Samsung Elec releases industry’s smallest 0.64-μm pixel mobile image sensor Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled the industry’s smallest pixel mobile image sensor, making strides in the image sensor market dominated by Sony Corp. The company on Thursday introduced its latest mobi..

Mando shares tank on plan to spin off self-driving vehicle parts business Shares of South Korea’s second largest auto parts maker Mando Corp. have soured upon investor’s disapproval of its plan to spin off promising business of supporting autonomous vehicles. Mando’s stoc..

GM Korea partially loses lawsuit vs office workers for overdue wages GM Korea faces extra wage payments of up to 200 billion won ($180 million) to office workers after its final defeat in the 14 years-long legal battle over overdue wages under extended definition of ba..

Hanwha Systems to set up UAM service company in US Hanwha Systems Co., the defense and ICT unit of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, will set up a limited liability company on urban air mobility (UAM) in the United States for global foothold for the busines..

Renault warns labor unrest at Korean plant could upset new crossover’s success in Europe French parent warned unions of Korea-based Renault Samsung Motors responsible for New Arkana crossover known as XM3 in Korea labor unrest could upset the full-fledged European inroads by new SUV model..

Korea sweeps 60% of global vessel orders in May with ship price at 6-yr high Korean shipyards swept nearly 60 percent of global vessel orders in May to stay atop in the order book rank, with their heyday fed by vessel value soaring to the highest levels in six years. Korean ..

Hyundai Motor, SK, Posco, Hyosung to launch hydrogen council in Sept South Korea’s four big business group – Hyundai Motor, SK, Posco and Hyosung – will jointly launch a hydrogen council in September to double down on the state-backed campaign to promote hy..

Korean employers go creatively generous to indulge employees Korean companies are getting more and more proactive and creative to indulge employees with various benefits ranging from paying for house cleaning and meals to lengthy paid leave amid heated competit..

SKT to offer five for one stock split when newly listed after spinoff in late Nov South Korea’s SK Telecom Co. will offer a five for one stock split once the shares are newly listed after breakup into operating and investment entities to serve as an intermediate holding company for..

SK names most publicly trading among top business groups in Korea South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate SK Group has the most publicly trading units under its arm among the country’s top chaebol names, data showed. According to the disclosure records as of Thur..

SK hynix reaches wage deal on 8.07% base salary raise ahead of usual H2 Labor union and management of SK hynix Inc. have settled their wage negotiation for this year, ahead of the usual second half. The second largest chip maker in South Korea reached an agreement with pr..

SK Innovation raises $500 mn in green loans to finance Hungary battery plant South Korea’s SK Innovation Co. said on Wednesday it has raised $500 million in green loan facilities from the state lender Eximbank of Korea to finance the construction of its second electric vehicle..

Naver to add game-creating feature on its metaverse studio Zepeto Zepeto, an avatar app backed by South Korea’s largest internet service provider Naver Corp., is adding metaverse studio to invite creation and production of games based on avatars. Naver Z, operating ..

SsangYong Motor union agrees to rotating unpaid leave, pay cut, zero strike Factory workers of South Korea’s SsangYong Motor Co. under court management will rotate to go on unpaid furlough for up to two years that will have the effect of halving the workforce without having t..

Coupang gains customs office aid to offer superfast delivery of overseas purchases South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. which pioneered superfast door delivery is applying its winning strategy for overseas purchases Coupang signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Cus..

LG Uplus stock gains upon first-ever buyback and extra dividend scheme Long-time No. 3 wireless carrier LG Uplus Corp. is executing shareholder-friendly policy through its first-ever buyback and interim dividend program, reflecting its confidence from its headway on busi..

Samsung Elec moving onto 200-stack or above layer next-gen NAND processing Global memory No. 1 maker Samsung Electronics Co. has moved onto the 8th generation V-NAND platform by stacking 200 layers or above, determined to defend bar-raising leadership in memory technology up..

