option

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...

Private equity Affinity, GIC sell out of Kyobo Life; Chairman Shin seeks holding firm, M&A

Affinity Equity Partners and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC have sold their entire stake in Kyobo Life Insurance Co., exiting from thei...

E-commerce Korea’s beauty wholesaler to invest $10 mn in fashion platform Balaan

South Korea’s cosmetics wholesaler Silicon2 Co. is set to invest $10 million in financially troubled luxury fashion e-commerce platform operat...

Mergers & Acquisitions Sono Hospitality to buy stake in Air Premia to bolster airline portfolio

Sono Hospitality Group, South Korea’s largest resort operator, will add low-cost carrier Air Premia Inc. to its bulging portfolio after agreei...

Korean food CJ CheilJedang to provide dumplings for Qantas Airways’ in-flight meals

CJ CheilJedang Corp. expands its K-food territory with Australia's largest airline.CJ CheilJedang announced on Tuesday that it will introduce Bibigo...

Corporate bonds POSCO Int'l wins first credit rating from S&P, Moody's

South Korea's POSCO International Corp. said on Thursday that it received its first-ever credit ratings from Standard & Poor's (S&P) and Moo...

Banking & Finance Korean pension subscribers show ultra-low risk tolerance

South Korean pension plan subscribers prefer to protect their money rather than taking risks for capital gains despite the government's effort to en...

Retail Shinsegae guarantees PE firms’ SSG.COM exit amid delayed IPO

Shinsegae Inc. and its supermarket chain operator E-Mart Inc. will bring in at least one investor by the end of this year to buy shares in SSG.COM f...

Business & Politics Naver to submit remedies to Japan without A Holdings stake sale

LY Corp., the operator of Japan’s popular messenger app Line, is expected not to propose Naver Corp.’s stake sale in its largest stakeho...

Regulations LG Energy vows to get tough on battery patent infringement cases

LG Energy Solution Ltd., the world’s second-largest battery maker in terms of sales after China’s CATL, said on Wednesday it will take s...

Banking & Finance S.Korea’s IBK, Japan’s Mizuho Bank agree on $218-million committed line

South Korea’s state-run Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) has agreed on a 300 billion won ($218 million) committed credit line with Japanese lead...

Private equity Tmax Group to draw more than $572 mn to buy back Tmaxsoft

South Korea's leading software company Tmax Group is set to draw at least 750 billion won ($572.3 million) and a maximum of 1 trillion won from Seou...

Tech, Media & Telecom Line launches AI Assistant services in Japan

Line Corporation announced on Friday that it has launched paid and free AI Assistant services within the LINE Messenger in Japan.LINE AI Assistant i...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor launches EVery care for electric cars

Hyundai Motor Co. announced on Thursday that it launched EVery Care, an integrated program that will take care of customers' electric vehicle (EV) l...

Batteries Sodium-ion batteries: Attractive option for EVs as costs, supply matter

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), fast emerging as the next-generation battery cells, will be up to 24% cheaper than the most affordable lithium-based ba...

Automobiles Hyundai launches 2024 Xcient Pro heavy truck model

South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Co. announced on Tuesday the launch of its updated heavy truck model, the '2024 Xcient Pro.' This new model i...

Automobiles Korea’s Kia to set up sales unit in Thailand; EV plant an option

South Korea’s second-largest automaker Kia Corp. plans to establish a sales subsidiary in Thailand as part of its electric vehicle push in the...

Korean food Bulgogi & ramyun top Jeju Air's in-flight menu in 2023

South Korea'st budget carrier Jeju Air Co. announced on Monday that its most popular in-flight meals and cabin cafe items in 2023 were bulgogi deopb...

Automobiles Hyundai to sell Russian car plants at about $100 for exit

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s top carmaker, has decided to sell its plants in Russia for only about $100 to a local company although it has...

Tech, Media & Telecom LG Electronics launches AI-powered LG Gram laptop

South Korean electronics giant LG Electronics Inc. announced on Friday its plans to launch the AI-powered LG Gram laptop, featuring Intel's next-gen...

Korean games Faker’s T1 wins League of Legends global championship

South Korea’s video game team T1 led by local hero and professional player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok won the 2023 League of Legends W...

Automobiles Kia reveals facelift of midsize sedan K5

Kia Corp. unveils the new K5, a facelift model of its signature midsize sedan K5. This car is the revamped of third-generation K5, launched in 2019....

Energy LG Energy to expand residential ESS biz with new product

LG Energy Solution Ltd., the world’s second-largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer, is set to launch a new residential energy storage s...

Private equity SK Group, NPS may exercise put option on Masan without gain

South Korean institutional investors, including SK Group and National Pension Service (NPS), are likely to only recover their principal without prof...

Retail Louis Vuitton creates jobs for Korean women returning from career breaks

Louis Vuitton will create jobs for South Korean women coming back from career breaks, a rare move for a global high-end brand in the fast-growing lu...

Beauty & Cosmetics Amorepacific launches customized makeup brand Tonework

South Korea’s cosmetics giant Amorepacific Corp. will officially launch its customized makeup brand "Tonework" on Tuesday.Tonework precisely...

Electronics Samsung’s new Bespoke line: It's time of reckoning for device chief

Han Jong-hee, Samsung Electronics Co.'s vice chairman, has been in charge of the South Korean tech giant’s digital experience or DX division, ...

Travel & Leisure Korea’s Hanatour sees 1st profit in over 3 yrs on high-end service

Hanatour Service Inc., South Korea’s top travel agency, enjoyed its first quarterly profit in more than three years as it focused on high-end ...

Bio & Pharma S.Korea's Biorchestra signs tech transfer deal for drug delivery system

Biorchestra Co., a South Korean company specializing in RNA-based therapeutics, announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a joint research and o...

Mergers & Acquisitions Luxury watchmaker Hublot buys Korean ceramic supplier Ecco

Hublot, a Swiss watchmaker under global luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has taken over South Korean ceramic manufacturer Ecco Wa...