BOK chief warns household debt near tipping point, keeps rates steady
Rhee Chang-yong, governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK), warned on Thursday that mounting household debt is now undermining both private consumption an...
Partners Group sees infrastructure secondaries quadrupling to $60 bn
Infrastructure secondaries are gaining momentum as the infrastructure sector attracts investors seeking stable and predictable returns amid heighten...
Korean pension funds, insurers seek customized investment vehicles
South Korean institutional investors are increasingly interested in separately managed accounts (SMAs) that offer customized strategies, as well as ...
POBA bullish on REITs, real estate debts and senior housing
South Korea’s Public Officials Benefit Association (POBA) is betting big on real estate investment trusts (REITs) and senior housing in the US...
Korea’s Q1 economic contraction adds to stimulus expectations
South Korea's economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter as exports and consumption fell amid a political crisis and fears over the impact...
S.Korean gaming giant Netmarble eyes headquarters building sale
Netmarble Corp., a leading South Korean gaming company, is seeking to sell its headquarters building in Seoul, which could fetch up to 800 billion w...
BOK stands pat; rate cut likely within 3 months as economic growth slows
The Bank of Korea (BOK) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75% on Thursday, with Governor Rhee Chang-yong warning that a surge in globa...
Seoul Guarantee Insurance to raise $124 million from IPO
Seoul Guarantee Insurance Co. (SGI) will raise 181.5 billion won ($124.2 million) through an initial public offering later this month in its second ...
S.Korean investors name their 33 favorite alternative asset managers
Blackstone and HarbourVest Partners are South Korean institutional investors’ preferred private equity firms, according to a survey by Korea I...
LG companies flock to debt, equity markets to raise $2.8 billion
Companies under South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate LG Group scrambled to sell shares and bonds to raise 4 trillion won ($2.8 billion) e...
PAG raises $4 bn for opportunistic Asia real estate fund
PAG, an Asia Pacific-focused alternative investment firm, on Friday announced the final close of its 10th opportunistic real estate fund at $4 billi...
Foreigners return to Korean debt market; Korea on course to join WGBI
Foreigners scooped up South Korean government bonds in January despite the country’s ongoing political upheavals, betting big on the country&r...
S.Korea’s economy grows 2.0% in 2024; Q4 GDP below forecast
South Korea’s economy expanded 2.0% last year, falling short of the central bank’s forecast on weaker-than-expected growth in the fourth...
Korean bonds heavily oversubscribed in January boom
South Korea’s debt market got off to a strong start this year, as several blue chip companies made a bold return to the bond market for new is...
Real estate debt outshines corporate credit: Savills IM
Private credit has been among the top picks for alternative investors over the past few years. During the period of high interest rates, corporate l...
Korean lenders to Accell warn they may boycott KKR
KKR & Co. is facing a huge backlash from South Korean financial services firms after the debt restructuring of Dutch bicycle manufacturer Accell...
Korea debt financing faces woes as $34 bn in corporate bonds mature in H1
South Korea’s financial markets will see nearly 50 trillion won ($34 billion) in corporate bonds mature in the first half of next year —...
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...
Korean firms halt bond, share issues despite tighter liquidity
South Korean companies are postponing bond issues and initial public offerings on chilled investor sentiment in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk ...
IFM Investors bets big on infrastructure investing: Gee-Grant
IFM Investors, a global investment manager owned by Australian pension funds, is looking to infrastructure as the fastest-growing asset segment for ...
BOK to keep rate at 3.25% in Nov despite dim GDP outlook: survey
South Korea’s central bank is expected to freeze its policy rate at 3.25% during its last monetary policy meeting of the year to prevent any f...
State-run think tank KDI slashes GDP forecast, urges BOK to cut rates
The Korea Development Institute (KDI), South Korea’s state-run think tank, has slashed its forecasts for the country’s economic growth f...
Korea’s household debt sees ‘balloon effect’ as rules tightened in Seoul
South Korea’s household lending market is witnessing a balloon effect as tighter government lending rules for Seoul and its surrounding metrop...
NPS commits $436 mn to Koramco, Hana Alternative for real estate lending
The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s largest institutional investor, has selected Koramco Asset Management Co. and Hana Alternati...
Korea Zinc shares skyrocket after buybacks in tender offer
Shares in Korea Zinc Inc. soared on Thursday, a day after completing its buybacks, driven by institutional investors covering shorts on the stock an...
Korean brokerages flock to debt market with securities bonds on bull run
South Korea’s leading brokerage houses are flocking to the debt market as bonds issued by securities companies are in growing demand, industry...
Doosan to resume Bobcat, Robotics merger with new ratio
South Korea’s plant and machinery powerhouse Doosan Group will resume the merger of Doosan Bobcat Inc. and Doosan Robotics Inc. using a new me...
Private debt remains attractive; NPLs rekindle interest
Private debt remains attractive for South Korean pension and big asset owners, although they may offer lower yields than before given recent interes...
Foreign appetite for Korean stocks wanes with $5.5 bn in September sales
Foreign investors' appetite for South Korean stocks turned sour with sales of 7.36 trillion won ($5.5 billion) worth of shares on the Korean bourse ...
S.Korea’s Q2 GDP slows 0.2%, upholds rate cut expectations
South Korea’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter on weaker domestic consumption and investment by private businesses, heightening ex...
