Hyundai Motor appoints ex-Nissan exec Jose Munoz as global COO South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. named Jose Munoz, former chief performance officer at Nissan Motor, as its new global chief operating officer (COO) in a bid to bolster its global sal..

Botox maker MedyTox adds retail channel ahead of cosmetics brand launch MedyTox Inc., South Korea’s leading and pure-play botulinum toxin maker, has added a marketing and distribution unit ahead of its planned launch of house cosmetics label next year. The company said ..

Hite Jinro turns to original design for retro look on its flagship soju South Korea’s leading liquor maker Hite Jinro Co. has revived a vintage feel to its flagship soju brand Jinro with the 70s’ original design to its packaging to ride the latest wave of “newtro” or retu..

Samsung Elec to spearhead digital and mobile campaign for Olympics Samsung Electronics may lead digitalization of the world’s oldest and foremost international sports competitions. According to sources on Thursday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rece..

Hyundai Motor premiers Venue SUV at New York Auto Show South Korea’s Hyundai Motor premiered the new 2020 Venue SUV at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday (local time), and unveiled its new Sonata sedan in the same exhibition for the first t..

SK Hynix completes $836 mn fab expansion in China SK Hynix Inc., the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, has completed expansion in its fab operation in China, on schedule to keep ahead in the technology migration and capacity against fast Chine..

Jaguar and 7 other imported car brands to recall over 20,000 cars in Korea The Korean transportation ministry has ordered eight foreign car makers and importers a voluntary recall of over 20,000 cars including Jaguar XE and Ferrari 488 GTB to fix faulty components. Accordin..

Café chains keep on flourishing in Korea amid unfazed coffee craze Café chains go on flourishing in coffee-crazy Korea where the entire population drink more than one cup of coffee a day on average. Starbucks Coffee Korea Co. last year celebrated its best-ever ..

Mirae Asset to invest $243 mn in office building in Hong Kong South Korea’s leading brokerage house Mirae Asset Daewoo Co. has added a Hong Kong high-rise landmark in its worldwide property portfolio. Mirae Asset Daewoo announced Thursday that it will underwrit..

Choco Pie sold more in Vietnam than in Korea South Korea’s iconic pie snack Choco Pie sold 92 billion won ($80.9 million) worth in Vietnam last year, beating sales at its home, its maker Orion said. Orion’s all-time bestseller Choco Pie sales i..

Renault Samsung chief pledges continued investment in Korea The chief executive of Renault Samsung Motors Corp., the South Korean unit of French automaker Renault S.A., denied speculation about a pullout by the French automaker even as production is expected t..

Mirae Asset’s Global X cloud computing ETF listed on Nasdaq Global X, an American subsidiary of Seoul-based Mirae Asset Global Investments Group, on Tuesday listed its exchange-traded fund (ETF) on Nasdaq to track the Global Cloud Computing Index.The Global X..

Socar adds Tesla’s Model S to its car-sharing platform South Korea’s largest car-sharing service provider Socar has added premium electric vehicle Model S by Tesla Inc. to its fleet to allow its users to own them and share them when they don’t drive them...

Woori Bank partners with SK Telink for digital outreach in Vietnam South Korea’s Woori Bank has joined hands with telecommunication services provider SK Telink Co. to expand consumer base in Vietnam through smartphones and mobile technology. Woori Bank said on Wedn..

Fresh food delivery site Market Kurly see sales 50-fold in 4 years Market Kurly, an online door-to-door grocery service launched four years ago in South Korea, has seen exponential growth thanks to strong demand for its next-morning delivery service. Market Kurly sa..

Korea’s March auto output, exports hurt by Renault Samsung woes Korea’s automobile output and exports fell in March against a year ago as troubles at producers under foreign ownership continue with turnout from strike-ridden Renault Samsung Motors dwindled by 40 p..

Posco CEO named new member of worldsteel’s Executive Committee Choi Jeong-woo, chief executive of South Korea’s largest steelmaker Posco, was appointed as a new member to the Executive Committee of the World Steel Association (worldsteel). The board of director..

