Deals
Mergers & Acquisitions
SM puts cash cows up for sale as conflict with founder heats up
SM Entertainment Co., mired in conflict with its founder and former Chief Producer Lee Soo-man, is seeking to sell its shares in three key arms, worth a combined $460 million, and sent requests for proposals to potential buyers, according to people
Feb 16, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Private equity
Korean PE firm STIC to buy stake in copper foil maker Iljin
South Korean private equity firm STIC Investments is poised to become the second-largest shareholder of Iljin Materials Co., a Kosdaq-listed battery...
Feb 15, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Behind the Scenes
Law firm's paper on SM: Trigger of SM Ent.'s management feud
On Jan. 19, SM Entertainment Co. founder and former Chief Producer Lee Soo-man received a 17-page document written by South Korea’s largest la...
Feb 15, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
5 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Why SM emerged as hot battlefield between HYBE, Kakao
SM Entertainment Co., a South Korean music label widely credited as the pioneer of K-pop, has emerged as a new battlefield between HYBE Co., the age...
Feb 10, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
5 Min read -
Shareholder activism
Activist fund KCGI to sell Osstem stake to UCK, MBK Partners
Korea Corporate Governance Improvement Fund (KCGI), one of the country’s most aggressive shareholder activists, plans to sell its stake in Oss...
Feb 10, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
K-pop
BTS label HYBE seeks takeover of K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment
HYBE Co., the music label behind K-pop sensation BTS, is poised to acquire a controlling stake in its South Korean rival SM Entertainment Co. with m...
Feb 10, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
IPOs
S.Korea's InnoGene sets its public offering price at 3,000 won
InnoGene, which is seeking to be listed on the Kosdaq market at the end of this month, said on Wednesday that it has confirmed its offering price at...
Feb 09, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Corporate bonds
SK Hynix set for largest-ever corporate bond issue at bargain prices
SK Hynix Inc., the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, is gearing up for its largest-ever corporate bond issue in South Korea at lower-th...
Feb 08, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Private equity
K-pop pioneer SM engulfed in management dispute
Kakao Corp., South Korea’s mobile platform giant and operator of the country’s top messenger app Kakao Talk, is set to become the second...
Feb 07, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Dongwon Industries in talks to buy McDonald’s Korea as exclusive suitor
Dongwon Industries Co. will discuss a deal with McDonald’s Corp. to buy the latter’s Korean operations in hopes of riding on the renewed...
Feb 06, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
MBK to buy Japanese nursing home and care service for $300 mn
MBK Partners, the largest private equity firm in Northeast Asia, is set to acquire Japanese senior nursing care service company Unimat Retirement Co...
Feb 03, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Korean stock market
Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering ends fears over stock overhang
Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), a subholding company for shipbuilding, oil refining and machinery conglomerate HD Hyundai Co. ...
Feb 03, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
IPOs
S.Korea's online K Bank withdraws plan for Kospi listing
South Korea's K Bank has withdrawn its highly anticipated plan to hold an IPO this year in the judgement of a lower corporate value due to the slugg...
Feb 03, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
UK's Croda to buy Korean bio materials maker for $286 mn
Croda International Plc., a British specialty chemicals company, is set to acquire South Korean bio materials producer Solus Biotech Co. for some 35...
Feb 02, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Two premium taxi apps mull tie-up to challenge Kakao
South Korea's two premium ride hailing apps TADA and i.M are considering a merger in a bid to challenge Kakao Mobility Corp., which commands about 9...
Feb 01, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Real estate
Bluecove buys Grand Hyatt Seoul for over $565 million
South Korean real estate firm Bluecove Investment has signed an agreement to acquire five-star hotel Grand Hyatt Seoul for more than 700 billion won...
Jan 31, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Upcoming IPOs
S.Korean companies in renewed push for Kosdaq listings
South Korean companies are making renewed pushes to go public this year even at the expense of reduced IPO values.Zaram Technology Inc., a chip desi...
Jan 25, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Petrochemicals
Top petrochemical makers secure cash on economic slowdown woes
South Korea's top petrochemical firms raised 2.6 trillion won ($2.1 billion) via corporate bond sales and rights offering earlier this month to gird...
Jan 25, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
MBK, Unison agree on tender offer for Korea’s Osstem Implant
MBK Partners, a leading Asian private equity firm, and Unison Capital Korea agreed on a tender offer to acquire management rights of Osstem Implant ...
Jan 25, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Woori Financial to acquire VC firm Daol Investment
South Korea’s Woori Financial Group is set to acquire Daol Investment Co., a venture capital arm of the liquidity-strapped Daol Financial Grou...
Jan 18, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Petrochemicals
Kolon, Hyosung to give up control over nylon material maker Capro
South Korea’s Hyosung Group and its longtime rival Kolon Group in the fiber, textile and petrochemical businesses are poised to give up their ...
Jan 17, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
IPOs
Korean grocery delivery platform Oasis set for February IPO
South Korean grocery delivery platform Oasis Corp. aims to raise up to $166 million through a listing next month, becoming the country’s first...
Jan 13, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Banking & Finance
Kookmin Card acquires Cambodian leasing firm at $5.2 mn
KB Kookmin Card, a credit card unit of KB Financial Group, and its Cambodian local subsidiary KB Daehan Specialized Bank, acquired the Southeast Asi...
Jan 13, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Orchestra PE acquires KFC Korea for about $50 mn
Asia-focused Orchestra Private Equity agreed on Wednesday to buy a 100% stake in the South Korean operations of fast food chain KFC for around 60 bi...
Jan 12, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
Pre-IPOs
PIF, GIC to invest $964 mn in Korea's Kakao Entertainment
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC have agreed to invest a combined $964 million in K...
Jan 12, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Food & Beverage
PAG joins race to buy Korean burger chain Mom's Touch
Pacific Alliance Group (PAG), a Hong Kong-based alternative investment firm, joined the bidding on Jan. 10 to acquire a 100% stake in South Korean h...
Jan 11, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Debt financing
SK Hynix issues $1 bn sustainability-linked bonds
South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc. has raised $1 billion in sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) to become the world's first memory chipmaker to issue ...
Jan 11, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Airlines
PE firm VIG Partners takes over Korean low-cost carrier Eastar
South Korean private equity firm VIG Partners has acquired a 100% stake in low-cost carrier (LCC) Eastar Jet Co., the asset manager said on Jan. 6. ...
Jan 06, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Corporate bonds
POSCO to issue up to $553 million in unsecured bonds
South Korea's top steelmaker POSCO Holdings Inc. is expected to issue won-denominated unsecured bonds worth up to 700 billion won ($553.9 million) t...
Jan 06, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Corporate restructuring
Korea’s Daol to sell another unit to secure liquidity
South Korea’s Daol Financial Group agreed to sell another unit as part of its efforts to raise money in preparations for a possible liquidity ...
Jan 06, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read
Latest News