Kakao, Naver step up global AI hunt amid fierce tech race

Kakao, Naver step up global AI hunt amid fierce tech race

South Korea’s internet pioneers, Kakao Corp. and Naver Corp., are ramping up overseas investments in artificial intelligence startups, shiftin...

At home, K-convenience stores battle stagnation; abroad they're powerful K-food ambassadors

At home, K-convenience stores battle stagnation; abroad they're powerful K-food ambassadors

In the bustling backstreets of Ulaanbaatar, shoppers file out of a CU convenience store with instant tteokbokki, or simmered Korean rice cake, packs...

Roborock’s privacy policy fuels data leak fears over Chinese goods

Roborock’s privacy policy fuels data leak fears over Chinese goods

A new personal data processing policy from Chinese robot vacuum maker Roborock is raising fears that consumer data could be leaked to or misused by ...

Naver Webtoon’s Eleceed: Now anime by studio behind The First Slam Dunk

Naver Webtoon’s Eleceed: Now anime by studio behind The First Slam Dunk

High school student Seo Jiwoo knows nothing of the hidden world around him. Terrified of his own mysterious powers, he lives quietly, concealing his...

Xiaomi to open first offline store in S.Korea with premium products

Xiaomi to open first offline store in S.Korea with premium products

Xiaomi Inc., a Chinese technology giant, will open its first offline store in South Korea next week, about six months after its virtual foray into t...

Naver Financial seeks to acquire S. Korean real estate data platform Asil

Naver Financial seeks to acquire S. Korean real estate data platform Asil

Naver Financial Corp., the fintech subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Naver Corp., is looking to acquire Asil, a domestic big data-based real est...

Naver Ventures to plant flag in Silicon Valley with TwelveLabs bet

Naver Ventures to plant flag in Silicon Valley with TwelveLabs bet

Naver Ventures, the first dedicated Silicon Valley venture capital arm of Naver Corp., has made its debut investment in Nvidia Corp.-backed TwelveLa...

S.Korea’s Naver to launch Silicon Valley venture arm in aggressive AI push

S.Korea’s Naver to launch Silicon Valley venture arm in aggressive AI push

Naver Corp., South Korea’s top internet portal operator, plans to set up a dedicated venture capital arm in Silicon Valley in a move seen as a...

With Ulta deal, APR steps up US beauty push

With Ulta deal, APR steps up US beauty push

Medicube, the beauty-tech brand under South Korea’s fast-growing beauty company APR Co., will sell its products through both online and offlin...

Mubadala, Goldman Sachs to invest $700 mn in Kakao Mobility

Mubadala, Goldman Sachs to invest $700 mn in Kakao Mobility

United Arab Emirates’ sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co. and Goldman Sachs are set to invest a combined $700 million in Kakao Mobil...

Coupang’s Q1 revenue up; quarterly dip signals rising competition

Coupang’s Q1 revenue up; quarterly dip signals rising competition

Coupang Inc., South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, extended its year-on-year sales growth with an 11.1% increase to post $7.9 billion in...

When in S. Korea, it’s a ritual: Foreigners make stops at CU, GS25, 7-Eleven

When in S. Korea, it’s a ritual: Foreigners make stops at CU, GS25, 7-Eleven

“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair,” as Scott McKenzie sang in the late 1960s and 70s.If...

StockX in merger talks with Naver’s online reseller Kream

StockX in merger talks with Naver’s online reseller Kream

StockX, the world’s most popular online resale marketplace, is in talks to merge with Kream, a resale unicorn under South Korea’s tech g...

Naver, Kurly tie up to counter e-commerce giant Coupang

Naver, Kurly tie up to counter e-commerce giant Coupang

South Korea’s online giant Naver Corp. and dawn grocery platform service provider Kurly Inc. have joined forces for a potential stake acquisit...

Naver mulls acquiring about a 10% stake in Kurly

Naver mulls acquiring about a 10% stake in Kurly

Naver Corp. is considering taking over a stake in Kurly Inc. to become the largest shareholder in the South Korean dawn delivery service market pion...

