A mixed day for Hyosung as it faces antitrust probe, wins tax lawsuit South Korea’s antitrust agency FTC has launched a probe into Hyosung Group on the allegation that it had favored its construction unit Chinhung International Inc. in violation of the antitrust rules. ..

SillaJen names M2N as preferred bidder to take over the drug company South Korea’s SillaJen Inc. has chosen M2N Co. as a preferred bidder to acquire the management rights of the biotechnology company, raising expectations about resuming normal operations after it avoid..

Mobile game transaction in Korea hit record high of $1.5 bn in Q1 In-app purchase volume of mobile games reached its highest quarterly figure in the first three months of the year in South Korea. According to mobile app tracker IGAWorks on Wednesday, the transactio..

SKT to split into operating and investment entity SK Telecom Co. is expected to split into an operating and investment entity to become an intermediate holding company of SK Group as part of its ownership restructuring scheme that will facilitate agg..

SsangYong Motor files for objection to Korea Exchange to avoid delisting SsangYong Motor Co. under court administration on Tuesday appealed the Korea Exchange for reevaluation on its blacklisted status for potential delisting. The stock market operator disclosed that it w..

Coupang is unrivaled No. 1 shopping mall, used by nearly half of Koreans Nearly half of the South Korean population use Coupang for online shopping, with users registered at 21.58 million in the country of a population of 51.8 million. According to local app and retail t..

Naver, Coupang, Kakao with command over digital pay loom large over fintech Fast inroads into the South Korean financial realm by big-tech names Naver and Kakao backed by simple payment on their widely used platform are threatening existing players as the platform operators a..

Kia scales up maiden USD green bond to $700 mn upon high demand South Korea’s Kia Corp. marketed its maiden green bond worth $700 million in greenback denomination, scaled up from its $500 million scheme on strong institutional demand for the first environmental-t..

Samsung SDI to supply battery cells to upcoming Rivian electric trucks, SUVs South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI Co. is poised to ramp up cylindrical lithium capacity to broaden its footprint in EV market after it clinched an order to power the world’s first all-electric pi..

Hyundai Engineering kicks off IPO process to join Kospi this year Hyundai Engineering, the plant construction unit of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, has kicked off the process for its initial public offering (IPO) on the main Kospi, which could be realized as ea..

Additional US sanction on chip material exports to China may upset Samsung, SK hynix upgrade The additional U.S. sanction to fend off China’s chip supremacy may upset Korean chipmakers’ upgrading in Chinese operation. The Joe Biden government is planning to block shipments of deep ultraviolet..

Baedal Minjok copies latecomer’s speedy service amid fast ascension by Coupang Eats South Korea’s top food delivery app Baedal Minjok (Baemin) will speed up delivery service upon fast catching up by latecomer Coupang Eats. Woowa Brothers Corp., operator of Baemin, announced Monday t..

Posco projects 10-year high OP in Q1 on demand recovery, steel price hikes South Korea`s leading steelmaker Posco projected its operating profit for the first quarter more than doubled from a year ago to top 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion), its best performance in 10 years, ..

Samsung Elec, LG Elec to extend hot earnings streak in Q2 South Korea`s household electronics names Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. will keep up their hot earnings streak in the second quarter, given the simmering pent-up demand for luxury ap..

Samsung SDS, KT&G, LG Uplus listed as stock buys for earnings growth Samsung SDS, KT&G, and LG Uplus are cited as stock bets for steady growth in earnings and prices, according to a report from Heungkuk Securities. Samsung SDS Co., an IT solution provider under South K..

SK Telecom close to sign a partnership with OTT service Apple TV+ South Korea’s top wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. is teaming up with Apple’s online video streaming service Apple TV+ amid its competitors’ tie-up with Disney+ and Netflix over greater share in the ev..

Shinhan GIB joins grooming of U.S. ad tech startup Moloco Shinhan GIB, an investment banking unit of South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group, pooled $20 million through a private equity fund (PEF) formed jointly with Smilegate Investment to invest in Moloco an..

