Medipost sets up subsidiary dedicated to drug development based on umbilical cord blood Medipost Co., a Korean stem cell therapy developer, has launched a new subsidiary dedicated to research of umbilical cord blood-derived immune cell therapy with a two-pronged focus on regulatory T cel..

Korean consortium led by LG move on with project to create EV value chain in Indonesia LG Energy Solution-led consortium has entered a preliminary agreement with Indonesia’s state-run electric vehicle battery joint venture Industri Baterai Indonesia (IBI) with ultimate goal to establish..

Samsung Elec and Polish teleco Play to conduct 4G/5G trials in Poland Samsung Electronics Co. will be conducting 4G and 5G trials in Warsaw, Poland with Play, a leading Polish mobile operator, the Korean tech giant said on Wednesday. Market watchers say Samsung is more ..

Samsung Heavy slightly rebounds after rout from poor earnings, capitalization scheme Shares of Samsung Heavy Industries Co. recovered Friday after a heavy dip on the previous day as investors displayed disappointment over its first-quarter results and recapitalization scheme of loweri..

Kumho Petrochem eyes $1 bn income milestone this year on surging tire rubber demand South Korea’s Kumho Petrochemical Co. anticipates an operating income milestone of $1 billion this year as tire replacement cycle in the world’s largest auto market coupled with surge in single-use la..

LG Household & Health Care becomes top beauty house from Korea LG Household & Health Care Ltd. has become top beauty house from South Korea and No.12 in global rank after overtaking long-time frontrunner Amorepacific for the first time.LG Household ranked 12th in..

Daewoong Pharmaceutical Q1 OP quadruples on reduced legal costs Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co.’s first-quarter operating profit reached 22.6 billion won ($20 million), a whopping 305 percent jump from a year ago, thanks to the end of a legal battle against its local ..

Korea’s KCC Glass to build first overseas plant in Indonesia South Korea’s KCC Glass said Thursday its board has decided to build a glass production plant in Batang, Indonesia, which will be the company’s first overseas manufacturing plant. The new plant to be..

LG Display eyes near $30 bn sales this year amid unfazed demand for OLED panels South Korea’s LG Display Co. can anticipate record revenue of 30 trillion won ($26.7 billion) this year as its shift to OLED as mainstream panel product proves opportune amid jump in demand for high-e..

Doosan Heavy teams up with local firm to produce hydrogen from waste plastics South Korea`s top power-equipment maker Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. said Thursday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with a local company to jointly develop technology and..

S. Korea’s air traffic volume in April tops 30,000 as local travelers near record high South Korea’s air traffic volume at local airports in April doubled from a year-ago period to top 30,000 for the first time in 14 months, although still halved against pre-pandemic levels. According t..

Hanwha Total completes PP, gas cracking expansion, timed with jump in demand and price South Korean petrochemical giant Hanwha Total Petrochemical Co. expects to add 840 billion won ($746.4 million) in annual revenue upon completing expansion at its polypropylene (PP) production and gas..

SK in talks with EV startup Polestar under Volvo for technology licensing biz SK Inc., the holding entity of South Korea’s third largest conglomerate SK Group, is reviewing a strategic partnership with Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar under Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) o..

Korean shipyards tapping another multibillion-dollar Petrobras offshore order South Korean shipyards who have been sweeping this year’s global sea carrier and facility orders are going after another mega deal from Brazilian oil company Petrobras for offshore plant construction...

Korean Air Lines joins the race for urban airspace mobility South Korean No.1 flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. has become latest to join the heated race over the urban airspace where automobile and defense equipment makers have already made head start with el..

Kakao sets new earnings record Q1, is ready to debut more subsidiary stocks (Updated with conference call comments) Kakao Corp., operator of Korea’s dominant chat app Kakao Talk, is ready to debut more subsidiaries including its Japanese operation, as it kept up a hot earnin..

Samsung Elec to speed up P3 project to advance memory generational shift Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest memory chip maker, is moving ahead with its next-gen memory upscaling at its third chip fab in Pyeongtaek complex in South Korea costing over an estimated ..

Food delivery platform Yogiyo’s preliminary tender draws retail giants, PEFs, hotel-booking app The race to acquire Yogiyo has drawn retail giants, big private equity funds and even hotel-booking app operator, ramping up the expectations for South Korea’s No. 2 food delivery app with an estimate..

