SK Innovation finishes construction of its first overseas EV battery cell plant in China South Korea’s battery maker SK Innovation Co. will begin mass production of battery cells for electric vehicles early next year at its newly built plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, the comp..

Kia Motors to produce two new models at Indian plant in 2020 South Korea’s second largest automaker Kia Motors Corp. will add two new models next year to its Indian plant in Andhra Pradesh that opened in July with the goal of producing 300,000 units annually wi..

Kakao partners with Korean Air to offer flight booking service via messenger Flight booking, payment and seating will all become possible on Kakao’s messaging platform under a new partnership between Korea’s top messenger app operator and flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co.The t..

Korea’s Hyundai Oilbank makes headway in maritime fuel with own low-sulfur brand South Korean oil refiner Hyundai Oilbank Co. has launched a new very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) brand to make headway in cleaner marine fuel market under tougher international environmental regulatio..

SK Group adds more females and younger names to executive positions South Korea’s third largest conglomerate SK Group on Thursday kept top chiefs at key companies intact while bringing in younger, foreign and female executives on the management.SK Group on Thursday an..

Compact cars lose ground and phase out as SUVs, big cars dominate Korean roads Small sedans and hatchbacks will likely phase out from South Korea as producers shift to bigger SUVs and bulkier sedans. According to industry sources on Thursday, Renault Samsung Motors recently ha..

Samsung Elec dominance in Korean smartphone market: 7 out 10 in Samsung name Samsung Electronics Co.’s share in the South Korean smartphone market exceeded 70 percent from July to September thanks to the sound sales of its premium Galaxy Note10 series. According to market tra..

LIG Nex1 actively seeks to win over Lantin American defense market South Korea’s defense company LIG Nex1 Co. showcased its cutting-edge defense systems at a major international defense exhibition in Colombia, hoping to expand its presence in the Central and South Am..

Naver expands mobile payment service to Taiwan, Thailand Naver Pay, the mobile payment service of South Korea’s internet portal giant Naver Corp., will be available in Taiwan and Thailand from early next year. Naver Financial Corp., the financial arm of Nav..

K-beauty in rapid expansion in Asia and beyond K-beauty is rapidly expanding in Asia and beyond. Missha, budget cosmetics label owned by Able C&C recently opened its first Iraqi store in a shopping mall in Baghdad, according to the company on Wed..

SK chair wife seeks $1 bn worth of SK Holdings shares as divorce settlement A $1 billion divorce battle of a Korean tycoon couple goes beyond society section news as it has the potential to rock the ownership of South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate SK Group. Roh Soh-yeo..

SK Innovation inks deal with Glencore to secure 6-year cobalt supply South Korea’s battery maker SK Innovation Co. signed a deal with the world’s largest cobalt producer Glencore PLC to secure cobalt, a core material for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, for the next si..

SK Networks teams up with TÜV Rheinland to take on EV maintenance market South Korea’s SK Networks has joined hands with a global testing and certification service company to better respond to the fast-growing market of electric vehicles. SK Networks announced on Tuesday ..

Hyundai Motor pledges $51 bn capex next 6 years to up competitiveness South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. plans to invest a total 61.1 trillion won ($51.2 billion) over the next six years to hone productivity and competitiveness with an aim to deliver operatin..

Korean panel giants up R&D spending in display sector to keep Chinese competition at bay South Korea’s two display giants Samsung Display and LG Display are aggressively bumping up research & development (R&D) spending on next-generation display technologies to keep comfortable lead over ..

SK Group, Posco chiefs unite to campaign for greater corporate citizenship The chiefs of South Korea’s SK Group and Posco came together in a rare show of unity to lend their support to greater social responsibility in the Korean corporate scene. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-..

GS Group Chair Huh Chang-soo to hand over helm to Huh Tae-soo South Korean eighth largest conglomerate GS Group will be spearheaded by new chief Huh Tae-soo, vice chairman and chief executive of GS Home Shopping Inc. who will succeed Chairman Huh Chang-soo, his ..

