Kakao to buy FreeNow
Scope
Date
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Webtoons
Kakao Piccoma tops in Japanese app market sales in H1 2023
Kakao Piccoma, a Japanese subsidiary of Kakao Japan Corp. and the global leading webtoon platform achieved the top position in the first half of 202...
Jul 21, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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The KED View
Why do so many S.Korean innovators bow out following success?
Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of the global luxury goods leader LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is well known for sporting a full head of...
Jul 20, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Beauty & Cosmetics
Bain Capital in talks to buy Korean aesthetic device maker Ilooda
Ilooda, a South Korean medical aesthetic devices maker valued at around 200 billion won ($158 million), is likely to sell its management rights to U...
Jul 19, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
SM Group to buy HMM but not for over $3.5 bn: SM Chair Woo
SM Group has enough financial ammunition to buy the country’s No. 1 container shipping line HMM Co. but would not join the bid for the latter&...
Jul 19, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bio & Pharma
SK Biopharm eyes Asia's No.1 spot in radioactive drug market
South Korea’s SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. is aiming to triple its enterprise value to $15 billion by 2026 with the goal of rising to the top run...
Jul 19, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean stock market
EcoPro, Hanwha Ocean, JYP among top MSCI inclusion candidates
EcoPro Co., Hanwha Ocean Co., JYP Entertainment Corp. and Kumyang Co. are the top candidates for inclusion in the MSCI Korea Index when the global s...
Jul 18, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
The Swing buys van-hailing service Tada for $19 mn
South Korea's personal mobility platform company The Swing Co. has acquired the management rights of the van-hailing service Tada.Negotiations betwe...
Jul 18, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Beauty & Cosmetics
TPG to fully acquire cosmetics container firm Samhwa at around $237 mn
Texas-based private equity firm TPG Inc. is poised to fully acquire Samhwa Co., a South Korean cosmetic packaging supplier to global beauty powerhou...
Jul 14, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fashion
NHN Commerce acquires Italian luxury brands retailer Ikonic
NHN Commerce, South Korea's major online company NHN Corp.'s shopping platform, announced on Tuesday its acquisition of a 77.8% stake in Ikonic Srl,...
Jul 11, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Batteries
S.Korea’s imports of LFP cathode reverses to growth after 8 years
South Korea's imports of cathode materials used to make lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) batteries in the first five months of this year rose for the fi...
Jul 11, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Artificial intelligence
Kakao Brain releases new AI artist Karlo 2.0
Kakao Brain, an artificial intelligence (AI) R&D subsidiary of South Korea's Kakao Corp., revealed its latest AI image generation model Karlo 2....
Jul 10, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Batteries
LG Energy triples lithium orders from SQM for US benefits
LG Energy Solution Ltd., the world’s second-largest electric vehicle battery maker, agreed to nearly triple lithium procurement from Sociedad ...
Jul 07, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Artificial intelligence
Kakao Entertainment launches AI brand Helix
South Korea's Kakao Entertainment on Thursday launched the artificial intelligence (AI) brand Helix, with its first service Helix Push recommending ...
Jul 06, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Real estate
Singapore's CDL buys Nine Tree hotel in Seoul for $107 mn
Singapore-based major real estate firm City Developments Ltd. (CDL) has bought Nine Tree Premier Hotel Myeongdong II from South Korea’s Shinha...
Jul 06, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pension funds
NPS buys more Hyosung Heavy Industries, LS Electric shares in Q2
National Pension Service (NPS) of South Korea increased investments in local machinery, shipbuilding and semiconductor stocks in the second quarter ...
Jul 05, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fintech
Kakao Pay launches ATM service in Japan, Vietnam, Laos
South Korea’s Kakao Pay Corp. on Wednesday said it started an overseas withdrawal service at automatic teller machines (ATM) in partnership wi...
Jul 05, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Aerospace & Defense
Indonesia yet to notify Korea of payment plan for joint fighter program
Indonesia has yet to provide South Korea with a timetable for payment on a joint fighter jet program as promised, undermining trust in Jakarta&rsquo...
Jul 03, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Electric vehicles
LG Uplus, Kakao Mobility to form EV charging JV
South Korea’s third-largest mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. and transportation company Kakao Mobility announced on Monday their strategic allian...
Jul 03, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bio & Pharma
S.Korea’s SK to buy US bio JV stake from Roivant for $48 mn
SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, is set to purchase the entire stake in a US bio joint venture held by its partner, as the...
Jun 30, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Kakao Healthcare to build metaverse healthcare platform
Kakao Healthcare, a digital healthcare platform unit of South Korea's Kakao, announced on Wednesday that it has been selected as the final operato...
Jun 28, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Arkema buys S.Korea's PI Advanced for about $800 mn
Arkema, a French specialty materials producer, on Wednesday signed an agreement to purchase a 54.07% stake in South Korea’s PI Advanced Materi...
Jun 28, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Kakao Mobility to develop mobility platform with Vietnam’s Phenikaa
South Korea's Kakao Mobility and Vietnam's Phenikaa Group have entered into a business agreement to foster technology collaboration within the mobil...
Jun 27, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Kakao Mobility to develop EV, self-driving tech with Vietnam's Vingroup
South Korea's Kakao Mobility is collaborating with Vietnam's No. 1 corporation Vingroup JSC and Southeast Asia's biggest information and communicati...
Jun 26, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bio & Pharma
Kakao Healthcare ties up with Dexcom for global diabetes biz
South Korea’s Kakao Healthcare Corp. has taken a step forward to expand its business into the global market by collaborating with US medical d...
Jun 22, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Logistics
Hyundai Glovis acquires logistics automation SW company Altiall
South Korea's leading logistics company Hyundai Glovis Co. announced on Monday that it has signed a stock purchase agreement related to the acquisit...
Jun 19, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Bio & Pharma
S.Korea’s top pharmaceutical distributor buys 25% of No. 2 Baekje Pharma
South Korea’s top pharmaceutical distributor Geo-young Co. has acquired 25% of market No. 2 Baekje Pharmaceutical.Geo-young on Tuesday said th...
Jun 14, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Foreign exchange
Foreign buying of Korean stocks, bonds at record high, boosting won
Foreigners bought a record $11.43 billion in South Korean stocks and bonds in May, boosting the value of the won versus the dollar amid the greenbac...
Jun 13, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Webtoons
Big Tech, Japanese comics publishers target webtoon business
Big Tech have started webtoon services while major Japanese comic book publishers are gearing up for the business, threatening South Korea’s o...
Jun 12, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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K-pop
BTS 10th anniversary stamps available at Korea Post from June 13
South Korea's state-run postal service agency Korea Post announced on Monday that BTS commemorative stamps will be available at post offices from Ju...
Jun 12, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
BlackRock buys $860 mn stake in S.Korean gas supplier
Global asset manager BlackRock has bought a 30% stake in South Korea’s industrial gas supplier AirFirst Co. for 1.11 trillion won ($860 millio...
Jun 09, 2023 (Gmt+09:00)