Naver to build sovereign AI, says founder Lee after return

Naver to build sovereign AI, says founder Lee after return

South Korea’s No. 1 internet portal operator Naver Corp. will build strong sovereign artificial intelligence to fight the growing dominance of...

Baemin, Yogiyo see record transaction drops in Feb amid Coupang's rise

Baemin, Yogiyo see record transaction drops in Feb amid Coupang's rise

South Korea’s top and third-ranked food delivery apps, Baedal Minjok (Baemin) and Yogiyo, saw their biggest-ever monthly drops in transaction ...

Naver to name new CFO as incumbent financial manager's term nears end

Naver to name new CFO as incumbent financial manager's term nears end

South Korea’s tech giant Naver Corp. is expected to soon announce a new chief financial officer as its current CFO Kim Nam-sun, credited for t...

K-beauty shake-up: APR, Shinsegae rise as Aekyung declines

K-beauty shake-up: APR, Shinsegae rise as Aekyung declines

South Korea’s beauty industry is undergoing a major reshuffle, with new players rising to prominence while established giants face growing com...

Naver’s Webtoon hints at ad business expansion in 2025

Naver’s Webtoon hints at ad business expansion in 2025

Webtoon Entertainment Inc., the Nasdaq-listed storytelling platform operator under South Korea’s internet giant Naver Corp., is set to expand ...

Chinese games expand foothold in South Korea

Chinese games expand foothold in South Korea

Chinese games are making deep inroads into South Korea, increasing their presence in the mobile gaming market amid a lack of restrictions on foreign...

Korean e-commerce platforms’ growth cools; Naver Shopping sales down

Korean e-commerce platforms’ growth cools; Naver Shopping sales down

South Korea’s major e-commerce platforms, including Naver Shopping, are showing signs of slowing growth amid the rise of Chinese platform gian...

Naver founder to return as board chair; 2024 earnings solid

Naver founder to return as board chair; 2024 earnings solid

Lee Hae-jin, the founder of South Korea’s No. 1 internet portal operator Naver Corp., is set to return to the company to lead the board amid t...

Naver Webtoon's Stagtown to be cinematized by Hollywood

Naver Webtoon's Stagtown to be cinematized by Hollywood

South Korea's Naver Webtoon said on Thursday its horror series Stagtown, popular in the US, will be made into a movie by Hollywood.Stagtown was di...

Amorepacific's Aestura to enter US market with Sephora

Amorepacific's Aestura to enter US market with Sephora

South Korean beauty and cosmetics giant Amorepacific Corp. said on Wednesday that its derma cosmetic brand Aestura will enter the American market wi...

Coupang Eats starts food delivery service in Japan

Coupang Eats starts food delivery service in Japan

Coupang Eats, a food delivery app operated by South Korea's No. 1 e-commerce platform Coupang Inc., launched its first overseas service in Japan.Acc...

Coupang, Naver in dead heat for South Korea’s e-commerce market lead

Coupang, Naver in dead heat for South Korea’s e-commerce market lead

Coupang Inc. and Naver Corp., South Korea's top two e-commerce players, are expected to further narrow the gap in their race for the market lead thi...

Piccoma tops consumer spending ranking in Japan

Piccoma tops consumer spending ranking in Japan

Kakao Piccoma, a Japanese digital comics app subsidiary of South Korean mobile giant Kakao Corp., topped the consumer spending ranking in the Japane...

Naver Webtoon invests in Japan's Number Nine

Naver Webtoon invests in Japan's Number Nine

South Korea's Naver Webtoon said on Thursday that its Japanese service operator Line Digital Frontier invested in Number Nine, a webtoon studio in J...

Naver D2SF invests in N.American AI startup

Naver D2SF invests in N.American AI startup

South Korea's online giant Naver Corp.'s startup nurturing organization D2SF (D2 Startup Factory) invested in North American AI ad tech startup Remb...

K-beauty boom propels APR ahead of LG H&H, closing gap with AmorePacific IMM joins $600 mn fund for K-beauty unicorn Goodai Global in M&A drive Blackpink’s Jump music video draws 100 mn YouTube views Seoul signals agricultural market access on tariff talks table amid intensifying US trade pressure Korea’s top four financial holding firms post stellar Q2 profit on won, non-interest gains