Processed rice goods emerge as dark horse in agri-food exports

Processed rice goods emerge as dark horse in agri-food exports

Despite the global pandemic, exports of processed rice goods hit an all-time high at $137.6 million in 2020, up by 26.9% compared to the previous ...

Blackstone, Hahn & Co. to reap $800 mn from two Korean IPOs

Blackstone, Hahn & Co. to reap $800 mn from two Korean IPOs

South Korea's largest used car seller K Car Co., wholly owned by Hahn & Co., will go public on the country's main stock exchange in October, whi...

K Bank valued at $6.9 billion, needs to expand loans: Morgan Stanley

K Bank valued at $6.9 billion, needs to expand loans: Morgan Stanley

K Bank, the digital banking unit of South Korea’s telecom giant KT Corp., is valued at 8 trillion won ($6.9 billion) and could further raise i...

K-pop evolves far beyond Korean nationality and language

K-pop evolves far beyond Korean nationality and language

South Korean music, entertainment and content firms are undergoing a major transformation in their business model. No longer is their discovery of n...

Seoul to create K-beauty road as part of interactive tourism

Seoul to create K-beauty road as part of interactive tourism

South Korea’s capital city Seoul will set up a walking route full of beauty products, services and interactive programs for visiting tourists....

Lessons learned from Blackpink label's M&A flops

Lessons learned from Blackpink label's M&A flops

South Korea-based YG Entertainment Inc., the label behind popular K-pop girl group Blackpink, is pushing to sell off its profitable golf business in...

No.1 K-pop goods maker Copan Global eyes digital expansion

No.1 K-pop goods maker Copan Global eyes digital expansion

The world of K-pop is globally known for offering a truly wide selection of merchandise items for fans. While balloons were the only goods used by t...

Malaysia becomes preferred destination for Korea’s convenience chains

Malaysia becomes preferred destination for Korea’s convenience chains

South Korea’s major convenience store chains are rushing to enter the Malaysian market. E-Mart 24, the convenience chain operated by Shinsegae...

DearU strives to catch up with leading K-pop fan platform Weverse

DearU strives to catch up with leading K-pop fan platform Weverse

Imagine getting this text from your favorite K-pop group member: “Hey, what did you eat for lunch? Can’t wait to see you at the concert ...

K-pop fan engagement platform DearU eyes H2 listing

K-pop fan engagement platform DearU eyes H2 listing

South Korea-based fan platform DearU Co. has filed a preliminary application to the Korea Exchange with plans for a trading debut on the country&rsq...

Toss Bank to compete with K Bank, Kakao Bank from September

Toss Bank to compete with K Bank, Kakao Bank from September

Toss Bank in September will enter the race of internet-only banks in South Korea as the third player, competing against K Bank and Kakao Bank. Toss ...

Chips, autos set S.Korea’s May export growth at fastest pace in 32 years

 Chips, autos set S.Korea’s May export growth at fastest pace in 32 years

South Korea’s exports surged to the highest level in over 32 years in May on the back of strong demand for semiconductors and automobiles, rei...

K-pop content platforms team up to take lead in community market

K-pop content platforms team up to take lead in community market

Platform operators targeting global K-pop fans are mired in fierce competition as companies team up to vie for the lead in the fan community platfor...

BTS smooths Butter at Billboard Music Awards; scoops up 4 awards

BTS smooths Butter at Billboard Music Awards; scoops up 4 awards

BTS is unstoppable. The K-pop boy band continues to set fresh records -- becoming the first Korean band to scoop up four awards at the 2021 Billboar...

Internet-only K Bank to raise $1.05 bn in rights offering

Internet-only K Bank to raise $1.05 bn in rights offering

South Korea’s first internet-only bank, K Bank, will be raising 1.2 trillion won ($1.05 billion) from existing and new investors for business ...

ASML joins K-Semiconductor Belt with $210 mn investment by 2025

ASML joins K-Semiconductor Belt with $210 mn investment by 2025

The Netherlands-based ASML Holding N.V., the world’s leading supplier of semiconductor equipment, will be joining the South Korean government-...

