IMM joins $600 mn fund for K-beauty unicorn Goodai Global in M&A drive

IMM Private Equity and five other South Korean private equity firms are set to invest a total of 800 billion won ($600 million) in Goodai Global Inc...

Seoul likely to miss US tariff deal deadline as Washington abruptly cancels 2+2 trade talks

The United States has abruptly postponed high-level trade talks with South Korea, raising concerns in Seoul that it is slipping down Washington&rsqu...

US tariffs dent Hyundai Motor's Q2 earnings despite solid sales

Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday reported its first double-digit profit fall in five years in the second quarter despite posting record second-quarter ...

PwC Korea named to lead $360 mn sale of K Shipbuilding; preferred buyer likely by year-end

K Shipbuilding Co., once a rising star in South Korea’s shipbuilding industry under the STX Group, is returning to the auction block – t...

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...

Olive Young, a must-stop for foreign visitors to South Korea

For many foreign visitors to South Korea, a trip to the beauty retailer Olive Young is as essential as sampling kimchi or touring Gyeongbokgung Pala...

Hyundai Hyms sale kicks off as J& Private Equity sends out teaser letters

Hyundai Hyms Co., a Kosdaq-listed ship block manufacturer, is officially on the auction block as its private equity owner, J& Private Equity (J&...

TaylorMade sale takes new turn as F&F hires Goldman for bid

F&F Holdings Co., a South Korean fashion retailer and the largest strategic investor in TaylorMade, has entered a head-to-head showdown with Cen...

TPG’s sale of cosmetics packaging specialist Samhwa to KKR: A textbook turnaround story

Global private equity firm TPG has struck one of this year’s standout mid-cap deals in South Korea, selling Samhwa Co., a cosmetics packaging ...

Celltrion eyes record high sales in 2025, fueled by high-margin biosimilars

Celltrion Inc., South Korea’s leading biosimilar drug developer, is poised to reap nearly 5 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in revenue this year a...

Weverse BTS Community tops 30 mn subscribers, platform's largest

The BTS Community on Weverse, the online fan engagement platform where the boy band first announced plans to return as a full-member group next spri...

Jennie, J-Hope, Jin sweep Spotify’s global K-pop rankings for mid-2025

K-pop icons Jennie of Blackpink and BTS members Jin and J-Hope have taken over Spotify’s mid-year 2025 Global Impact List, claiming the majori...

Blackpink’s Jump tops Spotify Global Chart, sets K-Pop record

With their latest digital single Jump, Blackpink has become the first – and so far only – South Korean act to top Spotify’s Global...

IMM PE pitches A’pieu sale in breakup of struggling Able C&C

IMM Private Equity Inc. is pursuing a separate sale of A’pieu, a color makeup brand under Able C&C Co., as the Seoul-based private equity ...

Yes, it’s K-beauty: Strong buying appetite for makeup brands even before they're up for sale

In South Korea’s M&A landscape, beauty companies are no longer waiting to put themselves on the market. They’re being courted before...

Korea Investment & Securities, UBP seek private banking partnership

Korea Investment & Securities Co. (KIS), a unit of Korea Investment Holdings Co., said on Thursday it has discussed a strategic partnership with...

Hanwha-owned burger chain Five Guys Korea up for sale two years after launch

South Korea’s Hanwha Group is seeking to sell the Korean operations of US premium burger chain Five Guys, two years after the brand’s hi...

S.Korea’s Bebesup earns China nod for baby skincare, eyes global expansion 

Bebesup, a leading South Korean baby skincare and wipe brand, has secured a registration certificate from the China National Medical Products Admini...

Deal graveyard: S.Korean F&B franchise sales left without takers

Korean food is making waves globally, but back home, the story is different for food and beverage franchise operators. Franchisors in South Korea ar...

K-beauty craze sends Olive Young online sales to new heights

CJ Olive Young Corp., South Korea’s top beauty store chain, is another beneficiary of the global K-beauty surge, with its online cosmetics sal...

Hyundai Motor’s high-stakes gambit in US: Cut vehicle prices as rivals hike theirs

As global automakers raise prices in the US market to respond to new Washington import tariffs, South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group is taking th...

Hyundai premieres IONIQ 6 N: Latest motorsport DNA for electric age

In a dramatic showing on the famed hill climb of West Sussex, Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday debuted the IONIQ 6 N, its second high-performance elect...

Organic food chain Chorocmaeul up for sale amid liquidity woes

Financial investors in Chorocmaeul Co., a South Korean organic food store chain, are seeking to sell the management control of the company, which re...

Rap icon Cardi B joins K-beauty’s celebrity fan club with BB cream

Cardi B, the Grammy-winning rapper, has joined the growing list of celebrities spotlighting Korean beauty products, fueling a new wave of global ent...

POSCO sells Chinese stainless steel JV to Chinese rival for $300 mn

POSCO, South Korea’s largest steelmaker, has sold Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel (PZSS), its loss-generating stainless steel joint ventur...

Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman courts Korean AI startups as Riyadh, Abu Dhabi vie to build tech hubs

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Middle East was a land of opportunity for many South Korean construction workers, who labored there under the scorc...

K Shipbuilding up for sale as Korean shipyards ride new boom

K Shipbuilding Co., a mid-tier South Korean shipbuilder, will be put on the market this month after a strong turnaround. The deal, estimated at 500 ...

Samsung’s Q2 operating profit halves amid sluggish chip sales

Samsung Electronics Co.'s operating profit in the second quarter missed market expectations, with a 56% on-year fall, as its mainstay semiconductor ...

LG Group executives to meet with Honda CEO to explore partnership

LG Group is accelerating its efforts to build a partnership with Honda Motor Co. as South Korea's fourth-largest conglomerate beefs up its automotiv...

Sale of $1.5 bn Pangyo Tech 1, overseen by Mirae Asset, draws strong bids from global PEFs

The sale of Pangyo Tech 1, a landmark office tower in Pangyo, South Korea’s answer to the US' Silicon Valley, has drawn strong bidding interes...