Hyundai Steel launches early retirement for the first time amid sagging earnings South Korea’s Hyundai Steel Co., a steel-making unit under the country’s second largest conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group, has been accepting early retirement application for the first time in its corp..

Hanssem sets eyes on global home interior market and $8.4 bn in revenue: new chair South Korea’s largest furniture and home furnishing company Hanssem Co. will strive to lead innovation in the home interior market by actively incorporating digital revolution with a goal to achieve a..

Hanwha Group’s heir apparent takes helm over solar energy, materials biz Energy-focused Hanwha Group, the seventh largest conglomerate in Korea, became latest traditionally family-owned corporate empire to shift towards succession to the third generation in their 30s and 4..

Technology for drug formulation switch emerges as new promising mkt A platform technology that improves the convenience in drug administration is emerging as a new profit generator in the Korean pharmaceutical industry as it can be applied to increasing patient conven..

Korea unveils Cheollian Satellite 2B designed to track fine dust in real time Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) on Wednesday unveiled Cheollian Satellite 2B, a new geostationary earth orbit satellite to replace the mission of its predecessor Cheollian Satellite 1 in the..

SKT joins AWS global platform on 5G mobile edge computing business SK Telecom (SKT), South Korea’s largest mobile operator, has joined hands with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a global cloud giant, to bring 5G to mobile edge computing (MEG) enabling developers and custo..

The next foldable model under Samsung Galaxy likely carry halved price tag Samsung`s upcoming foldable phone will be a considerably cheaper than the maiden Galaxy Fold thanks to redesigned form factors.The Galaxy Fold 2 due in February will cost around $850, which is close t..

Korea’s BGNT shows off unmanned casino table at G2E in the Philippines South Korea’s IT solutions provider BGNT has showcased its latest smart table for casinos featuring the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at the Global Gaming Exhibition (G2E) held in M..

SK Hynix loses No. 5 rank to Intel in NAND flash memory share in Q3 South Korea’s SK Hynix Co. has been elbowed out by Intel in NAND flash memory shipments in the third quarter as the U.S. CPU giant makes eager push into the memory sector dominated by Asian names. Acc..

Hanmi Pharm inks in-licensing deal with RAPT Therapeutics over new immunotherapy drug South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced on Wednesday it has inked a license and collaboration agreement with U.S.-based RAPT Therapeutics for the latter’s clinical-stage FLX475 in Korea and China..

Go master Lee Sedol takes on another AI machine before he retires South Korean Go master Lee Sedol will play his final game before retirement with the locally-developed artificial intelligence software HanDol. The 36-year-old former world champion announced his re..

Additional recall ordered on Medytox products due to reduced expiry date South Korea’s health authorities have issued an order to recall some botulinum toxin products manufactured by local drugmaker Medytox due to a recalculated expiry date.The Ministry of Food and Drug Sa..

Artificial intelligence in spotlight as new boost to healthcare sector in Korea The planned initial public offering of two South Korean biotech startups – JLK Inspection and Syntekabio – is raising expectations about broader applications of artificial intelligence in ..

Korean beauty makers join the rush towards new skin gold mine of microbiome Microbiome, a microbial ecosystem inside human bodies that functions to promote health and prevent disease, has become the latest buzzword in the global cosmetics scene and K-beauty industry has moved..

Samyang Biopharm USA picks up novel immunotherapy drug from CanCure Samyang Biopharm USA, a U.S. biotech subsidiary of South Korea’s Samyang Pharmaceuticals, announced on Tuesday that the company has entered into a global licensing agreement with CanCure. Under the ag..

JW Pharm’s renal anemia drug filed for marketing approval in Japan South Korea’s JW Pharm said on Monday Japan Tobacco has filed an application with Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for approval for the company’s investigational renal anemia ..

Students with various backgrounds flock to SNU`s new data science grad school A newly launched data science graduate program at Seoul National University has attracted talents from hundreds of undergraduate or advanced degree institutions and businesses with various backgrounds..

Dongkook Pharm enters CDMO business for biopharmaceuticals Dongkook Pharmaceutical has signed an agreement to manufacture a biosimilar drug for Prestige Biologic to become the latest to add a Korean name on the list of contract development and manufacturing o..

