Deals
Debt
Korea’s ESG corporate bond issues on course to top $5 bn in 2020
South Korean companies’ issues of environmental, social and governance (ESG) bonds have almost doubled to 5.7 trillion won ($4.9 billion) so far this year from the year-earlier period, with a broader range of companies participating in the sust
Sep 21, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Restructuring
Kumho Asiana Group eyes sale of affiliate golf course and resort
Kumho Asiana Group, the parent company of cash-strapped Asiana Airlines Inc., plans to put up affiliate Kumho Resort for sale as part of self-rescue m...
Sep 21, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Automobiles
HAAH Automotive proposes $258 mn investment in Ssangyong Motor
HAAH Automotive Holdings Inc., a US automobile distributor, has offered to invest 300 billion won ($258 million) in Ssangyong Motor Co. as part of its...
Sep 21, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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AXA General sale off to shaky start with Kyobo Life as sole bidder
The sale process of AXA General Insurance Co. got off to a shaky start with only Kyobo Life Insurance Co. making a preliminary bid on Sept. 18. S...
Sep 18, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Real estate
SK sells 4.6% in Asian logistics property developer ESR for $408 million
South Korea’s SK Corp. has sold part of its stake in ESR Cayman Ltd., an Asian logistics real estate developer, for 480 billion won ($408 millio...
Sep 17, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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M&A
LG Household continues cross-border M&A push in cosmetics market
LG Household & Health Care Ltd. was the most aggressive South Korean cosmetics firm in the cross-border M&A market between 2010 and 2019, with...
Sep 16, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korea’s car-sharing platform becomes 12th unicorn following $42.5 mn injection
South Korea’s leading car-sharing platform Socar Inc. has become the country's 12th unicorn valued at around 1.1 trillion won after re...
Sep 16, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Debt
Export-Import Bank of Korea sells $500 mn euro bonds with negative yield
The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) has issued euro-currency bonds worth $500 million at a negative interest rate, the bank said on Sept. 15, less...
Sep 15, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airline industry
Asiana again placed under creditor control; resale unlikely by year-end
Creditors of Asiana Airlines Inc. have decided to place the financially troubled carrier under their control after officially declaring the collapse o...
Sep 11, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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LNG Project
Korean steelmakers to supply $100 mn worth of pipes for Canada’s largest LNG project
South Korean steelmakers POSCO and SeAH Steel Corp. will jointly supply 12,000 tons of stainless steel pipe for a liquefied natural gas project in Kit...
Sep 11, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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M&A
Bakery franchise Tous Les Jours draws Affirma Capital, chemical group as bidders
Bakery franchise Tous Les Jours, a division of CJ Foodville Corp., has drawn four preliminary bidders for its sale, including Singapore-based Affirma ...
Sep 11, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Grab Holdings
Singapore's ride-sharing giant Grab raises $200 mn from STIC Investments
Grab Holdings Inc., a Singapore-based technology company, has raised $200 million from South Korean private equity firm STIC Investments Inc., the fir...
Sep 11, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bond issue
Hyundai Card issues green bonds worth $379 mn to finance eco-friendly services
Hyundai Card Co. has issued green bonds worth 450 billion won ($379 million) to fund its green car financing services, the credit card company said on...
Sep 10, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Sovereign bond
South Korea sells $827 mn worth of euro-currency bonds with negative yield
The South Korean government has issued euro-denominated bonds worth 700 million euros ($827 million) at a negative interest rate, becoming the first n...
Sep 10, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
KB Financial's $186 mn VC fund invests $42 mn in Indian startups
KB Financial Group's global venture capital fund, which raised 220 billion won ($185.6 million) last year, has wrapped up its investment of about 50 b...
Sep 10, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative investments
Mirae Asset named preferred negotiator for 3 Amazon-leased logistics centers in US
Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. has been named the preferred negotiator to acquire three logistics centers in the US leased to American retail gian...
Sep 09, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
IMM PE to sell Hollys Coffee to Korean chemical-to-steel group
Seoul-based IMM Private Equity is in the final stages of talks to sell South Korea’s Hollys Coffee to the country’s chemical- to steel-foc...
Sep 09, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Doosan Group
Doosan Heavy seeks new buyer for construction arm after deal falls through
Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. has begun fresh talks with potential buyers for construction affiliate Doosan Engineering & Constru...
Sep 08, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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M&A
Korea state agency to sell up to 10% Woori Financial stake in block deal
The Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) has resumed the ongoing sale process of its 17.25% stake in Woori Financial Group in four years. It will offe...
Sep 07, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Restructuring
Doosan Heavy to wrap up first-round restructuring with $1.1 bn new share sale
Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd., the debt-ridden South Korean power plant builder, is set to wrap up the first round of its debt r...
Sep 04, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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M&A
Socius-Well to Sea consortium to buy Doosan Corporation Mottrol for $381 mn
Doosan Group is selling its hydraulic components manufacturing arm to a consortium of two local private equity investment firms -- Socius Advisors and...
Sep 04, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Doosan Group
Doosan Group inks sale of copper foil maker to PEF SkyLake for $588 mn
Doosan Group has agreed to sell Doosan Solus Co. Ltd., a copper foil and OLED materials maker, to South Korean private equity firm SkyLake Investment ...
Sep 04, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Rights offering
Affinity Equity, Baring PEA tipped to invest $1 bn in Shinhan Financial
Affinity Equity Partners and Baring Private Equity Asia will likely invest a combined 1.2 trillion won ($1 billion) in new shares of Shinhan Financial...
Sep 04, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airlines
Asiana deal botched as HDC rejects creditors’ latest offer
HDC Hyundai Development Co.’s planned takeover of Asiana Airlines Inc. has fallen through as the preferred buyer renewed its request for further...
Sep 03, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Sale of Doosan Infracore kicks off; preliminary bidding by Sept. 22
The sale process for Doosan Infracore Co. is under way, with the preliminary bidding deadline for a controlling stake in South Korea's top constructio...
Sep 03, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPO
Korea's largest H&B franchise launches pre-IPO targeting PEFs
South Korean health and beauty franchise CJ Olive Young has sent teaser letters to potential buyers, including domestic and overseas private equity fu...
Sep 03, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Kakao Games
Kakao Games raises whopping $49.3 bn in subscriptions fueling IPO hype
Kakao Games Corp. has set a fresh record raising over 58.6 trillion won ($49.3 billion) in deposits during its two-day public subscription on Sep...
Sep 02, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
Online retailer TMON eyes $337 mn from Korean PEF ahead of 2021 IPO
South Korea’s e-commerce platform TMON Inc., majority-owned by KKR & Co. and Anchor Equity Partners, will likely receive 400 billion won ($3...
Sep 02, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Big Hit Entertainment
Big Hit kicks off IPO as BTS single 'Dynamite' blows up Billboard
South Korean entertainment company Big Hit Entertainment Co. is expected to raise up to 1 trillion won ($842 million) in its upcoming public offering,...
Sep 02, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
Kakao Games makes a splash; raising over $13.5 bn in public subscription deposits
Kakao Games Corp. has raised over a staggering 16 trillion won ($13.5 billion) in deposits during the first day of its public subscription on Septembe...
Sep 01, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read
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