The Turning Point

Central bank BOK stands pat; rate cut likely within 3 months as economic growth slows

The Bank of Korea (BOK) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75% on Thursday, with Governor Rhee Chang-yong warning that a surge in globa...

Shipping & Shipbuilding With domestic dockyards fully booked, Korean shipbuilders turn overseas

As order books swell amid green shipping mandates, LNG demand and military naval modernization, South Korean shipbuilders are extending their global...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HD Hyundai on course for $1.55 bn order amid US-China trade war

HD Hyundai Co., the world’s largest shipbuilding group, is emerging as a key beneficiary of the Trump administration’s tariff policies a...

Real estate Deloitte Anjin to lead sale of Four Points by Sheraton Josun, Myeongdong

IGIS Asset Management Co., a leading South Korean real estate investment firm, has chosen Deloitte Anjin LLC as its lead manager to sell Four Points...

Cryptocurrencies BlackRock sees digital assets at critical turning point

Digital assets are poised for robust structural growth – not just as investment vehicles but as strategic assets – fueled by growing ins...

Automobiles Kia’s Chinese operations turn to profit after 8 years; Export strategy pays off

South Korea’s No. 2 automaker Kia Corp. saw its Chinese operations turn profitable in 2024 for the first time in eight years as brisk exports ...

Real estate Korea’s IGIS Asset puts top Seoul tourist area hotel on market

IGIS Asset Management Co., one of Asia's largest real estate investment firms, is set to sell a four-star hotel in Myeong-dong, a popular spot for f...

Central bank BOK lowers growth forecasts to bolster rate cut expectations

South Korea’s central bank slashed its economic growth forecasts on Monday, adding to views that the monetary authority will cut interest rate...

Foreign exchange Global investment banks see Korean won staying weak in 2025

The South Korean won is forecast to hover in the mid-1,400s level against the dollar through the third quarter of 2025, according to global investme...

Shareholder activism KT&G to buy back shares, rejects Ginseng unit buyout offer

South Korean tobacco maker KT&G Corp. on Thursday unveiled a plan to buy back shares and pay dividends totaling 3.7 trillion won ($2.7 billion) ...

Earnings Coupang posts record quarterly sales, swings to Q3 operating profit

Coupang Inc., South Korea’s answer to global e-commerce giant Amazon.com, posted its highest quarterly sales in the third quarter and swung to...

Corporate strategy K Bank aims to turn into AI-based investment platform: CEO

K Bank, the digital banking unit of South Korean telecom giant KT Corp., aims to turn into an AI-based investment platform after going public later ...

Central bank BOK flags more rate cuts but in gradual, small steps

South Korea’s central bank is open to more cuts in interest rates after its first rate reduction in more than four years on Friday but only in...

Mergers & Acquisitions Korea Zinc ups share buyback price, volume to counter MBK

Korea Zinc Inc. said on Friday it will buy back more shares at a higher price than originally planned to counter North Asia-focused private equity f...

Business & Politics S.Korea’s reshoring companies pale amid lack of support, incentives

Reshoring, or a corporate U-turn to the home country from an overseas location, has been the global trend since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemi...

Electronics Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE: Budget smartphone packed with AI functions

Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday unveiled the Galaxy S24 FE, the latest addition to its AI-enabled smartphones series, with which the South Korean ...

Artificial intelligence SPC, SK Telecom to collaborate on AI business

South Korea's SPC Group and SK Telecom Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate in various areas such as membership and busines...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor’s 1st overseas plant in Turkey makes decent turnaround

Back in the late 1990s, South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. built its first overseas plant in Turkey, betting on the European and Mi...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix’s turnaround gains traction from US, China

SK Hynix Inc., the world’s No. 2 memory chipmaker, has made a significant business turnaround in the US and China, which made up 80% of its sa...

Electronics Samsung’s Circle to Search available on Galaxy A series to rival Xiaomi

Samsung Electronics Co. has been battling Apple Inc. in the high-end smartphone segment with its premium Galaxy S series packed with advanced featur...

Travel & Leisure Korean Telco giant KT’s Midas touch with hotel business  

KT Corp., one of South Korea’s top three mobile carriers, is on a roll in the hotel business despite its late foray into the hospitality indus...

Retail 7-Eleven ratchets up sports marketing to take on GS25, CU

7-Eleven, the third-largest convenience store chain in South Korea, is challenging its bigger rivals GS25 and CU, attracting customers with Hello Ki...

E-commerce Korean e-commerce startup funding sharply drops since 2022

South Korean e-commerce companies have seen a sharp decline in series A funding over the past three years amid intensifying competition with Chinese...

Earnings SK On logs record quarterly loss on sluggish EV market

SK On Co., the world’s fifth-largest battery maker, on Thursday reported a record quarterly loss on the prolonged weakness in the electric veh...

Automobiles Kia’s Chinese business makes turnaround as it becomes export base

South Korean automaker Kia Corp.'s Chinese business has been struggling for years amid escalating tension between the US and China – Korea&rsq...

Korean chipmakers Sapien Semiconductors looks to overtake Novatek in MicroLED DDI chips

South Korea’s Sapien Semiconductors Inc. is a lesser-known startup outside of the chip industry. However, it is a little giant in the fabless ...

Retail CU to accept Japan's Ponta Points for payments

South Korea's BGF Retail, the operator of the leading domestic convenience store chain CU, announced on Sunday that it signed a memorandum of unders...

Korean stock market Kospi on upward run; individual investors turn bearish

South Korean individual investors are strongly betting on a drop in domestic share prices, in contrast to foreign investors’ aggressive buying...

Hydrogen economy Hyundai to transform Jeonju plant into hydrogen vehicle hub

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s top automaker, will transform its commercial vehicle plant in the country into the manufacturing hub for its ...

Banking & Finance Kookmin to revive Indonesian banking arm through digitalization

KB Bukopin, the Indonesian banking arm of South Korea’s Koomin Bank, extended its losing streak through the first quarter of this year, weighe...