S.Korea's stablecoin frenzy fuels stock rally despite regulatory uncertainty

A wave of speculative fervor surrounding won-based stablecoins is sweeping South Korea’s equity markets, with nearly half of the top 30 perfor...

SK Hynix joins Samsung in 200 trillion won market cap club

SK Hynix Inc. surpassed 200 trillion won ($147 billion) in market capitalization on Tuesday, becoming the second Korean stock in history to cross th...

Hana Asset launches ultra-low-fee Nasdaq 100 ETF

Hana Asset Management Co. will list the “1Q US Nasdaq 100 ETF” on Tuesday, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the Nasdaq 100 index with...

Loss-making Lotte Chemical to sell water treatment unit to Synopex

Lotte Chemical Corp., South Korea’s second-largest petrochemical company grappling with mounting losses amid a prolonged industry downturn, wi...

Growth equity portfolio largely shielded from policy headwinds: Summit

Growth equity investments have remained largely stable in the face of recent policy shifts, with key sectors like technology and healthcare avoiding...

Lotte Biologics signs antibody drug CMO deal with UK’s Ottimo Pharma

BOSTON – Lotte Biologics Co. has signed a deal to manufacture an antibody therapy for British biotech startup Ottimo Pharma as the South Korea...

Mirae Asset debuts AI-recommended ETF on NYSE to invest in US bonds

Mirae Asset Financial Group, one of the largest asset managers in South Korea, has launched its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) investing in high-q...

Calls grow for stronger LP oversight in national strategic asset M&As

MBK Partners’ takeover attempt of Korea Zinc Inc. has exposed the vulnerability of national strategic assets to private equity ownership, posi...

Amazon, Alibaba, TikTok up ante to woo Korean beauty brands

Riding the wave of global enthusiasm for K-Beauty, e-commerce powerhouses like Amazon and Alibaba are racing to bring South Korean cosmetics and bea...

S.Korea’s power transformer exports soar as global supply shortage bites

South Korean power equipment makers are riding a wave of export growth, with their transformers in high demand amid a global rush to reinforce power...

South Korean eyewear poised to spark next global K-wave

As eyewear evolves into a key fashion statement, South Korea’s homegrown brands are setting their sights on the global stage with bold, unconv...

South Korea accelerates stablecoin framework amid global race

Just one week after electing President Lee Jae-myung, an apparent backer of stablecoin adoption, South Korea is swiftly moving to clear the path for...

IFEZ to apply for designation of southern Ganghwa as free economic zone

The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Authority is set to submit its application by the end of June to designate the southern end of Ganghwa Island ...

Jollibee to buy chicken chain Norang Tongdak amid global K-food frenzy

Jollibee Foods Corp., a household name in Southeast Asia’s food market, has been named the preferred buyer of Norang Tongdak, a South Korean f...

Lee Jae-myung to meet with top business leaders ahead of G7 summit

South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung plans to meet with the country’s top business leaders before departing for the Group...

Seoul, once-rising art hub, feels pinch of global strains  

In Seoul’s Hannam district, the storefront that once housed Various Small Fires (VSF) now sits empty, a “For Rent” sign taped to i...

Proxy voting rises in South Korea, but few vetoes cast

An increasing number of asset management firms in South Korea are more frequently exercising their voting rights at portfolio companies. Nevertheles...

CJ Foodville goes global from in-flight meals to Starbucks bread

CJ Foodville Co., a South Korean food company, is deepening its presence in Southeast Asia with premium bakery products, catering to airplane passen...

Shinhan expands global IR push to woo foreign investors

Shinhan Financial Group Co. is stepping up efforts to attract foreign investors with back-to-back global investor relations (IR) campaigns, as South...

Goodai Global poised to build L'Oréal-style empire via M&As

Goodai Global Inc. is seeking to acquire South Korea’s first-generation independent cosmetics brand Skinfood for about 150 billion won ($108 m...

Korea Post to commit $150 mn to mid-cap infrastructure funds

Korea Post will commit $150 million to one or two global asset managers for mid-cap infrastructure equity investments, the postal service agency sai...

DB Group eyes Hanyang Securities amid KCGI deal uncertainty

DB Group, which owns DB Securities Co. and DB Insurance Co., is considering acquiring Hanyang Securities Co., as a deal by South Korean private equi...

Tencent to become SM Entertainment's No. 2 shareholder via HYBE deal

Tencent Music Entertainment Group is set to become the second-largest shareholder of SM Entertainment Co. by acquiring HYBE Co.'s remaining shares i...

Samsung Biologics drives foreign lead in Korea’s biotech supply chain

A surge in orders from Samsung Biologics Co., the world’s largest contract drugmaker, has propelled South Korea to the forefront of global rev...

OpenAI sets up entity in Korea with most paid ChatGPT users outside US

OpenAI Inc., the creator of generative AI ChatGPT, has established a legal entity in South Korea, which has the largest number of paying ChatGPT sub...

Bold food tech R&D fuels global rise of Korean cuisine

South Korea’s processed food exports are expected to reach 6 trillion won ($4.4 billion) this year after Korean food companies have aggressive...

LG CNS, Cohere co-develop Korean-specific agentic AI

LG CNS Co., the information technology services arm of South Korea’s LG Group, has unveiled a lightweight Korean-specific large language model...

Europe looms large as K-beauty brands look to blue ocean; shares rise

South Korea’s beauty industry has been reaping decent gains from traditionally strong markets such as China and the US – the world&rsquo...

NPS gobbles up Korea’s top 4 financial holding stocks

South Korea’s largest institutional investor, the National Pension Service (NPS), remains a strong backer of the country’s top four fina...

SK Earthon secures rights to explore 2 offshore oil blocks in Indonesia

SK Earthon Co., the petroleum exploration and production (E&P) unit of South Korea’s top energy company SK Innovation Co., has secured rig...