Korea's KDB widens gap in VC fundraising in H1; NPS to fund in July

The capital commitments of state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) have widened the gap for South Korean venture capital firms in fundraising over ...

IGIS fund defaults on loan linked to German office

A 370-billion-won ($270 million) real estate fund managed by IGIS Asset Management Co. faces a heavy loss from its investment in Trianon, a landmark...

NPS logs 5.8% return in Q1 led by US tech stock rally

National Pension Service (NPS) of South Korea, the world’s third-largest pension fund, posted a 5.82% investment return for the first quarter ...

Korean brokerage firms seek to raise $1.2 bn in property funds

South Korean brokerage firms are scurrying to raise more than 1.7 trillion won ($1.24 billion) in private equity funds to bet on soured property loa...

Korea Eximbank provides $1 bn in PF for Saudi Amiral project

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) announced on Thursday that it will provide $1 billion in project financing for the Amiral petrochemical f...

KIC eyes direct lending with high return potential: CEO

Sovereign wealth fund Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) seeks opportunities in direct lending for companies that are not cyclically sensitive and g...

MSCI Korea Index adds Alteogen, Enchem, HD Hyundai Electric

South Korea's Alteogen Inc., Enchem Co., and HD Hyundai Electric Co. will be added to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Korea Index.MS...

LX International joins UNGC

South Korean trading firm LX International Corp. announced on Tuesday that it joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to strengthen its envi...

Korea’s household debt growth at 5-month high on mortgages

South Korea’s household lending growth hit a five-month high in April as mortgage loans increased amid signs of a recovery in the property mar...

MedInTech attracts $14.6 mn series B investment

MedInTech Inc., South Korea's medical smart endoscopes startup, announced on Monday that it attracted a series B investment of 20 billion won ($14.6...

Shinhan, POSCO invest $20 mn in Australian hydrogen startup Hysata

South Korean steel giant POSCO Holdings Inc. and banking conglomerate Shinhan Financial Group have invested a combined US$20 million in Australian g...

Korea to launch alternative stock exchange in 2025

South Korea will launch the country’s first alternative stock exchange Nextrade Co. in the first half of next year to enable stock trading for...

VC firm DSC Investment forms Korea's largest secondary fund

South Korean asset manager DSC Investment has formed the country’s largest-ever fund for venture capital secondaries to explore opportunities ...

UAE to invest up to $1 bn in S.Korean ventures

The United Arab Emirates is set to invest a maximum of $1 billion in South Korean startups via a joint venture, as a part of its mid- to long-term p...

HMM gets Platinum ESG rating from EcoVadis

HMM Co., South Korea’s flagship sea carrier, announced on Tuesday that it achieved the Platinum rating from EcoVadis, a global environmental, ...

Samsung Life Science invests in US biotech firm Latus Bio

Samsung Life Science Fund, managed by Samsung Group’s venture investment arm, has invested in US biotechnology firm Latus Bio Inc. during the ...

NPS to hike risky asset purchases under simplified allocation system

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s state-run pension fund, is introducing a new simplified asset allocation guideline under whi...

NPS to commit $1.1 billion to external managers in 2024

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) will select domestic general partners (GPs) to manage about 1.5 trillion won ($1.1 billion) worth...

Blackstone signs over $1 bn deal with MBK for 1st exit in Korea

Private equity giant Blackstone Inc. is set to mark its first exit from South Korea by selling a 71.25% stake in the holding firm of Geo-Young Corp....

NPS loses $1.2 bn in local stocks in Q1 on weak battery shares

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), the world's third-largest pension fund, lost 1.66 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in domestic stock ...

Daesung PE tops Korean venture funds by return in 2018-2023

Daesung Private Equity Inc. in South Korea has become the top local venture capital manager in terms of realized capital gain between 2018 and 2023,...

Korea's AI startup Upstage raises $72 mn for global expansion

Upstage, South Korea’s artificial intelligence startup, raised about 100 billion won ($72 million) in its latest funding round, which the comp...

NPS' former key players move to law firms as its voting power increases

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) is seeing more and more of its former senior managers moving to top-tier domestic law firms. Ther...

Sandy Floor gets seed round from Kakao Ventures

South Korea’s casual multiplayer game developer Sandy Floor Games announced on Wednesday that it got a seed round investment from Kakao Ventur...

Blight of failing e-commerce startups in South Korea

Linkshops, once touted as a future unicorn candidate in South Korea, declared bankruptcy last month even after garnering 15.4 billion won ($11.4 mil...

Korea's Military Mutual Aid Association starts search for new CIO

South Korea’s Military Mutual Aid Association (MMAA), which managed 10.4 trillion won ($7.7 billion) in assets as of the end of 2023, said on ...

Blackstone sells prime Seoul office building for $586 mn to Koramco

Blackstone Inc. completed selling off Arc Place, a prime office building located in Seoul's upscale Gangnam area, to Koramco REITs Management and Tr...

AhnLab to form joint venture with Saudi SITE

AhnLab Inc., South Korea's information security solutions company, announced on Monday that it signed an agreement to establish a joint venture (JV)...

Shareholder activism in Korea swells 9 times since 2019

The number of South Korean firms targeted by activist funds has risen by nearly nine times over the past five years, the largest increase among majo...

SM Entertainment founder invests $5.2 million in Mindlogic

K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment Co.'s founder and former Chief Producer Lee Soo-man is expected to invest up to 10 billion won ($7.5 million) in Mind...