debt crisis

Real estate S.Korean gaming giant Netmarble eyes headquarters building sale

Netmarble Corp., a leading South Korean gaming company, is seeking to sell its headquarters building in Seoul, which could fetch up to 800 billion w...

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, ...

Leadership & Management Samsung in 'do or die' situation'; Lee sounds crisis alarm

Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong has warned the company's executives that the South Korean tech giant has lost its characteristic "rele...

Alternative investments S.Korean investors name their 33 favorite alternative asset managers

Blackstone and HarbourVest Partners are South Korean institutional investors’ preferred private equity firms, according to a survey by Korea I...

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...

Real estate PAG raises $4 bn for opportunistic Asia real estate fund

PAG, an Asia Pacific-focused alternative investment firm, on Friday announced the final close of its 10th opportunistic real estate fund at $4 billi...

Sovereign bonds Foreigners return to Korean debt market; Korea on course to join WGBI

Foreigners scooped up South Korean government bonds in January despite the country’s ongoing political upheavals, betting big on the country&r...

Debt financing Korean bonds heavily oversubscribed in January boom

South Korea’s debt market got off to a strong start this year, as several blue chip companies made a bold return to the bond market for new is...

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...

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...

Private equity Korean lenders to Accell warn they may boycott KKR

KKR & Co. is facing a huge backlash from South Korean financial services firms after the debt restructuring of Dutch bicycle manufacturer Accell...

Economy Political crisis ups downside risk to S.Korea’s economy: S&P, Moody’s

Global credit rating agencies are warning of looming downward pressure on South Korea’s sovereign credit rating about a month after Asia&rsquo...

Banking & Finance Korea Eximbank issues $3 bn global bonds

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) said on Wednesday it issued a total of $3 billion in global bonds, targeting worldwide investors.The matu...

Batteries SK Nexilis gets $133 mn subsidy from Poland

South Korea's SK Nexilis Co., the world’s largest copper foil maker, said on Monday it received a $133 million subsidy from the Polish gover...

Debt financing Korea debt financing faces woes as $34 bn in corporate bonds mature in H1

South Korea’s financial markets will see nearly 50 trillion won ($34 billion) in corporate bonds mature in the first half of next year —...

Corporate bonds Korea Inc. to face refunding risks with record corporate bond maturities

South Korean companies are expected to face refunding risks thanks to record corporate bond maturities in the first half of 2025, as fundraising con...

Capital raising Korean firms halt bond, share issues despite tighter liquidity

South Korean companies are postponing bond issues and initial public offerings on chilled investor sentiment in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk ...

Business & Politics S.Korea's Yoon survives impeachment; economic fundamentals firm

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol survived an impeachment vote against him after an overwhelming majority of governing party lawmakers boycotted ...

Economy Korea’s credit fundamentals remain firm amid political crisis: Fitch

South Korea’s credit rating remained unscathed by the political turmoil caused by the short-lived martial law declaration of President Yoon Su...

Infrastructure IFM Investors bets big on infrastructure investing: Gee-Grant

IFM Investors, a global investment manager owned by Australian pension funds, is looking to infrastructure as the fastest-growing asset segment for ...

Central bank BOK makes 1st back-to-back rate cut since 2009 global crisis

South Korea’s central bank lowered interest rates for a second straight meeting on Thursday in a surprise move and left the door open for anot...

Corporate restructuring Lotte Group denies liquidity crisis rumors to calm bond holders

Lotte Group on Thursday denied liquidity crisis rumors sparked by Lotte Chemical Corp.'s struggle to meet a bond redemption request after the South ...

Economy Korea’s household debt sees ‘balloon effect’ as rules tightened in Seoul

South Korea’s household lending market is witnessing a balloon effect as tighter government lending rules for Seoul and its surrounding metrop...

Pension funds NPS commits $436 mn to Koramco, Hana Alternative for real estate lending

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s largest institutional investor, has selected Koramco Asset Management Co. and Hana Alternati...

Corporate bonds Korean brokerages flock to debt market with securities bonds on bull run

South Korea’s leading brokerage houses are flocking to the debt market as bonds issued by securities companies are in growing demand, industry...

ASK 2024 Private debt remains attractive; NPLs rekindle interest

Private debt remains attractive for South Korean pension and big asset owners, although they may offer lower yields than before given recent interes...

Korean stock market Foreign appetite for Korean stocks wanes with $5.5 bn in September sales

Foreign investors' appetite for South Korean stocks turned sour with sales of 7.36 trillion won ($5.5 billion) worth of shares on the Korean bourse ...

Economy Korea’s finance min, central bank chief to take on demographic crisis

South Korea’s finance minister and central bank chief on Monday agreed to address the world’s lowest fertility rate, a most urgent task ...

Central bank BOK signals autumn rate cut as inflation, economic growth slow

South Korea’s central bank is likely to reduce interest rates in the next three months as inflation is expected to ease amid a slowdown in Asi...

Economy Korea’s household debt hits record high on mortage loans

South Korea’s household debt hit a record high in the second quarter as the domestic housing market started to recover and more consumers rush...