Samsung Elec likely to detail US investment plans at White House meeting Samsung Electronics Co. summoned to a virtual CEO meeting arranged by the White House national security and economic councils to address chip shortage battering automakers as well as IT producers may ..

Hyundai Motor broadens curated services for subscribers, adds remote software update Hyundai Motor Co. is expanding curated services online and offline, enabling software upgrades, rentals and battery lease to subscribed customers.The carmaker will add remote upgrade service in integr..

Peacemaking LG Energy Solution, SK Innovation to ride on U.S. EV push By ending costly and drawn-out court battles, South Korean EV majors LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation Co. can now ride on ambitious U.S. clean energy agenda and better fend off Chinese competition..

Genetic testing providers join up with telcos to allow health status quo in hands South Korean direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing providers are teaming up with local telcos to deliver service results through mobile devices to save customers trips to hospitals while keeping th..

Korean Covid-19 vaccine makers under spotlight after setbacks in foreign vaccine rollout Shares of South Korean coronavirus vaccine developers have gained momentum after the government vowed to inject about 69 billion won ($6.1 million) to accelerate local vaccine development amid a delay..

LG Uplus-invested Quopin to release 5G multimedia interactive transfer chipset in May South Korea’s system semiconductor developer Quopin Co. backed by wireless carrier LG Uplus Inc. is ready to roll out third-generation of its multimedia interactive transfer chipset MonaLisa 3 that ca..

Korea bio-backed companies rush towards Nasdaq after Coupang feat A number of companies backed by Korean bio names are aiming for Nasdaq with hopes to become the next Coupang to raise big money and go global through U.S. listing.According to market experts on Tuesda..

Thelma Therapeutics’ Phase 3 IND for Covid-19 cure rejected in Korea Thelma Therapeutics Co., whose Kospi shares are suspended upon receiving disclaimer opinion, has been denied by the local drug authority to proceed with its Phase 3 clinical trial on its investigation..

KAIST teams up with Israel’s Yozma Group to breed startups Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has joined hands with Israeli venture capital Yozma Group to help campus-based startups to grow and build success, the country’s top science ..

Seegene starts review on the move to Kospi : CFO Seegene Inc., South Korea’s largest point-of-care diagnostic kit maker, is deliberating move to main bourse Kopsi from secondary Kosdaq to address to complaints from shareholders. Seegene’s chief fin..

Covid-19 test kit maker Seegene to diversify its IVD portfolio into cancer Seegene Inc., a pioneering in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) company in Korea, will diversify its IVD portfolio to make rapid test kits to detect not only infectious and respiratory diseases but also certain..

Hanmi gains FDA fast track on investigational short bowel syndrome drug Hanmi Pharmaceutical said on Wednesday that its investigational rare disease drug HM15912 to treat short-bowel syndrome has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ..

Korean players in race to develop biosims of blockbuster drug Stelara Korean biosimilar companies are in the competition over $8 billion market of biosimilars for Stelara (ustekinumab), a blockbuster prescription medicine to treat psoriasis with the original drug’s pate..

Key Foundry to roll out auto chips on Gen2 0.13-micron embedded flash this year South Korea-based pure-play foundry Key Foundry claimed to be ready for mass production of automotive semiconductor using its Gen2 0.13-micron embedded flash process within the year at a time the worl..

Aprogen KIC renamed into Aprogen Medicines to start global distribution of biosims Aprogen KIC has been renamed into Aprogen Medicines Inc. to make a fresh start as Aprogen Group’s unit responsible for the global distribution of biosimilar products. The company said in a regulator..

Samsung Bioepis rolls out Hadlima in Canada and Australia Samsung Bioepis Co. is expanding its global footprint beyond Europe with the launch of Hadlima (adalimumab), a biosimilar referencing Humira, in Canada and Australia. According to industry sources o..

Yuhan’s subsidiary ImmuneOncia signs $500 mn license agreement with Chinese pharma ImmuneOncia Therapeutics, Inc., a U.S. joint venture of South Korean pharmaceutical company Yuhan Corp., has entered into an exclusive collaboration deal with 3D Medicines Inc., a China-based biopharm..

