Netflix loses first court case over network usage fee

Global streaming giant Netflix Inc. lost a South Korean court case on Friday, in the world's first ruling over a dispute about whether over-the-top ...

Hyundai Motor, Naver offer metaverse driving experience on its N Line

Hyundai Motor Co. is offering a unique driving experience for its high-performance brand, N Line, in a metaverse world created on Zepeto. Zepeto is ...

Korean institutions ranked top US liquidity provider under 2020 TALF

South Korean institutional investors, including the Public Officials Benefit Association (POBA) and Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid Fund, emerged as the ...

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

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...

Kakao enters insurance sector for synergy with its online platforms

Kakao Corp.’s ambition to become an insurer is gradually becoming a reality. The platform giant’s application to start an insurance busi...

FastFive secures near $30 mn; pushes to become office solutions provider

South Korea's co-working space provider FastFive Co. announced on June 11 that it has raised 30 billion won ($27 million) from seven investors, brin...

IMM Investment eyes $900 mn infrastructure fund launch

IMM Investment Corp., a South Korean alternative investment firm, is planning to raise 1 trillion won ($900 million) for its new infrastructure fund...

AI edtech startup Buzzvil readies for 2022 listing; hires IPO manager

South Korea-based artificial intelligence startup Buzzvil is preparing to make a trading debut on the country’s junior bourse Kosdaq in the th...

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 ...

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...

Naver to challenge Amazon with launch of Smart Store platform in Spain

South Korea’s top online portal operator Naver Corp. is taking its online shopping platform Smart Store to Spain to support small merchants in...

ADT Caps hires IPO managers to speed up 2021 listing

ADT Caps Co., South Korea's No. 2 security services provider, has appointed Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and NH Investment & Securities Co. to ...

KDB bets big on fintech platform Toss ahead of 2023 IPO

The Korea Development Bank (KDB) has decided to invest 80 billion won ($72 million) in the fintech startup Toss via a rights offering. This marks th...

Citibank alludes to S.Korean retail business closure

Citibank Korea will begin to examine ways to gradually liquidate its consumer banking business as it faces difficulties in selling the retail operat...

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...

Naver to gain toehold in OTT market via CJ ENM

South Korea's Naver Corp. is expanding its footprint into the over-the-top (OTT) media service market by acquiring a stake in CJ ENM Co.'s OTT platf...

SM Entertainment emerges as next flashpoint for Kakao, Naver rivalry

As SM Entertainment Co., the label behind the global K-pop phenomenon, is up for grabs in the M&A market, the battle heats up between the countr...

Luxury goods platform MUST'IT raises over $10 mn from VC firms

South Korea-based luxury goods platform MUST'IT has secured 13 billion won ($11.7 million) in a bridge round from venture capital firms Kakao Invest...

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...

Naver, CJ ENM join forces to acquire Korea's No.3 web novel platform

South Korea’s platform giant Naver Corp. has joined forces with CJ Group to acquire the country's leading web novel platform Munpia Inc. in a ...

Reading the air

For the past 18 years I have worked in East Asia, four of them here in Korea and the last ten for the Swiss national trade and investment agency calle...

Fintech platform Toss seeks $180 mn in fresh funding

South Korean fintech startup Toss is seeking to raise 200 billion won ($177 million) in fresh funding, which would almost treble its valuation to 8 ...

Fashion platform Ably looks to raise over $20 mn

South Korea-based Ably Corporation, the operator of fashion platform Ably, is seeking to raise around 40 billion won ($35.3 million), attracting a p...

Lotte Chem in hydrogen deal with Air Liquide, invests $185 mn in materials

South Korea’s Lotte Chemical Corp. is diversifying into electric vehicle raw materials and hydrogen businesses as new growth drivers, moving a...

POBA CIO says to expand SMAs, co-investment platforms

South Korea's Public Officials Benefit Association (POBA) has earmarked over 1 trillion won ($900 million) for new real estate investments overseas ...

Heated shopping platform M&As shake up fashion industry

South Korea's fashion industry is all shook up following the No. 1 online fashion platform Musinsa's decision to acquire 29CM, the country’s s...

CVC names ex-Affinity Equity top manager as Korea head

CVC Capital Partners has appointed Chris Rhee, a former partner of Affinity Equity Partners, as its Seoul office head and global partner, according ...

Freelancer market platform Kmong raises near $28mn in Series C round

South-Korea based freelancer market platform Kmong Inc. has successfully attracted 31.2 billion won ($27.8 million) in its latest Series C funding, ...

Startup funding: Metaverse platform Anipen; autonomous vehicle simulator Morai

South Korea-based metaverse platform Anipen has raised 8.5 billion won ($7.6 million) from VC firms, including Partners Investment and Union Investm...