early retirement

Earnings KB Financial logs 61% profit growth, rebounding from ELS fiasco

KB Financial Group Inc. on Thursday reported a 61% jump in first-quarter profit, led by a nearly threefold rise in earnings at its flagship unit Koo...

Economy Trump’s tariffs are hitting exports, early Korean data show

The effects of President Trump’s new tariffs are starting to be felt across the world, preliminary South Korean trade data suggest, as Seoul p...

Economy China bans export of Korean goods containing its rare earth metals to US

The Chinese government has warned South Korean companies of retributions for exporting any product containing its critical metals to US military con...

Asset management Mirae Asset’s default option retirement funds top $700 mn in assets

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. now manages over one-third of South Korea’s default-option retirement funds, with the assets it operates un...

IPOs LG Electronics set for early-May Indian stock market debut

LG Electronics Inc. is set to list its wholly owned subsidiary in India on the country's stock exchange in early May, aiming to raise up to $1.5 bil...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix ships world’s first 12-layer HBM4 samples early

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix Inc. has begun delivering samples of the world’s most advanced, next-generation high bandwidth memory ...

Shareholder value Celltrion to cancel $140 mn in treasury shares, stock up

South Korea’s leading biosimilar drug developer Celltrion Inc. announced on Friday a plan to cancel $140 million worth of treasury shares to i...

Markets Mirae Asset launches world’s 1st passive target-date ETF

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. is set to introduce the world’s first passive target-date exchange-traded fund (ETF) this month to attract ...

Shareholder value Hana Financial to boost corporate value by raising shareholder returns

South Korea’s Hana Financial Group aims to increase corporate value by ramping up shareholder returns based on a sustainable profit structure ...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HMM seeks to acquire parts of SK Shipping for $1.4 bn from Hahn & Co.

HMM Co., South Korea’s largest ocean carrier, is seeking to buy SK Shipping Co., excluding its liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation busi...

Business & Politics China likely to lift ban on South Korea’s K-wave as early as May

BEIJING – China will likely lift its ban on Hallyu, or Korean popular culture in the country, as early as May, moving away from its “wol...

Electronics Hanmi Semiconductor to retire $90 mn treasury shares in May

Hanmi Semiconductor Co. on Thursday announced a plan to retire 130.0 billion won ($90 million) worth of treasury shares in May, marking its largest-...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK Partners, 2 Chinese firms vie for CJ Cheiljedang’s $4 bn bio business

North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners and two leading Chinese biotechnology firms are vying for management control of CJ Cheiljedang C...

Corporate restructuring Samsung Life, Samsung Fire sell $193 mn in Samsung Electronics shares

Samsung Life Insurance Co., South Korea’s largest life insurer, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., the country’s No. 1 non-lif...

Corporate restructuring Samsung Life mulls putting Samsung Fire under its wing as subsidiary

Samsung Life Insurance Co., South Korea’s largest life insurer, is considering bringing Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., the country&r...

Korean startups AI agent Gentoo poised to revolutionize online shopping

South Korean artificial intelligence startup Waddle Corp. is gearing up to reshape the online retail industry with artificial intelligence-powered i...

Steel Hyundai mulls building 1st overseas steel mill in Louisiana

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hyundai Motor Group is considering building its first overseas steel mill in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to industry ...

Upcoming IPOs Online lender K Bank eyes Feb 2025 IPO at lower valuation

K Bank, a South Korean online lender, is making a fresh attempt to list on the Korean stock market in February 2025 as bitcoin’s record-breaki...

Shareholder value LG Electronics to retire about $50 mn treasury stock in 2025

LG Electronics Inc. will retire 761,000 shares in 2025, or around 0.5% of its outstanding shares, to increase shareholder returns, the South Korean ...

Shareholder value Celltrion to retire $400 mn treasury stock in January

South Korea’s biosimilar maker Celltrion Inc. on Wednesday announced a plan to retire about a quarter of its treasury stock worth 563 billion ...

Shareholder value Hyundai Motor to buy back $720 mn in shares

Hyundai Motor Co. said on Wednesday it will buy back 1 trillion won ($720 million) in shares in line with the government campaign to unlock corporat...

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) ...

IPOs South Korea’s Viva Republica drops Korean IPO plan, seeks US debut

Viva Republica Inc., a leading South Korean fintech unicorn and operator of mobile financial super app Toss, has dropped its plan to go public in th...

Business & Politics South Korea to deploy ‘Iron-Dome’ style defense system early

South Korea will deploy a new air defense system, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, against North Korean artillery attacks earlier than previousl...

Shareholder value LG Electronics unveils value-up plans, begins Indian arm IPO process

LG Electronics Inc., the world’s largest home appliances maker, on Tuesday announced plans to unlock value by accelerating its transformation ...

Banking & Finance Mirae Asset's retirement pension reserves rise by $2.9 bn in 2024

South Korea's Mirae Asset Securities Co. said on Tuesday that its defined contribution (DC) retirement pension and individual retirement pension (IR...

Korean chipmakers Samsung primed for graphics chip leadership with 24 Gb GDDR7

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest memory chipmaker, has unveiled the industry’s first 24 gigabit (Gb) graphics DRAM chip, opt...

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...

Shareholder value Naver to retire $306 mn shares, but stock remains weak

South Korea’s leading internet portal operator Naver Corp. will buy back and retire about 400 billion won ($306 million) worth of shares by th...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix unveils powerful data-center SSD to maintain AI memory lead

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. on Wednesday unveiled a new solid-state drive (SSD) for data centers to expand its memory leadership in the AI ...