Doosan Bobcat to invest $70 mn to expand GME capacity in US Doosan Bobcat Inc., a construction equipment unit of South Korean conglomerate Doosan Group, is set to expand one of its U.S. plants starting July to meet growing demands for grounds maintenance equip..

South Korean builder DL E&C close to take up urea project in Australia South Korea’s midsized builder DL E&C Co. has entered a binding heads of agreement with Australia’s Leigh Creek Energy Ltd. to conduct pre-feasibility study and front-end engineering and design (FEED)..

Samsung Elec unveils I-Cube4 chip packaging solution for foundry clients Samsung Electronics Co. has developed next-generation chip packaging technology dubbed Interposer-Cube4 (I-Cube4) for faster and more efficient chips for high-performance applications. The new I-Cub..

Seoul places surgical robot for the first time for fast-tracking authorization South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Tuesday it has granted the country’s 10th innovative medical device designation to Meere Company’s automated surgical robot which is used for laparo..

Korean vaccine passport developer Blockchain Labs receives proposal from Linux Blockchain Labs based both in Seoul and Paolo Alto, California, is working on potential collaboration with the Linux Foundation and foreign governments in building a blockchain-based database of Covid..

Daewoong Pharm’s botox product Nabota cleared for marketing in Turkey and Chile Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Friday its botulinum toxin product Nabota has been authorized for marketing in Turkey and Chile. Botulinum toxin or botox is a biologic substance widely used in cosmetic ..

Daewoong Pharm to double down on global foray with Nabota: CEO Daewoong Pharmaceutical will increase its presence in the botulinum toxin market in the U.S. and other major overseas markets by maintaining momentum of record exports in March, the company’s chief ex..

Genexine agrees to sell investigational coronavirus vaccine to Indonesia South Korea’s Genexine has agreed to provide 10 million doses of its investigational coronavirus vaccine GX-19N to Indonesian pharmaceutical company PT Kalbe Farma prior to official regulatory authori..

FDA begins review of GC Pharma’s blood product for marketing authorization The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has entered a full review of GC Pharma’s intravenous immunoglobulin therapy GC5107 for regulatory clearance, with the date of review completion set on February 25..

Samsung Elec launches industry’s first SAS-4 SSD on 128-layer vertical NAND Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday has launched industry’s first 24G Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface solid state drive (SSD) for enterprise servers based on sixth-generation 128-layer vertical NAN..

Celltrion completes global phase 3 trial of Covid-19 cure Celltrion Inc. has completed a large-scale global phase 3 trial of its investigational Covid-19 drug Rekirona (regdanvimab), pushing the antibody treatment one step closer to global launch, the Korean..

Samsung Biologics expands CMO deal with TG Therapeutics third time South Korea’s Samsung Biologics said on Monday it has agreed to expand its contract manufacturing deal for the supply of ublituximab, an investigational monoclonal antibody, from U.S.-based biotech fi..

Korea’s No. 1 skin graft firm readies inroads plus IPO in China L&C Bio, Korea’s leading provider of skin graft materials, will launch its human skin allograft MegaDerm in China after July next year when a large-scale manufacturing site is completed, the company’s..

Korean medical electronics firm Ceragem stands out for growth based on patent count Ceragem, a Korean developer of thermal spine treatment devices, stood out internationally and for future growth potential in terms of its richness in patented technologies. According to the medical e..

Samsung Bioepis biosimilars sales in Europe fall 6.3% in Q1 Sales of Samsung Bioepis Co.’s three autoimmune biosimilars – Benepali, Imraldi, Flixabi – in Europe in the first quarter dropped 6.3 percent on year, the company said Friday citing U.S. p..

Seegene to supply $ 22 mn worth Covid-19 test kits to Scotland Seegene Inc., South Korea’s largest point-of-care diagnostic kit maker, will supply Covid-19 diagnostic kits worth 16 million GBP ($22.11 million) to Scotland, which will triple shipments to the regio..

Korea’s 4th synchrotron accelerator likely to pass feasibility study this week South Korea’s plan to build a fourth-generation synchrotron radiation accelerator is likely to pass feasibility studies this week, paving the way for the 1 trillion-won (US$817 million) project to kic..

