S.Korea, Japan ink first free trade deal via 15-country trade bloc

S.Korea, Japan ink first free trade deal via 15-country trade bloc

South Korea joined the world’s biggest free trade regime on Nov. 15 by signing a mulilateral FTA pact that covers 15 countries in the Asia-Pacif...

Amazon, SK Telecom join hands in Korea e-commerce market

Amazon, SK Telecom join hands in Korea e-commerce market

SK Telecom Co. and online retail giant Amazon.com have agreed to team up in South Korea’s e-commerce market, in a deal that could lead to cross-...

S. Korea's shipping firms grapple with container shortages

 S. Korea's shipping firms grapple with container shortages

Growing shipping volumes and surging sea freight rates are wreaking havoc on South Korea's shipping companies, reeling from a dire shortage of contain...

S. Korea's fiscal deficit tops $90 bn; public debt hits record high

S. Korea's fiscal deficit tops $90 bn; public debt hits record high

South Korea's fiscal deficit in September has pushed the annual shortfall to over 100 trillion won ($89.6 billion) with public debt reaching an all-ti...

Global petrochem supply glut divides Korea’s winners, losers

Global petrochem supply glut divides Korea’s winners, losers

The global petrochemical market is grappling with oversupply amid weak demand in the pandemic era, creating a clear divide between winners and losers ...

Korea's most-repurchased mask maker up for sale

Korea's most-repurchased mask maker up for sale

Wellkeeps Co., a South Korean mask manufacturer, has issued an information memorandum to potential buyers including financial investors and strategic ...

SAP joins growing competition in S. Korea's cloud market

SAP joins growing competition in S. Korea's cloud market

SAP, a German enterprise software giant, is expected to heat up competition in South Korea's cloud market as it unveils plans to build a data center i...

S. Korea’s current account surplus at 2-yr high; full-year surplus to top BOK forecast

S. Korea’s current account surplus at 2-yr high; full-year surplus to top BOK forecast

South Korea’s current account surplus rose in September to its highest level in two years on the back of rebounding exports of chips and automob...

Korea’s No. 1 chicken franchise raises $8.2bn in subscriptions

Korea’s No. 1 chicken franchise raises $8.2bn in subscriptions

South Korea’s No. 1 fried chicken franchise operator Kyochon F&B pulled in a staggering $8.2 billion in deposits during its two-day public s...

Korea's largest job portal JobKorea up for sale

Korea's largest job portal JobKorea up for sale

South Korea-based private equity firm H&Q has begun the sale process for JobKorea, the country's largest job portal estimated to be worth up to $7...

KIC CEO Choi Heenam named S.Korea’s financial ambassador

KIC CEO Choi Heenam named S.Korea’s financial ambassador

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed Choi Heenam, chief executive of the Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), as the country's...

S. Korea's FX reserves rise for 7th straight month to record-high $426.5 bn

S. Korea's FX reserves rise for 7th straight month to record-high $426.5 bn

South Korea's foreign exchange reserves rose for a seventh straight month to a fresh record high in October due to gains in non-dollar assets and incr...

Korea’s EV battery stocks surge on Europe sales, US vote

Korea’s EV battery stocks surge on Europe sales, US vote

Shares of South Korea’s three leading electric vehicle battery makers surged Tuesday, on strong electric car sales in Europe and expectations th...

Strong KRW helps S. Korea hold above $30,000 per capita GNI

Strong KRW helps S. Korea hold above $30,000 per capita GNI

South Korea’s per capita income is expected to continue its downward streak for the second straight year in 2020 due to the coronavirus impact, ...

Samsung to supply mobile chips to Xiaomi, Oppo; to rank 3rd in AP market

Samsung to supply mobile chips to Xiaomi, Oppo; to rank 3rd in AP market

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to supply its Exynos mobile processor chips to China’s two leading handset makers, Xiaomi and Oppo, next yea...

