STIC Investment to acquire laundry franchise giant Cleantopia for about $480 mn

STIC Investment, a South Korea–based private equity firm, is set to acquire Cleantopia, the country’s largest laundry franchise operator...

Fried chicken chain Popeyes’ Korean operations put up for sale

Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the parent of Popeyes, is approaching private equity firms and mid-sized enterprises to sell the South Korean...

NCSOFT bets big on AI, cloud with debut of Horizon universe-based MMORPG

NCSOFT Corp., a leading South Korean game developer and publisher, has unveiled Horizon Steel Frontiers, the first MMORPG set in Sony Interactive En...

NCSOFT to accelerate global expansion with new titles led by Aion 2

NCSOFT Corp., a leading South Korean game developer and publisher, is gearing up for a major global expansion next year with several new releases af...

Faker leads T1 to historic 3rd straight League of Legends World Championship title

In front of a roaring crowd in Chengdu, T1’s veteran captain Faker guided his team to another world title – their third in a row –...

NCSOFT, Nvidia deepen two-decade alliance to refine high-fidelity gaming

The line snaked around the COEX convention center in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district late last week, where hundreds of gamers waited more tha...

NCSOFT taps fashion AI in bid to broaden beyond gaming

NCSOFT Corp., a leading South Korean game developer and publisher, is extending its artificial intelligence ambitions beyond gaming and into fashion...

From screen to shelf: Netflix launches KPop Demon Hunters dolls, game

Netflix is expanding the world of KPop Demon Hunters beyond the screen, teaming up with global toy giants Mattel and Hasbro to bring the franchise&r...

KPop Demon Hunters sweeps US Halloween costume charts, igniting fresh K-culture craze

Buzz for Netflix’s global animated hit KPop Demon Hunters shows no sign of slowing — and now it’s taking over Halloween. With the ...

VCs step up K-pop startup bets in hunt for next Demon Hunters

Once reluctant to touch entertainment, investors are now flooding K-pop startups with cash in hopes of capturing the next global breakout following ...

KPop Demon Hunters dethrones Squid Game as Netflix’s most-watched title ever

What began as an animated tale about a fictional K-pop group has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters has n...

KPop Demon Hunters tops Netflix’s all-time movie ranking, on track to surpass Squid Game

Kpop Demon Hunters is no longer just a hit — it’s a phenomenon. Netflix’s animated adventure, which fuses the sparkle of K-pop wit...

Golden reclaims Billboard Hot 100 crown; KPop Demon Hunters OST makes history with four tracks in Top 10

The original soundtrack (OST) from Netflix’s animated feature KPop Demon Hunters is rewriting Billboard history. Its breakout single Golden ha...

Korean dining chains sweep across US, boon for K-sauce  

Korean dining chains are springing up across the US, fueled by health-conscious eating trends and the surging influence of Korean pop culture, boost...

BTS' V to throw 1st pitch at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 25

BTS member V is set to throw out the ceremonial pitch at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 25, following his discharge from the military in June.The Los Angele...

NCSOFT surges past Krafton on robust Q2; high hopes for Aion 2 game release in H2

NCSOFT Corp., a major South Korean game developer and publisher, has regained its lead over rival Krafton Inc. in the stock market after posting str...

K-content reign continues as Squid Game returns in force

Korean content swept across 93 countries on Netflix in the first half of this year, captivating global audiences with a wider range of genres from d...

Deal graveyard: S.Korean F&B franchise sales left without takers

Korean food is making waves globally, but back home, the story is different for food and beverage franchise operators. Franchisors in South Korea ar...

Korea’s game studios rebrand as AI tech firms, move into fashion, robotics, media

What was once a world of elves, dragons and power-ups is now giving rise to one of South Korea’s most unexpected tech revolutions, with game s...

BTS’ Suga, MLB star Chan Ho Park to join Oakland Athletics as shareholders

BTS member Suga and former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Chan Ho Park are putting their money on the Athletics, formerly the Oakland Athletics...

Blackstone in talks to acquire Korea’s top salon chain Juno Hair in $590 mn deal

US private equity firm Blackstone Inc. is pursuing the acquisition of Juno Hair, South Korea’s largest premium hair salon chain, in a deal tha...

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...

S.Korean game developer Krafton acquires Japan’s ADK for $517 million

Krafton Inc., a major South Korean game publisher, has acquired Japan's leading advertising and animation group ADK for 75 billion yen ($517 million...

Nexon Games shares rally on Tencent’s possible Nexon acquisition

Shares of Nexon Games Co., the game-developing studio under Nexon Co., surged on Friday morning after Bloomberg reported on Chinese IT giant Tencent...

Netmarble set to spark subculture craze at Summer Game Fest

Netmarble Corp., South Korea’s leading game developer and publisher, is seeking to capitalize on the surging global demand for so-called subcu...

NCSOFT invests in US game startup emptyvessel

NCSOFT Corp. has made an equity investment in emptyvessel, a US indie games studio, as part of efforts to expand into the first-person shooter genre...

WeMade accuses Shengqu Games of withholding $600 mn in royalties

WeMade Co. on Monday asked the South Korean government to intervene in its ongoing copyright dispute with China’s Shengqu Games, accusing the ...

S.Korea’s Krafton to nurture 6 new game studios in India

Krafton Inc., the publisher of global mega-hit “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (PUBG), has selected six new Indian game studios to...

SK Hynix bets on 3D HBM as next game-changer in AI chip race

SK Hynix Inc., the world’s top DRAM memory chipmaker, aims to redefine the competitive landscape in artificial intelligence memory chips with ...

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...