AI, Biotech startups eye on booming pet industry in S. Korea The burgeoning pet industry in South Korea has emerged as another promising market for startups with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.Korean startup Varram System Co. recently re..

ST Pharm files IND to start phase 1 study of new colorectal cancer drug in U.S. South Korea’s ST Pharm on Thursday announced an IND filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to initiate a phase 1 study of its investigational colorectal cancer drug STP1002. The study aims..

SK Biopharmaceuticals to sell new epilepsy drug in U.S. next year SK Biopharmaceuticals will directly sell its epilepsy drug Xcopri (cenobamate) across the U.S. from the second quarter of next year, the subsidiary of South Korean SK Group announced on Tuesday, sayin..

SK Chemical stocks hit daily ceiling after dementia patch gains FDA approval Shares of SK Chemicals Co., the chemical and pharmaceutical unit under South Korean conglomerate SK Group, flew high Wednesday on news that its patch-type dementia treatment was cleared by the U.S. Fo..

Korea’s top OTC stock Vivozone soars on positive clinical results in U.S. Vivozon Inc. Tuesday announced that safety and effectiveness endpoints were met with statistical significance in its latest phase 2b trial of non-opioid painkiller opiranserin (VVZ-149) designed to re..

Hyundai Capital Services to issue green bonds worth $168.3 mn Hyundai Capital Services Inc., an auto financing unit under South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Group, will issue Korean won-denominated green bonds worth 200 billion won ($168.3 million) to fund gr..

Woori, KEB Hana Bank advised to cover up to 80% of losses from DLF mis-selling South Korea’s financial watchdog advised Woori Bank and KEB Hana Bank to cover up to 80 percent of consumer losses from their products of derivative-linked funds (DLFs) tied to 10-year German Treasury..

LG Chem, GM to create $2.3 bn battery joint venture in Ohio South Korean battery maker LG Chem Co. will set up a 2.7 trillion won ($2.27 billion) joint venture in Ohio with General Motors to supply batteries for the auto giant’s next generation of electric veh..

KFCC to invest $6 billion in blind-pool funds over next 3 years Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives (KFCC), one of the country’s biggest state-owned institutions with nearly 70 trillion won ($59 billion) under management, will invest 7 trillion won ..

Samsung SDI OP to double to near $840 mn in 2020 on EV demand: analysts Samsung SDI Co., one of South Korea’s top three battery makers, raises investors’ expectations for a strong rebound in 2020, or possibly its best-to-date year, on burgeoning demand for electric vehicl..

Kyung Nam Pharm’s stock battered on the first day of return after near 2-yr suspension Kyung Nam Pharm famous for its popular vitamin supplement brand Lemona was met with cold response Thursday as the stock returned to the Kosdaq market after near-two-year suspension for accounting rule..

Foreigners keep up merciless selloff, dumping $4 bn of Korean shares in 20 days The foreign selloff frenzy in Korean stocks has reached 5 trillion won ($4.2 billion) over the last 20 days, raising panic about an exodus of foreign capital.Foreign net sale on the main Kospi bourse ..

Korean fintech name Viva Republica expects to generate profit from next year: CEO Viva Republica, the operator of South Korea’s popular peer-to-peer (P2P) payment app Toss, is confident of turning out a profit from next year, given its solid earnings from non-money transfer busines..

JTI sells entire 2.1% stake in Korean tobacco maker KT&G in block deal KT&G shares fell Wednesday after Japan Tobacco International (JTI) offloaded its entire 2.1 percent stake in the Korean tobacco monopoly before the market opened, ending a decade of strategic partners..

Naver shares ascends to the most valuable Korean stock with 41% gain this year Internet giant Naver Corp. has ascended as the most valuable stock in Korea as its global outreach and news of its Japanese unit Line merging with Yahoo Japan made it stand out against the bearish Kor..

Kakao Bank gallops away while K-Bank retreats in internet bank race in Korea The mixed performance between Korea’s two internet-only lenders has deepened with Kakao Bank keeping up surplus streak while K-Bank’s losses balloon. According to the Korea Federation of Banks on Mon..

