K-beauty brands shine among Amazon’s 2025 Prime Day bestsellers

Cosmetics and beauty devices made by South Korean companies dominated Amazon’s biggest summer shopping event this year, Prime Day, underscorin...

Glass Skin boom: Why Seoul’s interactive beauty clinics are hottest stop for foreign tourists

On a recent morning in Seoul’s hip Seongsu neighborhood, a line of eager foreign tourists snaked around the corner of CJ Olive Young Corp.&rsq...

With waning MZ interest, is heyday over for S.Korea’s golf apparel market?

South Korea’s once-dominant golf apparel market, the largest in the world at its peak, is rapidly losing steam, as sales tumble and brands scr...

Hyundai helps Korean economy most with $265 bn contribution

Hyundai Motor Group, the world’s third-biggest automaker, generated the most economic value among major South Korean conglomerates last year, ...

South Korea’s startup M&A winter deepens capital bottleneck  

South Korea’s startup M&A winter has deepened as once major investors like conglomerates are prioritizing restructuring over expansion, ch...

Dawn delivery pioneer Kurly posts 1st-ever quarterly profit

Kurly Inc., a pioneer in South Korea’s dawn delivery market, has posted its first-ever quarterly profit, bucking a slowdown in private consump...

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...

S&P reaffirms South Korea’s AA credit rating with stable outlook

S&P Global Ratings has reaffirmed South Korea’s sovereign credit rating at AA with a stable outlook, citing the country’s resilient ...

Korea Zinc faces multiple legal, regulatory challenges in fight against MBK

Korea Zinc Inc. Chairman Choi Yun-birm appears to have kept his grip on the world’s largest zinc smelter after successfully fending off an MBK...

Korean financial firms face growing risks in overseas property investments

South Korea’s financial institutions are increasingly at risk of their overseas real estate investments turning sour, government data showed o...

MBK sees better exit landscape in 2025, bets on governance reform

MBK Partners sees a recovery in the exit environment in 2025 and seeks to capitalize on the opportunities emerging from corporate governance reform ...

Koreans’ craving for luxury goods fades

Until recently, it was not unusual to see people waiting in a long line in front of foreign haute couture brands’ stores early in the morning ...

Korea eyes laws akin to US AMPC to offer subsidies for its battery makers

South Korea, home to global top battery makers such as LG Energy Solution Ltd., SK On Co. and Samsung SDI Co., is seeking to enact laws that would l...

MBK Partners poised to acquire CJ Cheiljedang’s $3.5 billion bio business

North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners is on the verge of clinching a major acquisition deal by offering a higher bid than other conten...

MBK-owned Homeplus files for corporate revamp with Seoul court

South Korea’s leading hypermarket operator Homeplus Co., wholly owned by North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners, on Tuesday filed...

Microsoft's quantum computing bet sparks controversy, again

In 2021, Microsoft Corp. faced significant scientific embarrassment when a landmark research paper it had sponsored was retracted.Published in the U...

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...

AI agent Gentoo poised to revolutionize online shopping

South Korean artificial intelligence startup Waddle Corp. is gearing up to reshape the online retail industry with artificial intelligence-powered i...

Lotte Duty Free unveils robot bartender in Gimpo Int'l Airport

South Korea's Lotte Duty Free said on Thursday it placed its AI-based robot bartenders in Gimpo International Airport.Lotte Duty Free offers robot...

Korea seeks tighter control over digital coins, mulls mandatory disclosures

South Korea plans to tighten its controls over cryptocurrency trade in the country by mandating information disclosures for listed virtual assets an...

Korea debt financing faces woes as $34 bn in corporate bonds mature in H1

South Korea’s financial markets will see nearly 50 trillion won ($34 billion) in corporate bonds mature in the first half of next year —...

Korea Inc. to face refunding risks with record corporate bond maturities

South Korean companies are expected to face refunding risks thanks to record corporate bond maturities in the first half of 2025, as fundraising con...

GIC to open 2nd tender for Seoul landmark building sale as bids disappoint

Singapore’s GIC Private Ltd., the world’s sixth-largest sovereign wealth fund, is set to seek more proposals from bidders to sell a land...

LG H&H’s sales surge 156% on Amazon Black Friday

South Korea’s LG H&H Co. said on Thursday its sales on Amazon Black Friday this year surged 156% year over year.The Face Shop's Rice Water...

KB Kookmin Card, UnionPay to cooperate on marketing

South Korea's KB Kookmin Card said on Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China's UnionPay to cooperate on marketing. ...

Korean duty-free shops post Q3 losses; no signs of recovery

The four major duty-free shop operators in South Korea on Thursday posted operating losses in the third quarter, marking the first quarter in almo...

Naver’s AI-powered search, online shopping services to go into full swing

South Korea’s Naver Corp. has been preparing for years to take its artificial intelligence-based services to the next level. The tech giant no...

Naver to lead hyper-personalized shopping trends with super app

Naver Corp., South Korea's largest internet portal, will launch an AI-driven shopping app in the first half of 2025 to boost its lackluster e-commer...

Korean chipmakers, battery makers face new risks with Trump’s comeback

With Donald Trump reelected as the next US president, South Korea’s major chipmakers, automakers and battery makers are on high alert as durin...

Lotte Mart to launch grocery shopping app

South Korea's Lotte Mart and Lotte Super will introduce a grocery-focused app, Lotte Mart Zeta, in the first half of next year to expand its digital...