Genesis premiers ‘Mint’ EV concept car in New York South Korea’s Hyundai Motor on Wednesday that its luxury division Genesis unveiled the Mint concept overnight in New York, ahead of this week’s motor show there, previewing a potential future compact ..

Hyundai Capital starts operation in Brazil in partnership with Santander South Korea’s Hyundai Capital Services Inc. opened its subsidiary in Brazil, becoming the nation’s first credit provider to make a foray into the Latin American country. Hyundai Capital, an auto lend..

Shinhan Card teams up with Visa Korea to support fintech startups Shinhan Card Co., part of Korea’s leading Shinhan Financial Group, and Visa Korea, the Korean branch of global credit card giant Visa Inc., forged alliance to promote the fintech industry and startups..

LG Electronics consigned to make robotic kitchen help for CJ Foodville LG Electronics Thursday will add kitchen helper in its line of robotics under a development order from food chain operator CJ Foodville. Pilot robots will be deployed to CJ Foodville`s selected resta..

Samsung Electronics reveals specs on Galaxy Fold Samsung Electronics has unveiled the specifications of its upcoming Galaxy Fold that brings together the best of the smartphone and tablet experiences, folding them into one device. According to the..

Samsung Electronics completes development of 5nm FinFET process technology Samsung Electronics has added another cutting-edge node to its extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-based process offerings to continue its leadership in the advanced foundry market and is ready to take orders f..

LG’s 5G phone faces delay on 5G network quality complaints South Korea’s reputation as the world’s first commercial 5G connectivity has hit a snag due to a growing controversy over its network quality. LG Electronics and the country’s three mobile carriers - ..

Huons Global’s export botulinum toxin cleared for domestic sale South Korea’s beauty and healthcare product maker Huons Global said on Friday its botulinum toxin (BTX) previously approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for exports has been approved for do..

SK Bioscience gets WHO PQ certification for trivalent flu vaccine SK Bioscience said Wednesday that its SKY Cellflu has become the world’s fist trivalent influenza vaccine to join the World Health Organization (WHO)’s prequalification (PQ) certification list for glo..

Samsung Elec names 44 science, ICT projects for H1 research grants Samsung Electronics Co. marking its seventh year sponsoring ICT and science projects through Samsung Science & Technology Foundation has announced 44 projects that will receive its research grants in ..

Korean telcos cheered on stronger-than-expected early migration to 5G South Korea’s top three mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are going all out to secure an additional supply of Samsung Electronics’ newest smartphones supporting 5G connection as the number o..

Celltrion, iProgen Biotech team up to develop novel ADCs South Korea’s Celltrion and Canada-based iProgen Biotech announced on Monday they have agreed to partner for the development of novel antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) against validated antibody targets..

Roubini and Buterin wage heated debate over crypto value in Seoul New York University economics professor Nouriel Roubini, known as Dr. Doom, an outspoken critic of crypto, and Vitalik Buterin, the Ethereum founder, clashed over the value of cryptocurrency during a ..

GC Pharma licenses out Hunter syndrome drug to Clinigen in Japan GC Pharma, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, Thursday announced it has signed a deal to license its investigational Hunter syndrome drug to Clinigen KK, the Japanese unit of U.K. orphan drug f..

S. Korea clinches title as world’s first country to roll out 5G phones South Korea claims it has become the first country in the world to commercially launch fifth-generation (5G) services, beating the U.S., China and Japan in the heated race to market the next generatio..

SKT focuses on speed and content to keep lead in 5G migration SK Telecom (SKT) has unveiled a package of 5G wireless plans in a response to its archrival KT’s price-focused plan to take leadership in the fledgling 5G network market, claiming the fastest data spe..

Celltrion biggest R&D spender in Korea’s bio, drug category Celltrion was the largest R&D investor among Korea’s major pharmaceutical and biotech names last year, data showed Wednesday. According to business reports submitted by the top 20 players in the sec..

