founder Kim Beom soo

Shareholder activism STIC Investments draws activist interest, including Align Partners

STIC Investments Inc., South Korea’s only listed private equity firm, has become the latest target of shareholder activism as Seoul-based Alig...

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...

Leadership & Management Kakao founder Kim to resign as control tower chair

Kakao Corp. founder Kim Beom-soo, also known as Brian Kim, will step down as chairman of the South Korean tech giant’s top decision-making bod...

Executive reshuffles Naver to name new CFO as incumbent financial manager's term nears end

South Korea’s tech giant Naver Corp. is expected to soon announce a new chief financial officer as its current CFO Kim Nam-sun, credited for t...

Korean games Netmarble to launch new game 'RF Online Next'

Netmarble Corp., South Korea’s leading game developer, is slated to roll out “RF Online Next” on March 20, a revamp of the old tit...

Private equity MBK commits to restoring Homeplus operations: MBK Vice Chairman Kim

MBK Partners, facing increasing scrutiny over its highly leveraged acquisition of Homeplus Co., has pledged to go all-out to restore the struggling ...

Corporate governance Hyundai Motor taps ex-CPPIB private equity head Suyi Kim for board role

Hyundai Motor Co. has tapped Suyi Kim, former private equity head of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Benjamin Tan, an ex-portfo...

Mergers & Acquisitions Shin & Kim’s Jeong Hae Sung named Korea’s most influential M&A lawyer

Jeong Hae Sung, a partner at Shin & Kim, topped the list of South Korea’s 10 most influential M&A lawyers after advising on a total of...

Earnings Naver founder to return as board chair; 2024 earnings solid

Lee Hae-jin, the founder of South Korea’s No. 1 internet portal operator Naver Corp., is set to return to the company to lead the board amid t...

League table Korean law firms' 2024 revenue soars on M&As, management disputes

South Korea’s major law firms saw rapid growth in revenue last year as the economic slowdown sparked business overhauls at top conglomerates, ...

Investment banking MBK’s ByungJu Kim, UBS’ Kyungin Lee: Most influential in capital market

Michael ByungJu Kim, co-founder, partner and chairman of Northeast Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd., and Kyungin David Lee, UBS Gl...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK Partners’ vice chair vows to hike Korea Zinc’s value to $20.6 billion

The battle over Korea Zinc Inc.'s management control between Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun-birm and the Young Poong Corp.-MBK Partners alliance has b...

Social media Seoul probes fake online accounts of Hyundai Motor advisor Sung Kim

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has launched an investigation into social media accounts pretending to be Hyundai Motor Group advisor Sung Kim,...

Korean food BTS Jin to enter liquor business

BTS Jin plans to enter Korean traditional liquor business with Baek Jong-won, founder and CEO of The Born Korea Co., the entertainment industry sour...

North Korea Kim Jong Un’s Message to Trump: We’re Not Interested

SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to rebuff the prospect of reviving his nuclear diplomacy with President-elect Do...

North Korea North Korea Sent a Mystery Man to Lead Its Troops Fighting Ukraine

.video-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; } .video-container ifr...

Business & Politics First Korean American US Senator vows to cement Seoul-Washington ties

NEW YORK – Democratic US Representative Andy Kim, the first Korean American elected to the US Senate, has pledged to strengthen the relationsh...

Fashion Management dispute brewing at leggings brand Xexymix operator Brand X?

A leadership change in Brand X Corp., the operator of South Korea’s top leggings brand Xexymix, is spawning speculation that a management cont...

Leadership & Management Samjong KPMG reappoints CEO Kim Kyo Tae for 4th term

Kim Kyo Tae on Friday was reappointed to a fourth term as chief executive of Samjong KPMG, announced the South Korean unit of the global audit and a...

Markets LX Pantos founder’s son sells shares to LX International for $37 mn

The only son of LX Pantos Co.’s late founder has unloaded his additional shares in the company to South Korean logistics-to-trading conglomera...

Human Interest After 37 years of use, Kim returns trusty microwave to Samsung with love

For 37 years, a simple microwave made by Samsung Electronics Co. sat in the kitchen of Kim Kyu-won, providing much more than convenience.It was ther...

IPOs Korea’s Gordon Ramsay accelerates moves for $63 mn IPO

TheBorn Korea Inc., a leading South Korean food and beverage group operated by TV celebrity and chef Paik Jong-won, has accelerated its moves for an...

Leadership & Management Hanwha’s Kim Dong-seon to raise his stake in Galleria to 19.86%

Kim Dong-seon, vice president of South Korea’s Hanwha Galleria Corp. and the third son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon, plans to buy a...

Pension funds CPPIB global private equity head Suyi Kim to leave

Suyi Kim, global private equity head at Canada Pension Plan Investments Board (CPPIB), is set to leave the world’s seventh-largest pension fun...

E-commerce Qxpress investors to take over Qoo10 founder's control

Financial investors of Qxpress Pte. are set to take over Singapore-based Qoo10 Pte. and its founder Ku Young Bae’s control amid financial turm...

Korean startups Baemin founder strikes out for new trophy platform

Kim Bong-jin, a former chairman and CEO of Woowa Brothers Corp., operator of South Korea’s No. 1 food delivery app Baedal Minjok — Baemi...

North Korea This Song Is Catchy and Going Viral. It’s Also North Korean Propaganda.

SEOUL—Jordan Daniels, a 31-year-old pianist and software engineer in California, posted a cover of a catchy new tune on TikTok. One asp...

League table UBS tops Korea’s M&A advisor list on Asiana, Affinity deals

UBS Group AG topped the South Korean mergers and acquisitions (M&A) league table in the second quarter as the global investment bank worked on m...

Food & Beverage HiteJinro invests in table order service startup

HiteJinro Co., South Korea’s largest soju maker, announced on Monday that it invested in a stake in the table order service startup TMR Founde...

Batteries Lotte Energy Materials sets sights beyond copper foil: CEO Kim

MUNICH – Lotte Energy Materials Corp. is one of South Korea’s leading battery materials specialists.Formerly known as Iljin Materials Co...