Deals

Personal pensions
Korea’s personal pensions gamble with risky stocks for higher returns
South Korea’s individual pension fund holders are moving their money out of banks and insurance companies into brokerages in pursuit of higher returns in a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty and ultra-low interest rates.Pension funds,
Dec 08, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Carlyle in final-stage talks to buy Korea’s No. 2 bakery chain
The Carlyle Group is in final stages of talks to buy South Korea’s No. 2 bakery chain Tous Les Jours from the country’s food and enterta...
Dec 07, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
MBK looks to exit China’s Apex Logistics for $1 bn
MBK Partners has begun the process to sell Apex Logistics, China’s leading air freight company, for about 10 times the amount of its investmen...
Dec 04, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Kakao Page to merge with Kakao M ahead of 2021 IPO
South Korea's largest mobile app operator Kakao Corp. is working to merge its content platform affiliates, a strategic move that should boost the en...
Dec 03, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
MBK buys $228 mn stake in China’s No. 1 car rental firm
MBK Partners has now become the second-largest shareholder in both of China’s two biggest rental car companies after purchasing a 20.86% stake...
Dec 03, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
SK Bioscience begins listing process; enterprise value near $3 bn
South Korea’s SK Bioscience Co., set to enter clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine candidates, is expected to list on the Seoul main bours...
Dec 03, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Mirae Asset wins lawsuit against China’s Anbang over $5.8 bn US hotel deal
Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. will be able to recover a $580 million deposit it paid to Anbang Insurance Group for a $5.8 billion deal to buy 1...
Dec 01, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airlines
Seoul court clears way for Korean Air’s $1.6 bn Asiana deal
Korean Air Lines Co. will push ahead with its planned $1.6 billion acquisition of debt-laden Asiana Airlines Inc., the company said, after a Seoul d...
Dec 01, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Celltrion finalizes $278mn acquisition of Takeda's primary care assets
South Korea's biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. has completed the $278 million acquisition of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd's primary care a...
Dec 01, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
IMM Private Equity to set up operation-focused unit
This is the first in our bi-weekly Deal briefs series, covering the latest M&A deals and key events in South Korea’s capital markets. We w...
Dec 01, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Global oil refiners, local PEs among 7 bidders for SK Lubricants stake
Global oil refiners, strategic investors and private equity funds in Korea and abroad have submitted non-binding bids for up to 49% of SK Lubricants...
Nov 30, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Private equity
PEFs gaining clout in Korea’s broader M&A sectors
Private equity firms have been leading South Korea’s mergers and acquisitions markets in a broader range of sectors in recent years, represent...
Nov 30, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Energy
Saudi crown prince to be top shareholder of Seoul-listed gaming firm
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman has agreed to buy 240 billion won ($217 million) worth of shares in the South Korea-listed game...
Nov 27, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airlines
S.Korea's airline restructuring hits turbulence with activist fund opposition
South Korea’s airline restructuring is experiencing some turbulence after an activist group has filed an injunction threatening the proposed m...
Nov 27, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Sovereign bonds
KRW bonds favored amid rekindled interest in riskier assets
SINGAPORE -- Global investors are returning to emerging market debt, including Korean won bonds, as they hunt for higher yields amid stronger local ...
Nov 26, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korea's top craft brewer seeks junior Kosdaq listing
Jeju Beer Co., South Korea's No. 1 craft beer maker, is preparing to become the country's first craft brewery to go public, buoyed by the rapid mark...
Nov 24, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Hyundai Heavy endures to be likely buyer of Doosan Infracore
Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co., the world's largest shipbuilder, is one step closer to acquiring a 36.07% controlling stake in Doosan Infracore...
Nov 24, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Goldman Sachs joins race for Korea’s beauty store chain
Goldman Sachs Principal Investment Area (PIA) has entered the race for a stake in South Korea’s health and beauty franchise CJ Olive Young, beco...
Nov 23, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
S. Korean COVID-19 test kit maker eyes listing next year
SD Bio Sensor, Inc., a South Korea-based manufacturer of COVID-19 test kits, is pushing to go public early next year, drawing market attention as a st...
Nov 19, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Anchor Equity, TPG invest $500 mn in Korean mobile banking app
Hong Kong-based Anchor Equity Partners has agreed to invest 250 billion won ($226 million) to buy new shares in South Korea’s KakaoBank, shortly...
Nov 17, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean stock market
Market rally double-edged sword for fund managers as investors exit
The South Korean stock market’s recent rally is both a blessing and a curse for fund managers as investors are increasingly exiting their funds ...
Nov 17, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Delivery Hero, Woowa $4 bn merger faces hiccup due to KFTC
The proposed merger between Germany-based Delivery Hero SE and South Korea's Woowa Brothers Corp. has hit a roadblock due to the Korea Fair Trade Co...
Nov 16, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airlines
Korean Air to buy rival Asiana in $1.6 bn deal to emerge as world’s 7th airline
Korean Air Lines Co. will spend 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) to own a majority stake in beleaguered local rival Asiana Airlines Inc., in a deal t...
Nov 16, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate strategy
Amazon, SK Telecom join hands in Korea e-commerce market
SK Telecom Co. and online retail giant Amazon.com have agreed to team up in South Korea’s e-commerce market, in a deal that could lead to cross-...
Nov 15, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airlines
Korean Air bid to acquire Asiana faces challenges, activist opposition
The owner of Korean Air Lines Co.’s reported bid to acquire local rival Asiana Airlines Inc. faces several hurdles, including painful job cuts, ...
Nov 13, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Korean Air, Asiana may merge MRO businesses after spin-off
South Korea’s two largest airliners, Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., may combine their airplane repair and maintenance businesses...
Nov 13, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Chicken stock Kyochon debuts at upper limit, allays IPO concerns
South Korea’s No. 1 fried chicken franchise operator Kyochon F&B debuted on the main bourse with its shares rising to the upper daily limit,...
Nov 12, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Airlines
Parent of Korean Air seeks to buy rival Asiana Airlines
Hanjin Group, which owns South Korea’s flag-carrier Korean Air Lines Co., is seeking to buy local rival Asiana Airlines Inc., signaling a mega d...
Nov 12, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Hyundai Motor hires Goldman as adviser for Boston Dynamics acquisition
Hyundai Motor Co. has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as its adviser in its attempt to acquire Boston Dynamics Inc., signaling the seriousness of the S...
Nov 11, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
GS Retail, Home Shopping merge to become retail giant
South Korean conglomerate GS Holdings has decided to merge two of its retail units — the country's No. 1 convenience store chain operator and a ...
Nov 11, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read
Latest News
- 1 NCSOFT invests in US game startup emptyvessel
- 2 Maybe Happy Ending: How a Seoul-made robot love story rewrote Broadway playbook
- 3 NPS yet to schedule external manager selection; PE firms’ fundraising woes deepen
- 4 Woori Financial wins approval for Tongyang, ABL Life acquisition
- 5 BMW surpasses Mercedes in Korean sales amid imported vehicle market shake-up