Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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Seoul stocks slip after brief recovery
South Korean stocks headed south Wednesday -- after a brief rally a day earlier -- as the number of confirmed COVID-19 virus cases here reached over 1,000. The local currency also dipped against the US dollar, closing at 1,216.90 won -- down 6.60 won from the previous session’s close. The benchmark Kospi opened sharply lower at 2,064.07 -- sinking 39.54 points, or 1.88 percent, from the previous session. The weak start continued through the day, but rose slightly to close at 2,076.77. It
Feb. 26, 2020
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Downside pressure on Kospi mounts as epidemic fears escalate
The unfettered spread of the new coronavirus in South Korea has sparked jitters both here and abroad, with most market observers noting that the spillover effects will continue through March, weighing down on the domestic stock market. For one, global investment bank JP Morgan, in its latest report, has forecast that the infection will peak at around 10,000 by late March. “According to the JP Morgan insurance team’s epidemiology model, Korea’s COVID-19 infection rate has not
Feb. 26, 2020
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KB Financial to launch intraboard ESG committee
KB Financial Group said Wednesday that it plans to set up an intraboard committee focused on environmental, social and corporate governance. The group’s board of directors has decided to officially put the issue up for vote at the upcoming shareholders meeting scheduled for March 20. The committee will handle decisions related to environmental, gender and social issues, the group said. The launch comes after KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo vowed to shift to a ESG-centered
Feb. 26, 2020
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PEF to buy IS Dongseo ceramics operation for W217b
E&F Private Equity has inked a deal to acquire the ceramics operation of concrete-to-construction business group IS Dongseo for 217 billion won ($178 million), according to a filing on Wednesday. The private equity firm, managing 342.2 billion won in assets as of 2019, agreed to buy a 100 percent stake in the operation on May 15. Prior to the transaction, the ceramics business will be split off from IS Dongseo earlier in May, which will be named Inus. The business, dedicated to making an
Feb. 26, 2020
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Seoul stocks rebound as investors scoop up undervalued assets
South Korean shares rose more than 1 percent Tuesday as investors went bargain hunting, after COVID-19 fears led to the sharpest fall in 16 months in the previous session. The benchmark Kospi opened slightly low at 2,075.55 -- down 3.49 points, or 0.17 percent, from the previous session. The index fluctuated between losses and gains in the early morning, then moved upward throughout the day to close at 2,103.61. Institutional and individual investors scooped up undervalued shares, with net pu
Feb. 25, 2020
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Kakao Bank expands partnerships for brokerage services
Kakao Bank, an online-only bank in South Korea, said Tuesday that stock trading services of brokerage firm NH Investment & Securities are now available on its mobile application. Since users’ personal data is already registered on the online bank’s mobile platform, Kakao Bank users can open a securities account on the mobile banking platform more easily than with other services via stock traders’ home trading systems or brick-and-mortar branches, according the banking f
Feb. 25, 2020
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Banks initiate emergency response plans against coronavirus
As the number of coronavirus cases continued to surge in Korea on Tuesday, all major banks here launched emergency response plans to protect their core networks. Commercial banks -- including Woori, Hana, KB Kookmin and Shinhan -- have temporarily shut down around a combined 20 brick-and-mortar branches across the nation, as of Tuesday afternoon. They have been following basic quarantine procedures, such as ordering employees at branches that came in contact with coronavirus patients into se
Feb. 25, 2020
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BTS’ management agency gears up for IPO
Big Hit Entertainment, the South Korean entertainment management agency behind K-pop sensation BTS, has selected underwriters for its initial public offering in the country’s stock market. Lead underwriters include NH Investment & Securities, Korea Investment & Securities and JP Morgan, while Mirae Asset Daewoo will also participate in the process. An IPO underwriter is responsible for offering privately held or newly issued stocks to public investors, while protecting investors
Feb. 25, 2020
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KCGI opposes Delta Air Lines' Hanjin stake purchase
Activist private equity firm Korea Corporate Governance Improvement on Tuesday objected to Delta Air Lines decision to hike its stake in Hanjin KAL -- holding firm of Korean Air -- amid the escalating proxy battle that will determine the fate of its owner family. Its disapproval comes amid reports that the US carrier might act as a “white knight” to vote in favor of the Hanjin Group’s controlling family, given its ongoing partnership with Korean Air through a joint venture. K
Feb. 25, 2020
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Hit by COVID-19 fears, Seoul stocks plunge
South Korean stocks plunged about 4 percent Monday, after the number of new coronavirus cases confirmed here nearly tripled over the weekend. The local currency closed at 1,220.2 won against the US dollar -- down 11 won from the previous session’s close -- marking the weakest won since Aug. 13 last year, when the trade spat between the US and China had escalated. The benchmark Kospi opened sharply lower at 2,114.04 -- plummeting 48.8 points, or 2.26 percent, from the previous session. Th
Feb. 24, 2020