ESG funds gain popularity in Korea amid social awareness and institutional role Sharing pays off for the companies and investors.According to a report released by KB Securities Co. on Sunday, worldwide investments in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds have reac..

Korean non-life insurers also report 25% fall in net profit in Jan-Sept. South Korea’s non-life insurers saw their net profit plunge 24.6 percent in the first nine months of the year due to increased losses from long-term insurances and auto premiums, data showed Monday. ..

Gold prices fall sharply over past 3 months, delivering losses for late fund joiners Gold prices have been skidding after peaking in August amid reduced demand for safe assets due to eased tensions on the trade front, logging negative returns for funds tracking the prices.According to..

Mirae Asset Global sells Cologne City Hall building in Germany in $144 mn profit South Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments said on Monday that it signed a contract to sell the Cologne City Hall building in Germany for 500 million euros, netting handsome profit from the 2016 pur..

S. Korean banks tighten belt as they brace up for tougher environment next year South Korea’s commercial lenders have stepped up streamlining as they face more difficult year in sustaining organizations against protracted economic slowdown and low interest environment.According t..

S. Korean life insurers log 24.3% profit drop on subdued demand South Korean life insurers booked a 24.3 percent on-year drop in their combined profit in the first nine months of this year due to mounting operating losses from waning insurance demand. The net prof..

NPS defers decision on greater push for shareholder activism South Korea’s largest institutional investor National Pension Service (NPS) has deferred a decision on a proposal that would enable it to pursue greater shareholder activism amid controversy over the ..

Asiana sale turns murky on difference in setting the pricing for existing shares The closure of a mega deal over the ownership change in Korean full-service carrier Asiana Airlines Inc. is being delayed after the buyer - HDC Hyundai Development-led consortium – undercut the ..

NCSoft stock battered after Lineage 2M, analysts upbeat on earnings Analysts were upbeat about the earnings outlook for NCSoft Corp. although shares performed disappointingly despite roaring response to Lineage2M, the long-awaited mobile version of the massively multi..

Korean insurers can place healthcare service entities as subsidiaries Insurance companies in South Korea will be allowed to have healthcare or medical service entities as subsidiaries under revised guidelines, financial authorities said Thursday. According to Financial..

Korean savings banks report record profit this year amid increased loans to retailers South Korean savings banks reported record-high net profits in the first nine months of this year as self-employed and individuals turned to them on tighter mortgage-backed loan regulations on primary..

S. Korea’s current account surplus hits 12-mo high in Oct on widening import fall South Korea’s current account surplus hit a 12-month high in October as imports dipped in double-digit numbers on reduced demand and decline in travel deficit. Asia’s fourth-largest economy posted a ..

Cap on purchases via mobile pay to be raised in fintech upscaling measures by Seoul Luxury purchase through mobile simple payment will become possible in Korea from next year under new fintech-related deregulations, Seoul authorities announced Wednesday. Under new measures under stu..

Korea’s FX Reserves hit fresh record high in November South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves hit a fresh record high at the end of November thanks to increased returns on foreign currency assets. According to the Bank of Korea on Wednesday, Korea’s fo..

Korea’s online shopping value top $84 bn in Jan.-Oct after record-breaking streak Online transaction value topped 100 trillion won ($84 billion) in the first 10 months of this year as purchases with mobile phones become more comfortable for South Koreans, data showed Tuesday. Acco..

Korean economy’s recovery to be slow with deflation posing as biggest danger: S&P The South Korean economy would have seen its bottom this year and likely pick up in 2020, albeit in slow pace, with deflationary dangers posing as its biggest challenge, according to global rating age..

Feeble demand and weak inflation flag deflationary danger for Korea Fragile consumer spending and feeble price growth largely sustained by government benefits suggests South Korea is at growing risk of a deflationary spiral - a damning cycle of sluggish consumption th..

