Deals

Insurance
Taiwan’s Fubon Life raises stake in Korean unit via $405 mn rights offer
Fubon Life Insurance Co., a unit of Taiwan’s Fubon Financial Holding Co., has raised its stake in a Korean joint venture with Hyundai Motor Group to 77.4% from 62.1% earlier by assuming all new shares issued via a rights offering.The JV, Fubo
Jun 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Mobile game developer Netmarble Neo kicks off IPO process
Following in the footsteps of its bigger rival Krafton Inc., South Korean mobile game developer Netmarble Neo has kicked off its initial public offe...
Jun 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Korea’s M&A market heats up with record deals in first half
South Korea’s merger and acquisition market is heating up as both big conglomerates and promising startups seek to buy out businesses with gro...
Jun 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
4 Min readlanguage -
IPOs
Krafton hiccup: Financial regulator concerned over high IPO share price
South Korean game developer Krafton Inc.'s road to an initial public offering is getting rocky with the country's financial regulator expressing con...
Jun 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
4 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Fried chicken chain bids for Outback Steakhouse Korea
South Korea's No. 2 fried chicken brand BHC Group has submitted a binding offer for the domestic operations of Outback Steakhouse, an Australian-the...
Jun 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
ESG bonds
LG Chem to issue up to $1bn ESG bonds; Moody’s raises outlook to positive
South Korea’s largest chemical producer LG Chem Ltd. plans to issue up to $1 billion in dollar-denominated green bonds to raise funds for its ...
Jun 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Delivery Hero's Korean unit sale hits dead end
Delivery Hero SE on Thursday postponed the deadline again for the final bidding of South Korea's Yogiyo, amid market doubts over the country's No. 2...
Jun 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Shinsegae now Korea’s No.2 e-commerce player with eBay Korea buyout
Shinsegae Group pushed through to be the sole winner in the prolonged race to acquire control of eBay Korea, making it a close runner-up in South Ko...
Jun 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Tech, Media & Telecom
Synopsys buys S.Korean fab data tech company
Synopsys Inc., a US software developer, has signed an agreement to acquire full ownership of BISTel, South Korea's top-ranked smart manufacturing so...
Jun 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min read -
Chemical Industry
Hanwha to buy $900 mn Hanwha General shares from Samsung
Two Hanwha Group units have decided to buy the remaining stake in their affiliate Hanwha General Chemical Co. for 1 trillion won ($880 million) from...
Jun 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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ESG bonds
Korean Air to issue first ESG bonds among Korean carriers
Korean Air Lines Co. will issue green bonds as part of its 200 billion won ($176 million) corporate debenture issue -- to become the first among dom...
Jun 23, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min readlanguage -
Automobiles
Carlyle, Bain Capital, Valeo, Mahle enter prelim bids for Hanon Systems
The preliminary bidding to acquire South Korea’s auto parts supplier Hanon Systems Corp. has drawn overseas-based bidders only, with the stron...
Jun 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
Future mobility
Hyundai eyes smart mobility with Boston Dynamics acquisition
Hyundai Motor Co. said on Monday it is shifting its business focus toward smart mobility from brick-and-mortar carmaking following its acquisition l...
Jun 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Pharmaceuticals
SK Group mulls investing $100 mn in Vietnam's Pharmacity
SK Group is in the final stages of negotiations to invest $100 million in Vietnam's largest pharmacy chain, Pharmacity, as part of the South Korean ...
Jun 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Why fast-growing coffee chains fail to get listed in Korea
A Twosome Place has scrapped its initial public offering plans after being touted as the country’s first coffee chain to go public. This has r...
Jun 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
ESG
Korea’s coal power companies squeezed for financing amid ESG fever
South Korea’s coal power companies are facing tighter scrutiny for debt financing as they are increasingly shunned by financial investors amid...
Jun 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
Banking & Finance
Singapore emerges as new financial hub for S.Korean banks
South Korea’s major banks are rushing to Singapore as the city-state is emerging as a new financial hub in Southeast Asia, replacing the tradi...
Jun 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
IPOs
Tencent-backed Krafton's mega IPO seen as overvalued
South Korea-based game publisher Krafton Inc.'s highly-anticipated initial public offering is raising concerns that it may be overvalued. The compan...
Jun 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce
Naver tipped to pull out of Shinsegae-led eBay Korea deal
In the latest twist to the pending deal worth nearly $4 billion, South Korea's online titan Naver Corp. has tentatively decided to withdraw from a S...
Jun 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Private equity
Bain Capital to gain $90 mn from exit of Schwan's deal
Bain Capital is set to pocket about 100 billion won ($90 million) in profits in two years from its equity financing of the South Korean CJ Group's $...
Jun 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
E-commerce
Shinsegae-Naver consortium one step closer to eBay Korea acquisition
Shinsegae is the likely winner of the eBay Korea acquisition, outplaying its rival Lotte in the prolonged race to buy the country’s third larg...
Jun 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
IPOs
Krafton mega IPO on horizon: Industry game-changer
Krafton Inc. is set to become the first South Korean decacorn startup, or a company valued at over $10 billion, to make a trading debut on the count...
Jun 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
4 Min readlanguage -
IPOs
Hyundai Oilbank revives IPO push, expands blue hydrogen business
South Korean refiner Hyundai Oilbank Co. is seeking to list its shares on the local bourse next year, according to its parent Hyundai Heavy Industri...
Jun 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Korean startups
Mirae, Naver set for hefty profit from Didi Chuxing IPO
The prospective initial public offering of DiDi Chuxing Technology Co., China's largest ride-hailing app, is expected to generate as much as 200 bil...
Jun 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
2 Min readlanguage -
Mergers & Acquisitions
SBW emerges as sole bidder for Eastar Jet acquisition
Korea’s fashion company Ssangbangwool Inc. (SBW) was the only participant in the Eastar Jet Co. sellout bidding held at the Seoul Bankruptcy C...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce
Shinsegae inches closer to eBay Korea purchase; deal remains elusive
Shinsegae Group has inched closer to a deal to acquire eBay Korea that would see the South Korean retail giant emerge as an e-ecommerce behemoth wit...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
Entertainment
K-pop fan engagement platform DearU eyes H2 listing
South Korea-based fan platform DearU Co. has filed a preliminary application to the Korea Exchange with plans for a trading debut on the country&rsq...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Nature Holdings beats Shinsegae, CJ to join TaylorMade deal
The Nature Holdings, a South Korean importer of popular apparel brands such as National Geographic, Jeep, NFL and Vera Wang, has been chosen as the ...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Failed M&As in Korea now draw excess of candidates with better outlook
South Korea’s M&A market is heating up as the outlook for the global economic recovery is becoming more comfortable this year.The M&A ...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min readlanguage -
Private equity
Korean PEFs buy Spyder's S.Korean license for over $50 mn
A consortium of three South Korean private equity firms has acquired the domestic operations of the US sportswear brand Spyder for 60 billion won ($...
Jun 11, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read
Latest News
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