Samsung BioLogics tapped outsourced producer for CytoDyn’s leronlimab Samsung BioLogics Co. has won a $31 million deal from U.S.-based biotechnology company CytoDyn Inc. to produce leronlimab, a novel therapeutic candidate for the treatment of HIV infection, for clinica..

Korean govt and businesses to team up to create HD maps The South Korean government will sponsor a program to back Korean companies to secure leadership in high definition (HD) maps, an integral system for autonomous driving.According to the Ministry of La..

Korean researchers develop AI system to up lung disease diagnosis accuracy to 98% South Korean researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can detect four major lung diseases - lung cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and collapsed lung – more accurate ..

Korea’s largest hydrogen power plants to be built in Gwangju Two 100-megawatt hydrogen fuel power plants will be installed in the southern city of Gwangju in South Korea as a state-sponsored campaign to promote clean energy to reduce pollutant emissions. The G..

SK Bioland to co-develop stem cell-based atopy drug with KangStem Biotech SK Bioland, a subsidiary of South Korea’s SKC, said on Tuesday it has signed to license an umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell product for atopic dermatitis from Korean stem cell research firm Kang..

SK Hynix runs first demo on next-generation enterprise SSD The ZNS (Zoned Namespaces) SSD solution set up as a standard for next-generation enterprise SSD was demonstrated for the first time in the world at the 2019 OCP Global Summit held in San Jose, CA, its..

Foreigners take profits after longest 14-day buying streak in Korean stocks Foreign investors took profits after keeping up record-long buying streak in Korean stocks for 14 straight days this month, boding badly for the Korean markets against little news for upside. Offsho..

Hana Financial emerges as strong candidate for $1 bn Lotte Card M&A The bidding war for Lotte Card Co. has tilted in Hana Financial Group’s favor as its strongest contender Hanwha Group is rumored to have shifted its attention to buying Korea’s second-largest carrier ..

S. Korea’s ELS issuance in Q1 falls 18.1% on quarter South Korea’s equity-linked securities (ELS) issuance fell 18.1 percent on quarter in the January-March period due to bearish market conditions at home and abroad. According to Korea Securities Depos..

Kakao Page names underwriters for a hopeful $1 bn IPO in Korea South Korea’s top mobile contents platform operator Kakao Page Corp. has selected underwriters to ready an initial public offering (IPO) in the scale of 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion). Kakao Page on..

Korea allows robo advisors to manage funds Investment management based on artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to play a significant part in shaping the investing landscape in South Korea with robo advisors now licensed to open legitimate ..

Shinhan Bank issues $400 mn 10-yr subordinated bonds at 4% South Korea’s major lender Shinhan Bank sold $400 million in 10-year subordinated bonds to raise long-term funding for corporate commitments to sustainable growth and eco-friendly business. The U.S. d..

Kospi extends winning streak for longest 13 days on foreign buying spree South Korea’s benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) on Tuesday enjoyed its longest winning streak of 13 days, lifted by the buying spree of foreign investors amid eased concerns over the..

Bond experts bet on BOK’s rate freeze for April: survey A majority of bond experts expect another inaction from the Korean central bank at the upcoming monetary policy meeting on Thursday despite market pressure for a rate cut. According to the survey do..

Asiana Airlines best should be sold in a family package: main creditor Asiana Airlines best should be sold in package with its budget sisters and other support units under its family, said Lee Dong-gull, chairman of state-lender Korea Development Bank (KDB), the main cre..

A buyer for Asiana Airlines may have to ready check of near $2 bn: IBK Invest Candidates interested in Korea’s second biggest full-service carrier Asiana Airlines Inc. would have to ready ammunition of maximum 2 trillion won ($1.76 billion) as the two budget carriers and backup..

Elliott’s director who led campaign vs Hyundai, Samsung to resign James N. Smith, managing director of Elliott Advisors Hong Kong who led unsuccessful proxy battles against South Korea’s two largest family-run corporate empires Samsung Group and Hyundai Motor Group ..

