SoftBank-backed
Scope
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Edtech startup Riiid joins Fast Company's list of most innovative firms
South Korea’s AI education startup Riiid has made it onto Fast Company's annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Since 20...
Mar 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Chief Executives
Thanks to deep learning, we're in biggest tech boom cycle: GFT Ventures
"We believe we're in one of the biggest technology boom cycles,” said Jeff Herbst, co-founding managing partner of Palo Alto-based GFT Venture...
Mar 08, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
BTS returns to Korean stage for 1st time since 2019
SEOUL — In the latest sign that life is going back to something that resembles the pre-pandemic past, BTS is returning to the stage in Seoul.The...
Feb 25, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Earnings
OCI swings back to profit as polysilicon prices surge
OCI Co., the only polysilicon maker in South Korea, is considering doubling its output of the solar cell material in Malaysia to meet rising demand,...
Feb 21, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
KTCU posts highest investment return since 2009
Korean Teachers’ Credit Union (KTCU), a retirement fund for South Korean teachers and employees, earned an 11.3% return from investment last y...
Feb 14, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean games
Saudi sovereign wealth fund buys 5% stake in Nexon
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has bought a 5% stake in online game developer Nexon Co., the gaming...
Feb 06, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
IMM to invest $120 mn in SoftBank-backed subtitle firm
South Korea's IMM Investment Corp. has agreed to invest 140 billion won ($120 million) in Iyuno-SDI Group, valuing the world's largest dubbing and s...
Jan 28, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Zuckerberg-backed family office bets on Korean golf platform
ICONIQ Capital, a US family office backed by Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has invested 50 billion won ($42 million) in Smartscore, a South ...
Jan 21, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Banking & Finance
BOK restores interest rates to pre-pandemic level
South Korea’s central bank on Friday raised interest rates back to a pre-pandemic level, signaling further hikes to curb rising inflationary p...
Jan 14, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
SoftBank invests $146 mn in AI startup Qraft
SoftBank Group Corp. is investing $146 million in South Korea’s artificial intelligence company Qraft Technologies, Inc. The investment includ...
Jan 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture Capital
Mobile POS maker Payhere receives $84.2 mn in Series A funding
Mobile point-of-sale (POS) system maker Payhere Inc. announced Tuesday it received 10 billion won ($8.4 million) in Series A funding from Softbank V...
Dec 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative Investments
Tiger Alternative liquidates its structured fund with over 15% IRR
South Korea’s Tiger Alternative Investors Co. has liquidated its structured fund backed by shares of US-based business development companies...
Dec 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Banking & Finance
Money moves back to safe assets in Korea amid rising interest rates
With stock and cryptocurrency fevers subsiding amid a monetary tightening bias, South Koreans are moving their money back to safe assets, as banks s...
Dec 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Leadership & Management
SK Vice Chair Chey Jae-won reinstated into leadership after eight-year hiatus
Chey Jae-won, the younger brother to SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, returned to the conglomerate’s leadership on Dec. 17, after an eight-year...
Dec 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Robotics
Robotics shares climb on back of Samsung interest
Shares of Korean robot makers jumped this week following a tech giant’s decision to extend resources on its robotics department. Invest...
Dec 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate restructuring
Samsung launches merged set division as DX; robotics new growth driver
Samsung Electronics Co. has officially launched its new set division, which combines its mobile and consumer electronics businesses into a single un...
Dec 12, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Shipping & Shipbuilding
Hyundai Heavy, DSME merger set for collapse on expected EU veto
The European Union’s expected objection to the combination of the world’s two largest shipbuilders – Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. ...
Dec 12, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Hydrogen economy
SK Gas invests in Bill Gates-backed hydrogen tech startup
SK Gas Co., the top liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) company in South Korea, has invested in Series B funding for C-Zero Inc., a California-based start...
Dec 08, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Alternative investments
BNK and KTB jointly buy UBS tower in New Jersey for $219 mn
South Korea’s BNK Asset Management Co. acquired UBS Financial Services tower in New Jersey for $219 million from US real estate developer Hart...
Dec 08, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
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...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
NPS picks Hillhouse Capital for private equity investment in Q3
South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) selected private equity giant Hillhouse Capital Group in the third quarter of this year for its...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Softbank joins $190 mn fundraising by Naver metaverse platform
Naver Corp.’s metaverse platform secured $190 million from Softbank and other investors to expand its business in a market marked by fierce co...
Dec 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
HealthQuest-backed Lunit applies for 2022 Kosdaq IPO
Lunit Inc., a South Korean developer of AI-based diagnostic tools for cancer screening, has surpassed 1 trillion won ($841 million) in value in over...
Nov 30, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
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...
Nov 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
MBK closes SSF II at $1.8 bn, largest Asian SSF since 2019
South Korea’s MBK Partners, one of the largest private equity firms in Asia, said it has raised $1.8 billion for its second special situations...
Nov 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
MBK sells Japan golf club to SoftBank's Fortress for $3.5 bn
MBK Partners has sold Japan's largest golf course operator Accordia Next Golf to SoftBank's Fortress Investment Group for 400 billion yen ($3.5 bill...
Nov 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Retail
Korean retailers scale back on Southeast Asian operations
South Korea's top three retail groups -- Lotte, Shinsegae and GS -- are struggling with increased losses in the Southeast Asian market, once believe...
Nov 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Monthly trade infographics
S.Korea's IP trade balance swings to black in H1 2021
Success of Korean films on OTT platforms South Korea posted a surplus in its intellectual property rights trade balance in the first half of 2021. ...
Nov 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Sovereign wealth funds
Real estate investment head resigns from KIC
The head of real estate investment at Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) has resigned from the South Korean sovereign wealth fund. Cha Hoon, appoint...
Nov 05, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Markets
Korea to buy back treasury bonds to curb rising interest rates
South Korea plans to buy back 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion) worth of government bonds in a move to stem a jump in market interest rates.The Ministry...
Nov 03, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
Latest News
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- 3 Lee vows policy overhaul to spur dividend payouts
- 4 IFEZ to apply for designation of southern Gangwha as free economic zone
- 5 Jollibee to buy chicken chain Norang Tongdak amid global K-food frenzy