Deals

Debt financing
Conglomerates lead loan growth to record high in July
South Korea's large business groups led a sharp increase in bank lending in July, driving the corporate bank loan growth to a record high, central bank data showed.The loan growth came at the expense of shrinking bond issuance. The volume of corpor
Aug 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
S.Korea’s SPAC IPOs eclipse company public listings
Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) are gaining momentum in South Korea’s initial public market on the back of eased regulations and...
Aug 10, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Shipping & Shipbuilding
Korean shipbuilder KSOE wins $1.5 bn order for 7 LNG carriers
Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE), the intermediate holding company of the world’s top shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Indust...
Aug 10, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Megazone Cloud receives $343 mn from MBK, IMM PE in Series C funding
Megazone Cloud Corp., South Korea’s largest managed cloud service provider (MSP), has completed its Series C funding round with a combined 450...
Aug 10, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate restructuring
Korea Inc. rushes to cut debt as interest rates surge
South Korean companies scrambled for lowering debts and borrowing costs with new financial and business strategies as interest rates on corporate lo...
Aug 10, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Mobility platform Socar slashes price to push ahead with IPO
South Korea’s first mobility unicorn Socar Inc. has cut its IPO price by 18% to push ahead with its stock market debut, according to industry ...
Aug 09, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Harim seeks Genofocus purchase to enter biotechnology business
Harim Co., South Korea’s top poultry processing company, is seeking to acquire Genofocus Inc., a Kosdaq-listed industrial and pharmaceutical e...
Aug 08, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Investor sentiment on Korean IPOs remains chilly in H2
Investors are staying away from South Korea’s initial public offering markets as sentiment remains sour on global interest rate hikes, the sus...
Aug 08, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Brookfield likely to beat KKR for $800 mn Korean gas facility
Brookfield Asset Management has entered talks with South Korea's SK Materials Airplus Inc. to buy the latter's industrial gas facility, after its pr...
Aug 07, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korea’s top beauty chain CJ Olive Young puts IPO on hold
CJ Olive Young, South Korea’s top beauty store chain, has suspended its process to seek a stock market listing, becoming the latest major loca...
Aug 02, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
LX Pantos mulls Air Premia acquisition to facilitate global logistics service
LX Pantos Co., the logistics unit of South Korea’s LX Group, is looking to acquire a controlling stake in local budget carrier Air Premia Co.,...
Aug 01, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Hyundai Motor to buy Korean self-driving startup 42dot
South Korea’s top carmaker Hyundai Motor Group is set to purchase autonomous driving startup 42dot, intensifying the automaker’s competi...
Jul 29, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Batteries
Samsung SDI in talks with multiple carmakers for 4680 type battery supply
Samsung SDI Co., a major South Korean battery maker, said on Friday that it is in talks with multiple automakers around the world to supply a next-g...
Jul 29, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Vale, two Korean firms to sell JV to ArcelorMittal at a loss
Brazilian mining giant Vale SA and two South Korean steelmakers are selling their joint venture in Brazil at less than half their investment in six ...
Jul 29, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
Zigbang completes Samsung SDS home IoT takeover
Zigbang, a South Korean proptech startup that provides real estate search and transaction services, has completed the acquisition of Samsung SDS Co....
Jul 28, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Korean homegrown OTT platform Watcha up for sale
South Korea’s over-the-top (OTT) platform Watcha Inc. is in talks with some companies to sell off its shares, according to investment banking ...
Jul 27, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
MBK in talks to buy Korea's top online education firm MegastudyEdu
MBK Partners, one of Asia's largest private equity firms, is in exclusive talks to acquire Korea’s top online education company MegastudyEdu C...
Jul 27, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate restructuring
Korean firms rush to sell real estate to raise cash
South Korean companies are selling real estate and subsidiaries to raise cash as accelerating inflation, rising interest rates and the soft won all ...
Jul 26, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Defense likely to merge
Hanwha, the South Korean chemicals-to-financial conglomerate, has been a key player in the M&A market with a series of conspicuous acquisitions ...
Jul 25, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Daewoo Shipbuilding may split up to find new owners
South Korea is considering splitting Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. into two units to facilitate the sale of the debt-ridden shipb...
Jul 25, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Aramco-backed Hyundai Oilbank drops IPO on market downturn
Hyundai Oilbank Co., a South Korean refiner backed by Saudi Aramco, withdrew its plan for an initial public offering as local stock markets tumbled,...
Jul 21, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate restructuring
Kolon Global to spin off auto unit, eyes Kolon Mobility IPO in 2023
Kolon Global Corp., an affiliate of South Korean conglomerate Kolon, will spin off its car import business unit to improve management efficiency and...
Jul 21, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
POSCO Int'l tipped to merge with affiliated LNG terminal firm
POSCO International Co., a South Korean trading company, has embarked on a merger with its affiliate POSCO Energy Co. as their parent group is seeki...
Jul 20, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
SK Square makes its first exit seeking new target firms
South Korean investment firm SK Square Co. has sold all of its shares in Korean biotech NanoEntek Inc., a 28.4% stake, for 58 billion won ($44.3 mil...
Jul 20, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Retail
Naver's Kream buys stake in Malaysian resale platform
Kream, the resale platform of South Korea’s online portal Naver Corp., has agreed to buy a stake in Malaysia’s biggest sneaker resale co...
Jul 19, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Real estate
Pfizer Korea HQ sale falls through on investors' tepid interest
South Korea’s GRE Partners Asset Management Co. a real estate investment firm, has recently suspended the selling process for Pfizer Pharmaceu...
Jul 18, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
Affirma’s bolt-on M&A strategy shines in S.Korea
Affirma Capital is a small player in South Korea’s private equity market, but its successful bolt-on strategy helps the mid-cap-focused invest...
Jul 15, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korea’s battery recycling company SebitChem seeks IPO
SebitChem Co., South Korea’s secondary battery recycling company, is seeking an initial public offering, taking advantage of investors’ ...
Jul 15, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
KB to raise $150 mn India, SE Asia-focused VC fund
KB Investment Co., a venture capital arm of KB Financial Group, is seeking to raise more than 200 billion won ($150 million) in its second global fu...
Jul 15, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Bain Capital, Lotte Chem. among shortlisted bidders for Iljin
A US private equity firm Bain Capital and South Korea’s major petrochemical manufacturer Lotte Chemical Corp. were among the shortlisted candi...
Jul 13, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
1 Min read
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