state-owned

Shipping & Shipbuilding Hanwha Ocean shares sink after KDB's sale of 4.2% stake

Investors rushed to dump Hanwha Ocean Co. shares early Tuesday after its second-largest shareholder, Korea Development Bank, cashed in on a 4.2% sta...

Mergers & Acquisitions Kyobo Life poised to buy Japan’s SBI Group-owned savings bank

Kyobo Life Insurance Co. is in the final stages of negotiation with Japanese financial group SBI Holdings Inc. to buy about a 50% stake in SBI Savin...

Corporate strategy Dongwon Industries to delist wholly owned Dongwon F&B

Dongwon Industries Co., the holding company of South Korea’s seafood-to-logistics Dongwon Group, will delist its canned tuna-manufacturing sub...

Real estate Colliers to lead $689 million sale of IGIS Asset-owned Signature Tower

Colliers Korea, a unit of global real estate asset management group Colliers, has been chosen as the adviser for the sale of Signature Tower in cent...

Robotics Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics’ Spot embarks on public safety missions

Spot, a quadruped robot developed by Boston Dynamics Inc., will aid defense and safety agencies in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia to assist in...

Mergers & Acquisitions IMM consortium owns 100% of Hyundai LNG Shipping; Stake sale eyed

A consortium of IMM Private Equity Inc. and IMM Investment Corp. has secured full ownership of Hyundai LNG Shipping, South Korea’s top liquefi...

Korean games Netmarble gets tailwind from new titles, BTS comeback

Netmarble Corp., a leading South Korean gaming company, expects to gain new growth momentum from the launch of nine new titles and the anticipated f...

Entertainment SM Entertainment acquires additional 11.4% stake in DearU for $9.2 mn

SM Entertainment Co., South Korea’s music powerhouse behind internationally popular boy and girl bands like EXO and aespa, has acquired an add...

Mergers & Acquisitions Meritz drops bid for troubled MG Non-Life Insurance; Liquidation looms

Meritz Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s second-most valuable financial holding firm, has dropped its bid to acquire financial distressed MG...

Private equity MBK-owned Homeplus files for corporate revamp with Seoul court

South Korea’s leading hypermarket operator Homeplus Co., wholly owned by North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners, on Tuesday filed...

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 ...

Economy South Korea welcomes more babies after downward birth rate spiral

South Korea’s fertility rate bounced back last year for the first time in nearly a decade following a surge in marriages, raising hopes for a ...

Batteries Hyundai, Samsung deepen ties to win humanoid race

South Korea’s household technology and automotive names Samsung and Hyundai have reinforced their alliance to capture the global humanoid robo...

Travel & Leisure J-R AMC, BlueCove bid on $70 million sale of Mirae Asset, NPS’ Shilla Stay

The sale of Shilla Stay Dongtan, a premium business hotel operated by South Korea’s Hotel Shilla Co., has attracted four bidders, underscoring...

Electronics Samsung's Harman goes from ugly duckling to golden swan

When Samsung Electronics Co. acquired Harman International Industries Inc., a global leader in the audio and automotive electronics business, in 201...

Economy South Korean state think tank cuts 2025 growth forecast, flags US tariff risk

South Korea’s state-run think tank has cut its growth forecast for the country this year, citing President Donald Trump’s trad...

Real estate Sale of Doosan Tower attracts bids from IGIS, Kiwoom, Korea Investment

The much-anticipated sale of Doosan Tower in Seoul’s central business district (CBD) has attracted bids from three interested parties – ...

Upcoming IPOs Seoul Guarantee Insurance sharply cuts IPO valuation

Seoul Guarantee Insurance Co. (SGI) has slashed its target valuation by about 40% in a renewed attempt to go public on the South Korean stock exchan...

Batteries Samsung Electro-Mechanics to produce all-solid-state batteries in 2026

LAS VEGAS – Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. will unveil a sample of an ultra-compact all-solid-state battery within the year for mass production...

Foreign exchange NPS initiates strategic currency hedging to unleash up to $48.2 billion

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

Electric vehicles Hyundai, Kia EVs qualify for US subsidies for first time

Five electric vehicle models from Hyundai Motor Group, encompassing Kia Corp., were included in the 25 EV models qualifying for US tax credits in 20...

Pension funds NPS to invest record $1.4 billion in Korean property market in 2025

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) plans to invest 2 trillion won ($1.4 billion) in the domestic real estate market next year to gai...

Foreign exchange NPS incurs $500 million in missed gains due to improper forex hedging

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

Aerospace & Defense STX to export $60 mn wheeled armored vehicles to Peru

STX Corp., a South Korean general trading company, said on Monday it signed a contract with  Fábrica de Armas y Municiones del Ejé...

Economy State-run think tank KDI slashes GDP forecast, urges BOK to cut rates

The Korea Development Institute (KDI), South Korea’s state-run think tank, has slashed its forecasts for the country’s economic growth f...

Future mobility Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics, Toyota team up for humanoid robots

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s No. 3 and No. 1 automakers, respectively, are teaming ...

Business & Politics S.Korea signs MOU on Philippine nuclear safety checks, eyes plant deals

MANILA – South Korea on Monday signed an initial agreement with the Philippines to conduct a safety check on a nuclear power plant before a re...

Business & Politics Korail to join Manila railway maintenance project

South Korea's state-run railway company Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) said on Monday that it participates in the operation and maintenance (O&...

Batteries Lotte Energy completes pilot plant for solid-state battery electrolyte

Lotte Energy Materials Corp., one of South Korea’s leading battery materials makers, has completed a pilot plant for the production of sulfide...

Batteries Lotte develops nickel-plated foil for solid-state batteries

Lotte Energy Materials Corp., a major South Korean battery materials maker, said on Tuesday it has developed a nickel-plated copper foil for use in ...