Saudi Aramco buys 17% stake in S. Korea’s Hyundai Oilbank for $1.2 bn State-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), the world’s top crude exporter, has agreed to buy about 1.4 trillion won ($1.2 billion) worth of stakes in Hyundai Oilbank Co. from Hyundai Heavy ..

Korea’s short-term debt issue dips amid reduced risk of interest rate hike Short-term debt pipeline shrank in Korea in the early months of this year amid reduced risk of interest rates going higher, data showed. According to the Korea Securities Depository, bonds electroni..

Kumho to hand over stake in Asiana Airlines to creditors With Korean Air Lines Co. without a captain after its chairman died soon after losing his board seat, its rival Asiana Airlines Inc. is now up for sale after its parent was forced to yield the flagshi..

Colossal deal value and consortium formation delay Nexon M&A process Complications over funding and touchy sentiment involving Chinese capital have been delaying the sale of South Korea’s top game publisher Nexon. The deal is the hottest on the gaming and M&A industry..

FDI in S. Korea down 35.7% in Q1 amid global economic slowdown Foreign direct investment (FDI) in South Korea dropped sharply in the first three months of this year from the previous year as foreign companies engaged in less investment amid a global economic slow..

S. Korea’s financial holding firms woo foreign investors to boost stocks South Korea’s four major financial holding firms – Shinhan, KB, Hana and Woori – are reaching out to overseas institutional investors to win their confidence and bolster their stock prices..

Koreans increasingly lose interest in funds with ratio falling to 34% in 2018 Funds are losing appeal as an investment option in Korea due to poor performance of underlying assets and returns, data showed. According to a survey by Korea Financial Investors Protection Foundati..

Foreigners turn into net bond buyers in Korea as they join debt market rally Foreign investors shifted to net buying position for the first time this year in March, joining a buying spree in the Korean debt market that has gained life recently on increasing bets on a cut in th..

NPS ups holdings in chemical, pharma stocks, loses parts makers Q1 Korea’s largest institutional investor National Pension Service (NPS) increased its holdings in chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the first quarter while it shed shares in semiconductor equipme..

Korean finance and monetary policy chiefs wave off redenomination talk Korea’s top economic policymaker agreed with the central bank governor in waving off political call for redenomination to better reflect Korea’s economic scale and jump-start the stubbornly slow-motio..

The global economy due to enter recession: New York Life Investments CIO It is time to prepare a new recession as the prolonged expansion supported by ultra-easy monetary policies is near to an end, said Yoon Jae-sung, chief investment officer at New York Life Investment M..

House trade in Q1 plunges 40% on yr across Korea and 52% in Seoul House transaction deals plummeted 37.7 percent in the first three months in Korea against the same period last year, underscoring the chill in the housing market under multiple regulations and tax hik..

S. Korea’s farm households more than halved over half century Amid rapid urbanization and industrialization, South Korea has seen the country’s farming population more than halved over the past half century, government data showed. The number of farm households ..

BOK shaves growth outlook, holds rate to watch fiscal stimulus before cut South Korea’s central bank on Thursday turned more pessimistic about this year’s economy but kept the policy rate steady, choosing to wait out the effects of the planned fiscal stimulus to save policy..

Korean retailers’ business sentiment remains negative for a year Outlook for retail business in Korea remains bleak with pessimism deepening over a year. According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, the retail business survey index ..

S. Korea’s foreign-currency deposits fall to 18-month low on strong U.S. dollar Foreign-currency deposits held by South Korean banks fell to its lowest in 18 months in March as companies sold off U.S. dollars amid weakening in the Korean won against major currencies. According ..

Korean duty-free sales hit record-high of $1.9 bn in Mar South Korean duty-free shops delivered record-high revenue for three consecutive months in March despite a new regulatory action from China. Combined sales of Korean duty-free shops reached 2.17 tri..

Korea extends fuel tax relief to Aug in phased-out rate of 7% The South Korean government will extend the fuel tax break for another four months until the end of August but phase out the cut from the current 15 percent to 7 percent starting May 6. The governme..

