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 ...

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...

Samsung to launch AI health coach beta in US by end-2025

NEW YORK – Samsung Electronics Co. will roll out a beta version of AI-powered health coach within the Samsung Health application in the US by ...

Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z foldables: Slimmest, lightest yet smarter with AI features

NEW YORK – Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled its slimmest and most powerful foldable smartphones yet, loading them with artificial intellig...

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...

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, ...

Roborock’s privacy policy fuels data leak fears over Chinese goods

A new personal data processing policy from Chinese robot vacuum maker Roborock is raising fears that consumer data could be leaked to or misused by ...

Hyundai Rotem seals record $6.5 bn K2 tank deal with Poland

Hyundai Rotem Co., a South Korean defense system developer, will export its battle tanks to Poland in what would be the largest single export deal f...

Netmarble to debut new games with fresh IPs, platforms in second half

Netmarble Corp. is gearing up for a strong year-end with plans to launch at least six more new games, powered by original intellectual properties, a...

NPS, Scape acquire Aussie senior living operator Aveo from Brookfield

South Korea’s state-run pension fund, the National Pension Service (NPS), has partnered with Australia’s student housing specialist Scap...

S.Korea’s pension fund NPS posts weaker returns amid US tariff concerns

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s state-run pension fund and the country’s largest institutional investor, is posting sh...

Naver Financial seeks to acquire S. Korean real estate data platform Asil

Naver Financial Corp., the fintech subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Naver Corp., is looking to acquire Asil, a domestic big data-based real est...

Korea to allow non-profits to buy bad consumer loans

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) has proposed regulatory changes that would allow non-profit organizations to purchase bad loans from individ...

Kakao Mobility to build smart infrastructure for Saudi Diriyah project

Kakao Mobility Corp., which runs South Korea’s most popular ride-hailing app, Kakao T, has clinched a deal to build a future mobility infrastr...

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...

Tencent to become SM Entertainment's No. 2 shareholder via HYBE deal

Tencent Music Entertainment Group is set to become the second-largest shareholder of SM Entertainment Co. by acquiring HYBE Co.'s remaining shares i...

Shinhan Securities acquires stake in Vietnam’s top trading platform FireAnt

Shinhan Securities Co., a leading South Korean brokerage house, has acquired a strategic equity stake in FireAnt, Vietnam’s largest retail tra...

Kumho Tire shuts Gwangju plant after fire, derailing record sales run

Kumho Tire Co. has suspended all operations at its Gwangju plant in South Korea after a fire destroyed 50-60% of the production lines in one of its ...

K-Beauty defies seasonal slump with record $980 mn in April exports

The global appetite for Korean beauty products shows no sign of slowing, with their exports in April surging 20% year on year to a record high, ev...

KakaoBank posts record Q1 profit, eyes Thai expansion after Indonesia

KakaoBank Corp., a leading South Korean internet-only bank, posted its highest quarterly profit in the first quarter, defying a drop in interest inc...

Korea’s pharmaceutical exports set to top $10 bn, led by ‘K-M7’ champions

South Korea’s pharmaceutical exports are on course to surpass $10 billion this year, underscoring the country’s growing clout in the glo...

CJ CheilJedang scraps sale of Brazilian unit CJ Selecta to Bunge

CJ CheilJedang Corp., South Korea’s largest food company, has cancelled the sale of a 66% stake in Brazilian soybean crusher CJ Selecta S.A. a...

Exports of Korea-made used cars to hit record high in 2025

South Korea’s exports of used cars by its homegrown auto brands are expected to hit a historic high this year, thanks to their improved brand ...

Shinhan Financial’s overseas business blooms, on track for record earnings

Shinhan Financial Group Co., South Korea’s leading financial holding company, is poised to surpass 1 trillion won ($692 million) in annual net...

Kia maintains double-digit margin in Q1 with record revenue

Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, extended its double-digit profit margin streak to a 10th consecutive quarter, posting recor...

Samsung seeks tech alliance with top US universities for robotics, AI, 6G

In an ambitious bid to shape the future of technology, Samsung Electronics Co. is launching a sweeping initiative to collaborate with elite North Am...

Naver, Kurly tie up to counter e-commerce giant Coupang

South Korea’s online giant Naver Corp. and dawn grocery platform service provider Kurly Inc. have joined forces for a potential stake acquisit...

Koreans cut spending in March, except on health, education

South Korean consumers exhibited recessionary spending behavior in March, cutting expenditures across nearly all sectors, except healthcare and educ...