S.Korea’s ruling party gears up for won-based stablecoin legislation

South Korea’s push to launch won-based stablecoins is taking shape as the ruling Democratic Party unveiled proposed legislation to promote cry...

K-content reign continues as Squid Game returns in force

Korean content swept across 93 countries on Netflix in the first half of this year, captivating global audiences with a wider range of genres from d...

Test case looms for Korea’s revised Commercial Act as VIP Asset challenges Lotte Rental’s rights issue to Affinity

Lotte Rental Co., South Korea’s No. 1 car rental and leasing company, is facing a backlash from a key minority shareholder over its planned ri...

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...

South Korea’s Lee completes cabinet lineup with IT executive, lawmaker

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has tapped an information technology firm executive as culture minister and a ruling party lawmaker as land min...

Shinsegae, Hana Financial, Bain Capital to finance $438 mn Starfield Cheongna

Shinsegae Property, a subsidiary of South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group, on Tuesday unveiled a 600 billion won ($438 million) investment agree...

Samsung to buy US health tech firm Xealth in digital health push

Samsung Electronics Co. will acquire Xealth, a US-based healthcare platform provider, as it steps up efforts to foster non-semiconductor businesses ...

Gochujang, fiery seasonings: K-sauces go viral among adventurous foreign palates

Once an afterthought in the global food trade, South Korea’s signature spices and sauces, ranging from fiery gochujang to fermented doenjang, ...

Time to spend: Korean shoppers loosen purse strings on luxuries, hotels

South Korea’s long-dormant consumer sector is showing signs of revival, as shoppers – once paralyzed by political uncertainty – re...

Seoul agrees to reduce Jakarta’s KF-21 cost share by two thirds

South Korea has finally agreed to reduce Indonesia’s contribution to their joint KF-21 fighter jet development project by two thirds to 600 bi...

South Korea accelerates stablecoin framework amid global race

Just one week after electing President Lee Jae-myung, an apparent backer of stablecoin adoption, South Korea is swiftly moving to clear the path for...

Korea’s ruling party revives corporate law reform with stricter rules

South Korea’s ruling party is reviving its push for an amendment to the Commercial Act with tougher mandates aimed at protecting minority shar...

Lee names nominees for prime minister, spy agency chief, other key posts

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday unveiled his nominees for major government posts, including prime minister and spy agency chief, i...

Shinsegae, Ascent Equity Partners weigh acquisition of C&C International

South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group is seeking to acquire local color cosmetics manufacturer C&C International Co. in partnership with pri...

Kakao Pay in talks to acquire SSG.COM’s SSG Pay and Gmarket’s Smile Pay

Kakao Pay Corp., the mobile payment and digital wallet service unit of South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp., is in advanced negotiations to acquire t...

NPS to ramp up shareholder engagement with overseas companies

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) plans to deepen shareholder engagement with its foreign portfolio companies, signaling a more ass...

KKR sells 9.5% stake in HD Hyundai Marine, recoups $450 million

Global private equity firm KKR & Co. Inc., formerly known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., has sold a 9.5% stake in HD Hyundai Marine Solut...

Carlyle CEO shares investment tips with Korean retail investors

The head of The Carlyle Group met with Korean retail investors in a rare session on Thursday, sharing insights on the US economy and global credit m...

With Ulta deal, APR steps up US beauty push

Medicube, the beauty-tech brand under South Korea’s fast-growing beauty company APR Co., will sell its products through both online and offlin...

BMW surpasses Mercedes in Korean sales for 1st time in 10 years

The top five imported car brands in South Korea underwent a major shake-up last year. BMW overtook Mercedes-Benz in sales for the first time in a de...

Hanwha Aerospace slashes planned rights offering size to $1.6 billion

Hanwha Aerospace Co., a leading South Korean defense company, said on Tuesday it plans to slash the size of its proposed rights offering to 2.3 tril...

Korean court reinstates impeached PM Han as acting president

South Korea’s constitutional court on Monday ruled against the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, restoring him to his position as ac...

Red flags raised even before Homeplus crisis: Sales fall, credit ratings cut

Even before South Korea’s second-largest hypermarket chain Homeplus Co. was put under court receivership due to its worsening financial woes, ...

MBK chairman to leverage own funds to pay Homeplus suppliers

Michael ByungJu Kim, the co-founder, partner and chairman of Northeast Asia-focused private equity firm (PEF) MBK Partners Ltd., is expected to leve...

K-beauty shake-up: APR, Shinsegae rise as Aekyung declines

South Korea’s beauty industry is undergoing a major reshuffle, with new players rising to prominence while established giants face growing com...

Korea Investment & Securities explores new products with global firms

Korea Investment & Securities Co. (KIS), a unit of Korea Investment Holdings Inc., is exploring new global investment products tailored for Sout...

MBK-owned Homeplus files for corporate revamp with Seoul court

South Korea’s leading hypermarket operator Homeplus Co., wholly owned by North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners, on Tuesday filed...

S.Korea’s factory output dips in January; Retail sales, investment slow

South Korea’s factory production decreased in the first month of this year due to a manufacturing slowdown, while private consumption and busi...

One-third of Korean petrochem bonds incur valuation losses

South Korean institutional investors, including banks, insurers and securities companies, have yet to fully benefit from recent declines in bond yie...

S.Korea’s corporate bond market cools amid poor earnings

Investors’ appetite for corporate debts sold by South Korea’s petrochemical, retail and battery companies has waned this month amid grim...