BOK chief warns household debt near tipping point, keeps rates steady

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

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

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

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...

S.Korean gaming giant Netmarble eyes headquarters building sale

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...

S.Korean investors name their 33 favorite alternative asset managers

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

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 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 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...

Korean bonds heavily oversubscribed in January boom

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 ...

Korea’s household debt sees ‘balloon effect’ as rules tightened in Seoul

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

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...

Korean brokerages flock to debt market with securities bonds on bull run

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...

Private debt remains attractive; NPLs rekindle interest

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...

Korean pension funds to up private equity exposure in 2025

Korean pension funds to up private equity exposure in 2025

South Korea's major pension and savings funds see no drastic reshuffle to their portfolios tilted to private debts next year. But they are looking t...

Foreign appetite for Korean stocks wanes with $5.5 bn in September sales

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 ...

BOK signals autumn rate cut as inflation, economic growth slow

BOK signals autumn rate cut as inflation, economic growth slow

South Korea’s central bank is likely to reduce interest rates in the next three months as inflation is expected to ease amid a slowdown in Asi...

Korea’s household debt hits record high on mortage loans

Korea’s household debt hits record high on mortage loans

South Korea’s household debt hit a record high in the second quarter as the domestic housing market started to recover and more consumers rush...

SK seeks sale of specialty gas unit for around $3 bn

SK seeks sale of specialty gas unit for around $3 bn

SK Group, the second-largest conglomerate in South Korea, is considering selling global leading specialty gas producer SK Specialty Co. for around 4...

Qxpress investors to take over Qoo10 founder's control

Qxpress investors to take over Qoo10 founder's control

Financial investors of Qxpress Pte. are set to take over Singapore-based Qoo10 Pte. and its founder Ku Young Bae’s control amid financial turm...

S.Korea’s July household debt grows at fastest pace in over 3 years

S.Korea’s July household debt grows at fastest pace in over 3 years

South Korea’s household debt is expanding at the fastest pace in over three years, clouding growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and ...

Doosan Robotics to merge with Doosan Bobcat by early 2025

Doosan Robotics to merge with Doosan Bobcat by early 2025

Doosan Robotics Inc. will complete a merger with Doosan Bobcat Inc. by early next year, a move aimed at prodding Bobcat to take an active role in ex...

Net zero, digitalization to boost private infrastructure investment

Net zero, digitalization to boost private infrastructure investment

Infrastructure debt is a growing asset class with much to offer investors, with a wide range of assets and characteristics available. AllianzGI mana...

MG Non-Life Insurance deal falls through with no bidders

MG Non-Life Insurance deal falls through with no bidders

The sale of South Korean mid-sized insurer MG Non-Life Insurance Co. has been canceled as the financially distressed insurer failed to attract any b...

Kakao Pay backs out of acquisition deal for SSG Pay, Smile Pay Hanwha in talks to buy five-star hotel Paraspara Seoul Kia's Lego-like PV5 with 16 variants to hit market in July Stray Kids make K-pop history with landmark stadium show in Germany S.Korea’s most prominent business leader returns with all charges cleared