Korea United aims to start phase 2 trial of industry’s first inhaled Covid-19 cure in June Korea United Pharm, which is on track to develop what would be the country’s first inhaled formulation to treat Covid-19, aims to start a phase 2 clinical trial sometime in June, the company’s chief e..

CHA Vaccine is developing therapeutic jab based on new adjuvant technology CHA Vaccine Institute, a Korean research-oriented biotechnology firm, has developed a new vaccine adjuvant that can be applied to preventive and therapeutic vaccines against various infections and dis..

JW Pharma’s oral atopic dermatitis drug cleared for phase 2a study in Germany South Korean drug maker JW Pharmaceutical’s investigational oral atopic dermatitis drug has been cleared for a phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of cholinergic urticaria in Germany. According..

Covid-19 quick test kit of Celltrion/Humasis cleared for emergency use in U.S. DiaTrust™ Covid-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test, an in vitro diagnostic test based on an immunochromatographic assay, jointly developed by South Korea’s Celltrion and Humasis, has been cleared for emergency use..

Korea’s Huons to turn out Sputnik V, govt denies it to be the global vaccine maker from Aug South Korea’s biotech company Huons Global’s shares rallied early Friday on news that it will produce Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V under a CMO deal, making it the second Korean manufacturer of t..

Korean PEFs seek opportunities in corporate lending market with credit funds Private equity firms based in South Korea are joining their global peers in the credit fund market that allows businesses to benefit from wider borrowing options and investors greater opportunities in..

Korean crypto platforms strive to turn more reliable with global partner, protection Korean cryptocurrency-devoted platforms are going on their own to turn more global and reliable players amid near-zero regulations and state protection that has made the country’s market most vulnerab..

NH SPAC 19 to become Korea’s first SPAC IPO on Kospi in 11 yrs Stocks to pool funds for a corporate buyout will return to the main Korean bourse after the last IPO in special purchase acquisition category in March 2010, raising interest if it can stir a similar b..

Shinhan Financial Group issues $500 mn in AT1 bond with sustainability theme South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group Co. sold $500 million additional tier 1 (AT1) bond with sustainability label. The Basel III-compliant AT1 bond with call option of five years was issued with a ..

Kakao awards stock options to all employees for first time South Korean messaging platform giant Kakao Corp. will grant all employees stock options for 53.9 billion won ($47.95 million) worth shares of the company in total this year amid its workers’ growing ..

Mirae Asset Securities’ overseas stock assets and pension reserves top $18 bn South Korea’s top securities firm Mirae Asset Securities Co. set a milestone by becoming the first in the industry to exceed the 20 trillion-won ($17.82 billion) mark in overseas stock assets and pens..

Foreigners behind nearly 90% of short sale in Seoul on the first day of ban lift Foreigners celebrated the lifting of 14-month ban on short sale in Seoul, accounting for nearly 90 percent of total short sales on the first day with tripled turnover compared with the daily average i..

Korean coffeehouse A Twosome Place studying IPO option South Korea’s No. 2 coffee franchise brand A Twosome Place under Hong Kong-based Anchor Equity Partner is studying initial public offering to become the first coffee stock on the Korean market. Accor..

Lee family of Samsung sweep top four in stock-rich list after inheritance The Lee owner family behind Samsung Group dominated top four in stock-rich rank in Korea after they shared the holdings of Lee Kun-hee who died in October as the country’s wealthiest man with stock va..

Pipe dream for IPO jackpots draw Korean 30s, 40s men into OTC stocks Thirty- and forty-something Korean men are engrossed in over-the-counter (OTC) stock trade in dream of IPO jackpots like Coupang that went public on the New York Stock Exchange in March.According to K..

Bond offering by Korean Inc. hits record high of $13 bn in April Bond offerings by Korean Inc. hit 14.42 trillion won ($12.9 billion) in April, the highest amount issued for a single month, as companies rushed to raise debt before rates went higher. According to Y..

Four in 10 net buy by retailers this year is Samsung Elec, pushing ownership to 10% Individuals now own over 600 million shares or 10 percent in South Korea’s bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. as four out of 10 stocks they net bought this year was the electronics giant. The number o..