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Company K Partners launches W124b later-stage venture fund
South Korean venture capital firm Company K Partners said Monday it has launched a 124 billion won ($101.7 million) vehicle that targets startups at the later stage of growth, bringing its assets under management to over 560 billion won. The vehicle, dubbed Company K High Growth Fund, is backed by major institutional investors including Korea Teachers’ Credit Union and Korea Scientists & Engineers Mutual-aid Association; state-owned risk capital firm K-Growth, as well as Company K&rs
Feb. 24, 2020
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LH plans projects worth W20.5tr to stimulate economy
State-run Korea Land & Housing said Monday it plans to place a series of housing and land development project orders worth 20.5 trillion won ($16.8 billion) across the peninsula this year, in order to prop up the nation’s shrinking economy hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. The amount is double that of the previous year. Of the total, 34 percent of the total budget will be spent within the first half of this year, in a bid to address the economic downturn as Korea struggles to contain the
Feb. 24, 2020
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Investors in troubled Lime Asset lose over W634b
Troubled hedge fund Lime Asset Management on Monday confirmed total investor losses of 634.1 billion won ($520.3 million) from 173 feeder funds, which were injected in two of its master funds, Pluto FI D-1 and Tethys 2. The company said the estimate is based on the combined subscription amount of the feeder funds -- investor’s money that initially went to the funds -- at 1.6 trillion won minus their current net asset value. The estimate came as Lime Asset wrapped up the revision of the v
Feb. 24, 2020
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JR AMC gets green light for Korea’s 1st cross-border REIT listing
South Korean real estate investment firm JR Asset Management (JR AMC) said Monday that it had obtained government approval for the initial public offering of its real estate investment trust, which invests in Belgium’s second-tallest skyscraper. The REIT, called JR Global, is hoping to carry out the nation’s first listing of a cross-border REIT. The Land Ministry authorized JR Global to embark on the IPO process and submit a prospectus. Under the Korean rules, a REIT listing does n
Feb. 24, 2020
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Shinhan Bank closes branch on confirmed COVID-19 case
Shinhan Bank said Sunday that it is temporarily shutting down its branch at the Seongnam Industrial Complex Financial Center, Gyeonggi Province, after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The confirmed patient had visited a hospital funeral center in the southern city of Daegu, where the epidemic has been spreading at a fast pace over the past week, officials said. After experiencing fever and other symptoms, the patient visited a designated inspection station in the vicinity.
Feb. 23, 2020
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Homeplus unionists, MBK lock horns over asset disposal, dividend payout
The labor-management feud at South Korea’s hypermarket chain operator Homeplus escalated Sunday, with union members accusing its majority shareholder MBK Partners of profiteering at the expense of the company. The controlling private equity firm denied having done so, accusing the union of misleading the public. According to the labor union, MBK Partners has pulled 1.9 trillion won ($1.6 billion) out of Homeplus hypermarkets through the sale of its properties and brought in 1.2 trillio
Feb. 23, 2020
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Hyundai Capital Bank Europe inks deal to control German lender
Hyundai Capital said Sunday that its German subsidiary has become the largest shareholder in a local lender, in an extended move to enhance the group’s mobility strategy. Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH has signed an agreement with German car rental service provider Sixt SE to acquire 8.64 million shares, or a 41.9 percent stake, in Sixt Leasing SE for 155.6 million euros ($168 million). After the due regulatory clearance procedure is completed in both Europe and Korea, HCBE will gain a
Feb. 23, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Booming business at fabric maker amid soaring demand for masks
POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- Amid coronavirus fears, local fabric maker Environment & Human’s machines have been in full operation night and day. The non-woven fabric manufacturer churns out thin sheets of meltblown non-woven fabric, an essential material for face masks. Demand for masks has been skyrocketing, driving the government to take full control over the supply and distribution of masks. The surge -- likely to continue for some time -- reflects concerns about the virus but
Feb. 23, 2020
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Early-stage VC Bass Investment closes new W37.7b vehicle
South Korea’s early-stage venture capital house Bass Investment said it had closed its second fund worth 37.7 billion won ($31.1 million) last week, in the latest addition to its initial 28.6 billion won fund. The new vehicle’s backers include K Cube Holdings, Com2uS, as well as ex-entrepreneurs -- including Chang Won-gui, founder of secondhand marketplace Bungae Jangteo who exited from the firm in January. No state fund has joined as its limited partner. The fund will “not
Feb. 23, 2020
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Coronavirus outbreak shakes up retail, realty markets in Korea
The COVID-19 outbreak is likely to deliver a severe blow to the South Korean economy, especially in the retail sector and real estate investments, according to global real estate service provider Cushman & Wakefield. Asia’s fourth-largest economy’s growth prospects in the near term will be affected as the fast-spreading coronavirus disrupts supply chains, reduces exports and weakens consumer sentiment, the company said in its recent report on the Asia-Pacific region. “
Feb. 23, 2020