K-Smart
Scope
Date
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Entertainment
K-pop shares rebound on return to offline concerts
Shares of major South Korean entertainment companies are on an upward trend this month. The rebound is thanks to eased COVID-19 restrictions leading...
Feb 24, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Beauty & Cosmetics
K-beauty vegan rebel Dear Dahlia in Paris' Galeries Lafayette
South Korean cosmetics brand Dear Dahlia successfully opened a boutique in Europe’s largest department store in 2019 – just two years ...
Feb 23, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
App-rich LG smart TVs blur lines with smartphones
From home workouts to math and science courses, thousands of apps now available on LG smart TVs are blurring the lines between TVs and smartphones.S...
Feb 22, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
VR star signs with K-pop label YG Entertainment
South Korean game developer and publisher Smilegate announced Monday that its virtual human signed an exclusive contract with an affiliate of global...
Feb 15, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
Squid Game’s mega-hit spurs Netflix to release record K-content
Netflix Inc. plans to release 10 additional Korean-language originals this year as the smash success of Squid Game has impelled the world’s to...
Jan 19, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative investments
Lotte acquires Chicago-based hotel for $36 mn K-style rebrand
Hotel Lotte Co., retail conglomerate Lotte Group’s luxury hotel operator, completed the acquisition of Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Chicago for $...
Jan 17, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Artificial Intelligence
IGIS invests in Kakao Enterprise for AI-embedded real estate
IGIS Asset Management Co. and its venture capital affiliate are slated to invest 10 billion won ($8.3 million) in Kakao Enterprise Corp., an artific...
Jan 05, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Former K-pop dancer turns to AI for personal training services
When Dia Kang first moved to Silicon Valley in October 2016 to create a dance app to learn K-pop moves, there was no worldwide pandemic. By Jan...
Jan 04, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pharmaceuticals
HK inno.N’s K-CAB a blockbuster drug with $843 million exports
South Korea’s HK inno.N Corp. has signed a 640 billion won ($540 million) contract to license out its technology for K-CAB, a gastroesophageal...
Dec 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Strong Ventures, KB Investment invest in K-pop metaverse
South Korea’s KB Investment Co. and US venture capitalist Strong Ventures LLC have invested in Stan World, a K-pop metaverse platform operator...
Dec 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korea’s No. 2 art auction house to go public in Jan
K Auction, South Korea’s No. 2 art auction house, is set to go public in January 2022 as it aims to court the domestic leader Seoul Auction Co...
Dec 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Dunamu, Naver Z invest $8.5 mn in metaverse firm Persona Space
Persona Space, a subsidiary of South Korean metaverse company Galaxy Corp., said on Dec. 16 it has attracted 10 billion won ($8.5 million) investm...
Dec 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Batteries
LG Energy to adopt Siemens' digital factory technology
South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd. plans to adopt Siemens AG's smart factory technology to accelerate the digitization of its battery manufacturi...
Dec 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
K-startups take note of growing demand for 'meta fashion'
Meta fashion, a combination of fashion, metaverse, and NFT, is becoming a global trend. The MZ generation, as those in their 20s and 30s are ca...
Dec 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Hyundai Oilbank attracts $20 million from Palantir ahead of IPO
South Korean refiner Hyundai Oilbank Co. has attracted $20 million in investment from US data analytics firm Palantir Technologies Inc. ahead of its...
Dec 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Monthly trade infographics
Kimchi on track for first trade surplus in 12 years
Kimchi exports hit record high Kimchi, Korea’s traditional fermented food, is raising its status in the global food market. Korea exported $1...
Dec 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
ViacomCBS, CJ ENM join hands to expand global businesses
ViacomCBS Inc., one of the top four US media conglomerates, and CJ ENM Co., South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse, have teamed up to expand t...
Dec 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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AgTech
Korea sets up smart farm in UAE, envisions more projects in Middle East
South Korea is building a smart farm in the Middle East desert with technology enabling the growth of various crops while minimizing water consumpti...
Dec 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
Korea Venture Investment creates global fund worth $2 billion
Korea’s government-backed fund of funds (FOF) management institution announced its latest selection of funds late last month, which would bene...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
Costa Rican president: His family K-drama fans, seeks joint production
Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada has praised South Korean movies such as the Oscar-winning Parasite and drama series such as Squid Game...
Nov 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Electric vehicles
Robots, AI replace human workers at Kia’s EV6 manufacturing factory
Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, has unveiled the automated manufacturing process at its smart factory for the EV6, its firs...
Nov 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
LG Elec brings GeForce Now games to smart TVs
LG Electronics Inc., the global home appliance giant, will now enable gamers to enjoy Nvidia Corp.’s game streaming service GeForce Now on the...
Nov 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bio
K-bio's out-licensing this year reaches $9.3 bn
Overseas technology transfers from South Korean biotechs and pharmaceutical manufacturers this year have exceeded 11 trillion won ($9.3 billion), al...
Nov 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
BTS, TWICE to lead restart of K-pop global live concerts
K-pop artists such as BTS and TWICE are set to resume global live concerts – suspended by the global pandemic for about two years – as c...
Nov 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Food & Beverage
Hawaiians, tourists to enjoy BB.Q’s signature K-chicken
BB.Q Chicken has brought its Korean fried chicken to Hawaii, one of the world’s top tropical resort destinations, as it aims to raise its bran...
Nov 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Upcoming IPOs
Korea MCN startup Treasure Hunter aims for leading K-content maker
Song Jae-yong, a leader of the new business taskforce team at South Korea’s CJ ENM Co. went to New York in 2013 to have business meetings for ...
Nov 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
K-pop stars see huge capital gains from stock options
Executives and employees of top K-pop agencies such as SM Entertainment Co. and YG Entertainment Inc. are expected to earn huge capital gains from...
Oct 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
K-pop fan engagement platform DearU prices IPO above range
DearU Co, a K-pop fandom platform in South Korea, priced its initial public offering above the price range on Thursday thanks to heated demand. The ...
Oct 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
BTS drops Sony for Universal
The world’s biggest boy band is joining forces with the world’s largest music company.South Korea’s BTS has agreed to a ...
Oct 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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AgTech
AgTech attracts global billionaires’ investment
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Softbank Group founder Masayoshi Son have recently shown a common interest in a surpr...
Oct 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)