Kakao to buy FreeNow
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E-commerce
Kakao's fresh e-commerce strategy puts Naver, Coupang on guard
South Korea’s mobile platform Kakao Corp. is set to shake up the country's e-commerce market in the second half of the year with the launch of...
Jun 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Artificial intelligence
Shinhan REITs poised to buy Amazon logistics center
South Korea's Shinhan REITs Management Co. is poised to invest $93 million to buy a pre-completed fulfillment center in New Mexico, under a long-ter...
Jun 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean stock market
Samsung returns as foreigners’ top pick; Kospi just shy of record high
Samsung Electronics Co., the bellwether of South Korea’s main bourse, has returned as the market darling, with foreigners buying heavily on th...
Jun 03, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Enterprise value
Kakao just behind rival Naver in market cap, may overtake soon
South Korean mobile platform giant Kakao Corp.’s enterprise value is rising backed by its strong business performance, threatening to overtake...
Jun 03, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Media
Naver to gain toehold in OTT market via CJ ENM
South Korea's Naver Corp. is expanding its footprint into the over-the-top (OTT) media service market by acquiring a stake in CJ ENM Co.'s OTT platf...
Jun 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
SM Entertainment emerges as next flashpoint for Kakao, Naver rivalry
As SM Entertainment Co., the label behind the global K-pop phenomenon, is up for grabs in the M&A market, the battle heats up between the countr...
Jun 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Automobiles
Hyundai tops Korean institutions' May buying list
Hyundai Motor became the key beneficiary of South Korean institutional investors' heavy buying on the local bourse this month as the global chip sho...
May 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
K-pop content platforms team up to take lead in community market
Platform operators targeting global K-pop fans are mired in fierce competition as companies team up to vie for the lead in the fan community platfor...
May 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative investments
Hana buys Osaka logistics center for about $140 mn
South Korea's Hana Alternative Asset Management Co. has beat 16 Japanese bidders to acquire a logistics center in the port of Osaka, Japan for ¥...
May 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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OTT streaming
Kakao joins OTT race with INISOFT acquisition
Kakao Corp. is entering the over-the-top (OTT) streaming market. According to investment banking sources on May 27, Kakao’s entertainment and ...
May 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Stake investments
Samsung Life buys 25% stake in Savills IM for $90 mn
Samsung Life Insurance Co. has agreed to buy a 25% stake in Savills Investment Management (Savills IM) for £63.75 million ($90 million) from U...
May 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Singapore sovereign fund GIC to buy 30% of Starbucks Korea for $710 mn
Singapore’s sovereign growth fund GIC Private Ltd. plans to acquire a 30% stake in Starbucks Korea for about 800 billion won ($710 million) fr...
May 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Webtoons
Concurrent deal closings by Kakao, Naver: Mere coincidence?
Early this month, when Anchor Equity Partners was in intense negotiations with Kakao Corp. over the terms of its 600 billion won ($530 million) inve...
May 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Webtoons
Kakao Japan secures over $500 mn from Anchor Equity; valuation tops $7 bn
Kakao Corp.’s Japanese unit is set to secure 600 billion won ($530 million) from South Korea-based private equity firm Anchor Equity Partners....
May 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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REITs
JR AMC buys $140 mn stake in NY office building
South Korea's JR AMC Co. has signed a $140 million agreement to buy a 49.9% stake in a New York office building from JPMorgan Asset Management. Once...
May 12, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Naver vs Kakao: Intense rivalry to extend beyond Asia
South Korea's two online giants Naver Corp. and Kakao Corp. have completed their respective acquisitions of storytelling platforms in the US and Can...
May 11, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean stock market
It’s time to buy casino stocks, analysts say
The South Korean government’s plan to vaccinate 36 million people, or about 70% of its population, by the third quarter of 2021 is heating up ...
Apr 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Kakao Pay values itself at above-consensus $14 bn
Kakao Pay Corp., aiming to list on South Korea's main stock exchange this year, has valued itself at as much as 16 trillion won ($14.4 billion), or ...
Apr 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Fintech platform Kakao Pay applies for Kospi IPO
Kakao Pay Corp., a unit of South Korea's largest mobile messaging app Kakao Corp., submitted an application for its initial public offering with the...
Apr 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Waste management
EastBridge beats KKR, TPG to buy Korean waste disposal firm
South Korea-based EastBridge Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in the country's waste treatment firm YIDO for around 260 billion won (...
Apr 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Last-mile logistics
Two Korean firms look to buy six France warehouses
South Korea's Mastern Investment Management Co. and Kiwoom Securities Co. are in the due diligence process to acquire six last-mile logistics center...
Apr 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Kakao Bank applies for preliminary review of 2021 IPO
Kakao Bank, South Korea's No.1 mobile banking app., has kicked off the process to go public by applying for a preliminary review of its stock market...
Apr 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
Naver, Kakao vie for Korean web novel platform
Naver Corp. and Kakao Corp., South Korea's two online giants, are competing to acquire Munpia Inc., their smaller domestic rival in the web novel ma...
Apr 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Platform valuations
Kakao Entertainment’s enterprise value seen above $8.9 billion
Kakao Entertainment Corp. is working to make a trading debut on the domestic bourse in the latter part of this year or in 2022 at the latest. And th...
Apr 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce
Kakao to buy fashion app, pushing aside eBay Korea
Kakao Corp., South Korea's top mobile messaging app operator, is set to acquire a majority stake in Zigzag, a domestic online fashion platform targe...
Apr 08, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Kakao Japan seeks $446 million from Anchor Equity
Kakao Corp.’s Japanese unit, which operates Japan’s largest webtoon platform Piccoma, is in talks to attract as much as 500 billion won ...
Apr 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Retail
SK Group acquires 16.3% of Vietnam’s top retailer for $410 million
South Korea’s SK Group has acquired 16.3% of Vincommerce, Vietnam’s top retail business operator, for $410 million as part of a move to ...
Apr 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Digital contents
Kakao in talks to buy US fiction app in heated IP rivalry
South Korea's mobile giant Kakao Corp. is in negotiations to buy the management rights of US-based mobile fiction startup Radish Fiction for around ...
Apr 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Google to buy $50 mn new shares in Kakao Mobility
Google Inc. will acquire 56.5 billion won ($50 million) worth of new Kakao Mobility Corp. shares, in a strategic investment in the South Korean mobi...
Apr 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Shinsegae buys Korean online fashion mall from IMM PE
Shinsegae Group has acquired South Korea's leading online fashion platform from IMM Private Equity, in a transaction estimated at between 250 billio...
Apr 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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