small- and middle-sized enterprises

Automobiles Exports of Korea-made used cars to hit record high in 2025

South Korea’s exports of used cars by its homegrown auto brands are expected to hit a historic high this year, thanks to their improved brand ...

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...

Aerospace & Defense Hanwha Aerospace slashes planned rights offering size to $1.6 billion

Hanwha Aerospace Co., a leading South Korean defense company, said on Tuesday it plans to slash the size of its proposed rights offering to 2.3 tril...

Beauty & Cosmetics K-beauty defies trade headwinds as exports to China, US lead sales growth

South Korea’s beauty industry is mounting a powerful global push, defying trade pressures and economic uncertainties with a surge in exports t...

Pension funds S.Korea’s NPS to double pension fund size by 2050, hike risky assets

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) is projected to nearly double its fund size to 3,500 trillion won ($2.38 trillion) by 2050, follo...

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 ...

Alternative investments KIC explores Europe middle-market private equity opportunities

The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) on Monday explored investment opportunities in Europe’s middle-market private equity sector with other ...

Medical devices Middle East: New land of opportunity for Korean medical devices

South Korea is making inroads into the Middle East's medical device market dominated by the US and Europe, aiming to leverage the region’s str...

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...

Aerospace & Defense Hanwha Aerospace nears $276 million K9 howitzer deal with Vietnam

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace Co. is close to signing a 400 billion won ($276 million) deal to export as many as 30 units of the K9 Thunder s...

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...

Artificial intelligence Bespin Global, Upstage to co-work on AI platform

South Korea's cloud solution provider Bespin Global said on Monday it signed with Upstage, the domestic artificial intelligence (AI) startup, to bui...

Venture capital S.Korean startup accelerators to boost overseas biz

South Korean accelerators (ACs) are turning to Southeast Asia and the Middle East market to support startups and expand their reach.ACs, companies t...

Private equity Eximbank of Korea to commit $143 mn to 4 Korean PEs

IMM Investment, Korea Investment Private Equity (PE), Corstone Asia, and Paratus Investment have been selected for the Export-Import Bank of Korea's...

Electronics Samsung Bespoke AI Combo targets European market

Samsung Electronics Co. said on Sunday it held the showcase for launching its all-in-one washer-dryer, Bespoke AI Combo, in Berlin, Germany on Nov...

Automobiles Kia to supply PV5 to DHL Korea from 2026

Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, said on Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to supply its purpose-built ...

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...

Shipping & Shipbuilding Hanwha Systems, HJ S&C to enter overseas naval vessel market

South Korea's Hanwha Systems Co. said on Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. to...

Automobiles Kia debuts Tasman to target $333 bn global pickup truck market

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, on Tuesday premiered the Tasman, its first pickup truck to target t...

Automobiles Hyundai Motor aims high for online small EV sales in Japan

TOKYO – Hyundai Motor Co. will accelerate its penetration into Japan, a market it has been struggling to crack for decades, with small-size el...

Korean chipmakers Samsung to unveil 400-layer bonding vertical NAND for AI servers by 2026

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest memory chipmaker, plans to unveil a 400-layer vertical NAND flash chip by 2026 to lead the fast-g...

Artificial intelligence Naver Cloud launches AI meeting minutes service

Naver Cloud, the cloud subsidiary of South Korean online giant Naver Corp., said on Friday the launch of Naver Works Clova Note, an AI-based enterpr...

Tech, Media & Telecom SK Broadband to launch nationwide dedicated line service in S.Korea

South Korea's SK Broadband said on Thursday that it will establish a nationwide network using Internet Protocol-Multi Protocol Label Switching (IP-M...

Central bank BOK flags more rate cuts but in gradual, small steps

South Korea’s central bank is open to more cuts in interest rates after its first rate reduction in more than four years on Friday but only in...

IPOs Hyundai to launch India’s largest $3.3 bn IPO next week

Hyundai Motor Co.'s Indian subsidiary said on Wednesday it is set to launch its initial public offering, the largest listing in the country, next we...

Automobiles Genesis unveils GV80 Black, GV80 Coupe Black

Hyundai Motor Co.'s premium brand Genesis on Friday unveiled its large-size sport utility vehicles (SUVs) the Genesis GV80 and GV80 Coupe Black mode...

Tech, Media & Telecom LG Uplus, GSMA sign Open Gateway agreement

South Korea's LG Uplus Corp. said on Monday that it signed an agreement with the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) to parti...