Korea Q3 GDP gain confirmed at 0.4% on qtr, GDP deflator lowest in 20 years South Korea confirmed Tuesday the third-quarter gross domestic product gained 0.4 percent from the previous three months, unchanged from its earlier reading that did not fully count in October data. ..

Surging private sector debts pose threat to S. Korean economy: report South Korea could suffer from a debt crisis if the country fails to manage surging debt in the private sector, a state-run tax and economic policy research institute warned. According to a report rele..

Rebound in exports next year won’t likely be easy Korean exports expected to deliver the worst fall in a decade this year cannot be expected of a sharp turnaround next year, given the uncertainties on the global economic environment. The Organizatio..

Korea’s Nov exports dip 14.3%, likely to close the year in biggest fall in 10 yrs South Korean exports are expected to finish 2019 in the biggest negative number in a decade after keeping up a losing streak for the 12th month by November. According to data released by the Ministry..

Korea’s Nov inflation veers away from negative, gaining for the first time in 4 months South Korea’s consumer prices inched up 0.2 percent in November from a year earlier, turning positive after four months of skirting around zero. The country’s consumer price index (CPI) in November ..

BOK downgrades GDP growth outlook to 2.0% for 2019, 2.3% for 2020 The Bank of Korea turned downbeat about the economy in line with private forecasts, lowering growth estimates for this year to 2.0 percent and 2.3 percent in the coming year. The Korean central bank ..

Korea delivers triple losses in output, capex and spending in Oct South Korea’s industrial data in October delivered triple falls for the first time in eight months, with output, investment and consumption all posting on-month losses. According to Statistics Korea ..

BOK stays pat to close 2019 at historic-low rate, cuts outlook for this, next yr The Bank of Korea (BOK) paused in monetary action for 2019 to decipher policy effectiveness from two cuts since July – the first back-to-back easing after early 2009 in the wake of financial cri..

Korea’s Oct retail sales up 4.1% on year on brisk online shopping Retail sales in South Korea increased 4.1 percent in October from the same month a year ago, benefiting from the surge in online shopping, the government data showed. According to the Ministry of Tra..

Korea to unplug eight coal power plants during winter on excess supply South Korea will unplug eight units of coal-fueled power generators during winter as a part of efforts to reduce dust emissions on confidence of excess supply despite heating demand. According to the..

Korea’s surviving ride-hailing Tada on the brink of being outlawed by a revised bill South Korea’s rental van-hailing service Tada has hit yet another snag after indictment of its executives and may be forced to suspend its fledgling business, with the ruling party out to revise the v..

S. Korea’s childbirth tally falls to new low in Q3, deeper in the zero zone South Korean birthrate slipped further into zero territory as the number of newborns hit fresh quarterly low of 73,793 the July-September period, showing no improvement despite heavy spending to slow ..

FTC voices objection to revision in vehicle law that can outlaw Tada South Korea’s antitrust regulator has objected proposed revisions to the country’s passenger transportation law that could suspend operations of the country’s rental van-hailing service Tada, citing u..

Magok district in Seoul turns into test bed for smart, automation innovations Magok in western Seoul is turning into a test bed for futuristic smart and automation technologies with unmanned security to delivery service in test trial.According to the blueprint on the district n..

Korean court sides with FTC over record fine against Qualcomm A South Korean court has upheld a record 1.03 trillion won ($863.4 million) fine against U.S. chip giant Qualcomm Inc. for unfair business practices related to mobile chipset sales and patent licensin..

S. Korea signs double taxation avoidance pacts with Vietnam, Cambodia South Korea has signed separate pacts with Vietnam and Cambodia to prevent double taxation on offshore income of their nationals or companies doing business in the counterpart country, a move that wil..

Optimized bridgehead to the Korean beer market "KIBEX 2020" to open in Seoul in March 2020 The Korea International Beer Expo (KIBEX) 2020 will be held on March 19-21 next year at the aT Center in Seoul. KIBEX is the only beer-specialized fair in Korea where visitors can see and experience ..

U.S. beef takes up 50.4% in Korea’s imported beef market U.S. beef has taken up more than half of the imported beef market in Korea at the end of October as price appeal has completely erased safety concerns. According to data from the Korea International ..

