Korean botox exports hit record high; growth faster than semiconductors

South Korea’s botulinum toxin exports are soaring to unprecedented levels, hitting record highs for the second consecutive month in October as...

Flattery, gifts and a fresh pact: Nvidia, Samsung, Hyundai tighten AI ties

It began with a toast of beer and fried chicken at a modest Seoul eatery, followed by a flurry of compliments and gift exchanges, and ended with a g...

Samsung sells out 2026 HBM supply after starting Nvidia shipments in Q3

Samsung Electronics Co. has already sold out next year’s production of its next-generation HBM4 chips after beginning long-awaited HBM3E shipm...

Hyundai Motor's Chung, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince discuss cooperation beyond autos

Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s largest automaker, is setting its sights on next-generation energy ventures in Saudi Arabia, expanding its ...

SK Hynix’s Q3 profit surges to record $7.9 bn on AI-driven chip demand

SK Hynix Inc. reported record earnings for the third quarter, with operating profit surpassing 10 trillion won ($7 billion) for the first time, driv...

NPS sees $630 mn loss tied to MBK-owned Homeplus, vows GP selection reform

The National Pension Service (NPS) has estimated potential losses of about 900 billion won ($630 million) from its investment in MBK Partners-owned ...

K-beauty, K-food on diverging paths in M&A market

K-beauty and K-food have long been defining pillars of the Korean Wave. But their fortunes have sharply diverged in the mergers and acquisitions mar...

Classys, majority owned by Bain Capital, acquires Brazil's biggest beauty device retailer

South Korean medical aesthetics company Classys Inc. has acquired JL Health Participacoes S.A., a medical beauty device retailer in Brazil, one of i...

BOK holds rates steady; governor says rate cuts lift asset prices more than growth

The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.50% for a third straight meeting, in step with the government's ...

US, S.Korea wrap up high-level tariff talks; test of political will in Trump, Lee’s hands

With the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju just days away, South Korea and the US have effectively concluded their final r...

Celltrion posts record Q3 profit as high-margin biosimilars, merger boost growth

South Korea’s biosimilar giant Celltrion Inc. reported record third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, propelled by strong sales of high-margin bi...

S.Korea’s Kospi now world’s top-performing index as chip rally powers record highs

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index has surged past 3,800 points, cementing its position as the world’s best-performing major stock mark...

Taekwang signs definitive $331 million deal to acquire K-beauty firm Aekyung Industrial

A consortium led by Taekwang Industrial Co. is set to sign a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Aekyung Industrial Co. from AK H...

Korean specialty alloy makers SeAH, Poongsan set to ride defense, space industry boom

South Korea’s specialty alloy producers are stepping up investment to capture booming demand from defense and aerospace industries, as global ...

Seoul hotel prices soar to record highs as tourist boom overwhelms supply

In Seoul, even a hotel room costing 1 million won ($705) a night is hard to come by. From five-star towers in the affluent Gangnam district to budge...

Samsung to buy ASML’s most advanced lithography tools to rival TSMC

Samsung Electronics Co., a leading memory chipmaker, is making a renewed bet on next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, committing 1.1 trillion...

South Korea exemplifies innovation-led growth, says Nobel Laureate Joel Mokyr

NEW YORK – South Korea has “miraculously pulled itself up” from postwar poverty to become one of the world’s richest economi...

Samsung’s operating profit hits 3-year high in Q3, with brighter outlook ahead

Samsung Electronics Co. has reported much stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit – also its highest in three years – driven by a re...

LG to power future growth with Indian unit’s blockbuster IPO

LG Electronics Inc.'s Indian unit is poised to make history in India’s equity market, with its planned 1.8 trillion won ($1.3 billion) listing...

POBA commits $140 mn to four Korean buyout, growth equity firms

The Public Officials Benefit Association (POBA), a retirement fund for South Korean municipal and provincial government officials, has committed 200...

South Korean banks turn to India as post-China growth frontier

South Korea’s top commercial banks are stepping up their presence in India, betting on the world’s most populous nation as global invest...

Korea’s steel industry set to suffer further as EU plans to cut import quotas, double tariffs

South Korea’s steel industry is expected to take another hit as the European Union plans to tighten restrictions on steel imports by cutting t...

Korea Exchange to cut trading fees for 1st time in 2 decades as Kospi soars past 3500 to record high

The Korea Exchange (KRX) will slash stock trading fees by up to 40% in December, marking the first overhaul of its pricing structure since the bours...

GIC, Morgan Stanley snap up high-flying K-beauty stocks

Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and Morgan Stanley are snapping up shares of Korean beauty and cosmetics companies, betting the high-per...

IMF warns of long-term spending pressures in Korea, urges structural reforms

South Korea’s accommodative fiscal and monetary policies, including a sharp budget increase in 2026, are considered appropriate to boost priva...

Foreign holdings in Samsung Electronics at 2025 highs; further upside seen

Foreign investors’ holding of shares in Samsung Electronics Co. has reached the highest level ever this year, after they scooped up about 1.4 ...

Samsung leads conglomerates in entry-level hiring for future growth

South Korea's business titan, Samsung, and its peers are stepping up recruitment of fresh graduates, wagering on a new generation of workers to driv...

Seoul considers Korean version of IRA tax credit to offset US tariff impact

South Korea is considering introducing production tax credits for domestic companies hit by US tariffs, in a move analysts describe as a de facto su...

Lotte to launch 2-3 new high-end malls in Vietnam, building on West Lake Hanoi success

Lotte Shopping Co., South Korea’s leading retailer, plans to open two to three additional commercial complexes in Vietnam as it aims to more t...

Seoul’s ‘do-or-die’ growth push turns to AI as Kospi eyes 5,000

South Korea will go all-out to rejuvenate the economy with a far-reaching push for technological innovation centered on artificial intelligence, a d...