Deals
IPOs
Korean casino game developer revives Nasdaq IPO plan
DoubleDown Interactive LLC, a South Korean social casino game publisher, has resumed its Nasdaq listing process, tapping the red-hot US IPO market with improved earnings amid the social distancing trend. The mobile and web-based game developer
Apr 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
HYBE-Ithaca merger puts BTS, Justin Bieber under one roof
BTS, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande will be under the same music label group through a historic M&A deal between HYBE Corporation, formerly Big...
Apr 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
Mergers & Acquisitions
SK Hynix ponders fate of Kioxia stake after bids by Micron, WDC
The reported bids to buy Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp. by Micron Technology Inc. and Western Digital Corp. is raising market chatter over...
Apr 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
SK IE Technology’s IPO plan to get boost from ITC ruling
SK IE Technology Co. (SKIET), set to make a trading debut on Korea’s main bourse in May, is expected to get a favorable review in assessing it...
Apr 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Shinsegae buys Korean online fashion mall from IMM PE
Shinsegae Group has acquired South Korea's leading online fashion platform from IMM Private Equity, in a transaction estimated at between 250 billio...
Apr 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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League table
Morgan Stanley tops Korea's Q1 M&A league table
Morgan Stanley reclaimed its top position in South Korea's M&A advisor league table in the first quarter of this year for the first time in two ...
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean food
SK acquires 70% stake in Yposkesi to jump into cell, gene CMO business
SK Inc., the holding and investment company of SK Group, South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate, has acquired a 70% stake in Yposkesi, a Fre...
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fintech
SoftBank-backed Balance Hero raises $10 mn in debt funding from India
South Korean fintech startup Balance Hero has raised around $10 million in debt funding led by the India-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) ...
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Snowballing losses cloud Hyundai Heavy’s 2021 IPO plans
South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. saw its net losses snowball in 2020, clouding its initial public offering plans for this year....
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Venture capital
KTB Network wins jackpot from Korean delivery app sale
KTB Network Co., a South Korean venture capital firm, has pocketed a double-digit return, or 62.5 billion won ($55 million) from the sale of its sta...
Mar 30, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
IMM PE exits S.Korea's No.2 electric wire manufacturer
Seoul-based IMM Private Equity has fully exited its 300 billion won ($265 million) investment in the country's No. 2 electric wire manufacturer by s...
Mar 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Hanwha seeks to acquire Overair; invest in satellite, drone companies
Hanwha Systems Co., the defense and information technology service unit of Hanwha Group, is seeking to purchase the entire stake of US air taxi star...
Mar 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
4 Min readlanguage -
Mergers & Acquisitions
SK Tel, Shinsegae, Lotte, MBK make the cut in eBay Korea deal
Four out of the five preliminary bidders for eBay Korea, including SK Telecom Co. and MBK Partners, have made the cut in the deal estimated at aroun...
Mar 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Chinese PE firm pays $1.4 bn to take over Magnachip Semiconductor
South Korean chipmaker Magnachip Semiconductor Corp. announced on Mar. 27 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by China-ba...
Mar 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
IPOs
Kurly hires Goldman, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley for US listing
Kurly Inc., the operator of premium grocery delivery platform Market Kurly, will push forward in its US IPO aims with three global investment banks ...
Mar 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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MBK girds for eBay Korea deal as competition heats up
MBK Partners is the only financial bidder for eBay Korea, the wholly-owned unit of the US online retailer, which has drawn top Korean retailers, the...
Mar 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Portfolio readjustments
NPS under fire over rule change to raise domestic stock purchase limit
South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) came under fire over its expected rule change aimed at raising the upper limit for domestic stock...
Mar 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Lotte buys S.Korea’s top secondhand e-commerce platform
South Korea’s retail giant Lotte is expanding its presence in the e-commerce sector with the acquisition of Joonggonara, the country’s l...
Mar 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Debt financing
Naver issues $500 million in first foreign debt amid strong demand
South Korea’s top online portal Naver Corp. has successfully issued its first foreign currency bonds worth $500 million amid strong demand as ...
Mar 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bio business
Lotte advances into bio business, to acquire stake in Enzychem
South Korea’s Lotte Group is entering the bio business for the first time in its history by acquiring a significant stake in Enzychem Lifescie...
Mar 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
IPOs
Travel platform Yanolja eyes US IPO in dual listing
South Korea’s largest travel platform Yanolja has begun the internal process to list in both the US and South Korea, by which the company expe...
Mar 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Hahn & Co. to put Korean auto parts maker up for sale
South Korea's private equity firm Hahn & Co. is seeking to sell a majority stake in Hanon Systems, a Korean automotive supplier, which is expect...
Mar 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Lawyers on move
Global law firms in Korea hunt for talent amid growing outbound M&As
Leading international law firms with offices in South Korea are gearing up for growing legal service demand from local companies in their push for m...
Mar 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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BofA replaces Korea IB head, country manager
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) has named managing director Cho Chanhee as its South Korean investment banking head to replace Park SeungGu who...
Mar 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Coupang's US listing: How to split $95.6 mn underwriting fees?
Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Allen & Company and six other underwriters of Coupang Corp.'s US stock market listing last week are set to receive a co...
Mar 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean stock market
Krafton plans 5-for-1 share split ahead of over $880 million IPO
South Korean games developer Krafton Inc., 13.2% owned by Tencent Holdings’ investment arm, plans a five-for-one share split ahead of its plan...
Mar 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Hyundai Motor invests in Clearpath Robotics in push for future mobility
Hyundai Motor Co. has invested $5 million in Clearpath Robotics Inc., a Canada-based robotics startup, in a stepped-up push to transform into a comp...
Mar 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Share swap
Shinsegae, Naver ink $221 mn share swap to rival Coupang in e-commerce
South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Group and top portal operator Naver Corp. have agreed to a 250 billion won ($221 million) share swap to s...
Mar 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
Mergers & Acquisitions
eBay Korea draws SK Tel, Shinsegae and MBK
The sale of eBay Korea Inc., the country's third-largest online shopping platform, has attracted preliminary bids from leading Korean companies incl...
Mar 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Delivery Hero kicks off sale of S.Korea's No.2 delivery app Yogiyo
Germany-based online food delivery service Delivery Hero SE has kicked off the sale process of South Korea's second-largest food delivery app, Yogiy...
Mar 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage
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