SK Biopharm’s epilepsy drug cleared for sale in Europe South Korea’s SK Biopharmaceuticals said Wednesday that its anti-epileptic drug cenobamate has received marketing authorization from the European Commission (EC), making it the first case of entry int..

Korea’s DTC genetic test provider Medizen expands footprint across Southeast Asia Medizen Humancare Inc., a Korean direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing provider, will establish a joint venture in Singapore in the first half of this year to expand its footprint across Southeast ..

Korea’s first blood plasma cure for Covid-19 to be filed for approval in April GC Pharma will file for conditional approval of its investigational blood plasma-derived coronavirus therapy GC5131A with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as early as this week. If approved, GC51..

Celltrion tops in R&D manpower, Hanmi boasts largest R&D spending vs sales Celltrion stood in the lead in terms of R&D manpower among South Korean pharmaceutical and biotech companies, while Hanmi Pharmaceutical topped in R&D expenditure versus revenue. According to the lat..

Korea’s Aptabio gains FDA nod for Phase 2 trial of oral Covid-19 cure APX-115 South Korea’s cancer and diabetes drug developer Aptabio has obtained approval for a Phase 2 trial of its oral coronavirus cure APX-115 from that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company..

Samsung Elec rolls out fastest and most energy-efficient DDR5 memory for servers Samsung Electronics Co. has introduced 512-gigabyte (GB) DDR5 memory based on High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) technology, the fastest and most energy saving memory for data server up to date. Its DDR5 memor..

HYBE shares likely face tug-of-war in buying and selling on lockup expiry Shares of HYBE Co., rebranded from Big Hit Entertainment, have been skidding from their April 6 peak following the company’s announcement of $1 billion buyout of American major label Ithaca Holding fo..

Hanwha Solutions to offer $153 mn in green dim sum bond in May Hanwha Solutions Corp., chemical manufacturing unit under South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, is offering its maiden global and green bond in Chinese denomination. It will issue Dim Sum bonds - ..

Bithumb deposit triples in one year thanks to booming cryptocurrency investment Investors’ deposits in South Korea’s largest virtual currency exchange Bithumb have more than tripled over the past year in line with the revived crypto market boom. According to a disclosure by Bith..

Kosdaq revisits 1,000 threshold for the first time in nearly 21 years South Korea’s secondary Kosdaq revisited 1,000 level for the first time since the IT bubble burst in 2000 on foreign buying in bio and battery stocks. Kosdaq finished Monday 1.1 percent higher at 1,0..

Debt offering by Korean Inc. for April projected at $8 bn, may top $35 bn H1 Bond offerings by Korean Inc. could exceed 40 trillion won ($35 billion) in the first half, including 9 trillion won this month alone, as companies rush to raise debt for refinancing before rates turn..

NPS revises asset allocation policy, raises hope for easing in stock selling National Pension Service (NPS) is expected to ease up on its selling upon upward revision in the guidance on investment in domestic shares. NPS’s fund operation committee on Friday voted in approval..

Foreigners keep up sell stock and buy bond stance in Korea Q1 Offshore investors maintained net sale position in the Korean stock market while picked up bonds amid fall in prices throughout the first quarter. According to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS..

Korea Deposit Insurance sells 2% stake in Woori on privatization scheme State-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) sold 14,445,000 shares in Woori Financial Group in block trade before the market opened on Friday for 149.3 billion won ($133.6 million) in line with the..

Kakao shares likely stay on the upside when they return after stock split on April 15 South Korea’s largest chat platform operator Kakao Corp. may likely avoid the usual downturn after a stock split, given the upside from IPOs of its promising units. Kakao shares will not trade from A..

Korea’s Centroid Investment shortlisted for TaylorMade buyout Centroid Investment Partners, a Seoul-based private equity firm, is shortlisted as one of the potential buyers of TaylorMade Golf Co., a California-based golf equipment sponsor of Tiger Woods, with a ..

T Map Mobility raises pre-IPO funding of $359 mn from two PEFs T Map Mobility Co., a latecomer in the mobility service provider backed by Korea’s top wireless carrier SK Telecom Co., drew pre-IPO funding of 400 billion won ($359 million) from two private equity f..

