VR star signs with K-pop label YG Entertainment

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...

Nuvilab uses the latest tech to tackle age-old issue of food waste

Nuvilab uses the latest tech to tackle age-old issue of food waste

South Korea’s food data analysis firm Nuvilab, Inc. is not a household name – at least yet. The startup is rather familiar to investors...

LG Group invests $21 mn in vegan egg maker Eat Just

LG Group invests $21 mn in vegan egg maker Eat Just

LG Group plans to invest 25 billion won ($21 million) in California-based plant-based food maker Eat Just, Inc. The news follows an announcement by ...

Squid Game’s mega-hit spurs Netflix to release record K-content

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...

Lotte acquires Chicago-based hotel for $36 mn K-style rebrand

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 $...

Former K-pop dancer turns to AI for personal training services

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...

E-Mart in exclusive talks to buy US food company

E-Mart in exclusive talks to buy US food company

South Korea's largest supermarket chain E-Mart Inc. has spent nearly $4 billion on acquisition deals so far this year, including the $3 billion purc...

HK inno.N’s K-CAB a blockbuster drug with $843 million exports

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...

Strong Ventures, KB Investment invest in K-pop 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...

Hyundai’s Motional, Uber to launch self-driving food delivery service

Hyundai’s Motional, Uber to launch self-driving food delivery service

Motional Inc., a US mobility joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and Aptiv PLC, has teamed up with Uber Technologies Inc. to provide an autonomo...

Korea’s No. 2 art auction house to go public in Jan

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...

Dunamu, Naver Z invest $8.5 mn in metaverse firm Persona Space

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...

K-startups take note of growing demand for 'meta fashion'

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...

Kimchi on track for first trade surplus in 12 years

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...

ViacomCBS, CJ ENM join hands to expand global businesses

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...

Mirae Asset joins $260 mn funding for food delivery startup Jokr

Mirae Asset joins $260 mn funding for food delivery startup Jokr

Mirae Asset Global Investment Co., South Korea’s leading asset manager, has participated in a $260 million Series B funding for Jokr, a New ...

Korea Venture Investment creates global fund worth $2 billion

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...

Costa Rican president: His family K-drama fans, seeks joint production

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...

K-bio's out-licensing this year reaches $9.3 bn

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...

BTS, TWICE to lead restart of K-pop global live concerts

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...

Hawaiians, tourists to enjoy BB.Q’s signature K-chicken

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...

Pulmuone to expand alternative meat business in the US

Pulmuone to expand alternative meat business in the US

South Korea’s major food company Pulmuone. Co. is slated to expand sales of its in-house developed meat alternatives in the US market. The foo...

CJ Group Chief unveils $8.5 billion investment plans for growth

CJ Group Chief unveils $8.5 billion investment plans for growth

South Korea’s CJ Group, which operates the country’s largest food and beverage company CJ Cheiljedang Corp. as well as entertainment gia...

Korea MCN startup Treasure Hunter aims for leading K-content maker

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 ...

K-pop stars see huge capital gains from stock options

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...

K-pop fan engagement platform DearU prices IPO above range

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 ...

BTS drops Sony for Universal

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 ...

K-pop copyright trading platform Musicow prepares for IPO

K-pop copyright trading platform Musicow prepares for IPO

Musicow Inc., South Korea's first music copyright trading platform, has embarked on the process to go public on the back of its eye-catching growth ...

DearU: A K-pop fan engagement platform success story

DearU: A K-pop fan engagement platform success story

No company would know better than DearU Inc. that powerful fandom can turn into fast money.The South Korean startup that started as a software devel...

Food triggers next phase of global K-culture craze

Food triggers next phase of global K-culture craze

The ongoing global fever over South Korean music and entertainment content is driving the rapid growth of the country’s packaged food manufact...

JKL Partners to acquire $150 mn cult-favorite bagel chain London Bagel Museum Kolon's early bets on para-aramid recovery pays off amid AI boom Shinsegae chair likely to head Asian arm of pro-Trump Rockbridge S.Korea’s leading ERP player Douzone Bizon up for sale; EQT Partners in talks MSCI maintains S.Korea’s emerging-market status; level playing field required