VC ecosystem

Carbon neutrality SK Innovation E&S, JB Financial team up for renewable energy loans

JB Financial Group Co., the parent company of Jeonbuk Bank and Gwangju Bank, will join hands with SK Innovation E&S Co. and InnerGen Co. to roll...

Electric vehicles Kia CEO stands firm on electrification strategy, premieres EV4 in Europe

TARRAGONA, Spain – Despite a temporary slowdown in electric vehicle demand and intensifying competition from Chinese automakers, Kia Corp. rem...

Artificial intelligence OpenAI, KDB to collaborate to enhance S.Korean AI ecosystem

The US-based OpenAI and Korea Development Bank (KDB) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support the development of South Kor...

Energy Kia, KEPCO collaborate to build power ecosystem using PBV

South Korea's Kia Corp. and Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the state-run utility company, said on Thursday that they signed a memorandum of und...

Automobiles Hyundai, SNU, POSTECH, KIST build joint robotics lab

Hyundai Motor Group said on Wednesday that it established a joint robotics research lab in collaboration with South Korea's top research institution...

Artificial intelligence Liner ranks 9th in generative AI services selected by a16z

South Korea's generative AI startup Liner said on Friday that its search service ranked 9th in the web services category of the Top-100 Gen AI Consu...

Korean startups Asan Nanum Foundation revamps fund management

The Asan Nanum Foundation, a nonprofit foundation set up in 2011 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung’s death,...

Korean startups S.Korea's early stage VC funding down amid dearth of targets

Early stage startup funding has plummeted in South Korea as venture capitalists shifted to late-stage venture firms with stable business models amid...

Bio & Pharma Samsung to invest $52 mn in US biotech VC Flagship Pioneering

Samsung C&T Corp., its bio units Samsung Biologics Co. and Samsung Bioepis Co. and Samsung Venture Investment Corp. have committed a combined 72...

Electric vehicles Hyundai Motor completes EV ecosystem in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Hyundai Motor Group has built an electric vehicle hub backed by a complete supply chain from raw materials sourcing to ba...

Hydrogen economy Hyundai Motor eyes hydrogen value chain leadership

Hyundai Motor Group will expand its cooperation with global companies to boost its presence in the hydrogen value chain from production to distribut...

ESG Hyundai Motor to restore forest ecosystem

Hyundai Motor Co. announced on Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Restoration Project with...

Private equity Korea's KDB widens gap in VC fundraising in H1; NPS to fund in July

The capital commitments of state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) have widened the gap for South Korean venture capital firms in fundraising over ...

Pension funds NPS to spur buyout, VC in US tech sector: chairman

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), the world’s third-largest pension fund, will speed up its private equity (PE) investments ...

Venture capital VC firm DSC Investment forms Korea's largest secondary fund

South Korean asset manager DSC Investment has formed the country’s largest-ever fund for venture capital secondaries to explore opportunities ...

E-commerce Blight of failing e-commerce startups in South Korea

Linkshops, once touted as a future unicorn candidate in South Korea, declared bankruptcy last month even after garnering 15.4 billion won ($11.4 mil...

Artificial intelligence Softbank to join SK Telecom-led global AI joint venture

BARCELONA -- Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. tied up with major global telcos such as South Korea’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. and E...

Korean startups Korea needs sustainable ecosystem for startup accelerators

South Korea needs to create a “sustainable ecosystem” to nurture influential startup accelerators like US tech startup accelerator Y Com...

E-commerce AliExpress’ zero-commission offer jolts Coupang, Naver

AliExpress, an e-commerce arm of China’s Alibaba Group, has offered Korean companies zero commissions, under which it will not charge a sales ...

Korean startups Korean learning platform Elice raises $14.9mn from Vertex

Elice Inc., a South Korean startup offering an all-in-one digital learning platform for teachers and corporations, will transform into an artificial...

Bio & Pharma Samsung eyes biotech investments via Flagship Pioneering

Samsung C&T Corp., Samsung Biologics Co. and Samsung Bioepis Co. will ramp up investments in US biotechnology startups in collaboration with Fla...

Hydrogen economy Hyundai, Kia join hands with Gore to develop hydrogen fuel cell material

South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday it has signed an agreement with W. L. Gore & Associates Inc., a US material...

Electronics Samsung to release Galaxy Book3 Go 5G laptop

Samsung Electronics Co. will release the Galaxy Book3 Go 5G laptop, which supports 5G networks on Jan. 2. Next year.The device features a 14-inch LC...

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...

Korean innovators at CES 2024 Hyundai’s Supernal to unveil life-size UAM at CES 2024

Supernal LLC, the US-based urban air mobility (UAM) affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, announced on Wednesday that it will participate in CES 2024 ne...

Hydrogen economy SK E&S to strengthen Korea's liquid hydrogen ecosystem

SK E&S Co., an energy unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, will cooperate with domestic firms to strengthen the country’s liquid hy...

Fintech Line Next attracts $140 mn to globally expand NFT platform

Line Next Corp., a digital asset affiliate of South Korean online portal giant Naver Corp., has attracted $140 million in a funding round led by Cre...

Korean startups Korea's startup ecosystem lags behind peers in global investments

South Korea’s startup environment lags behind major countries in terms of global expansion and foreign investment attraction, a report from st...

Venture capital VCs give thumbs up to EV, parts/materials, travel tech

The venture capital funding crunch has continued through this year in South Korea but VCs have raised their stakes in select companies in the electr...

Tech, Media & Telecom Samsung Electronics hosts AI Forum 2023

Samsung Electronics Co. held on Tuesday the Samsung AI Forum 2023 with the theme of "Super AI for a Better Tomorrow" at the Suwon Convention Center ...