annual letter

Alternative investments Meritz backs half of ex-manager’s $210 mn hedge fund

Meritz Financial Group Inc., one of South Korea’s most aggressive alternative asset managers, has committed 150 billion won ($105 million) to ...

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...

Pension funds S.Korea’s pension fund NPS posts record return in 2024 on US stock rally

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s state-run pension fund and the country’s largest institutional investor, said on ...

Energy Korea’s OCI, Israel’s Arava Power to jointly build solar cell plant in Texas

OCI Energy Co., a US subsidiary of South Korea’s OCI Holdings Co., and Israel’s Arava Power will jointly build a solar cell power plant ...

Electronics LG Innotek ventures into automotive AP module market

LG Innotek Co., a major South Korean electronics parts developer, has forayed into the automotive application processor (AP) module market, poised f...

Banking & Finance KB Financial to buy back $359 bn in shares after record net profit in 2024

KB Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s largest financial holding group, will spend nearly 1.8 trillion won ($1.2 billion) to boost shareholder...

E-commerce Coupang, Naver in dead heat for South Korea’s e-commerce market lead

Coupang Inc. and Naver Corp., South Korea's top two e-commerce players, are expected to further narrow the gap in their race for the market lead thi...

Bio & Pharma JLK gets OK from FDA for ICH diagnosis solution

South Korea’s JLK Inc., an AI-based diagnosis solution and platform maker, said on Monday it got 501K approval from the US Food and Drug Admin...

Shareholder activism Korean activist investors to routinize campaigns throughout year

South Korea’s activist investors are set to routinize campaigns all year long rather than launch fresh moves only before annual general meetin...

Corporate strategy Kia vows to drastically raise shareholder returns, hike EV, hybrid sales

Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, plans to drastically raise its shareholder return rates to bolster shareholder value. The c...

Batteries POSCO Pilbara completes Gwangyang lithium hydroxide plant

South Korea's POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution Co., a subsidiary of POSCO Group, said on Friday the completion of its second rock-based lithium hydrox...

Food & Beverage HiteJinro sees annual soju exports to Cambodia grow 31%

HiteJinro Co., South Korea’s leading soju maker, resumed its Jinro EDM Festival at Cambodia’s Bon Om Tuk water festival after a four-y...

Tech, Media & Telecom Naver Band surpasses 6 mn MAU in US

South Korea’s Naver Corp. said on Friday its group-based social media platform Band reached 6.04 million monthly active users (MAU) in the Uni...

Beauty & Cosmetics AmorePacific to rebalance China-heavy global business

AmorePacific Corp., South Korea’s No. 1 cosmetics group, will rebalance its China-heavy global business to focus on the US and Europe while lo...

Earnings Samsung Bioepis Q1 sales surpass $362 mn in US, Europe

Samsung Bioepis Co. reported that its quarterly overseas sales of key biosimilars exceeded 500 billion won ($362 million), according to figures re...

Batteries S.Korea's Solus mass-produces copper foil in Hungary

Solus Advanced Materials, a South Korean copper foil supplier, said on Tuesday it started mass production at its second plant in Hungary, Europe&rsq...

Batteries POSCO completes lithium hydroxide plant in Argentina

POSCO Holdings Inc. said on Sunday it completed a lithium hydroxide plant in Argentina, boosting its capacity to produce electric vehicle (EV) batte...

Retail 11Street to host grand shopping festival in November

South Korea’s e-commerce platform 11Street Co. will hold its annual Grand 11 shopping festival from November 1 to 11. Since 2008, the company...

ESG Hyundai Motor Group six affiliates to strengthen carbon neutrality

Hyundai Motor Group said on Monday that six affiliates and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for...

Construction Daewoo E&C wins Turkmen mineral fertilizer plant project

South Korea's Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. (Daewoo E&C) said on Monday that it was selected as the winning bidder for a Mineral Fer...

Banking & Finance KB Kookmin Bank issues €500 mn in covered bonds

South Korea's KB Kookmin Bank said on Tuesday that it issued €500 million ($545 million) in global covered bonds the previous day.Covered bonds...

Entertainment Shinsegae, Paramount to build $3.39 billion theme park complex in S.Korea

South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Group said on Thursday it has partnered with US media group Paramount Global on a 4.57 trillion won ($3.3...

Corporate investment Korea’s KCC Glass to invest $525 mn more in Indonesian plant

KCC Glass Corp., a major South Korean construction materials manufacturer, is set to invest an additional 700 billion won ($524.8 million) in its In...

Leadership & Management SK Group may beef up reform drive after CEO seminar

South Korea’s energy-to-telecom conglomerate SK Group will hold an annual strategic meeting presided over by its Chairman Chey Tae-won from Oc...

Electric vehicles Kia to mass-produce EVs at Hyundai Motor Group’s 1st dedicated plant

Kia Corp., an automaker of Hyundai Motor Group, is poised to start mass production of electric vehicles at the global No. 3 carmaker’s first p...

Food & Beverage Hanwha Galleria acquires beverage manufacturer Pure Plus

South Korea's Hanwha Galleria Corp. said on Monday its acquisition of domestic beverage manufacturer Pure Plus.Pure Plus has focused on non-alcoholi...

Travel & Leisure Paradise opens VIP-only casino at Walkerhill Hotel

Paradise Co., a South Korean casino operator, unveiled a new VIP section at its Walkerhill Hotel casino, aiming to capitalize on its recent performa...

Corporate strategy Lotte to foster Pepero as global brand by 2035: Chairman Shin

Lotte Group has selected Pepero — a thin chocolate-covered stick cookie — as the first brand that it will foster into one of the world&r...

Batteries Lotte Energy completes pilot plant for solid-state battery electrolyte

Lotte Energy Materials Corp., one of South Korea’s leading battery materials makers, has completed a pilot plant for the production of sulfide...

Airlines Air Premia adopts GE Aerospace's integrated operation solution

South Korea's low-cost carrier Air Premia Inc. said on Tuesday that it implemented integrated software solutions from the US-based aviation engine a...