Korean bio CMO earnings outlook bright this year, but stocks so far not so sunny South Korean bio contract manufacturing organizations (CMO) are expected to perform better this year, but their stocks nevertheless have not been all sunny. Shares of SK Bioscience Co. and Samsung B..

Short-selling is back in Korea, hits Kosdaq harder on the first day Short-selling has become permissible for large-cap South Korean stocks from Monday after a 14-month ban, causing greater upset to the secondary stock market. The Kospi 200 closed the day a tad 0.47 ..

Shinhan Investment aids Aussie PE Quadrant’s $85.6 mn refinancing deal South Korea’s Shinhan Investment Corp. jointly with Sidney-based Quadrant Private Equity successfully completed 110 million Australian dollars ($85.6 million) worth debt sale for refinancing the acqui..

SKIET draws $73 bn in subscription deposits, setting new IPO record in Korea SK IE Technology (SKIET) initial public offering (IPO) shares received the largest-ever 80.9 trillion won ($73 billion) in subscription deposits from individual investors on the South Korean bourse af..

Upbit tops in stock or crypto trade platform app in Korea Upbit turned out to be the most widely used application in South Korea for stock or virtual currency transactions, with the number of access skyrocketing since the beginning of the year amid crypto in..

LG Elec nearly doubles maiden ESG debt issue on overwhelming demand South Korea’s household electronics name LG Electronics Inc. scaled up its maiden ESG-themed AA0 debt to 530 billion won ($478 million) after its offering of 300 billion won drew over $1 billion insti..

Korean brokerage houses expected to report record Q1 earnings South Korean brokerage houses are projected to keep up hot earning streak after benefiting from retail stock frenzy last year as liquidity towards the equity market stayed strong.The country’s top fou..

SK IET may have more IPOs to go around for retailers due to low payroll count SK IE Technology Co. (SK IET), the battery material subsidiary of South Korea’s SK Innovation Co., set to make new records in IPO demand raises expectations for increased retail share from forfeits by..

Korea extends current account surplus streak to 11st mo in March on strong exports South Korea maintained its current account surplus streak for the 11th consecutive month in March on revived global commerce activity and strengthening in freight charges. The country’s current acco..

Korean insurers’ revenue driven by surge in car premiums from luxury car drivers South Korean non-life insurers benefited big last year from a surge in car insurance premiums on pent-up demand for luxury import cars. According to industry sources on Thursday, Korea’s top five no..

Korea’s online shopping up 21% on yr, overseas direct buying hit record high Q1 Direct overseas purchase by South Koreans surged 44 percent to record high of around $1 billion in the first quarter as online shopping kept up double-digit growth pace in the country still under the ..

S. Korea’s FX reserves hit fresh high in April South Korea’s foreign exchange reserve hit a new high of $452.31 billion at the end of April on the weakening U.S. dollar that buoyed the value of non-dollar-denominated assets. The country’s FX res..

Multi-indebted Koreans in their 20s surge amid stock and crypto fad Twenty-something South Koreans engrossed with stock and crypto investment in the face of job and income stagnation increasingly have turned to multiple lenders. The number of people in their 20s who h..

Korea’s inflation shoots above 2% target after steepest rise in nearly 4 yrs in April South Korea’s headline inflation accelerated by the fastest pace in nearly four years to hit beyond the 2.0 percent mid to long-term target on the spike in commodity and fresh food prices that spilled..

Seoul warns of “heaviest possible penalization” on illegal short sale practices The South Korean government warned of “heaviest possible penalization” for any illicit short selling activities as it has partially lifted its ban on the practice after a 14-month ban on Monday. “The..

S. Korea’s factory output down 0.8% in March, but consumption improves South Korea’s factory output fell in March on reduced manufacturing of automobiles and machinery equipment partly due to a shortage of automotive chips, but overall industry activity extended growth f..

Korea’s credit card spending up 8.7% on year in Q1 Credit card usage by South Koreans climbed 8.7 percent on year in the first quarter ended March in further indication of improving private consumption after yearlong slump amidst Covid-19. Accordin..

S&P affirms Korea’s AA credit rating, expects 3.6% GDP growth 2021 Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has kept South Korea’s sovereign rating at its third-highest grade of AA on a stable outlook, citing Korea’s steady economic recovery from Covid-19 slump and confidenc..

