governance transparency

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...

Economy South Korea to boost aid for chipmakers to $23 billion, expanding extra budget

South Korea’s government is planning to increase support for chip makers to around $23 billion, proposing a bigger-than-expected supplementary...

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...

Private equity MBK sees better exit landscape in 2025, bets on governance reform

MBK Partners sees a recovery in the exit environment in 2025 and seeks to capitalize on the opportunities emerging from corporate governance reform ...

Foreign exchange Seoul to lift curbs on banks' investment in kimchi bonds

South Korea will lift restrictions on banks' purchase of domestically issued foreign currency bonds, dubbed “kimchi bonds," as part of policy ...

Business & Politics Asia’s defense stocks climb on hopes of more European arms spending

Defense stocks in key Asian markets jumped on Tuesday, buoyed by expectations that European nations will boost security spending amid fears that the...

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...

Business & Politics Woori Financial CEO Yim Jong-yong should stay for governance: FSS chief

Woori Financial Group Chief Executive and Chairman Yim Jong-yong should keep his post through to the end of his term and lead the banking group&rsqu...

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...

Pension funds Korea to let securities firms manage $43 bn public fund investment pool

South Korea said on Wednesday it aims to boost returns on 62.1 billion won ($42.7 billion) in the public fund investment pool by entrusting some of ...

Energy South Korean oil refiners to jointly build SAF plant

South Korea’s four major oil refining companies will jointly build a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the country, for which the gover...

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’...

Economy Korea’s 2024 exports hit all-time high, driven by chips, shipments to China

South Korea’s exports, the country’s main growth driver, reached an all-time high in 2024, buoyed by strong semiconductor exports and a ...

Food & Beverage SPC to establish bakery plant in Texas

South Korea's SPC Group, the operator of the bakery franchise Paris Baguette said on Thursday it plans to build a plant in the City of Burleson, Joh...

Business & Politics South Korea mulls visa waiver for Chinese group tourists

South Korea is considering temporary visa exemptions for Chinese group tourists to boost the domestic tourism sector, after being spooked by the bot...

Business & Politics Korea’s Shinsegae chairman dines with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Chung Yong-jin, the chairman of South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Group, held talks with US President-elect Donald Trump, becoming Korea's ...

Foreign exchange South Korea to ease foreign exchange regulations, expand FX swap line

South Korea’s foreign authorities said on Friday they will ease foreign exchange regulations to allow more dollars into the domestic financial...

Economy S.Korea to hold IR session to unveil market-boosting steps

South Korea's government will host an overseas investor relations session to explain the country’s economic conditions and unveil market-boost...

Economy Opposition-controlled Korean Parliament passes slashed $470 bn budget

South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly on Tuesday passed a government budget bill for 2025, slashed from the government's proposal am...

Foreign exchange NPS incurs $500 million in missed gains due to improper forex hedging

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

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...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HD Hyundai Heavy delivers Aegis destroyer to S.Korean Navy

South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. completed and delivered Jeongjo the Great, one of the world's top-tier Aegis destroyers, to the South ...

Corporate restructuring S.Korea to restructure ailing petrochemical industry

South Korea plans to restructure the struggling domestic petrochemical industry amid intensifying competition with Chinese rivals and oversupply by ...

Business & Politics Korea mulls raising US oil imports to cope with Trump trade policies

South Korea, the world’s fourth-largest oil importer, is considering increasing US oil imports to ease potential pressure from President-elect...

Banking & Finance SFH, where foreign firms build networks in Korea

It can be daunting to do business in a new city in a distant country. But foreign companies seeking to open businesses in South Korea’s capita...

Leadership & Management SK to nurture 10,000 AI talent, introduce Board 2.0 to enhance governance

SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, said on Monday it plans to nurture 10,000 artificial intelligence professionals over the ...

Banking & Finance KB Financial first in Korean banking to achieve ISO human capital standard

South Korea’s KB Financial Group said on Tuesday that it had obtained ISO 30414 certification, becoming the first in the domestic financial se...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK’s Korea Zinc bid aimed at corporate governance, shareholder value

MBK Partners’ takeover bid for Korea Zinc Inc. aims to improve corporate governance and shareholder value at the world’s largest lead an...

Energy Czech anti-trust body puts signing of nuclear power deal on hold

The Czech anti-trust body put a temporary block on the conclusion of a contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) for the construction...

Shareholder activism Align Partners calls on Doosan Bobcat to boost shareholder value

Align Partners Capital Management Inc., a South Korean activist fund, has called on Doosan Bobcat Inc., a global construction machinery maker owned ...