small shareholders

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 ...

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...

Beauty & Cosmetics Korea launches $27 mn fund to invest in K-beauty startups

South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups on Thursday announced the launch of a 40 billion won ($27 million) fund to invest in Korean beauty...

K-pop KAIST launches Korean rapper G-Dragon’s music into space

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) has launched the music and iris image of G-Dragon, a Korean rapper and singer-songw...

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...

Energy HD Hyundai, TerraPower to commercialize next-gen SMR

South Korea’s largest shipbuilder, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., is deepening its partnership with TerraPower LLC, the US nuclear venture f...

Private equity South Korea emerges as private equity firms’ global hub

New York-based Apollo Global Management and London-based Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) have joined the ranks of global private equity firms that ...

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 ...

Leadership & Management Small firms emerge as prime targets of management disputes in Korea

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounted for the majority of disputes over corporate management control in South Korea last year, with th...

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 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...

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...

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...

Banking & Finance Lotte Card Card to launch loans for affiliates in Vietnam

South Korea's Lotte Card said on Monday it will launch loans for affiliates in Vietnam.Lotte Finance Vietnam, the Vietnamese corporation of Lotte Ca...

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...

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...

Mergers & Acquisitions Korea Zinc drops $1.8 bn rights issue to regain shareholder support

Korea Zinc Inc., the world’s top lead and zinc smelter, on Wednesday withdrew its 2.5 trillion won ($1.8 billion) rights issue as the move to ...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK Partners tipped to win battle for control of Korea Zinc

A consortium led by North Asia-focused buyout firm MBK Partners edged closer to winning the battle for control of Korea Zinc Inc. against the s...

Construction & Planning SK Ecoplant selects four companies at ConTech Meet-Up

South Korea's SK Ecoplant Co. said on Friday it held the "2024 ConTech Meet-Up Day" award ceremony at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. ConTech M...

E-commerce Coupang CEO to reduce stake in e-commerce platform

Coupang Inc. founder and Chief Executive Bom Kim will sell shares and donate additional ones in the South Korean e-commerce platform for tax payment...