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...

S.Korea to elevate science minister to deputy prime minister to lead in AI race

South Korea will elevate its new science minister to a deputy ministerial post, giving him authority to serve as the top coordinator of the governme...

Hanwha acquires Indonesian bank, first foreign banking venture by Korean insurer

Hanwha Life Insurance Co. has become the first South Korean insurance firm to advance into the overseas banking sector by securing a controlling sta...

Kolon's early bets on para-aramid recovery pays off amid AI boom

The artificial intelligence boom is spilling over into the industrial fiber market, driving demand for para-aramid, a so-called super fiber essentia...

GEPS taps former KB Asset chief risk officer as new CIO

South Korea’s Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS) on Wednesday appointed Sohn Young-jin, former head of risk management at KB Asset Ma...

JLL, Savills to lead Seoul Square sale in $1 bn deal

JLL and Savills have been tapped to lead the sale of Seoul Square, a landmark office tower, valued at around 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion), adding t...

Samsung Biologics drives foreign lead in Korea’s biotech supply chain

A surge in orders from Samsung Biologics Co., the world’s largest contract drugmaker, has propelled South Korea to the forefront of global rev...

Korea's science ministry picks 10 AI, digital startups to back global growth

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday announced that it has selected 10 startups founded by Koreans in a program to support th...

Woori Financial wins approval for Tongyang, ABL Life acquisition

Woori Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s fourth-largest financial services provider, has received conditional approval from the country&rsquo...

Kookmin Bank raises $700 mn in forex bonds amid strong demand

Kookmin Bank, a unit of KB Financial Group, raised $700 million in foreign exchange bonds on Tuesday, signaling a recovery in investor sentiment tow...

Kyobo Life poised to buy Japan’s SBI Group-owned savings bank

Kyobo Life Insurance Co. is in the final stages of negotiation with Japanese financial group SBI Holdings Inc. to buy about a 50% stake in SBI Savin...

Warburg Pincus-Wide Creek Asset JV picks up 2nd Korean logistics asset

US private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC and South Korean real estate manager Wide Creek Asset Management Co. are building a logistics center for l...

Meritz drops bid for troubled MG Non-Life Insurance; Liquidation looms

Meritz Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s second-most valuable financial holding firm, has dropped its bid to acquire financial distressed MG...

Affinity, GIC sell out of Kyobo Life; Chairman Shin seeks holding firm, M&A

Affinity Equity Partners and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC have sold their entire stake in Kyobo Life Insurance Co., exiting from thei...

Kyobo Life’s Shin in talks with Affinity, GIC over exits below purchase price

Kyobo Life Insurance Co., South Korea’s third-largest life insurer, is in talks with some of its financial investors (FIs) to help them exit f...

Samsung Life, Samsung Fire sell $193 mn in Samsung Electronics shares

Samsung Life Insurance Co., South Korea’s largest life insurer, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., the country’s No. 1 non-lif...

Samsung Life mulls putting Samsung Fire under its wing as subsidiary

Samsung Life Insurance Co., South Korea’s largest life insurer, is considering bringing Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., the country&r...

Korea Inc. to face refunding risks with record corporate bond maturities

South Korean companies are expected to face refunding risks thanks to record corporate bond maturities in the first half of 2025, as fundraising con...

Hanwha Life acquires US securities firm Velocity

South Korea's Hanwha Life Insurance said on Wednesday it signed a stock purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire a 75% stake in Velocity Clearing LLC, ...

Korea Inc. rushes to booming local corporate bond market

South Korean companies are rushing to raise money in the local corporate bond market, which is unusually buoyant at year's end amid expectations of ...

Korean indie fashion brands spread wings to Japan, China

Matin Kim, a rising designer brand in South Korea, will open its first offline store in Japan in the first half of next year, joining other Korean i...

SK Telecom unveils AI personal agent Aster for global users

SK Telecom Co. on Tuesday unveiled an AI-driven personal assistant Aster (A*) that understands users' intentions and goes beyond answering simple qu...

Shinsegae Group splits E-Mart, department store with executive reshuffles

South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Group on Wednesday carried out one of its most drastic executive reshuffles, officially splitting the gro...

MBK’s Korea Zinc takeover attempt to spur search for white knights

North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd.’s attempt to take control of Korea Zinc Inc. and the country’s plan to require ...

HD Hyundai to build int'l standards for carbon emissions

South Korea's HD Hyundai Marine Solution Co. said on Wednesday that it signed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Agreement with HD Hyundai Samho and the ...

DB Insurance outshines domestic rivals in global business

DB Insurance Co. raked in the biggest profits from overseas operations among South Korean insurance companies in the first half of this year, leadin...

LG NOVA hosts Innovation Festival in US

LG Electronics Inc. 's North American Innovation Center (LG NOVA) said on Monday that it held an Innovation Festival last Wednesday and Thursday at ...

Kolon expands eco-friendly car interior materials biz

South Korea's Kolon Industries Inc., the Kolon Group's chemical materials arm, will absorb its affiliate Kolon Glotech's automotive materials and pa...

Woori signs $1.16 bn deal to acquire Tongyang, ABL Life from China’s Dajia

Woori Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s fourth-largest financial services provider, said on Wednesday it has signed a deal to acquire Tongya...

Kolon FnC to launch Italian high-end brand N21 in S.Korea

South Korea's Kolon FnC said on Thursday that it will launch the Italian high-end fashion brand N21 in South Korea.In August, Kolon FnC has secured ...