return

Business & Politics Trump Jr. meets Korean business chiefs in back-to-back sessions

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of US President Donald Trump, spent his one-and-a-half-day visit to South Korea in back-to-back private meetings wi...

Debt financing Kookmin Bank raises $700 mn in forex bonds amid strong demand

Kookmin Bank, a unit of KB Financial Group, raised $700 million in foreign exchange bonds on Tuesday, signaling a recovery in investor sentiment tow...

Alternative investments Meritz backs half of ex-manager’s $210 mn hedge fund

Meritz Financial Group Inc., one of South Korea’s most aggressive alternative asset managers, has committed 150 billion won ($105 million) to ...

Shareholder activism Activist fund Oasis boosts Korea team amid investor-friendly policy shift

Hong Kong-based activist fund Oasis Management is ramping up hiring for its Korea team as Seoul’s push to boost corporate value and strengthen...

Real estate Ritz-Carlton to return to Seoul, tapped by IGIS Asset for landmark project

IGIS Asset Management Co., South Korea’s leading real estate investment firm, has named The Ritz-Carlton the preferred hotel brand for its amb...

Travel & Leisure S.Korea’s foreigners-only casinos bask in return of Chinese high rollers

South Korea’s foreigners-only casinos are witnessing a significant rise in their sales revenue with the return of high rollers from China and ...

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...

Pension funds Global assets drive Korean teachers' fund to 11.1% return in 2024

The Korean Teachers’ Credit Union (KTCU) achieved an 11.1% return on investments in 2024, with overseas portfolios in stocks, infrastructure a...

Cryptocurrencies BlackRock sees digital assets at critical turning point

Digital assets are poised for robust structural growth – not just as investment vehicles but as strategic assets – fueled by growing ins...

Pension funds S.Korea’s pension fund NPS posts record return in 2024 on US stock rally

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

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...

Shareholder value Hana Financial to boost corporate value by raising shareholder returns

South Korea’s Hana Financial Group aims to increase corporate value by ramping up shareholder returns based on a sustainable profit structure ...

Alternative investments S.Korean investors name their 33 favorite alternative asset managers

Blackstone and HarbourVest Partners are South Korean institutional investors’ preferred private equity firms, according to a survey by Korea I...

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...

Asset management US Capital Group raises stake in South Korea’s LS Electric

Capital Group Companies Inc. has increased its stake in LS Electric Co., a South Korean supplier to Elon Musk’s X.AI Corp., as the US asset ma...

Earnings Shinhan Bank reclaims top spot as S.Korea’s leading lender

Shinhan Bank, a key arm of Shinhan Financial Group, reclaimed its position as South Korea’s top lender posting its largest-ever profit in 2024...

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...

Earnings Hana Financial to buy back $280 mn shares after record 2024

Hana Financial Group will buy back 400 billion won ($280 million) worth of shares to retire, marking its largest-ever repurchase, in line with ongoi...

IPOs Korean B2B fintech firm Dozn plans Kosdaq IPO for $202.5 mn market cap

South Korea’s business-to-business fintech service provider Dozn is planning an initial public offering on the Kosdaq in February for an estim...

Deals IMM PE exits Woori Financial with double-digit return

IMM Private Equity has divested its remaining 1.38% stake in Woori Financial Group for 166.4 billion won ($115 million), exiting the South Korean fi...

Energy KEPCO expects all-time high $207 mn in 2024 overseas investment returns

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the state-run utility company, expects to post its highest-ever overseas business performance this year, thanks ...

Corporate strategy Doosan Bobcat unveils massive corporate value-up plans

Doosan Bobcat Inc., a global construction machinery maker owned by South Korea’s Doosan Group, has unveiled massive corporate value-up measure...

Corporate strategy Kia vows to drastically raise shareholder returns, hike EV, hybrid sales

Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, plans to drastically raise its shareholder return rates to bolster shareholder value. The c...

Pension funds NPS enjoys 9.2% return as of Q3 on bullish US stocks

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s largest institutional investor, reported a preliminary 9.18% return from investments, equiva...

Pension funds NPS expects Korea’s WGBI inclusion to attract $56 billion in foreign funds

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

Corporate governance LG Group affiliates unveil value-up plans

LG Group affiliates— LG Display Co., LG Innotek, LG Chem Ltd., and LG Energy Solution Ltd. —unveiled their ambitious growth strategies o...

Real estate NH Nonghyup buys Donuimun D Tower for $640 mn

NH Nonghyup REITs Management Co. has completed the purchase of Donuimun D Tower, a prime office building in central Seoul, for 895.3 billion won ($6...

Foreign exchange South Korea returns to US FX monitoring watchlist

The United States has reinstated South Korea on its foreign-exchange monitoring watchlist, a year after it removed Asia’s No. 4 economy from t...

Korean Investors S.Korean investors' US stock holdings surpass $100 bn

The US stock holdings of South Korean individual investors surpassed $100 billion for the first time, driven by a sustained rally in the US markets ...

Venture capital South Korean VCs in search of better returns abroad

South Korean venture capitalists’ appetite for foreign entrepreneurs shows no sign of waning as they continue to look for better returns overs...