Naver to go after more startups in shopping and webtoon to beef up contents Korean platform giant Naver vowed to go more aggressive on M&As to beef up contents capabilities. “Naver is aggressively looking for companies that have assets and capabilities in the shopping and w..

LG Energy Solution to invest $10.7 mn in QPM for stable supply of EV battery materials South Korea’s LG Energy Solution said on Tuesday it has signed an agreement to buy a 7.5 percent stake in Australia-based Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) for about 12 billion won ($10.76 million). T..

SK Gas creating multibillion-dollar hydrogen produce infrastructure across Ulsan South Korea’s third largest conglomerate SK Group is fielding SK Gas Co. to command hydrogen business to build it up as its green growth engine along with rechargeable battery. According to multiple ..

PI Advanced Materials’ pyro-safe cable coating materials mount on Ioniq 5 South Korea’s PI Advanced Materials Co. has become the industry’s first to apply commercial-ready polyimide (PI) varnish to traction motor cables of an all-electric vehicle, the company said on Thursd..

Hyundai Electric wins first order for engine mounted shaft generators South Korea’s Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co. said on Thursday it has won an order for two engine mounted shaft generators, which will be fitted to two 91,000 cubic meter LPG carriers from 2022...

Antibiotic sourced from S. Korea hits the market for the first time in US A carbapenem antibiotic manufactured with raw materials from JW Pharmaceutical Corp. has been launched in the United States, making first case of a Korean raw material sourcing in a drug type sold in ..

KT partners with Amazon Web Services on AI, cloud solutions South Korea’s leading mobile carrier KT Corp. has partnered with Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud capabilities. KT announced Wednesday it has ente..

Chatbots become must for everyday tasks for Korean enterprises Chatbots have become common for everyday tasks for Korean enterprises and services.According to the SI industry on Tuesday, the global chatbot and RPA market is estimated to be valued at $3.4 billion ..

Daewoong pens $430 mn deal to license out gastroesophageal reflux drug to U.S. Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. has licensed out its gastroesophageal reflux drug Fexuprazan to U.S.-based Neurogastrx, a deal that would bring in up to $430 million to the South Korean pharmaceutical com..

Samsung Biologics shares rise on new CMO deal and US partner’s Biogen news Samsung Biologics shares gained in early trade on Tuesday, tracking a biotech rally in Wall Street along with the string of upbeat news of a new CMO deal and the U.S. FDA’s approval of an Alzheimer’s ..

K-bio names under limelight at ASCO for their headway in cancer diagnosis and treatment Korean biotech ventures and healthcare companies have come under limelight for their latest insights and discoveries for cancer treatment in the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Onco..

Celltrion to invest $47 mn in cancer-treating ADC developer Iksuda Celltrion Inc. together with Mirae Asset financial group is investing $47 million in Iksuda Therapeutics to become the largest shareholder of the U.K.-based antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) developer. ..

Samsung develops skin-wearable ‘stretchable OLED’ display Samsung Electronics has developed a stretchable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display that can stick to skin to monitor the body’s vital signs like heartbeat and blood flow.The company said its ..

U.S. partner of Hanmi’s neutropenia drug faces patent infringement lawsuit Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, the U.S. partner for clinical development of South Korean drug developer Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Rolontis (eflapegrastim), is facing a patent infringement lawsuit from Biovera..

Mando to localize ultra-high resolution 4D imaging radar by 2023 Mando Corporation has partnered with startup Smart Radar System Inc. (SRS) for joint development of an ultra-high resolution 4D imaging radar (radio detection and ranging) module by 2023 to localize t..

Korean edutech startup draws attention for innovative AI TOEFL grader An artificial intelligence-based TOEFL grader developed by a Korean startup is in the spotlight for fast evaluation, score prediction and personalized tips to get good marks as well as saving costs fo..

Samsung Biologics inks CDMO deal with Israel-based KAHR Medical Samsung Biologics, South Korea’s leading contract development and manufacturing organization, has signed a CDMO deal with KAHR Medical, an Israeli cancer immunotherapy company, furthering its market e..

