main prize

Korean games Netmarble gets tailwind from new titles, BTS comeback

Netmarble Corp., a leading South Korean gaming company, expects to gain new growth momentum from the launch of nine new titles and the anticipated f...

Sovereign wealth funds S.Korea’s sovereign fund KIC logs 8.5% return in 2024

The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) reported an annual return of 8.49% last year thanks to steady gains from equity investments led by the AI tec...

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...

Korean startups Korea's No. 1 fitness app Planfit eyes bigger market beyond home in 2025

A new year has arrived, and with it come the New Year’s resolutions. However, if you are one of those who feel you've already failed to keep y...

Culture & Trends Seoul to light up Myeong-dong with LEDs like Times Square

Seoul will light up Myeong-dong, a bustling area with office workers and shoppers in the heart of the city, with 16 large outdoor digital billboards...

Real estate Daishin Securities shelves main office building sale to NH-Amundi

Daishin Securities Co. has called off a plan to sell its headquarters building in a central business district of Seoul to NH-Amundi Asset Management...

Construction Daewoo E&C, CSCEC to collaborate on overseas projects

South Korea's Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. (Daewoo E&C) said on Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) the prev...

Korean stock market LS Electric falls sharply on first day of inclusion in MSCI Korea index

LS Electric Co. plunged more than 9% on Monday, the first day of its inclusion in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Korea Index.On the...

Mergers & Acquisitions STIC to buy Korean flooring firm Nox from TPG for $336 mn

Seoul-based private equity firm STIC Investments has agreed to acquire global leading luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring firm Nox Corp. at 450 billion...

Energy LS Eco Energy supplies 2,000 km of overhead power lines to Vietnam

South Korea's LS Eco Energy Ltd. said on Friday that its Vietnamese unit LS-VINA has completed a supply of around 2,000 kilometers of overhead power...

Batteries LG Energy Solution to discover startups in battery sector

South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd. announced on Monday that it will host Battery Challenge 2024, an open innovation program to discover startup...

Bio & Pharma Handok gets Biocon's obesity drug exclusive distribution in S.Korea

South Korean pharmaceutical company Handok Inc. announced on Friday that it signed an exclusive domestic sales and distribution agreement with India...

Travel & Leisure Hotel Lotte resumes global push with management deals

Hotel Lotte Co., South Korea’s leading hospitality, leisure and travel retail giant, has resumed its global expansion push after its hotel and...

Private equity Affinity extends tender offer for food container maker Lock&Lock

Hong Kong-based Affinity Equity Partners is set to extend its tender offer for South Korean food container maker Lock&Lock Co. shares, as the pr...

Earnings Coupang to keep investing against Chinese players despite loss

Coupang Inc., South Korea’s No. 1 e-commerce platform facing fierce competition from Chinese rivals, dipped into the red in the first quarter,...

Earnings LG Chem displays bright outlook after loss in first quarter

LG Chem Ltd., the parent of the world's second-largest battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd., expects its business will improve in upcoming quarters...

Entertainment Kakao Entertainment, Billboard to collaborate for K-pop

South Korea's Kakao Entertainment Corp., a unit of mobile platform giant Kakao Corp., partnered with the renowned US music magazine Billboard on W...

Korean stock market Foreign buying of Korean stocks hit record high in Q1

Foreign investors gobbled up a record 15.8 trillion won ($11.7 billion) worth of stocks listed in South Korea during the first three months of this ...

Advertising & Marketing HD Hyundai Develon wins iF Design Award

South Korea's HD Hyundai Infracore Co. announced on Thursday that its construction machinery brand Develon received the grand prize in the branding ...

Bio & Pharma Samsung begins new drug development for rare diseases

Samsung Bioepis Co., a biosimilar development unit of South Korea’s top conglomerate Samsung Group, has begun its new drug development busines...

Banking & Finance Samsung Asset wins iF Design Award

South Korea's Samsung Asset Management announced on Friday that its exchange-traded fund (ETF) brand KODEX has won the top prize in the communicatio...

Construction Hyundai Engineering wins Asia Design Prize 2024

South Korea's Hyundai Engineering Co. announced on Wednesday that it won the Asia Design Prize 2024, an international design competition in Asia...

Automobiles Genesis G80, GV70 electric models win Canada Car of the Year awards

Hyundai Motor Co. 's premium brand Genesis announced on Friday that its Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70 earned prizes at the 2024 Canadian Ca...

Korean stock market Foreign investors net buyers of Korean stocks for 3rd straight month

Foreign investors bought more South Korean stocks and bonds in January, extending their buying spree to three months.The Financial Supervisory Servi...

Private debt Korean LPs stick to private debt amid market uncertainties

South Korean limited partners will tap private debt as their most preferred asset class in 2024 to secure stable income amid geopolitical conflicts an...

Alternative investments Peak views: What lies ahead in 2024?

With 2023 at a close, financial markets are at an important junction. Major developed market central banks have paused their rate rises and there ...

IPOs DN Solutions seeks IPO at $3 bn enterprise value on Korea’s main bourse

DN Solutions Co., formerly Doosan Machine Tools Co., is seeking an initial public offering on South Korea’s main bourse, aiming to make a Kosp...

Aerospace & Defense S.Korean drone exports quadruple from goal

South Korean drone exports surged to $1.11 million in 2023, exceeding the government's target by more than four times, fueled by strong demand for d...

Korean startups POSCO startup POSCORE wins grand prize at D.Camp All-Star League

POSCORE, an in-house startup of South Korean steel giant POSCO Group, won the grand prize during an annual startup demo day hosted Wednesday by star...

The KED View Windfall tax on Korean banks to create quintuple burden

Koreans are piqued by banks raking in extraordinarily handsome profits and handing out generous bonuses amid the high-interest rate environment that...