Korea’s export prices grow fastest in 8 mo in Mar, aided by cheaper won South Korea’s export prices strengthened at the fastest pace in eight months in March on the back of the weakening won and rising oil prices, but the export prices of semiconductors, the nation’s main..

Korea’s Apr 1-10 exports up 8.9% on recovery in Chinese demand South Korea’s exports showed improvement in the first 10 days in April due to feeble recovery in Chinese demand and longer work days, raising hopes for a snap in the losing streak for the last four mo..

IMF maintains Korea’s growth outlook at 2.6% for 2019 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) kept its growth outlook for South Korea for 2019 unchanged at 2.6 percent, displaying confidence in the Korean government’s aggressive fiscal and monetary policy ..

Korea adds over 200,000 jobs for 2 straight mos in Mar, jobless rate falls South Korea added more than 200,000 jobs for the second consecutive month in March, and the number of jobless people declined for the first time in nine months, mainly led by the aggressive addition o..

Construction orders in Korea fall to 37-month low in Feb New construction orders in South Korea shrank to a 37-month low in February, adding woes to the Korean economy where construction activity had fueled otherwise feeble domestic demand over the last two..

Korean gov’t debt issue hit record $42.5bn Q1 to finance economic stimuli South Korean government’s debt issuance jumped to an all-time high of 48.5 trillion won ($42.5 billion) in the first quarter in line with a record fiscal spending to battle alarming unemployment rate ..

Korea’s productivity in IT and other key manufacturing sectors rapidly loses steam South Korea’s labor productivity growth in key manufacturing sectors including semiconductor and automobile has sharply slowed, reflecting the waning competitiveness of Korean brands and raising alarm..

Koreans covered by employment insurance grows fastest in 7 yrs The number of people covered by state-run employment insurance showed the sharpest increase in South Korea in seven years in March thanks to the government’s pro-labor policy to enhance welfare of the..

Foreigners’ credit card spending in S. Korea up 12.6% on yr in 2018 Credit card spending by foreigners in South Korea rose 12.6 percent last year from a year ago in line with increased tourists and spending on expensive beauty or medical care, data showed Monday. Acc..

Franchise population increases and sales subdued in Korea to suggest saturation Franchise businesses in South Korea reported a subdued growth in sales in 2017 despite the jump in the number of franchisees, suggesting congested and saturated market. According to 2017 franchise in..

State think tank KDI ups negative tone on economy, adds pressure for BOK rate action State think tank Korea Development Institute (KDI) declared the economy was “slumping”, worsening from a “weakening” trend since November as all the data – industrial output, investment, consump..

Korea has role regionally in ASEAN and bilaterally with Thailand: envoy South Korea is a valuable player in Smart City and other intergovernmental initiatives across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the times of transition to fourth industrial rev..

Seoul to raise share of renewables in energy sourcing to over 30% by 2040 The South Korean government aims to increase the share of renewable energy in power generation from the current 7 to 8 percent to at least 30 percent by 2040, and significantly cut coal-fired power su..

Incheon airport-Seoul shuttle bus fare to become cheaper from May Bus fare for the shuttle service between Incheon International Airport and Seoul will go down by 1,000 won ($0.88) next month. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it has reached an agr..

Korea aims to close free trade deal with the Philippines by Nov South Korea agreed to strike a free trade agreement with the Philippines by November at the latest, with plans to further its bilateral trade ties across Southeast Asia. Korea’s deputy minister for tr..

Jeju nullifies Chinese group`s license to run Korea’s 1st for-profit hospital Korea’s first for-profit hospital has failed to see daylight as the Jeju provincial government officially nullified the license to a Chinese-owned medical center due to protracted delay in the opening..

More than half of Koreans turn to simple online solutions for shopping More than half of South Koreans regularly use mobile easy payment service, reflecting a growing shift to more convenient payment options. A survey released by Korea Financial Investors Protection F..