Genexine’s Covid-19 vaccine demonstrates immunogenicity and safety in phase 1 trial Genexine’s investigational recombinant Covid-19 DNA vaccine has demonstrated safety and immunogenicity in first-in-human trials, getting a step closer to clinical development of homegrown coronavirus ..

SK Telecom’s AI chip to be tested for use at NHN servers NHN Corp., a South Korean cloud service company, will use Sapeon, an artificial intelligence chip developed by SK Telecom, the country’s leading wireless carrier, on a trial basis, paving the way for ..

Hanmi, GeneOne team up for mRNA vaccine, Samsung Bio readies for Moderna orders Korean pharmaceutical and biotech companies are doubling down on efforts to come up with their own version of messenger RNA vaccines for Covid-19, while Samsung Biologics has embarked on expansion to ..

Helixmith founder assures of successful clinical trial next year Kim Sun-young, the founder and CEO of Helixmith Co. stayed confident behind the company’s investigational drug Engensis (VM202) to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy, confirming his promise to give ..

Mid-sized Korean CMOs vie to win consignment orders for CureVac Covid-19 vaccine Korean pharmaceutical and biotech companies are competing behind the scenes in hopes to produce Covid-19 vaccine for Germany’s CureVac whose phase 3 clinical trial results are expected to come out in ..

Samsung Elec develops LED to set new standard in light efficacy and color quality Samsung Electronics said on Thursday it has developed the LM301B EVO, a new mid-power LED package that has been designed to set the pace in light efficacy and color quality for indoor and industrial a..

Foreign and institutional investors cherry-pick value, bio stocks amid selling spree Foreign and institutional investors who net sold over 35 trillion won ($31.5 billion) worth stocks in South Korea since the beginning of the year cherry-picked on value and bio stocks that can benefit..

SPOTV stake sale draws interest from multiple PEFs SPOTV, a sports channel in Korea that has made a staggering growth lately for its streaming of overseas matches, is set to draw fresh capital as an offer of a 20 percent stake has drawn multiple bidde..

Multinationals ready for $6 bn race after Hanon Systems, No. 2 in auto climate control Multinationals have lined up for over $6 billion majority stake in Hanon Systems, South Korea-based global No. 2 in automotive thermal and energy management solutions. According to multiple industry s..

Korean retailers did better with local stock investment than US ones, migrating to EU South Korean mom-and-pop investors did better with investment in domestic stocks than U.S. ones, and fast-movers are already shifting to Europe where stock activity is heating up.Individuals reaped a ..

Logistics centers become hot investment in Korea amid online shopping boom Logistics centers have emerged as a hot investment for property investors amid burgeoning online shopping demand in South Korea. According to investment banking sources on Wednesday, Foodist under VIG..

Kakao Mobility gets additional $125 mn investment from TPG, Carlyle Korean transportation app operator Kakao Mobility Corp. received additional $125 million investment from global private equity giants TPG and Carlyle Group, bumping up its pre-IPO funding to over $800..

Kakao cleared to ready and launch digital non-life insurance business this year Kakao Pay under South Korea’s dominant chat platform operator Kakao Corp. is cleared to ready and launch digital non-life insurance business within the year. The Financial Services Commission on Thur..

Toss Bank to join Korea’s app-based banking market as third player in Sept Toss Bank joins the app-based banking market in South Korea as the third player in September with primary focus in the niche market of lower-credit borrowers, students, housewives or foreign residents..

Five out of 10 digital coins active in Korea fall by over 50% in past month Five out of 10 digital coins active in South Korea have plunged more than 50 percent to underscore scare among novice crypto investors of a market crash in taper tantrum. According to Upbit, Korea’s ..

FSS to inspect KB Financial Group’s operations, governance structure Korea’s financial watchdog will conduct a regular review on KB Financial Group to go over the financial conglomerate whose securities brokerage unit faces trials for allegedly misselling speculative d..

