offers robot...

Private debt Real estate debt outshines corporate credit: Savills IM

Private credit has been among the top picks for alternative investors over the past few years. During the period of high interest rates, corporate l...

Earnings LG Energy logs 1st quarterly loss in over 3 years, outlook remains gloomy

LG Energy Solution Ltd. reported its first quarterly loss in more than three years on Thursday, adding to concerns that the world’s third-larg...

Upcoming IPOs Rosy outlook for South Korean fintech IPOs in 2025

The South Korean fintech industry, which bloomed a decade ago, is poised to take the next step for the coming 10 years after prominent players began...