Koreans visualize cash-free society as credit, mobile payments replace cash More than half of South Koreans can visualize a society that no longer needs hard currency, a survey showed. According to a survey conducted by the Bank of Korea on 1,100 heads of household in 2018, ..

Most of S. Korean tenants in Kaesong park want to resume venture in N. Korea A majority of South Korean companies that were forced to abandon facilities and businesses in the inter-Korean industrial park in Kaesong, North Korea, after government-led shutdown three years ago wi..

Seoul should use extra budget for growth, start mulling tax hike, IMF official The South Korean government should specifically use the proposed extra fiscal spending to bolster waning potential growth in Asia’s fourth largest economy and ready a roadmap to raise tax revenue base..

Maekyung Media Group to hold Global Forum in Shenzhen on May 21-22 Government and business leaders from Korea will meet with Chinese counterparts and also financiers in Hong Kong to seek areas of cooperation in the 4.0 age when frontiers will become meaningless throu..

WTO appellate ruling favors S. Korea in Fukushima seafood spat South Korea has won legitimacy to restrict fisheries imports from waters near the 2011 nuclear disaster-hit coast in Japan after the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s appellate body Thursday overturned..

Google Cloud to set up new data center in Seoul, online in 2020 The U.S.-based tech giant Google announced Tuesday (local time) that it is adding Seoul as its new Google Cloud region, making it the eighth region in Asia Pacific. At the Google Cloud Next conferenc..

POSTECH adopts AI as essential credit course for all students An artificial intelligence (AI) curriculum will go essential for all students at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) as the elite private research institute of South Korea has renewe..

TV personality Robert Holley accused of using meth in Korea Robert Holley, a naturalized Korean and lawyer-turned TV personality, has been arrested of using methamphetamine, putting a smudge on his squeaky-clean and homely image. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincia..

Korean firms bear second highest firing costs among OECD countries South Korean businesses bear the second highest cost among 36 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for laying off an employee, a report found Tuesday. ..

Liquid marijuana use on surge in S. Korea Marijuana in liquid form that emits no odor has emerged as a new type of illegal drug alluring the rich and young in South Korea. It has made news after police busted a number of scions of chaebol f..

Korean govt going all-out to capitalize on 5G head start via industrial promotion The South Korean government hopes to capitalize on Korea’s head start in 5G migration through promotion in smart and automation industries to achieve a goal of adding 600,000 jobs and generating 180 t..

S. Korea, EU trade ministers hold annual talk in Seoul South Korea will hold high-level trade talks with the European Union commission in hopes to improve Korea’s trade prospects in the European continent amid protectionism wave. The Korean Ministry of T..

S. Korea to run special welcome week for Thai tourists on Apr. 12-19 South Korea will run a special welcoming week for tourists from Thailand between April 12 and 19 in hopes of attracting more visitors from the Southeast Asian country during the country’s biggest New ..

Korea’s hydrogen roadmap could cut 10 mn tons of emissions by 2040: study South Korea can reduce up to 10 million tons of carbon emissions a year if it rolls out 2.9 million fuel cell electric vehicles on the road in the next 20 years as planned, a study found. “Achieving..

Vietnamese shrimp exporters to US to enjoy zero tariffs The US has exempted anti-dumping tariffs for 31 shrimp exporters of Viet Nam in the 13th period of review (POR 13), according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). ..

Indonesia, Saudi Arabia Agree to Further Strengthen Ties President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have agreed during a bilateral meeting in Riyadh on Sunday to further strengthen economic ties between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. ..

DICA chief promoted as investment ministry`s top civil servant The government has appointed U Aung Naing Oo as permanent secretary of the recently-created Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, the official gazette announced. As the top civil s..

Indonesia, Malaysia and Colombia urge EU to drop discriminatory RED II Developing nations Indonesia, Malaysia and Colombia via the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), are once again urging the EU to refrain from legislating a ban on palm biodiesel. The th..

Viet Nam, Netherlands look to boost economic co-operation The governments of Viet Nam and Netherlands needed to continue removing barriers to help businesses boost trade co-operation, said Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at a meeting with Deputy..