NPS dumps mostly big cap Korean stocks in Q1 South Korea’s biggest institutional investor National Pension Service (NPS) mostly unloaded large-cap stocks like Samsung Electronics Co. in the first quarter to keep to its guidance on local stock ra..

KKR chasing another Korean waste management firm Yido, betting big on ESG KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR) is reportedly in talks to own half of South Korean waste treatment firm Yido Co., which would make the global private equity giant’s third major ESG investment in the country in a..

Korean banks shuttered record 304 branches last year South Korean commercial banks shuttered more than 300 outposts last year mostly in big cities with faster migration to online and mobile banking. According to the Korea Federation of Banks and the F..

SK hynix doubles ESG offering scale to $1 bn and includes main social bonds South Korea’s memory giant SK hynix Inc. nearly doubled its latest offering in environmental, social and governance (ESG) theme to 1.18 trillion won ($1.06 billion) upon overwhelming demand in bookbui..

Korean Air’s BBB+ bonds oversubscribed amid revived debt appetite South Korea’s flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. is expected to scale up its debt issue after its multi-tranche domestic offering of BBB+ gauged heated institutional demand amid improved appetite for s..

HYBE shares at new heights after Justin Bieber label acquisition Shares of HYBE Co. trading under the name of Big Hit Entertainment have running at new heights through the momentum of its buyout of international label Ithaca Holdings behind Justin Bieber and Ariana..

Mom-and-pop shareholders in Korean Inc. surge by 80%, Samsung Elec sees largest Individual shareholders in Korean Inc. have expanded by nearly 80 percent in a year as the result of stock fad that spilled over across the age and gender during the pandemic year. According to CEO S..

Corporate credit ratings upgraded on Korean Inc’s rosy Q1 outlook A string of upgrades for Korean debt issuers in line with improving earnings bode well for the companies rushing to borrow before interest rates move higher and the stagnant debt market. According to..

K-Bank stands on par with rural banks on deposit balance K-Bank, the pioneer in internet-only bank in Korea, has quickly bounced back from a nine-month idling on running out of capital to now stand on par with traditional banks in regional areas with deposi..

Overseas stock settlement by Koreans at record high of $128 bn in Q1 The turnover in overseas stock trade settled by South Korean nationals in the first quarter nearly doubled on year at $128.51 billion, Korea Securities Depository said on Wednesday as retail stock fad..

S. Korea reports first job growth in 13 months in March South Korea snapped a year-long losing streak in job data in March helped by revived manufacturing activity and IT and public hiring against a poor year-ago period of the first ravaging wave of Covid-..

S. Korea’s money supply rises by record pace in Feb for the second month Money supply in South Korea rose by another record pace in February as companies and households resorted to cheap liquidity to overcome the lengthy Covid-19 crisis. The country’s M2, a measure of mon..

Hyperlocal app biz catching up fast in Korea on popularity of Danggeun Market One out of every five South Koreans visits Danggeun Market, hyperlocal secondhand exchange, at least once a week. According to Danggeun Market, known as Karrot overseas, its number of weekly active us..

Jobless subsidy subscribers reach monthly record in March in Korea A record number of South Koreans took out job search subsidy from the government last month as the country’s job market continues to suffer from the prolonged virus fallout. The government doled out ..

S. Korea’s exports up 25% on year in first 10 days of April South Korean exports expanded nearly 25 percent in the first 10 days of April against a year ago on robust demand for wireless telecommunications devices and petrochemical products, keeping to double-..

Seoul may pronounce to stop subsidizing overseas coal projects next week Seoul is expected to pronounce cease in subsidizing overseas fossil fuel projects at the Climate Change Summit next week as part of its commitment to toxic emission reduction. The Korean government f..

S. Korea’s exports estimated to gain 18% to reach record $605 bn this year: HRI South Korea can achieve best-ever exports this year at $605.3 billion on trade volume of $1.15 trillion with bio, EVs, rechargeable batteries and system semiconductors added to the country’s tradition..