S. Korea’s biz sentiment at 10-yr high in April on strong exports, spending More Korean companies are turning optimistic about business outlook, pushing the business sentiment index to a 10-year best in April as global demand pickup accelerates from heavy stimuli across the w..

Korean consumer sentiment stays positive for second straight month in April South Korea’s consumer sentiment stayed positive for the second month in a row in April on double-digit growth in exports and expectations for normalization in the domestic economy amid hot asset mark..

(Update) Korea’s GDP adds 1.6% Q1, on path for annual growth of 3.5% or plus (Updated with details and comments) South Korean economy recovered faster than expected in the first quarter, gaining 1.6 percent from the previous quarter on enlivened corporate and consumer spendin..

Korean exports to grow 35% in Q2, fastest in 10 years: EXIM Bank Exports in South Korea are expected to jump 35 percent from April to June compared with the same period last year in what would be the steepest gain in 10 years, a research arm of state lender Export-..

Daily FX turnover in S. Korea soars to highest level in Q1 on recovery in trade The daily foreign exchange trading by banks in South Korea during the first three months of the year soared to the highest level since 2008 on rebounding exports and stock buying frenzy. According to..

Korea’s Apr. 1-20 exports jump 45% on solid chip, auto demand South Korean exports expanded by whopping 45 percent on year in the first 20 days of April, suggesting external trade front has picked up steam even after considering the base effect from a double-dig..

Korean golf clubs at their heyday with operating margin exceeding 30% Golf craze as a rare sport unaffected by Covid-19 mitigation measures while travel stayed restricted drove record profit for golf clubs in Korea in the year of pandemic. According to analysis of loca..

Korea’s household income falls in four yrs, wealth gap at five-fold in 2020 Average household income in South Korea fell for the first time in four years in 2020 and the wealth gap between the top and bottom 20 percent widened by five times as the impact Covid-19 dealt heavie..

State-run KNOC in capital impairment as liabilities overwhelm assets South Korea’s state-run oil company Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC) has booked negative in its capital balance last year for the first time since 1979 founding as its liabilities exceed assets due to ..

S. Korea’s FX deposits in growth for 2nd month in March Foreign currency deposits held by South Korea rose for the second straight month in March as companies increased dollar holdings amid strong overseas shipments. According to the Bank of Korea on Mon..

Delivery workers to stage partial walkout over ground-floor parking ban Unionized parcel delivery workers have voted to go on strike asking logistics firms to step in and resolve an ongoing conflict at a mega apartment complex in eastern Seoul over a ban on ground-floor p..

Korea to spend $32 bn to build 6GW offshore wind farm in East Sea by 2030 South Korea will invest 36 trillion won ($32.1 billion) to build a 6-gigawatt (GW) floating offshore wind turbine farm in the waters off the coast of southern port city of Ulsan by 2030 to power 5.8 m..

Seoul to tax 20% on crypto gains from 2022, mining cost deductible Cryptocurrency investors will be imposed a 20 percent capital gains tax starting next year in South Korea but they are entitled to a tax deduction on expenses incurred during mining processes such as ..

Luxury hotels in Seoul turn to online and app channels to sell room tickets Luxury hotels in Korea are turning to every possible means from TV home shopping to grocery app to market empty room or meal tickets to sustain business while tourists remain rare.Market Kurly, Korea’..

ITC lifts import ban on Daewoong’s Nabota, upholds ruling of trade secret infringement South Korean drugmaker Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. can resume its botulinum toxin product Nabota in the U.S. market after the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has withdrawn its import ban upo..

Living with Covid-19 is inevitable as herd immunity is no protection, Korean virus expert People would have to learn to live with Covid-19 like a seasonable flu as safe herd immunity is unachievable, according to Oh Myung-don, a renowned infectious diseases expert in Korea. “We may have ..

Maeil Business Newspaper launches ESG platform to set new Korean Inc. standard Maeil Business Newspaper, South Korea’s leading daily business newspaper, has launched environmental, social and governance (ESG) platform this month to establish standards on social responsibility. T..

Moderna is recruiting possibly to set up a subsidiary in S. Korea Moderna, a Massachusetts-based vaccine developer, is recruiting a general manager who will oversee its Korean operation as it readies to launch vaccine business in Korea. According to industry sources..