Indonesia and Malaysia unite to fight EU`s ban on palm oil Malaysia and Indonesia stand united in fighting the discriminatory delegated regulation supplementing Directive 2018/2001 of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive II. In a recent statement,..

Malaysia initiates anti-dumping duty investigation on non-alloy steel from Viet Nam Malaysia has announced it will initiate an anti-dumping duty investigation on the imports of cold-rolled coils of iron or non-alloy steel originating or exported from four countries, including Viet Na..

Myanmar, China raise efforts to develop tourism industries Myanmar and China are taking big steps to develop each other`s tourism industries. China Eastern Airlines yesterday launched Hohhot ? Kunming ? Yangon flights and will deploy a Boeing 737-800 airc..

Nation`s industrial production surges in Q1 (Vietnam) The national industrial production index (IIP) saw a year-on-year increase of 9.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). The positive growth w..

Casino operations to be legalised under new gambling law (Myanmar) Casinos will soon be able to legally operate in Myanmar after the 2018 Gambling Law is enacted in May, replacing the existing 1986 legislation. The new law, which includes recommendations from Pres..

Nikkei Malaysia PMI: Manufacturers report deteriorating current trendbut outlook brightens The latest Nikkei Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers` Index indicates deterioration in production trend for Malaysian manufacturers but their outlook of improved sales and output was at its st..

Viet Nam, Brunei upgrade ties to comprehensive partnership Party General Secretary, President Nguyen Phu Trong and visiting Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah agreed to elevate the nations` bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership at their talks..

Malaysia`s economy likely to grow at 4.9 pct this year: MIDF Research Malaysia`s economic growth forecast remains at 4.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) for 2019 given the upbeat performance of domestic and external trade sectors, according to MIDF Research. In its resea..

VAMA reports sharpest month-on-month fall in automobile sales Automobile sales by firms in the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturer Association (VAMA) in February declined 61 per cent from the previous month, the sharpest month-on-month fall ever recorded. On Wedn..

Experts propose higher fuel tax (Vietnam) Researchers of the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) have proposed the Government levy special consumption tax rate for bio-fuel equal to half of the rate for gasoline. The recommenda..

Myanmar launches trade, investment project with UK support The Ministry of Commerce together with the Directorate of Investment Administration (DICA) and the International Trade Center (ITC) launched the Trade and Investment Project (TIP) on Monday with the a..

Singaporean fund raises stake in Masan to 5.67 per cent The Singaporean fund Ardolis Investment Pte Ltd has raised its ownership in the consumer staple firm Masan Group Corporation to 5.67 per cent with more than 65.9 million shares from the previous 4.47 ..

4.1% GDP gain in 2018 (Thailand) The economy grew at the fastest pace in six years in 2018, with the fourth-quarter performance beating expectations on higher domestic demand and growing tourism arrivals. 　The state planning agency,..

Cambodia nabs 12th place in best retirement destinations Cambodia is an expatriate hotspot for those dreaming of living a more luxurious lifestyle at an affordable cost, according to International Living`s Annual Global Retirement Index 2019. For the fou..

VN seeks more FDI from Japan Viet Nam is expected to receive more foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japan in the coming years as part of its strategy to shift investment attraction towards high-quality capital. According to..

K-pop goods sales up 50% as BTS zooms up in US, UK music charts Korean online shopping malls are enjoying a boon after K-pop superstar BTS hit another sensation with its new album poised for double wins in U.S. and U.K music charts. Korea’s top online shopping pl..

BlackPink hits new highs on Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts YG label star girl group BlackPink with its latest EP “Kill This Love” has hit new highs on the U.S. Billboard albums and singles charts this week, another landmark in female K-pop history. Accordin..

BTS’s new album “Map of the Soul: Persona” set to top Billboard 200 K-pop sensation BTS’s latest album “Map of the Soul: Persona” is heading straight to No.1 in the U.S. Billboard 200 chart to hit another home-run following the previous act of chart-topping two albums..