Korea’s household spending slides for third straight year under Moon govt South Korea’s average monthly household spending has declined for three years in a row under the Moon Jae-in government whose main economic agenda was led by income-led growth policy to spur household..

S. Korea grooming Saemangeum as test bed for Green New Deal projects The South Korean government will build large-scale eco-friendly hydrogen production facilities in Saemangeum, a reclaimed area located about 280 kilometers southwest of Seoul, making it a frontline fo..

Korea to import grains without tariff, 25 million eggs to tame food prices South Korea will temporarily remove tariffs on corn imports until the end of the year and allow minimum 25 million additions in egg entries to tame food prices that have been fueling inflationary pres..

S. Korea’s C/A surplus up in February on higher shipping rates Higher shipping rates have bumped up South Korea’s surplus in the current account in February and extended a black streak into the 10th month. The country’s current account registered a surplus of $8..

S. Korea’s national debt grows by largest-ever amount in 2020 amid pandemic South Korea`s total national liabilities snowballed to a record high of 1,985 trillion won ($1,770 billion) last year as Asia’s fourth largest economy implemented expansionary fiscal spending to tackl..

SsangYong to go under court management upon go-ahead from KDB SsangYong Motor goes under court-led restructuring upon a go-ahead from main creditor and state lender Korea Development Bank (KDB) as it more or less gave up on an outside investor in place of its In..

Korean financial holding companies may be next to join app-based banking market South Korean financial holding groups are prepping to add online-only banking units to join the burgeoning app-based financial market. Korea Federation of Banks recently took survey on financial hold..

One quarter of listed Korean firms unable to meet interest outgo from earnings One out of four non-financial listed companies in South Korea could not even meet their interest payments from earnings last year, data showed on Monday. According to the data from Korea Economic Re..

One out of 10 self-employed owe to more than 3 institutions in Korea The number of self-employed owing multiple financial lenders jumped 55 percent over the past year as they bore the biggest burn from Covid-19 crisis that has put household debt load twice bigger than ..

S. Korea’s CPI in March jumps 1.5%, further adding tightening pressure South Korea’s consumer prices in March grew at the fastest pace in 14 months on rising fresh food and oil prices, adding further tightening pressure on monetary authorities even as the economy remains..

Korea’s March exports top $50 bn, marking a record month South Korea’s exports in March topped $50 billion for the first time this year, which was also a record high for the month, thanks to a recovery in global demand for memory chips and the country’s oth..

Cab-sharing to become granted in South Korea in H1 Voluntary ride-sharing will become legitimate in South Korea in the first half in latest deregulation measure, said Hong Nam-ki, deputy prime minister Wednesday. The move can ease fight over cabs du..

Google Korea, Facebook Korea report income for the first time but in questionable sum Google Korea reported it had raised 220 billion won ($196.7 million) and Facebook Korea 44.2 billion won from sales in South Korea last year in their first disclosure under a revised law mandating out..

Netflix’s income in Korea quadruples in the year of pandemic Multinational streaming provider Netflix saw its operating profit quadruple and revenue more than double in South Korea last year against a year ago amid surge in subscribers during the pandemic year ..

Korea’s antitrust agency seeks revisions to make consumer class suits easier Consumer class actions against Korean companies would become easier as they will not require court review and permission under a revised bill sought by the antitrust authority.The Korea Fair Trade Com..

Louis Vuitton, Hermès enjoy bumper pandemic year as Koreans lavish on luxuries Luxury fashion houses Hermès, Chanel and Louis Vuitton enjoyed a bumper year in South Korea as rich Koreans bound at home amid pandemic went on a spending spree. Louis Vuitton Korea Ltd., the Ko..

Coffee business thrives in Covid-19 year with most openings among eatery biz in Korea Coffee stores added 15.5 percent on year to total 71,906 in South Korea as of January, meaning one per every 322 household as the business was unfazed during Covid-19 epidemic with the country’s coffe..

S. Korea’s online-to-offline market thrives amid pandemic South Korea’s online-to-offline, or O2O, market burgeoned last year with the food delivery sector seeing a massive surge in demand largely driven by Covid 19 restrictions on restaurant dining, governm..

