Kakao to buy FreeNow
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Innocean to wholly own US media agency Canvas with 49% stake buy
Innocean Worldwide Holdings Inc., a South Korean marketing company, will wholly own US media agency joint venture Canvas Worldwide LLC by acquiring ...
Mar 16, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
Billionaire Kakao chairman Brian Kim resigns
Kakao Corp. founder and chairman Brian Kim said on Monday that he will step down from the tech giant’s board of directors, following a series ...
Mar 14, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Executive reshuffles
Billionaire Kakao chairman Brian Kim resigns
Kakao Corp. founder and chairman Brian Kim said on Monday that he will step down from the board of directors, following a series of scandals that ro...
Mar 14, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Short selling
LG Energy shares at lowest since IPO on short-selling concerns
Shares of LG Energy Solution Ltd. on Friday fell to their lowest level since the top South Korean battery maker went public in January on market con...
Mar 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Kakao closes in on $800 mn deal to buy SM Entertainment stake
Kakao Entertainment Corp., a unit of South Korea's top mobile messenger app, is in the final stages of talks to buy a controlling stake in SM Entert...
Mar 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Content platforms
Kakao to unveil YouTube-like manga platform in Japan
Kakao Corp., the No. 1 digital comics platform in Japan, will expand deeper into the neighboring country's comics market by launching a platform whe...
Mar 03, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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M&As
Korea Investment in $4.4 bn lending group for Tropicana deal
Korea Investment & Securities Co. will arrange senior and mezzanine loans for Paris-based PAI Partners to fund its acquisition of Tropicana an...
Feb 28, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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War in Ukraine
S.Korea to support firms to offset damage of Ukraine crisis
South Korea is set to provide financial support of up to $1.7 billion to exporters in a move to minimize the impact of the escalating crisis in Ukra...
Feb 25, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Kakao’s incoming CEO to launch two metaverse platforms
‘Beyond Korea’ is South Korean tech juggernaut Kakao Corp.’s new vision for the future. Kakao’s new CEO nominee Namkoon...
Feb 25, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Economy
S.Koreans' global shareholdings at record $588.5 bn
South Korean institutional and retail investors sharply raised their risk appetite last year, gobbling up Nasdaq-listed technology stocks such as Te...
Feb 24, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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War in Ukraine
Korean shipbuilders set for more orders on Ukraine crisis
South Korea’s shipbuilders are expected to get more orders on the escalating crisis in Ukraine as Europe is diversifying natural gas suppliers...
Feb 23, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
SK Ecoplant buys e-waste recycling firm for $1 bn
South Korea's SK Ecoplant Co. has acquired Singapore-based electronic waste (e-waste) disposal and recycling company TES Envirocorp Pte. Ltd for $1 ...
Feb 21, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
NCSoft's 2021 profit halves on labor, marketing costs
South Korea's NCSoft Corp., the publisher of the popular mobile game Lineage series, on Tuesday reported a worse-than-expected operating profit in 2...
Feb 15, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Central bank
BOK’s mission impossible: To lower both inflation and govt bond yields
South Korea’s central bank is caught in a dilemma as it needs to raise interest rates to curb rising inflationary pressure in Asia’s fou...
Feb 15, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Stocks
Ukraine woes, global tightening knock down Asian stocks
Asian stock markets lost ground on Monday with South Korea’s main shares down to their lowest level in more than two weeks as rising tensions ...
Feb 14, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
GS ups spending to take control of botox maker Hugel
South Korea’s energy-to-retail conglomerate GS Group has increased its spending to become the largest shareholder in Hugel Inc., the country's...
Feb 13, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean stock market
Gaming stocks tumble after disappointing Q4 results
Shares in South Korean gaming companies have been on a losing run since the start of the year, giving up about half of the gains they enjoyed late l...
Feb 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Earnings
Kakao slips below Naver in Q4 revenue
South Korea’s tech giant Kakao Corp. reported 4Q revenue of 1.78 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in 2021, a 45% jump on-year. The figure is slight...
Feb 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Sovereign wealth funds
KIC buys $1.9 mn worth of shares in crypto platform Coinbase
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), managing $205 billion in assets as of the end-2021, has invested in US cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinba...
Feb 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
Saudi sovereign wealth fund buys $700 mn stake in NCSoft
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in South Korea's leading gaming company NCSoft Corp. to become its fourth-...
Feb 10, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative investments
Mastern buys Pangyo office landmarks for $834 mn
Mastern Investment Management Co., a Seoul-based real estate investment firm, has acquired Alpharium Tower I and II in Pangyo from ARA Asset Manag...
Feb 07, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
Kakao to launch webtoon service Piccoma in France
Kakao Corp. announced Sunday that it plans to launch the European version of its webtoon subscription service in either April or May of this year....
Feb 07, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
Saudi sovereign wealth fund buys 5% stake in Nexon
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has bought a 5% stake in online game developer Nexon Co., the gaming...
Feb 06, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Samsung buys $2.3 bn Bioepis stake from Biogen to end partnership
Samsung Biologics Co. is acquiring a nearly 50% stake in a biosimilar joint venture with Biogen Inc. from the US biotechnology company for $2.3 bill...
Jan 28, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
IMM to buy Samsung Life stake once owned by Jay Y. Lee's sister
IMM Private Equity is set to acquire a 1.73 percent stake in Samsung Life Insurance Co., according to investment banking sources on Jan. 27. The sta...
Jan 27, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Bain Capital seals 3rd beauty M&A deal in S.Korea
Bain Capital on Thursday agreed to buy a majority stake in South Korea's medical aesthetic device manufacturer Classys Inc. for 670 billion won ($56...
Jan 26, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Markets
Time to buy Korean entertainment stocks?
Hopes for a rebound in South Korea’s entertainment shares emerged as their earnings are expected to improve on new businesses and their valuat...
Jan 20, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fraud scandals
Kakao names new CEO to salvage reputation hurt by stock options scandal
Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea’s top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, on Thursday announced a new chief executive nominee as the company ...
Jan 20, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
One in 10 Koreans rushes for LG Energy shares ahead of $8.6 billion IPO
The world’s second-largest electric vehicle battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. has set a new record for initial public offering demand, wit...
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)
Latest News
- 1 Hyundai, Waymo forge multi-year, strategic partnership for self-driving vehicles
- 2 AI startup MarqVision raises $16.5 mn to close Series A
- 3 Taihan Cable wins $630 mn power grid project in Singapore
- 4 Korean startup scene is gloomy, say 2 out of 5 startup CEOs
- 5 MBK ups stakes for Korea Zinc to match buyback offer