S. Korea’s state firms sank deeper into the red in Covid-19 year The red in the bottom line of South Korean state enterprises ballooned in the year of Covid-19 as their elephantine operations took heavy hit from dip in energy output and standstill in travel industr..

Seoul police raid Namyang headquarters over false Covid-19 claim South Korean police on Friday launched a raid on the headquarters of Namyang Dairy Products Co. and five other locations after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety accused the company of misrepresenti..

Coupang joins Korean conglomerate list, its Korean-American CEO avoids legal liability Coupang trading on the New York Stock Exchange joins the category of big Korean conglomerates falling under strict antitrust, disclosure and investment regulations in South Korea. The Korea Fair Trad..

Patent authorities file nullification lawsuit vs Daewoong Pharm on data manipulation The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) said on Thursday it has filed a lawsuit to nullify patent protection of Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s gastrointestinal disease treatment after some test data..

Four out of 10 commercial spaces empty in Myeongdong shopping district in Seoul Nearly four out of 10 commercial spaces in Seoul’s downtown shopping mecca Myeongdong are idled as retailers cannot afford the expensive rents amid prolonged Covid-19 that has led to a sharp decline i..

Mercedes-Benz, Honda and five other foreign brands to recall about 14,000 cars in Korea Mercedes-Benz, Honda and five other import auto brands will voluntarily recall a combined 13,863 vehicles of 55 models in South Korea for safety issues. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tran..

Seoul working to extend SK Bioscience’s consignment contract on Novavax vaccine to 2022 SK Bioscience Co. is expected to extend consignment contract with Maryland-based Novavax to produce its Covid-19 vaccine antigen beyond this year. If achieved, SK Bioscience, a vaccine business subsi..

Korean gov’t draws 111 applications from 39 countries for smart city program A global cooperation project for smart city construction led by the South Korean government has attracted enthusiastic participation from many countries around the globe.The Ministry of Land, Infrastr..

Seoul’s move to regulate FX insurance policy meets industry and AMCHAM protest South Korean financial authorities’ plan to tighten regulations on foreign insurance products to strengthen consumer protection is met with strong protest from the insurance industry and U.S. business..

S. Korea assures it has enough vaccines to achieve herd immunity by November The South Korean government on Monday tried to mitigate public anxiety over the slow progress in vaccine program and assured it has secured more than enough vaccines for the entire population to achie..

FSC chief warns investors are on their own and exchanges may disappear in Sept Cryptocurrencies crashed after Korea’s top financial policy chief reiterated digital coin “is highly speculative without intrinsic value” and therefore not entitled to state protection.Financial Servi..

Ecosystem that delivers customers unique value is key in business: Ram Charan In today’s rapidly changing digital world, a business must build an ecosystem delivering customers unique value curated by artificial intelligence (AI) to survive cutthroat competition, advised a top ..

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..

Kakao Enter to launch web cartoon in Thailand, Taiwan to challenge Naver Kakao Entertainment, the content providing subsidiary of South Korea’s dominant chat platform operator Kakao, will release its digital comic services in Thailand and Taiwan, where its archrival Naver ..

BTS’s new all-English song “Butter” arrives on May 21 K-pop icon BTS will release new song “Butter,” the second all English-written single, to global fans at 1:00 p.m. on May 21 (local time, Korea), its producer Big Hit Music announced on Tuesday. The ..

“Minari” scene-stealer Youn Yuh-jung becomes first Korean to bring home acting Oscar Veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean and second female Asian to receive an Oscar in acting category for her “not-like-a-real-grandma” role in the film “Minari” about Korean immigrants..

BTS members may enlist together in mid-2022: analyst K-pop superstar BTS may join compulsory military service at the same time next year when the eldest Jin’s time comes up under the a revised conscription law of granting exemption for government-recogn..

Kakao Japan sets up studio in Korea in search for competitive content Kakao Japan Corp. behind Japan’s dominant and highest-grossing manga app Piccoma, will set up a subsidiary in Korea, home turf of its parent Kakao Corp. to discover more original Korean comics and nov..

BTS Jimin’s hanbok suit from The Tonight Show goes up for auction Thurs Hanbok worn by K-pop icon BTS’ member Jimin during the performance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” last year goes on an international auction Thursday. Korean auction house Myart Auc..

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..