P2P car-sharing service ‘Towns’ gains gov’t approval for trial operation in Korea A peer-to-peer car-sharing service will go on a trial in South Korea as the government has given the green light to a startup under the ‘regulatory sandbox’ program that allows firms to test their new..

Conservatives sweep Seoul, Busan byelections, leveling field for next presidency Conservative opposition candidates swept key byelections on Wednesday, dealing a heavy blow to President Moon Jae-in’s governance in his final year and the liberal front’s aspiration to extend governi..

Population decline in South Korea accelerates in Q1 amid baby drought South Korea`s population, which declined naturally for the first time last year, continued to shrink during the first three months of this year, but at a faster pace, as deaths outnumbered births, gov..

Coupang to join chaebol watch list, but American CEO can avoid scrutiny E-commerce giant Coupang Inc. which has leapfrogged to one of the largest Korean companies in terms of market value upon joining the New York Stock Exchange will officially be listed as a “business co..

S. Korea at the OECD bottom group in vaccine program progress South Korea is among the slowest in the developed category in its vaccine program and may not achieve herd immunity as hoped in the second half even as other countries are ready to open borders and re..

Webtoon use may become exclusive for Naver as it files for trademark right South Korea’s tech giant Naver Corp. has applied for trademark right for ‘webtoon,’ a name for the company’s digital comic service that combines ‘web’ and ‘cartoon’ in Korea after acquiring the right ..

Seoul to overhaul vehicle classification system, EVs likely face spike in taxes The South Korean government will revisit its vehicle classification standard, untouched from 1987, to better represent mobility market changes driven by electrification and automation.The government w..

Google’s in-app billing “essential” to maintain Android ecosystem: Google Korea CEO Google’s in-app billing will apply to big developers while most will go on using its store free in Korea and is minimum measure to sustain the Android app ecosystem, said Google Korea president Kim Ky..

International tribunal likely to wrap up Lone Star-Seoul ISD case by H1 The International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), an international arbitration body under the World Bank, is expected to deliver its conclusion on the near $5 billion investor-st..

Korea’s department store sales jumps 34% in record on-year surge in Feb Department sales surged 34 percent on year in February to suggest pent-up spending of the richer in South Korea. According to the data from Statistics Korea on Monday, department store sales gained 3..

Myanmar bloodshed hits Korean financial operations South Korean financial institutions have tensed up to review closure of operations in conflict-ridden Myanmar as expats come under safety risk. Shinhan Bank has temporarily closed down its branch in ..

BMW, Hyundai and three other local, import brands to recall 238,914 vehicles in Korea BMW, Hyundai Motor and three other local and import auto brands will voluntarily recall a combined 238,914 vehicles from 39 models in South Korea for safety issues. The Ministry of Land, Infrastruct..

Apple Korea referred for prosecution, fined for hampering antitrust probe South Korea`s antitrust regulator has fined and referred the local unit of Apple Inc. and one of its executives for prosecution over charges that the company hampered the regulator’s investigation sev..

Korean automaking community joins 2050 vision of carbon neutrality South Korea’s automakers and car parts suppliers have agreed to increase investments in the development of electric and hydrogen vehicles as part of their commitment to the government’s goal of carbon..

Arkhom rebuffs fiscal criticism The Finance Ministry has brushed off critics suggesting a near-bankruptcy status of the government`s fiscal position by citing Thailand`s economic fundamentals. The three indicators exemplifying the ..

EU firms optimistic about Việt Nam’s business climate in 2021 HCM CITY — The latest Business Climate Index (BCI) unveiled by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Việt Nam on Wednesday indicated that EU companies in Việt Nam ended 2020..

BioThai slams wet market closures The government must not resort to preferential treatment when it comes to enforcing orders to close wet markets as part of Covid-19 containment measures, says the BioThai Foundation. BioThai (Biodive..

Banks to introduce domestic credit chip cards to promote cashless payments HÀ NỘI — The National Payment Corporation of Việt Nam (Napas) last week said it would work with seven banks to introduce domestic credit chip cards with unified standards to lim..