Volkswagen and six other auto importers in Korea to recall 12,000 vehicles Audi Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Porsche and four other companies in South Korea issued a recall of 12,053 imported vehicles from 16 models due to manufacturing defects. The Ministry of La..

Korean 20s in love with SNS self-display drive luxury market growth The young age used to self-display in social media have fueled growth in luxury products in Korea, a consumer study showed.According to a report released by Lotte Members, an operator of Lotte Group’s..

Korea to revise alcohol tax law to allow sale of capsule beer Korean shops would be able to sell self-serve, or capsule, beer after the legislative changes the liquor act for the first time in 31 years to redefine marketable liquor. The rivaling parities on Thu..

Room- and car-sharing services get a small crack in Seoul under sandbox Limited home-sharing for nationals will become possible in some Seoul districts under a slew of regulatory exemptions for room-sharing and platform-based car hailing service. The Ministry of Science ..

S. Korea, ASEAN vow to upgrade strategic partnership to combat global challenges South Korea and 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to upgrade their strategic partnership to jointly respond to regional as well as international challenges such as trade protect..

Korea to tighten grip on copy drug approval South Korean health authorities will tighten approval criteria to prevent the overflow of generic drugs in the pharmaceutical market. Under a planned revised procedure, the Ministry of Health and Welf..

Kim Whanki painting raises the bar on Korean artwork, sold at $11.2 mn Kim Whanki, a pioneer of abstract painting in South Korea, set a new milestone in Korean art history, with his largest painting sold at a record price at Christie’s autumn auction. The painting, “05..

Southeast Asian leaders gather in Busan, Korea for 3-day special summit Leaders from nine Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members and over 14,000 guests gathered in Busan, a southern port city of South Korea, for a regional summit and conference to cement t..

Solution to Lime Asset’s suspended fund payment hits snag with ex-vice hiding Investigation into Kosdaq-listed display equipment maker Leed Corp. and its shareholder Lime Asset Management Co. that caused major losses to retail investors has hit a snag after a prime suspect has ..

OECD trims Korea’s 2019 growth outlook to 2% on weak exports The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday revised down this year’s growth outlook for South Korea to 2.0 percent as soft global demand and ongoing trade tensions cont..

BTS won’t be exempted from draft as Seoul confirms no military waiver to K-pop stars Sad news for BTS fans: Pop artists won’t become exempted from conscription, Seoul has decided, after examining the option of granting global K-pop or other entertainment stars a waiver in drafting cur..

Seoul, Tokyo headed for WTO legal battle over trade dispute South Korea and Japan are set to enter lengthy legal battle over Tokyo’s export curbs in response to Korean court rulings on wartime forced labor as they have failed to settle their differences in the..

More than 30% of ultra fine dust in S. Korea came from China: tripartite study More than 30 percent of ultra fine dust in South Korea came from China, according to a joint research by Korea, China, and Japan that can set legitimate grounds for Seoul to demand remedial actions fr..

Korean YouTube star penguin Pengsu chased by marketers Move over Baby Shark. Big-sized straight-talking penguin Pengsu is the YouTube character star Koreans are in love with these days and the most chased-after ad model by food marketers. Local dairy com..

Baht concerns abound More than two decades ago, the baht suffered heavy devaluation as a result of speculation, forcing Thailand`s central bank to de-link the local currency from the US dollar and adopt a managed floating..

Singapore resident employment rate edges up but income growth slows: MOM SINGAPORE - The resident employment rate was slightly higher in June this year compared to the same month last year despite economic headwinds, according to an advance labour force report on Thursday ..

US promotes inclusive agriculture-led growth in Kachin State Myitkyina - US Ambassador Scot Marciel met with more than 60 members of the Kachin State agriculture sector in Myitkyina last Thursday, to discuss how the new US Agency for International Development (..

PM declares new tourism perks The government is set to revise the perks for investment in tourism and related services. Officials also pledge to introduce additional short-term measures to stimulate tourism during the high season..