Pension funds return to net buyers in Kospi, mostly gobbling up auto stocks South Korean institutional major pension funds have turned to net buyers on the main Kospi bourse in June with eager appetite mostly for automobile and auto parts shares. According to the Korea Exch..

LG Energy Solution set to go public on Kospi in second half South Korea’s top and global No. 2 battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. is readying near $10 billion initial public offering in the second half. The battery maker spun off from LG Chem in December ..

Multiple bidders for consumer unit of Citibank Korea, but none promises job security Minimum four bidders have come forward either to acquire all or part of consumer banking from Citibank Korea, but whether a sale can take place is doubtful as none promises job security. According t..

Time spent on South Korean crypto trading platforms soften sharply in May Crypto fad in South Korea is showing signs of fizzling out amid downward spiral in coin prices. Koreans spent over 43 hours on average on crypto trading platform apps in May, up 1.5 percent from the..

Home-grown PEFs with $90 billion ammunition are primary force behind Korean M&As Home-grown buyout funds in Korea have amassed $90 billion, becoming major force in the Korean M&A market. Funds private equity players pulled in from large limited partners including pension fund ope..

Sale of Korea’s pioneering crypto exchange Bithumb may hit snag due to shriveled worth The sale of Bithumb Korea Co., operator of the country’s pioneering crypto exchange Bithumb, may hit a snag as its worth has shrunk by half in less than two months from its peak level due to a plunge ..

Hana Bank sponsors IT training program for employees for digital drive South Korea’s major retail bank Hana Bank is sending bankers for IT retraining at elite school of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to survive in the digital competition. Acc..

Korean asset managers’ Q1 bottom line hits record high on ample liquidity South Korean asset management firms’ combined net income in the first quarter hit record high, soaring more than five times on year on ample liquidity at home and abroad from coronavirus relief packag..

Korea’s Centroid Investment to name strategic partners next week Centroid Investment Partners, a Seoul-based private equity firm, next week may name a strategic partner to join its buyout of TaylorMade Golf Co., a California-based golf equipment sponsor of Tiger Wo..

Crypto exchanges in Korea can face fine and suspension for insider trade Cryptocurrency exchange staff caught for trading coins on their platforms would cost the operator a fine of up to 100 million won ($90,000) and business permit, according to the new regulations under ..

Short-term bond prices tumble on “orderly” rate normalization comment from BOK chief South Korea’s central bank chief on Friday echoed U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in readying the market for interest rates moving up from record-low levels within the year. “If we can expect th..

S. Korea’s June 1-10 exports up 41% on yr, above 40% for third month South Korea’s exports jumped 41 percent in the first 10 days of June against a year ago, keeping up growth pace of above 40 percent for the third month. The country’s exports totaled $17.28 billion f..

Korea’s private-sector debt growth among fastest in the world, overwhelming GDP Private-sector debt in South Korea has built up markedly faster than other countries, overwhelming the gross domestic product (GDP) to pose as a risk if rates move higher, a local think tank found. ..

Korea adds more than 600,000 jobs in May, keeping growth for 3rd month The number of people with jobs in South Korea increased by more than 600,000 for the second consecutive month in May from the previous year as the economy is showing signs of recovery from the Covid-1..

S. Korea Q1 GDP grows faster at 1.7% on stronger exports The South Korean economy expanded faster at 1.7 percent in the first quarter against the previous three-month period from the preliminary number of 1.6 percent on stronger exports and manufacturing ou..

Korea’s tax revenue up $29.3 bn on yr in Jan-Apr amid faster-than-expected recovery South Korea’s tax revenue in the first four months of this year expanded nearly $30 billion from a year-ago period on faster-than-expected economic recovery and asset market boom, refueling the coffer..

Korea extends C/A surplus for a year in April led by exports despite dividend payout South Korea has held up a year-long surplus streak in April, a typical deficit month due to dividend payout for the first quarter, thanks to soaring exports and shipping rates. The country’s current ..

