Kakao mobile platform
Scope
Date
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Logistics
GS Retail invests $55 mn in Kakao Mobility to boost online presence
GS Retail Co. is investing 65 billion won ($55 million) in Kakao Mobility Corp., South Korea's No.1 taxi-hailing app, adding to its recent series of...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Kakao buys startup Grip, fueling e-commerce push
South Korea's Kakao Corp. has acquired a live streaming e-commerce app Grip Co. to beef up its online shopping business, considered the weakest spot...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Softbank joins $190 mn fundraising by Naver metaverse platform
Naver Corp.’s metaverse platform secured $190 million from Softbank and other investors to expand its business in a market marked by fierce co...
Dec 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Hyundai Mobis unveils foldable steering wheel
South Korea’s Hyundai Mobis Co., an auto parts unit of Hyundai Motor Group, has unveiled a foldable steering wheel along with other technologi...
Dec 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
KakaoTalk emoticon designers can earn more than average salaried worker
It has been 10 years since tech giant KakaoCorp. launched emoticon services within its namesake messenger app KakaoTalk. Today, there are some ...
Nov 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Gaming platform Planetarium attracts $42 mn, valued at $293 mn
South Korea’s non-fungible token (NFT)-based open source gaming platform Planetarium, under Nine Corp. Inc., is slated to attract around 50 ...
Nov 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korea homegrown app begins process for H1 2022 listing
One store Co., the South Korean homegrown app store developed by the country’s top online platform Naver Corp. and three telecom carriers, is ...
Nov 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce
KoreaCenter acquires Danawa, paving way for MBK’s bolt-on deal
KoreaCenter Co. has been named the new owner of Danawa Co., one of South Korea’s first-generation e-commerce platforms – a move that is ...
Nov 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Proptech platform Olim Planet eyes 2022 Kosdaq IPO
Olim Planet, a South Korean property technology startup, has begun the process to go public on the junior Kosdaq market as early as the second half ...
Nov 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Executive reshuffles
KakaoPay chief tapped as co-CEO in Kakao management shakeup
Young-joon Ryu and Min-soo Yeo, slated as Kakao Corp. co-CEOs come March Korea’s largest mobile messenger provider Kakao Corp. is slated ...
Nov 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
LG Electronics names strategy chief as new CEO
South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. on Thursday appointed its strategy chief Cho Joo-wan as the company's new chief executive officer, in a major resh...
Nov 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Korea’s Toss operator invests $5 mn in US startup fintech platform Republic
Viva Republica Inc., a leading South Korean fintech unicorn and operator of mobile financial super app Toss, is investing $5 million in Republic, a ...
Nov 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Music copyright trading platform Musicow revitalizes Korea’s startup scene
“Music becomes Cashcow” is the slogan for Korea’s hottest startup of the year, Musicow, Inc., and cash cow it has been. Indus...
Nov 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Resale platform Bunjang to raise funds at over $300 mn valuation
South Korea's leading resale platform Bungaejangter Inc., also known as Bunjang, will raise 83 billion won ($70 million) in fresh funding at a valua...
Nov 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
Fractional investing platforms for art to Rolex lure VCs
The growing popularity of fractional investment in celebrated artworks, music copyrights and luxury items has spurred a flurry of venture capital in...
Nov 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Korean game makers shun IBs for M&A deals
“We know which companies to buy after playing the games a few times.”More and more South Korean game developers are pursuing mergers and...
Nov 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Biotech
Celltrion looks beyond biosimilars to develop its own mRNA drugs
South Korea’s Celltrion Inc. has long been a biosimilar player, producing replicas of original drugs, a growing market in the pandemic era.Ear...
Nov 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Retail
SK to invest $340 mn in Vietnam’s major retail platform The CrownX
South Korea’s conglomerate SK Group said on Nov. 11 that it agreed to invest $340 million in The CrownX, a retail platform of Masan Group Corp...
Nov 11, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
DearU’s value nears YG Entertainment after strong Kosdaq debut
Shares of DearU Co., a K-pop fandom platform in South Korea, fell on Thursday, the day after a strong Kosdaq debut, which briefly put the company&...
Nov 11, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
NPS, Tishman form $1.5 bn JV to invest in US housing
The National Pension Service (NPS) of South Korea, the world’s third-largest pension fund, and New York-based global real estate investment ...
Nov 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce
MBK seeks to buy two S.Korean e-commerce platforms
MBK Partners is in talks to buy management rights of two e-commerce platforms listed on South Korea's Kosdaq market in a package deal, according to ...
Nov 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
NCSoft reclaims throne with new mobile game Lineage W
Lineage W, developed by South Korea’s NCSoft Corp., has swiftly reclaimed the top spot in the country's mobile gaming market just three days s...
Nov 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
Travel startups draw new funds amid digital transformation
As South Korea loosened social distancing measures for a gradual return to normal life this week, investors are rekindling their interest in travel ...
Nov 05, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Earnings
Kakao becomes Korea’s top platform firm, besting archrival Naver
Kakao Corp., best known for South Korea’s top mobile messenger app KakaoTalk, has become the country’s top platform company in terms of ...
Nov 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Kakao Pay slips on profit-taking after strong KOSPI debut
Kakao Pay Corp. ’s stock tumbled after a strong debut on the South Korean main stock market as investors booked profits, keeping an eye on if ...
Nov 04, 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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Korean games
Korea’s top mobile game to be launched in Taiwan in Q1 2022
South Korea’s top mobile game Odin: Valhalla Rising will be launched Taiwan in the first quarter of next year as its developer Lionheart Studi...
Oct 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Masayoshi Son to bet $170 mn on Naver metaverse platform
Softbank Group founder Masayoshi Son is slated to bet $170 million on Naver Corp.’s metaverse platform. The investment is expected to help Nav...
Oct 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Kakao Pay sets IPO price at top end on heated demand
Kakao Group’s payment services unit Kakao Pay Corp. set the initial public offering price at the top end of the proposed band thanks to strong...
Oct 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
Naver launches Japan-focused e-commerce platform
South Korea's top online portal Naver Corp. launched its e-commerce platform dedicated to Japan last month, taking its first step toward a global on...
Oct 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)