Indonesia Extends 14-Day Entry Ban on Foreign Arrivals Jakarta. Indonesia will extend the entry ban on foreign visitors for another 14 days. The announcement comes a few days ahead of its deadline. "President Joko `Jokowi` Widodo has agreed to extend th..

Labour sector reaches significant results in five years HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has created new jobs for more than eight million workers over the past five years and is one of 10 countries worldwide with the lowest unemployment rate. Mini..

Vietnamese billionaires’ net worth increases after battling headwinds of 2020 HÀ NỘI — 2020 was a difficult year for the global economy including Việt Nam, but some Vietnamese billionaires still saw their net asset value increase. According to Forbes, be..

YTB finalises plans to commercialise Covid-19 vaccine KUALA LUMPUR: Yong Tai Bhd (YTB) is finalising its plans to commercialise Covid-19 vaccine with Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co Ltd (SZKT) through its latest partnerships with Tiong Nam Logist..

Hà Nội maintains economic growth amidst COVID-19: top official HÀ NỘI — Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hà Nội has maintained its economic growth, with gross regional domestic product (GRPD) expanding by about 3.98 per cen..

SEC enlists tech for probes The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to investigate false accounting information next year, following the implementation of rob..

Ministry conducts early bidding for 1,900 of next year`s construction projects The Public Works and Housing Ministry is conducting an early bidding process for thousands of projects for next year, as it strives to ramp up state spending to support economic recovery and boost the..

Retirement age to increase starting 2021 HÀ NỘI — Starting next year, the retirement age will be increased to 60 years and three months for men and 55 years and four months for women. This is part of Government Decree No..

Experts upbeat about VN’s post-pandemic economic recovery, urging firms to focus on new trends HÀ NỘI — Experts are upbeat about Việt Nam’s post-pandemic economy, urging enterprises to grasp opportunities arising from new trends, such as digital transformation, energy inf..

Metronic aims RM180 million profit from Covid-19 vaccine KUALA LUMPUR: Metronic Global Bhd (MGB) through its subsidiary Metronic Medicare Sdn Bhd (MMSB), has inked a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation (MVC), to distribu..

Vietnamese đồng to strengthen in 2021: VNDirect Securities HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese đồng will remain stable for the rest of the year but may appreciate by 0.5 per cent in 2021, VNDirect Securities Corp forecast. The State Bank of ViN..

Protesters slam charter vote Parliament`s rejection of the people`s constitution amendment draft has left anti-government protesters with no other choice but to press on with their street protests to achieve their goals, Jatupat ..

Bank of Thailand ‘has tools to handle strong baht’ Thailand`s central bank has the necessary policy tools to handle the strengthening of the baht, the finance minister said on Monday, as the currency hit its highest level in more than 10 months agains..

Property sales recovery to be derailed by CMCO: MIDF Research KUALA LUMPUR: The worsening Covid-19 situation in Malaysia will derail property sales recovery as economic outlook turns uncertain with the re-imposition of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMC..

Government considers additional support policies for industrial sector HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) said it had advised the Government to implement a number of policies to support Việt Nam`s industrial sector, especially t..

Bank Islam issues RM700mil sukuk under RM10bil sukuk Murabahah issuance KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd has today issued the third tranche of RM700 million subordinated sukuk under its RM10 billion Sukuk Murabahah programme. This is the second sukuk issuance by Ban..

Korea’s webtoon Solo Leveling on path to be adapted to game, drama, film Solo Leveling, one of the most popular webtoons in South Korea by author Chugong, will be adapted to a drama and game in the United States, paving the way for a wider Korean content outreach to global..

Webzen stock gains on launch of “MU Origin 2” in China South Korea’s game publisher Webzen Inc. has been boosted by the launch of “MU Origin 2” in China last Friday amid expectations on Beijing’s easing in restrictions on Korean games. Shares of Kosdaq-l..

Immersive concert solution provider AmazeVR adds $9.5 million funding Los Angeles-based virtual reality (VR) startup AmazeVR founded by former Kakao executive Lee Seung-joon has bagged $9.5 million in funding from a number of global investors on Friday, bringing the tot..

