Naver, techfins poised to spark Korean loan market's Big Bang
South Korea's online giant Naver Corp. is preparing to join a government-initiated fintech platform, on which individual borrowers can directly sear...
Service marketplace Soomgo raises nearly $30 mn in Series C round
South Korea-based Brave Mobile Inc., the operator of service matching platform Soomgo, has secured 32 billion won ($28.6 million) in a Series C fund...
Naver vs. Kakao: Global webtoon duel extends into Southeast Asia
The global webtoon battleground between South Korea's leading platforms Naver Corp. and Kakao Corp. has expanded into Southeast Asia with each compa...
Govt pension fund to ease due diligence to revive global deals
South Korea's Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS) has abandoned its onsite only due diligence requirements on alternative deals in an effort...
Hyundai, SK, POSCO, Hyosung agree to launch Korea’s hydrogen council
Hyundai Motor Group and three other South Korean conglomerates have agreed to launch an industry-wide consultative body on hydrogen, underscoring an...
Delivery service provider Barogo wraps up $72 mn Series C round
Logistics IT platform service Barogo has successfully wrapped up an 80 billion won ($72 million) Series C round, far above the company's initial tar...
Samsung SDI mulls EV battery JV in US; partnership with global automaker
Samsung SDI Co., one of South Korea’s top three electric vehicle battery makers, is considering launching a battery production joint venture i...
Korea FoF manager widens offshore VC pool into UAE, Vietnam
The Korea Venture Investment Corp. (KVIC), a quasi-government agency established to support South Korean startups and venture capital industry, has ...
Lotte vs Shinsegae: eBay Korea becomes battleground for retail showdown
The tussle over the acquisition of eBay Korea is now down to two heavyweight contenders. South Korea’s retail titans Lotte Group and Shinsegae...
NPS gains timberland, Europe tech exposure in Q1
The National Pension Service has gained exposure to timberland and the European mid-market tech sector in the first quarter of this year, adding two...
Shinhan REITs poised to buy Amazon logistics center
South Korea's Shinhan REITs Management Co. is poised to invest $93 million to buy a pre-completed fulfillment center in New Mexico, under a long-ter...
HYBE raises $400 mn in a move to diversify BTS-dependent portfolio
HYBE Co., the global entertainment powerhouse behind BTS, has successfully closed its previously announced rights offering to raise 445.5 billion wo...
Global automakers accelerate EV push as chip shortage eases
Global auto companies are moving forward with their electric vehicle (EV) and other future mobility initiatives as the global semiconductor shortage...
Hana buys Osaka logistics center for about $140 mn
South Korea's Hana Alternative Asset Management Co. has beat 16 Japanese bidders to acquire a logistics center in the port of Osaka, Japan for ¥...
HYBE x McDonald’s: The BTS Meal launches globally
McDonald’s has launched The BTS Meal on May 26 in the first selected group of 12 markets including Brazil, Canada and the US. The BTS meal is ...
Hyundai Motor’s new XCIENT truck raises hydrogen game in Europe
South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has unveiled an upgraded version of its fuel cell truck XCIENT, turning up the heat on rivals in...
Concurrent deal closings by Kakao, Naver: Mere coincidence?
Early this month, when Anchor Equity Partners was in intense negotiations with Kakao Corp. over the terms of its 600 billion won ($530 million) inve...
STIC Ventures invests $2 mn in Vietnamese logistics startup EcoTruck
South Korea-based venture capital firm STIC Ventures has recently invested $2 million in a Vietnamese logistics startup EcoTruck, a move aimed at bo...
Chat fiction app operator eyes global expansion, webtoon market
As smartphones have become essential to everyday life, chat fiction -- storytelling in the form of fictional text messaging -- has become popular am...
Hanwha, KAIST to co-launch space research center
Hanwha Group will launch space technology research and commercial projects together with South Korea’s top science and engineering university,...
LG Group to invest $106 mn in advanced AI tech development
South Korea’s LG Group will spend about 120 billion won ($106 million) over the next three years to establish a massive high-performance compu...
Korean pension funds eye non-core global real estate
South Korea's Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS), Public Officials Benefit Association (POBA) and Military Mutual Aid Association (MMAA) ar...
Samsung to invest $151 bn in foundry by 2030, up 28.5% from initial plan
Samsung Electronics Co. will invest 171 trillion won ($151 billion) by 2030 to take over the global foundry leadership from its archrival TSMC. The ...
LG Chem to invest $134 mn in incubator fund for firms with ESG tech
LG Chem Ltd., South Korea’s leading chemical and battery maker, said on Tuesday it is investing 150 billion won ($134 million) in an incubator...
S.Korea: 11th in global export market for top-ranked items
South Korea ranks 11th in global export market shares with 69 top-ranked items -- reaching an all-time high In 2019, South Korean products ranked 1...
Korean investors in renewed push for global property deals
South Korea's IGIS Asset Management Co. and Hana Financial Investment Co. have acquired a 49% stake in the headquarters of the US mortgage lender Fa...
Korean pharmas may turn into global vaccine makers on Biden remarks
South Korea’s biosimilar and pharmaceutical companies are looking at a growing chance of emerging as a global hub for manufacturing vaccines f...
Food tech startup Sir.LOIN seeks Series B funding; valuation to top $40mn
South Korea-based food tech company Sir.LOIN Inc. is seeking Series B funding in the range of 10 billion won as industry watchers project the startu...
Ad tech firm Moloco joins unicorn club via Series C round
Moloco Inc., a data-driven advertising solutions firm, has concluded its Series C funding round, rendering the company a newcomer to the unicorn clu...
SK IE Tech IPO draws record-high demand; brokerage servers down briefly
SK IE Technology Co. (SKIET), the battery materials subsidiary of SK Innovation Co., has set a new record for initial public offering demand, briefl...
