K-beauty contract manufacturers see record Q2 profits; rally likely to continue

K-beauty contract manufacturers see record Q2 profits; rally likely to continue

South Korea’s major original design manufacturers (ODMs) for cosmetics, led by Cosmax Inc. and Kolmar Korea Co., are estimated to have posted ...

At home, K-convenience stores battle stagnation; abroad they're powerful K-food ambassadors

At home, K-convenience stores battle stagnation; abroad they're powerful K-food ambassadors

In the bustling backstreets of Ulaanbaatar, shoppers file out of a CU convenience store with instant tteokbokki, or simmered Korean rice cake, packs...

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

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...

Blackpink's new single Jump tops Spotify daily chart

Blackpink's new single Jump tops Spotify daily chart

Blackpink's new single Jump has rocketed to No. 1 on the Spotify Daily Top Songs Global chart, YG Entertainment Inc., the company behind the girl gr...

K-content goes cultural: KPop Demon Hunters sparks heritage K-goods craze

K-content goes cultural: KPop Demon Hunters sparks heritage K-goods craze

Netflix’s smash-hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters is more than just a pop culture phenomenon. It is fueling global interest in Korean herit...

Return of the K-pop queens: Blackpink, Twice power up YG, JYP

Return of the K-pop queens: Blackpink, Twice power up YG, JYP

Blackpink and Twice, two of South Korea’s most prominent K-pop female acts, made high-profile returns on Friday with new releases, heightening...

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

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...

K-style strikes back to win over China’s Gen Z with Musinsa at helm

K-style strikes back to win over China’s Gen Z with Musinsa at helm

Musinsa, South Korea’s fashion unicorn backed by KKR Co., is set to bring the K-style wave to China with Anta Sports Products Ltd., China's le...

BTS’ Jungkook, IU crowned most-loved K-pop artists worldwide

BTS’ Jungkook, IU crowned most-loved K-pop artists worldwide

BTS’ Jungkook and IU, a singer and actress, have claimed the top spots on the most-favorite K-pop artist charts in both the male and female ca...

K Shipbuilding up for sale as Korean shipyards ride new boom

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 ...

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

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, ...

India’s love for K-ice cream spurs Lotte to boost expansion

India’s love for K-ice cream spurs Lotte to boost expansion

South Korean confectionery giant Lotte Wellfood Co. is targeting 15% sales growth in India this year, following the completion of a merger betw...

Hong Kong-based CLSA to invest $36.6 mn in K-Beauty pioneer Jungsaemmool Beauty

Hong Kong-based CLSA to invest $36.6 mn in K-Beauty pioneer Jungsaemmool Beauty

Hong Kong-based private equity firm CLSA Capital Partners Ltd. has been picked as a preferred bidder to invest 50 billion won ($36.6 million) in Jun...

Fictional K-pop band Saja Boys beat BTS, Blackpink to top US Spotify charts

Fictional K-pop band Saja Boys beat BTS, Blackpink to top US Spotify charts

A fictional K-pop boy band from a Netflix animated feature has achieved what few real-world Korean acts have – to top the US Spotify chart.You...

Samsung Asset leads H1 AUM rankings amid ETF boom

Samsung Asset leads H1 AUM rankings amid ETF boom

South Korea’s asset management industry posted stellar growth in the first half of 2025, buoyed by a 28% surge in the country’s benchmar...

HYBE to bring K-pop idol playbook to India, tapping local talent

HYBE to bring K-pop idol playbook to India, tapping local talent

India, a country of 1.4 billion people, will be HYBE Co.'s next stop to test its K-pop model by discovering and nurturing local talent under its Cha...

From G-Dragon to Ibuki: Dongmyo emerges as global fashion hotspot

From G-Dragon to Ibuki: Dongmyo emerges as global fashion hotspot

Once a humble thrift market popular among older locals in Seoul, Dongmyo Market, often dubbed Dongmyo flea market, has become a vibrant hotspot for ...

