3D avatar-based communication platform
Scope
Date
~
-
Economy
BOK to offer news-based weekly economic index
South Korea’s central bank will launch a new economic index based on analysis of online business news articles. The Bank of Korea said on Apr....
Apr 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Webtoons
French webtoon platform posts over 200% growth via Korean content
South Korea’s online content platform KidariStudio Inc. announced on Mar. 31 that its France-based webtoon arm, Delitoon SAS, logged around 10...
Mar 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Electric vehicles
Kia debuts all-electric EV6; runs faster, longer than Tesla, IONIQ 5
Kia Corp. on Tuesday debuted the EV6, its first dedicated electric vehicle built on Hyundai Motor Group’s new EV platform, amid intensifying com...
Mar 30, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
language -
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)
-
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)
-
Korean startups
Online fashion platform Musinsa raises $115 mn from VC firms
South Korea’s top online fashion retailer Musinsa has raised another 130 billion won ($115 million) from Sequoia Capital and IMM Investment, g...
Mar 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
K-pop
Spotify, Kakao settle licensing dispute; K-pop returns to platform
Spotify Technology S.A., the world's largest music streaming service, has reached a licensing agreement with Kakao Entertainment Corp., to make musi...
Mar 11, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Metaverse
Avatar app Zepeto becomes playground for MZers
The Blackpink House is a bucket list destination for fans of the K-pop girl group Blackpink. The house is decorated with images of the group, curren...
Mar 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
IPOs
Coupang set to raise $3.6 bn via US listing; eyes throne as platform giant
South Korea's e-commerce giant Coupang Corp. is looking to raise up to $3.6 billion via its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange -...
Mar 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Enterprise value
Travel platform Yanolja’s enterprise value seen at $11 bn if listed on Nasdaq
South Korea’s largest travel platform Yanolja’s enterprise value could rise to at least $11 billion if the stock is listed on the Nasdaq...
Mar 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
IPOs
Top travel platform Yanolja eyes Q2 IPO review, listing by year-end
South Korea’s largest travel platform Yanolja is looking to have its initial public offering plans reviewed by regulators in the second quarte...
Mar 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
PEFs
Blackstone to open Seoul office for improved communication
The Blackstone Group is working to set up a Seoul office, seven years after the US investment firm closed it down, in response to growing calls from...
Feb 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Tech, Media & Telecom
LG Electronics enters TV content platform market with its webOS software
South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. is entering the TV content platform market by offering its web-based software to TV makers through a partner...
Feb 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
language -
Private equity
E-commerce platform TMON raises $276 mn in pre-IPO share sale
South Korea’s e-commerce platform TMON Inc., majority-owned by KKR & Co. and Anchor Equity Partners, has completed its pre-IPO share sale ...
Feb 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Fintech
Korea’s InfoPLUS sees growth potential in Vietnam’s fintech platform
Mirroring the other fast-growing economies in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is rapidly transitioning into a cashless society, with financial transactions ...
Feb 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
K-pop
Big Hit, Naver to join with Universal Music to take K-pop platform global
Big Hit Entertainment Co., the label behind K-pop sensation BTS, and portal giant Naver Corp. are set to team up with Universal Music Group, the wor...
Feb 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
language -
Platform investment
Naver plans over $1 bn bond issue in H1 to finance platform investment
Naver Corp., South Korea’s top online portal, plans a bond issue worth as much as 1.26 trillion won ($1.13 billion) in local and ove...
Jan 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Future mobility
LG, Qualcomm to cooperate in 5G platforms for connected cars
LG Electronics Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. have agreed to cooperate in the development of 5G wireless platforms for next-generation connecte...
Jan 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Korean startups
S.Korea's online fashion platform eyes global expansion
Online fashion platform Musinsa Co., a familiar name among Gen Zers and millennials in South Korea, is ready to go global. This month, the Korean co...
Jan 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Mergers & Acquisitions
Naver to acquire web novel platform Wattpad for $593 mn
South Korea’s portal giant Naver Corp. will acquire Wattpad, the world's largest web novel platform based in Toronto, for 653.2 billion wo...
Jan 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
K-pop
NCSoft’s UNIVERSE fuels competition in K-pop entertainment platforms
South Korean game publisher NCSoft Corp. is fueling competition in the online entertainment platform market with the planned launch of its own app, ...
Jan 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
language -
Korean startups
Silicon Valley-based PnP sets sights on Korean smart city ventures
Plug and Play (PnP), a Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator, will team up with the city of Seoul to invest in South Korean venture firms with sm...
Jan 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
CES 2021
Amorepacific unveils AI-based cosmetics technology at CES 2021
South Korea-based Amorepacific Corp. has received the Innovation Award for its high-tech beauty technologies at the world's largest tech event, Cons...
Jan 12, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Satellite communications
Hanwha Systems to invest $30 mn in US communications firm Kymeta
Hanwha Systems Co., the defense industry arm of Hanwha Group, has decided to invest 33.2 billion won ($30 million) in Kymeta Corp., a US satellite c...
Dec 24, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Electric vehicles
Hyundai Motor unveils all-new electric vehicle platform E-GMP
Hyundai Motor Co. has unveiled a new platform, which will underpin its electric vehicles in coming years as South Korea’s largest automotive g...
Dec 02, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Korean startups
Fashion platforms Musinsa, Zigzag hit jackpot thanks to Gen Zers and millennials
South Korea’s online fashion apps are booming thanks to their ability to attract Gen Zers and millennials. This year, the top five players&r...
Dec 01, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Korean startups
Home interior platform nears unicorn status via $70mn funding
South Korea-based startup Bucketplace, an operator of home interior app OHouse, has raised $77 million in Series C funding, moving a step closer to ...
Nov 23, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Korean startups
Korean startup to rival Dolby in unconquered 3D audio market
Gaudio Lab Inc., backed by SoftBank Ventures, is throwing down the gauntlet to Dolby Laboratories for the three-dimensional (3D) audio market, for whi...
Nov 12, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Webtoons
Kakao webtoon platform Piccoma becomes No.1 grossing app worldwide
Kakao Corp., South Korea's platform giant, announced on Nov. 9 that its webtoon (digital comics) platform Piccoma has become the No. 1 grossing mobile...
Nov 09, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
-
Biomaterials
LG Chem, Neste join forces to make bio-based synthetic resins
LG Chem Ltd. plans to produce synthetic resins such as polyolefin, polycarbonate and polyvinyl chloride, using biomaterials from Finland's diesel prod...
Nov 05, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)