K-beauty boom makes S.Korea the fourth-largest cosmetics exporter

K-beauty boom makes S.Korea the fourth-largest cosmetics exporter

Cosmetics industry sees continued export growth for two straight decades K-beauty has emerged as a global trend, thanks to the development of innov...

Entertainment shares to soar in Q2 following BTS, Blackpink comeback

Entertainment shares to soar in Q2 following BTS, Blackpink comeback

South Korean entertainment labels are expected to see their earnings momentum back in full swing in the second quarter as popular K-pop groups such ...

Korean content shares soar as platforms eye overseas expansion

Korean content shares soar as platforms eye overseas expansion

Shares of Korean content providers are flying high as platform operators such as Kakao Entertainment Corp. are looking to expand overseas to bask in...

Growing fandom of BTS, other K-pop idols revives album market

Growing fandom of BTS, other K-pop idols revives album market

In the South Korean music industry, the emergence of Soribada, the country’s first peer-to-peer file-sharing service, in 2000 heralded the beg...

Spotify, Kakao settle licensing dispute; K-pop returns to platform

Spotify, Kakao settle licensing dispute; K-pop returns to platform

Spotify Technology S.A., the world's largest music streaming service, has reached a licensing agreement with Kakao Entertainment Corp., to make musi...

Fresh attempts to produce K-pop boy bands abroad raise eyebrows

Fresh attempts to produce K-pop boy bands abroad raise eyebrows

Last month, South Korea-based Big Hit Entertainment Co. announced plans to team up with Universal Music Group to debut a K-pop boy band in the US. T...

Amorepacific, Shopee ink partnership for Southeast Asian market

Amorepacific, Shopee ink partnership for Southeast Asian market

Amorepacific Corp., the South Korean beauty giant, has signed a partnership agreement with Shopee, a Singaporean e-commerce platform, to expand it...

Big Hit, Naver to join with Universal Music to take K-pop platform global

Big Hit, Naver to join with Universal Music to take K-pop platform global

Big Hit Entertainment Co., the label behind K-pop sensation BTS, and portal giant Naver Corp. are set to team up with Universal Music Group, the wor...

K-pop labels' revenue model shift to usher in new valuations

K-pop labels' revenue model shift to usher in new valuations

South Korean entertainment companies are expanding their scope beyond the music scene and shifting to platform services, ushering in new valuations ...

YouTube enters K-pop streaming scene; competition heats up

YouTube enters K-pop streaming scene; competition heats up

Google Inc., the operator of the world’s largest streaming platform YouTube, has entered the growing local online concert scene, heralding fie...

Naver, Big Hit, YG join forces to conquer K-pop fan community market

Naver, Big Hit, YG join forces to conquer K-pop fan community market

The K-pop fan community scene is set to heat up even further as South Korea platform giant Naver Corp. joins forces with BTS label Big Hit Entertain...

K-content shares rise as OTTs bask in success of dramatized webtoons

K-content shares rise as OTTs bask in success of dramatized webtoons

Korean content providers' shares are emerging as some of the best to buy as competition heats up among global over-the-top (OTT) services such as Ne...

NCSoft’s UNIVERSE fuels competition in K-pop entertainment platforms

NCSoft’s UNIVERSE fuels competition in K-pop entertainment platforms

South Korean game publisher NCSoft Corp. is fueling competition in the online entertainment platform market with the planned launch of its own app, ...

K-startup products sweep CES 2021 innovation awards honors

K-startup products sweep CES 2021 innovation awards honors

A number of products and technologies of Korean startups have received Innovation Awards honors at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021, the wor...

JKL Partners to acquire $150 mn cult-favorite bagel chain London Bagel Museum Kolon's early bets on para-aramid recovery pays off amid AI boom Shinsegae chair likely to head Asian arm of pro-Trump Rockbridge S.Korea’s leading ERP player Douzone Bizon up for sale; EQT Partners in talks MSCI maintains S.Korea’s emerging-market status; level playing field required