Fubon Bank expands Korea presence into banking

Fubon Bank expands Korea presence into banking

Fubon Bank, Taiwan’s largest bank, is poised to open its first office in Seoul in July, expanding its footprint in South Korea beyond insuranc...

Hana Asset launches ultra-low-fee Nasdaq 100 ETF

Hana Asset launches ultra-low-fee Nasdaq 100 ETF

Hana Asset Management Co. will list the “1Q US Nasdaq 100 ETF” on Tuesday, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the Nasdaq 100 index with...

Even barcodes copied: Counterfeits invasion threatens K-brands

Even barcodes copied: Counterfeits invasion threatens K-brands

Counterfeit Korean beauty, fashion and food products are surging on overseas e-commerce platforms, with lookalike packaging making them hard to dist...

Loss-making Lotte Chemical to sell water treatment unit to Synopex

Loss-making Lotte Chemical to sell water treatment unit to Synopex

Lotte Chemical Corp., South Korea’s second-largest petrochemical company grappling with mounting losses amid a prolonged industry downturn, wi...

Mirae Asset debuts AI-recommended ETF on NYSE to invest in US bonds

Mirae Asset debuts AI-recommended ETF on NYSE to invest in US bonds

Mirae Asset Financial Group, one of the largest asset managers in South Korea, has launched its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) investing in high-q...

Affirma Capital to acquire Equis’ Korean waste assets for $294 million

Affirma Capital to acquire Equis’ Korean waste assets for $294 million

Affirma Capital, a Singapore-headquartered buyout private equity firm, has agreed to acquire the entire portfolio of South Korean waste processing a...

Miri Capital closes in on STIC Investments chairman’s stake

Miri Capital closes in on STIC Investments chairman’s stake

Miri Capital Management LLC has steadily raised its stake in STIC Investments Inc., narrowing the ownership gap with the firm’s founder and Ch...

South Korean eyewear poised to spark next global K-wave

South Korean eyewear poised to spark next global K-wave

As eyewear evolves into a key fashion statement, South Korea’s homegrown brands are setting their sights on the global stage with bold, unconv...

K-pop pilgrimage boosts Seoul ahead of BTS comeback

K-pop pilgrimage boosts Seoul ahead of BTS comeback

With the days numbered until all seven BTS members reunite as a group, a K-pop pilgrimage is revitalizing Seoul’s cultural and tourism sectors...

Jollibee to buy chicken chain Norang Tongdak amid global K-food frenzy

Jollibee to buy chicken chain Norang Tongdak amid global K-food frenzy

Jollibee Foods Corp., a household name in Southeast Asia’s food market, has been named the preferred buyer of Norang Tongdak, a South Korean f...

Now, it’s K-vehicle: KG Mobility, Kia lead S.Korea’s military vehicle exports

Now, it’s K-vehicle: KG Mobility, Kia lead S.Korea’s military vehicle exports

South Korea’s once domestically focused automakers are making significant inroads into the global defense sector, with a string of recent cont...

Ramen, ready-to-eat meals lead 10% rise in 2024 K-food exports

Ramen, ready-to-eat meals lead 10% rise in 2024 K-food exports

South Korea’s food exports climbed 10% on-year to $7.26 billion in 2024, led by ramen, ready-to-eat meals and seasoned seaweed, according to g...

NPS, KIC step up focus on mid-market infrastructure

NPS, KIC step up focus on mid-market infrastructure

The National Pension Service (NPS) and Korea Investment Corp. (KIC) are actively exploring mid-market infrastructure opportunities as they are expec...

Maru SF to open in Silicon Valley in November as Korean startup gateway Hanwha-owned burger chain Five Guys Korea up for sale two years after launch HYBE Chair Bang referred to prosecutors over alleged unfair trading Vietnam’s top leader to make 1st South Korea visit in 11 years Test case looms for Korea’s revised Commercial Act as VIP Asset challenges Lotte Rental’s rights issue to Affinity