Simple, casual ‘retro’ games become all the rage among young Koreans Simple and uncompetitive pastime games are gaining grounds among young Koreans in their 20s and 30s.The MZ generation gamers are increasingly playing ‘retro’ games to pass the time on commutes or wait..

HYBE becomes global with Ithaca pop stars and BTS under its arm HYBE Co.’s near-$1 billion buyout of Ithaca Holdings LLC , star-studded U.S. media company, after rebranding from Big Hit Entertainment for international identity makes its first ambitious branch-out ..

Softbank Ventures Asia invests $2 mn in Korean VR gaming startup Miragesoft Softbank Ventures Asia Corp., the early-stage venture capital arm of Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., invested 2 billion won ($1.76 million) in South Korean virtual reality (VR) gaming startup Miragesoft..

Termination of “Joseon Exorcist” erases $63mn from YG Enter, SBS stocks Ill-fortuned epic drama “Joseon Exorcist” which was pulled out of the terrestrial TV channel after just two episodes due to fiery protest over exaggerated distortion of Korean history and excess expos..

K-pop bet can make handsome money Music can be a lucrative pastime as investment in music copyrights turns out handsome returns. According to Musicow, the country’s first copyright sharing platform, the copyright of Brave Girls’ “Roll..

Blackpink Rosé’s solo single slams Billboard Global Charts Singer-song writer Rosé from K-pop girl group Blackpink proved she could stand tough even alone as she breezed through global music charts with her first solo single “On The Ground”, scoring No. ..

Korean big and smaller publishers pump up game pipeline South Korean game publishers big and small are preparing to launch new mobile titles at home and abroad to extend their pandemic-induced home and mobile entertainment boon. The country’s leading gam..

Minari Youn Yuh-jung becomes first Korean actress nominated at Oscar Actress Youn Yuh-jung has become the first South Korean and fourth Asian to be nominated for a best supporting actress at the Oscar for her role in “Minari” that has also earned nominations in five ot..

Apple TV+ joins K-content boom with first Dr. Brain show debuting later this year Apple Inc.’s over-the-top (OTT) video service platform Apple TV+ will produce Korean language TV series to air them on its platform in hopes of expanding its global share by riding on the hallyu or Ko..

Pearl Abyss’ “Black Desert” becomes top selling, most popular game on Steam Black Desert, the flagship massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) rolled out by South Korea’s mid-tier game company Pearl Abyss Corp., ranked top on Steam, a global game service platf..

JYP signs exclusive distribution contract with Chinese IT firm JYP Entertainment Corp., South Korean label behind K-pop girl group TWICE, has stirred up market interest by disclosing it had recently signed an exclusive distribution contract with an unnamed Chines..

BTS, nominated for Best Group, to perform solo on the Grammy’s night next week K-pop sensation BTS nominated for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at this year’s Grammy Awards will become the first Korean act to perform on the big music night next week, raising expectations for..

Korean game publishers review disclosing draw probability of random game items South Korean game publishers are under increasing pressure to become more transparent in administration of their random item draw boxes that have served as cash cows but generated strong complaints fr..

Games of mid-tier publishers in Korea make big strides Game titles rolled out by mid-sized publishers and startups in South Korea have made big strides on charts in Korea, elbowing out Chinese labels. Npixel’s newly-launched title “Gran Saga” and Devsiste..

“Language of the heart” Minari goes after Oscar after picking up Golden Globe trophy South Korean names may once again hold up Oscars for the second straight year after “Minari,” a drama of a Korean-American family settling into rural Arkansas in the 1980s, won the Golden Globe for th..

Ex-MLB All-Star Choo Shin-soo chooses to play as a KBO rookie with fledgling team Veteran MLB player Choo Shin-soo will become a rookie to the Korean baseball league as he signed a $2.4 million contract with Shinsegae Group, the new owner of Incheon-based SK Wyverns. The novice b..

BTS label Big Hit and Universal Music to debut a global boy band South Korea’s Big Hit Entertainment, the label that built global chart-toppers BTS, has joined hands with the world’s leading music company Universal Music Group (UMG) to debut a new global K-pop boy ..