SK Holdings' board underpins new standard in Korea

SK Holdings' board underpins new standard in Korea

On Jul. 21, SK Holdings Co.'s board of directors rejected management's request to simplify the reporting procedure for investment proposals. Among the...

Why Korea struggles to manage the US, China

Why Korea struggles to manage the US, China

As the United States and China fight like proverbial whales in the ocean, middle power dolphins like South Korea must strategize to avoid being crushe...

How the Lee Kun-hee mobile phone became a blockbuster

How the Lee Kun-hee mobile phone became a blockbuster

This is the third in a four-part series that will delve into Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s New Management initiative that charted Samsung's course in b...

Transparency, GP commitment key in Korea LPs' manager selection

Transparency, GP commitment key in Korea LPs' manager selection

South Korea’s leading institutional investors, including the National Pension Service (NPS), rated general partners’ (GP) commitment and f...

KKR’s $3 bn Asia infra fund to raise $200 mn from Korea

KKR’s $3 bn Asia infra fund to raise $200 mn from Korea

South Korean pension funds and insurance companies will commit $200 million in aggregate to KKR’s first Asia infrastructure fund targeting to ra...

TPG to invest $222 mn in mobile banking app KakaoBank

TPG to invest $222 mn in mobile banking app KakaoBank

TPG will acquire a 2.7% stake in South Korea’s mobile banking app KakaoBank for 250 billion won ($222 million) ahead of an initial public offeri...

Why Lee set fire to over 150,000 mobile phones

Why Lee set fire to over 150,000 mobile phones

This is the first of a four-part series that will delve into Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s New Management initiative that charted Samsung's course to b...

Neon signs give way to no-sign trend in Korea

Neon signs give way to no-sign trend in Korea

Flashy, glittery neon signs used to be one of the signature sights of Seoul, a city that never sleeps. But these signs are slowly becoming a thing of ...

Korea's signature sauce gochujang goes global, riding on K-wave

South Korea’s food exports have surged on the back of Korean dramas, or more popularly known as K-dramas, gaining global popularity particularly...

US-China tensions push S. Korea to find middle way

US-China tensions push S. Korea to find middle way

The US and China trade disputes are unlikely to fade, whoever wins the Nov. 3 US presidential election, and South Korea needs to find a middle way bet...

Coffee Bean Korea seeks 100% stake sell-off

Coffee Bean Korea seeks 100% stake sell-off

South Korea’s popular coffee house Coffee Bean Korea Co. is seeking to sell a 100% stake in the company held by Chief Executive Officer Park San...

Korea's signature sauce gochujang goes global, riding on K-wave

Korea's signature sauce gochujang goes global, riding on K-wave

South Korea’s food exports have surged on the back of Korean dramas, more popularly known as K-dramas, gaining global popularity particularly in...

South Korea, The Oracle of Global Trends

South Korea, The Oracle of Global Trends

Back in early 2004, my friend and I met with Bill Gurley and Mark Evans from Benchmark Capital, who were visiting Seoul from Silicon Valley to gat...

COVID-19 pandemic slams Korea’s job market; elderly workers rise

COVID-19 pandemic slams Korea’s job market; elderly workers rise

Hit hard by the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea lost about 392,000 jobs in September, with the number of employed slipping for the se...

SK Telecom to spin off mobility unit, launch JV with Uber

SK Telecom to spin off mobility unit, launch JV with Uber

SK Telecom Co. is spinning off its mobility platform business as a separate entity and also launching a joint venture with US ride-hailing company Ube...

Allianz-backed Koh Young’s brain surgery robot set for US debut by End-August Roborock’s privacy policy fuels data leak fears over Chinese goods Sale of $1.5 bn Pangyo Tech 1, overseen by Mirae Asset, draws strong bids from global PEFs Kia to make, sell China-launched EV5 in Korea to keep top spot Samsung Asset leads H1 AUM rankings amid ETF boom