Power shortages again in dry season, says prime minister Cambodia will face power shortages again from the end of this year throughout the dry season, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday. Speaking at the official launch of the National Strategic Develo..

Myanmar lags as ASEAN sees record FDI Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Myanmar still lags other countries in ASEAN, according to a report issued by the ASEAN Secretariat last week. The report ASEAN Investment Report 2019: FDI in Serv..

Foreign investors turned net buyers of Malaysia`s debt securities Foreign investors turned net buyers of Malaysia`s debt securities in September with total foreign holdings expanded to RM189.1 billion. This is after FTSE Russell decided to keep the country in the..

Viet Nam, Cambodia issue joint statement Viet Nam and Cambodia have issued a joint statement on the occasion of the Viet Nam visit by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen from October 4-5 at the invitation of h..

Myanmar, Thailand accelerate plans to link, electrify Dawei SEZ Myanmar and Thailand will speed up development of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and deep sea port at Dawei in Tanintharyi Region, officials said during the 9th Myanmar - Thailand Joint Coordinating Co..

BoT optimistic about Q3 growth on tourism, stimulus Thailand`s economic growth in the third quarter is likely to improve from the second quarter`s reading, mainly thanks to positive tourism growth and the government`s economic stimulus measures, says t..

Vietnam GDP in first three quarters climbs to 9-year high Local gross domestic product (GDP) climbed nearly 7 per cent in the first three quarters of 2019, reaching its highest level for the last nine years. Director General of the General Statistics Of..

Evergrande partners with global leading automotive firms to bolster new energy vehicle dev. China`s conglomerate China Evergrande Group has joined hands with the world`s five leading automotive engineering and technology enterprises to further optimize its industrial chain layout in the new ..

Myanmar launches workplace guide to respecting local culture Foreign executives and managers in Myanmar can now rely on a handbook about respecting the local culture in the workplace when it comes to defusing possible cross-cultural misunderstandings and potent..

Myanmar vows to take stricter action on illegal trade Myanmar will take strict action against illegal trade with the aim of substantially reducing the volume of fake or illegal products entering the market, said U Soe Win, Minister of Planning and Financ..

Thailand hosts 37th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting Country Thailand`s Ministry of Energy has showcased its success in nominating Thai enterprises to win ASEAN Energy Awards 2019, with a total of 23 qualifying firms, setting a record for the highest number of ..

Cambodia Government unveils tourism masterplan to increase visitors The government is set to roll out the Four-Strategic Plan for Tourism Development aimed at reviving tourism in the Kingdom`s northern provinces, an inter-ministerial committee meeting has decided. ..

Malaysia eyes higher electricity output from renewable sources Plans for the development of solar and other renewables remain less well developed in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, accoridmng to The Economist Intelligence Unit. Indonesia and Malaysia ..

VN, Cuba seek to expand investment, trade ties Trade and investment ties between Viet Nam and Cuba are not commensurate with their potential and there is a lot of room for them to grow, a seminar on business co-operation opportunities between the ..

Viet Nam`s PMI falls to 51.4 in August The Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers` Index (PMI) posted 51.4 in August, remaining above the 50.0 no-change mark, but falling from 52.6 in July to signal a weaker overall improvement in busin..

Myanmar steps up on company director accountability Company directors in Myanmar now face legal repercussions if they fail in their corporate duties under the new Myanmar Companies Law, which came into force last August. Articles 165-172 of the Comp..

Academic seminar on BTS phenomenon to be held next week in Seoul Scholars around the world will gather in Seoul next week to discuss the cultural phenomenon and extraordinary fandom behind the K-pop boyband sensation BTS. The Korean Society for Journalism & Commu..

Lineage 2M hits homerun after its predecessor, topping Google Paly Store in 4 days Mobile MMORPG title Lineage 2M by online game maker NCSoft Corp. became the most popular game app on the Google Play Store in sales as of Sunday, beating its predecessor Lineage M, the company said. ..

NCSoft new mobile MMORPG Lineage 2M opens, ready to break records Mobile MMORPG title Lineage 2M – second series in two years – has been met with much fanfare as it became playable from midnight Wednesday. Pre-orders rewarding in-game items topped 7.38..

