quake of magnitude 7.0

Mergers & Acquisitions Soon for sale: Altos Ventures-backed Cafe Knotted operator

Silicon Valley-based Altos Ventures-backed Good Food For Good (GFFG), operator of South Korea’s popular dessert cafe, Cafe Knotted, will likel...

Retail When in S. Korea, it’s a ritual: Foreigners make stops at CU, GS25, 7-Eleven

“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair,” as Scott McKenzie sang in the late 1960s and 70s.If...

Real estate Mirae Asset to be named Korea Post’s core real estate fund operator

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. is set to manage the mandate of more than 600 billion won ($416.8 million) in core real estate fund investment by...

Economy Korea’s Q1 economic contraction adds to stimulus expectations

South Korea's economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter as exports and consumption fell amid a political crisis and fears over the impact...

Central bank BOK stands pat; rate cut likely within 3 months as economic growth slows

The Bank of Korea (BOK) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75% on Thursday, with Governor Rhee Chang-yong warning that a surge in globa...

Airlines Korean Air to finalize $32.7 bn deals with Boeing, GE Aerospace

Korean Air Lines Co., the country’s top full-service carrier, is set to soon finalize $32.7 billion deals with Boeing Co. and GE Aerospace for...

Business & Politics S.Korea wary of inclusion on US ‘Dirty 15’ nations list for reciprocal tariffs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US government plans to unveil country-specific reciprocal tariffs on April 2, with particular attention to nations impo...

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...

Economy S.Korea’s factory output dips in January; Retail sales, investment slow

South Korea’s factory production decreased in the first month of this year due to a manufacturing slowdown, while private consumption and busi...

Economy Korea’s weak exports add to Trump tariff risk woes

South Korea’s exports in the first two months skidded as sales to the world’s two largest economies China and the US fell, adding to con...

Economy Korea to launch $23 bn high tech fund, bracing for Trump 2.0

South Korea will launch a high tech fund worth more than 34 trillion won ($23 billion) to provide cheap financing, including equity investments, for...

Korean startups Funding to Korean tech startups at 7-year low; seed funding soars

New funding to South Korean tech startups dropped to its lowest level in seven years in 2024. But seed funding soared 142% led by semiconductor, hea...

Economy Korean exports snap 15 months of gains in Jan despite higher chip sales

South Korea’s exports dropped in January on-year for the first time in 16 months due to more holiday days in the month, although overseas sale...

Economy S.Korea’s economy grows 2.0% in 2024; Q4 GDP below forecast

South Korea’s economy expanded 2.0% last year, falling short of the central bank’s forecast on weaker-than-expected growth in the fourth...

Earnings SK Hynix surpasses Samsung with record-high profit in Q4

SK Hynix Inc., the top supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips to Nvidia Corp., on Thursday reported its highest-ever quarterly profit of 8.08...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix sharply narrows gap with Samsung’s market cap

SK Hynix Inc. has significantly raised its value by bolstering its presence in the artificial intelligence memory market, threatening Samsung Electr...

Robotics Koh Young gets OK from FDA for brain surgery robot

Koh Young Technology Inc., a South Korean developer of 3D optical inspection devices used in electronics manufacturing, said on Monday it got 501K...

Central bank BOK lowers growth forecasts to bolster rate cut expectations

South Korea’s central bank slashed its economic growth forecasts on Monday, adding to views that the monetary authority will cut interest rate...

Electronics LG mulls US plant expansion to deal with Trump 2.0 tariffs

CLARKSVILLE, TN -- South Korea’s appliance and electronics giants are actively looking into options to ramp up the production capacity of thei...

Steel South Korea’s steel imports from China at 7-year high

South Korea’s imports of steel products from China climbed to their highest level in seven years despite a decrease in its total steel imports...

Batteries LG Energy to supply batteries to US solar EV startup Aptera for 7 years

LG Energy Solution Ltd., the world’s third-largest battery maker, agreed to supply cylindrical products to Aptera Motors Corp., a US solar ele...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor vows record investment of $16.7 bn in South Korea

Hyundai Motor Group will invest 24.3 trillion won ($16.7 billion) this year in South Korea, the largest-ever annual investment in its home country, ...

Mergers & Acquisitions Korea Zinc, MBK-Young Poong alliance to fight over cumulative voting

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 n...

Automobiles Hyundai, Kia sell 7.23 mn units together in 2024, eye more sales in 2025

Hyundai Motor Co. and its sibling Kia Corp. have set a target to sell a combined 7.39 million units around the globe this year with greater focus on...

Electronics Samsung Electronics brings AI heat pump EHS to US HVAC market

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. is unveiling an AI-powered home heat pump system at the upcoming CES 2025 event as it strives to boo...

Mergers & Acquisitions M&A deals in South Korea hit 7-year low in 2024

South Korea’s mergers and acquisitions market shrank further in 2024, with leading business groups seeking to unload non-core assets to bolste...

Business & Politics US finalizes $4.7 bn chip subsidy for Samsung before Trump takes office

WASHINGTON – The US finalized a $4.7 billion government subsidy for Samsung Electronics Co.'s planned microchip facilities in Texas about a mo...

Energy LG Energy wins 7.5GWh ESS project from Excelsior Energy in US

LG Energy Solution Ltd. has landed a deal with US renewable energy infrastructure fund Excelsior Energy Capital (Excelsior) to supply a 7.5-gigawatt...

Content platforms Naver recruits 500 creators for Clip

South Korea's Naver Corp. said on Monday it will recruit 500 creators for Clip in the first half of 2025, the company's short-form platform from Dec...

Construction & Planning Samsung C&T-Sumitomo consortium wins $3.7 billion Qatar project

An international consortium involving South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp. and financial firms has won a $3.7 billion project to build a desali...