cost cutting

Business & Politics Seoul, Washington agree on July tariff deal framework in '2+2' trade talks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – South Korea and the US have agreed to work together to craft a comprehensive tariff-liberalization package by July 8, marki...

Batteries POSCO Future M to make spherical graphite as it cuts dependence on China

POSCO Future M Co., South Korea’s leading battery materials maker, is set to manufacture spherical graphite – a critical material for ba...

Shareholder activism Korea not to appeal ruling in favor of Mason Capital in Samsung case

South Korea said on Friday it has decided not to appeal a Singaporean court’s rejection of its lawsuit to annul an investor-state dispute sett...

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...

Retail Koreans cut spending in March, except on health, education

South Korean consumers exhibited recessionary spending behavior in March, cutting expenditures across nearly all sectors, except healthcare and educ...

Retail Koreans cut spending in March, except on health, education

South Korean consumers exhibited recessionary spending behavior in March, cutting expenditures across nearly all sectors, except healthcare and educ...

Sovereign wealth funds Korea’s WGBI inclusion moved to next April; Seoul works on policy steps

South Korea’s much-anticipated inclusion of its bonds in the FTSE World Government Bond Index (WGBI) has been postponed to April 2026 from Nov...

Automobiles Hyundai chief Chung, GM CEO Barra to meet September in Detroit

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Euisun and General Motors Co. Chair and Chief Executive Mary Barra are slated to meet in September in D...

Aerospace & Defense Hanwha Aerospace slashes planned rights offering size to $1.6 billion

Hanwha Aerospace Co., a leading South Korean defense company, said on Tuesday it plans to slash the size of its proposed rights offering to 2.3 tril...

Steel Hyundai Steel to shut down Incheon rebar plant in April

Hyundai Steel Co. is set to shut down its reinforced bar plant in Incheon in April to trim output as steel bar prices are hovering near a four-and-a...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix aims to lock in all 2026 HBM orders by mid-2025

SK Hynix Inc., the world’s largest supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), aims to lock in orders for its entire 2026 HBM output by the end o...

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, ...

Shipping & Shipbuilding Hanwha develops cutting-edge stealth paint for next-generation warships

Hanwha Ocean Co., a leading South Korean warship builder, has developed and tested an advanced stealth paint designed for the country’s KDDX n...

Business & Politics Trump says Korea interested in Alaska gas project; Korean firms skeptical

South Korea, Japan and other countries want to partner with the US in a $44 billion natural gas pipeline project in Alaska, President Donald Trump s...

Central bank Bank of Korea cuts rates, growth forecast on Trump tariff policy

South Korea’s central bank on Tuesday cut interest rates while sharply reducing its economic growth forecast as lingering political turmoil fo...

Economy S.Korea’s default risk dips below pre-martial law levels

South Korea’s financial market has stabilized with a sharp fall in the country’s default risk and some recovery of its currency value ag...

Economy South Korean state think tank cuts 2025 growth forecast, flags US tariff risk

South Korea’s state-run think tank has cut its growth forecast for the country this year, citing President Donald Trump’s trad...

IPOs Korean firms cut IPO prices, volumes amid bearish sentiment

South Korean companies are relaunching attempts to go public with lower valuations and fewer shares amid continued sour investor sentiment.CK Soluti...

Economy Korean exports snap 15 months of gains in Jan despite higher chip sales

South Korea’s exports dropped in January on-year for the first time in 16 months due to more holiday days in the month, although overseas sale...

Upcoming IPOs Seoul Guarantee Insurance sharply cuts IPO valuation

Seoul Guarantee Insurance Co. (SGI) has slashed its target valuation by about 40% in a renewed attempt to go public on the South Korean stock exchan...

Economy S.Korea’s economy grows 2.0% in 2024; Q4 GDP below forecast

South Korea’s economy expanded 2.0% last year, falling short of the central bank’s forecast on weaker-than-expected growth in the fourth...

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...

Central bank Bank of Korea seen cutting interest rates by 25 bps in January

The Bank of Korea (BOK) is widely expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday amid the nation's softening economy and moderating i...

IPOs Korean entertainment powerhouse K Wave Media to debut on Nasdaq in Feb

K Wave Media Ltd., an umbrella entity of South Korean entertainment companies, is set to go public on the Nasdaq next month in a bid to raise money ...

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...

Business & Politics Korea sharply cuts 2025 growth forecast, opens door for extra budget

South Korea sharply lowered its economic growth forecast for this year amid the prolonged political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol’...

Mergers & Acquisitions Hahn & Co. to buy controlling stake in SK’s specialty gas unit for $1.9 bn

South Korea’s private equity firm Hahn & Co. is set to acquire a controlling stake in the world’s top specialty gas producer SK Spec...

Business & Politics US finalizes $4.7 bn chip subsidy for Samsung before Trump takes office

WASHINGTON – The US finalized a $4.7 billion government subsidy for Samsung Electronics Co.'s planned microchip facilities in Texas about a mo...

Korean chipmakers Samsung, Hyundai Motor eye tech alliance on autonomous vehicle chips

South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. will likely entrust the manufacturing of its automotive chips for self-driving vehicles to Samsu...

Electronics Samsung unveils AI-powered Galaxy Book5 Pro to take on Apple’s MacBook

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday unveiled its new Galaxy Book5 Pro, packed with various AI functions, to compete with archrival Apple Inc.’...