Lineage 2M playable on both phone and PC under NCSoft cross play platform South Korea’s leading online game developer and publisher NCSoft Corp. has unveiled its new PC-mobile interconnected game platform, PURPLE, whose beta service is due on Nov. 27, enabling users to play..

BTS picked as Variety’s 2019 Group of the Year, fingers crossed for Grammy nomination K-pop sensation BTS gets its hope to become invited to the Grammy Awards ceremony as the first Korean artist after it achieved yet-another milestone of being crowned as the Group of the Year in Variet..

Lezhin Comics and French Delitoon announce global service partnership South Korea’s webcomics platform Lezhin Comics and France-based Delitoon SAS have teamed up to reach out global audience. Under the strategic partnership announced on Tuesday, the two will provide dig..

K-pop artists cancel concerts in Hong Kong amid public security concerns K-pop artists have been cancelling their concerts in Hong Kong and fixing Asian tour calendar as the city’s turmoil from anti-Beijing and democracy movement stretches to the sixth month.Ren, a member ..

Smilegate RPG’s Lost Ark wins best prize at 2019 Korean Game Award Lost Ark, a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) launched by Smilegate, was crowned this year’s best in Korea and also swept five other awards at the 2019 Korean Game Award on Wednesd..

Forty-four indie game publishers sponsored by Google to seek global entry at G-STAR South Korea’s small-sized game publishers supported by the government and the world’s biggest search engine Google will set up a joint booth at the country’s largest game show G-STAR 2019 that will ru..

2019 Kartrider League Season 2 finishes with a live-stream watched by 40,000 The 2019 Kartrider League Season 2, this year’s championship tournament for Korea’s iconic race game Crazyracing Kartrider published by Nexon Co., has concluded Saturday with winners of Lee Jae-hyeok ..

League of Legends’ new virtual group ready to wow audience at finals K-pop is out to take cyberspace by storm, with a new virtual band representing the characters of the massively popular PC game League of Legends to debut at the game’s world championship on Nov. 10 in..

Producers of popular K-pop audition show arrested on vote-rigging charges Producers of “Produce X 101,” the wildly popular K-pop audition TV show in South Korea, were arrested Tuesday on charges of rigging votes in favor of some contestants, shaking the credibility of the c..

SM Entertainment joins hands with CAA for more K-pop push in America K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment Co. has joined hands with the largest entertainment and sports agency in the United States to promote its artists to a global stage. SM Entertainment said on Tuesday..

2019 LoL World Championship to be live-streamed on major theaters in Korea South Korean gamers will be able to watch this year’s League of Legends World Championship to be held in Europe on cinema screens at major theaters across the country. The country’s two multiplex ci..

Nine out of 10 K-pop fans across the world wish to visit Korea Nine out of 10 K-pop fans outside Korea wish to visit the homeland of their idol stars, mostly BTS, survey showed. According to survey conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization on 12,663 K-pop fan..

Webcomics pose as new power behind K-wave with revenue to near $1 bn next year Webtoons have joined the K-wave power with the contents eying revenue of 1 trillion won ($855 million) next year, a local study showed. According to the KT Economics and Management Research Institute,..

Korean spending on mobile games tops $1 billion in Q3 South Koreans spent more than $1 billion on mobile games and made 143.7 million downloads in the third quarter, with most of the spending devoted to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MM..

BTS claims Guinness World Record for fastest time to hit 1 mn TikTok followers K-pop sensation BTS kept up its record-breaking streak this year, landing the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to reach one million followers on the video-sharing platform TikTok. The Gui..

NCSoft to empower game characters with AI in the coming Lineage 2M label South Korea’s leading online game developer and publisher NCSoft Corp. will enhance artificial intelligence-based non-player characters with responsive, adaptive and intelligent behaviors in its much-..

Big Hit makes clear that no BTS member is headed for military this year Big Hit Entertainment, the management label of South Korean boyband BTS, confirmed no one from the K-pop superstar group is headed for military service this year, responding to viral rumors triggered ..