BTS new MV sets record, raises hope for another phenomenon Korea’s K-pop superstar BTS has created another splash with the video of its new title “Boy With Luv” topping 100 million views on YouTube at the fastest-ever pace. The music video for “Boy With Luv,..

BTS’s new album “Map of the Soul: Persona” arrives on Friday K-pop superstar BTS’s new album “Map of the Soul: Persona” in collaboration with global pop stars is set to be released globally at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The highly anticipated album consists of seve..

Nexon’ mobile game Traha draws over 4 million pre-orders Pre-orders for Traha, Korea’s soon-to-be-released massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG),, exceeded 4 million, a phenomenal record, according to its creator Nexon. Nexon announced T..

Showbiz stocks likely stay rare winners in Korean market despite scandal Stock prospects for Korean showbiz category generally remain bright for the full year in line with unfazed K-pop fever, with scandal-hit YG Entertainment pinning high hopes on its girl group BlackPink..

Black Desert by Pearl Abyss generates over $1 billion in sales in four years South Korean game developer Pearl Abyss Corp. said on Wednesday that its multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Black Desert has generated over $1 billion in cumulated sales in four years. Acc..

BlackPink “Kill This Love” tops iTunes song chart in 37 countries YG label star girl group BlackPink’s newest song “Kill This Love” ranked top in the iTunes song chart of 37 countries including the United States, setting the bar high for female K-pop acts. It is als..

BTS nominated for two 2019 Billboard Music Awards K-pop phenomenon BTS has been nominated for Top Duo/Group and Top Social Artist for 2019 Billboard Music Awards, making another history as an Asian group in the category that has long been dominated b..

Korean webtoon firm Lehzin Entertainment hits $9 mn revenue in the US Lehzin Entertainment Inc., operator of the webtoon platform Lehzin Comics, generated revenue of 10.5 billion won ($9.24 million) in just two years since breaking into the U.S. market. The Korean pub..

Samsung Galaxy stretches celeb alarm choices Samsung Galaxy users can now wake up in the morning to the voice of their favorite celebrities. Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it will expand its “Celeb Alarm” service beyond Galaxy S10 to a ..

SM Entertainment to launch official online store on April 5 South Korea’s entertainment company SM Entertainment Co. will launch an official online store this week for K-pop fans around the world to make overseas payment systems easier. Cafe24 Corp., Korea’s ..

Black Desert Mobile by Pearl Abyss moves step closer to hitting Chinese market South Korean game developer Pearl Abyss Corp. has signed a publishing contract for its multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Black Desert Mobile with a major game company in China, moving a st..

BlackPink may become the next BTS: Chartmetric analysis The next K-pop star to hit it big in the United States may be the girl group BlackPink, according to big data from Chartmetric, the music data tracking service. The latest four-member girl group un..

LG Uplus to service exclusive cloud-gaming GeForce Now on 5G phones South Korean mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. has been tapped by Nvidia to exclusively roll out the cloud-gaming service GeForce Now in Korea, allowing local users to play hundreds of games via their 5G ..

Big Hit Entertainment reports historic profit in 2018 on BTS global rise Big Hit Entertainment Co., the creator behind K-pop superstar BTS, reported best-ever profit last year in line with the global rise of the boy band and blockbuster sales of its albums at home and abro..

Nexon’s iconic race game Kartrider enjoys second boom in a decade Crazyracing Kartrider, all-time favorite and household label under South Korean game publisher Nexon Co. is creating a second wave of sensation in a decade through mobile and live-streaming enhancemen..

Korean game publisher Smilegate RPG mulling IPO for next year Smilegate RPG, the subsidiary of South Korean gaming company Smilegate, is mulling to go public to obtain the ammunitions for mobile and global outreach. Smilegate RPG has tapped about 10 investment ..

Suzy remains all-time heartbreaker for Korean teens on White Day Suzy, a South Korean singer and actress who was a member of now-disbanded K-pop girl group Miss A under JYP Entertainment, topped dream date choice for Korean boys to spend the White Day, East Asia’s ..