shareholder activism

Airlines Korea’s Sono to sell Air Premia stake to focus on another LCC

South Korea's top resort operator Sono Hospitality Group has decided to sell its entire stake in low-cost carrier (LCC) Air Premia Inc. at a profit ...

Korean games NCSOFT invests in US game startup emptyvessel

NCSOFT Corp. has made an equity investment in emptyvessel, a US indie games studio, as part of efforts to expand into the first-person shooter genre...

Mergers & Acquisitions DB Insurance becomes Daol Investment’s No.2 shareholder

DB Insurance Co., a leading South Korean non-life insurance company, has become Daol Investment & Securities Co.'s second-largest shareholder af...

E-commerce Naver mulls acquiring about a 10% stake in Kurly

Naver Corp. is considering taking over a stake in Kurly Inc. to become the largest shareholder in the South Korean dawn delivery service market pion...

Korean games Krafton buys India’s Nautilus Mobile, fueling IP race in Korean game scene

Krafton Inc., one of South Korea’s top four market-cap gaming firms, has taken over Indian game developer Nautilus Mobile for $14 million, upp...

Travel & Leisure SoftBank-backed Yanolja raises stake in Modetour as No. 2 shareholder

South Korea’s top travel and accommodation booking platform operator Yanolja Co. has increased its stake in travel agency Modetour Network Inc...

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...

Sovereign bonds S.Korea courts active funds for $140 bn treasury issuance

South Korea’s finance ministry will hold its largest-ever investor relations (IR) event for global institutional investors at the end of this ...

Real estate Global real estate market poised for strong rebound: Savills

The global real estate market is expected to pick up significantly over the next few years, with around $500 billion worth of real estate assets, he...

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 ...

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...

Beauty & Cosmetics Korean beauty giants Amorepacific, LG H&H come back from China woes

South Korea’s two largest cosmetics makers, Amorepacific Corp. and LG H&H Co., are recovering from years of lackluster overseas business p...

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...

Mergers & Acquisitions PCB maker Isupetasys cancels M&A with carbon nanotube producer

South Korean printed circuit board (PCB) maker Isupetasys Co. has withdrawn a 300-billion-won ($210 million) deal to buy Jeio Co., one of the countr...

Robotics LG Electronics secures control of Bear Robotics

LG Electronics Inc. has secured control of Bear Robotics Inc., a service robot developer, by raising its stake to 51% from 21% as it aims to expand ...

Airlines Sono Hospitality heralds proxy fight to control T’way Air

Sono Hospitality Group, South Korea’s top resort operator, has vowed to more actively horn in on the business of T'way Air Co., portending a p...

Mergers & Acquisitions SK, Lotte's restructuring to drive Korea's M&A market in 2025

SK and Lotte groups remain the focus for South Korean dealmakers as the two conglomerates accelerate restructuring by divesting non-core assets, a s...

IPOs LG CNS set to price February IPO at top of price band

LG CNS Co., an information technology service company, is set to price its initial public offering at the top of its proposed price range to raise 1...

Artificial intelligence Naver D2SF invests in N.American AI startup

South Korea's online giant Naver Corp.'s startup nurturing organization D2SF (D2 Startup Factory) invested in North American AI ad tech startup Remb...

Shareholder activism Korean activist investors to routinize campaigns throughout year

South Korea’s activist investors are set to routinize campaigns all year long rather than launch fresh moves only before annual general meetin...

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 ...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK, Young Poong close in on majority of Korea Zinc

A consortium of MBK Partners and Young Poong Corp. has raised its stake in Korea Zinc Inc. to 46.7% of voting shares, drawing the group closer to ma...

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 restructuring NPS steps back from Doosan Robotics' Bobcat merger

The National Pension Service (NPS) appears to be stalling on a vote for Doosan Robotics Inc.'s merger with Doosan Bobcat Inc., with major proxy advi...

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...

Robotics Hyundai Motor, Kia unveil wearable robot X-ble Shoulder

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. unveiled the wearable robot X-ble Shoulder at Wearable Robot Tech Day held at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang, Gyeong...

Shareholder activism Must Asset calls on Young Poong to take steps to boost shareholder value

South Korea’s Young Poong Corp., embroiled in a fierce management control dispute with Korea Zinc Inc., is now the target of an activist fund ...

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...

Tech, Media & Telecom Naver Band surpasses 6 mn MAU in US

South Korea’s Naver Corp. said on Friday its group-based social media platform Band reached 6.04 million monthly active users (MAU) in the Uni...