Korea’s duty-free sales jump 52% in April on improving consumption Duty-free sales in South Korea grew at the fastest pace in three years in April, another sign of a recovery in consumption havoc from the Covid-19 crisis. Sales at duty-free outlets jumped 51.6 perc..

Korea’s smaller exporters fret missing out on export boom on record shipping rates Shipping rates via both sea and air have hit all-time highs in May, a boon for the carriers, but a dismay for smaller exporters in Korea as they could miss out on the global commerce windfall in the w..

Korean fin min admits second extra budget is in the making The South Korean government Friday formerly confirmed it is working to package the second supplementary budget as it needs not have to issue debt to finance the extra stimuli thanks to excess tax inco..

Seoul may devise another 6% increased record fiscal spending for next year The South Korean government is set to keep up record budget streak next year for the fifth straight year and also the final year of President Moon Jae-in’s five-year term.Under the draft of 2022 budge..

Imported car sales slow in Korea on parts shortage, Tesla Model Y becomes top seller Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea gained a modest 3.5 percent in May compared to a year earlier, with Tesla’s Model Y becoming the best-selling import car after elbowing out Koreans’ long-term..

S. Korea’s FX reserves climb to another new high in May on weaker greenback South Korea’s foreign exchange reserve hit a fresh historic high of $456.46 billion at the end of May, extending the record-breaking streak to a second straight month on the weakening U.S. dollar. T..

S. Korea’s component and materials reliance on Japan down to record low South Korea’s reliance on Japan for materials and components has fallen to an all-time low nearly two years after Tokyo’s export curbs on high tech materials thanks to Seoul’s prompt move to enhance t..

Korea’s inflation in May hits 2.6%, strongest in 9 yrs, bond prices tumble on rate hike bet South Korea’s inflation rate in May was strongest in nine years amid price strengthening across the board from high commodity and food prices against pandemic-ridden year-ago period and revived demand..

Bottom 20% income group still lives in the red: Statistics Korea Six out of 10 households in the bottom 20 percent income group in South Korea remained as hard up as a year ago as of the first quarter whereas the country’s household deficit situation slightly impro..

One out five import cars sold in Korea this year is a luxury brand Luxury foreign cars costing $1 million or over have surged 74 percent on year in the first four months this year in South Korea, reflecting pent-up demand by the rich whereas ongoing Covid-19 woes sti..

Korea’s exports hit monthly record in May, gaining 46%, strongest in 32 years South Korean exports surged by the raging pace of 46 percent in May, a double-digit monthly gain unseen since August 1988, as mainstay chips, automobiles and petrochemicals rode on faster-than-expecte..

Seoul may mull second extra budget as tax revenue is expected exceed by $15 bn South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party’s proposal for a second extra budget this year is gaining momentum as the government is forecast to collect $15 billion more than expected in tax revenue this yea..

Korea’s factory output dn 1.6% in April on weaker chipmaking, consumption hits record South Korea’s factory activity contracted in the biggest pace in 11 months in April against the previous month on softened chipmaking while domestic demand kept strengthening pace led by record consum..

Korea’s oldest conservative party gets youngest thirty-something leader A 36-year-old Harvard-educated politician who had never won an election became the chief of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), the traditional conservative party notorious for rigid and old..

Korea to expedite new chip development for semiconductor powerhouse goal South Korea will soon undertake a feasibility study for massive follow-up projects for the government-led “K-Semiconductor Belt” initiative designed to cement its global leadership in chipmaking techn..

Seoul to back clinical trials, fasten new drug pipeline South Korea will promote testing professionals and clinical infrastructure to fasten new drug development and commercialization with a vision to become a bio powerhouse by 2030. At the government’s c..

S. Korea makes bigger push to ramp up country’s space development The South Korean government and ruling Democratic Party (DP) will launch a special task force to elevate the country’s space prowess through the event of the removal of cap on Seoul’s missile developm..

Vaccinated Koreans may go on overseas trips to safe places from next month Vaccinated South Koreans can plan overseas vacation as agency-arranged tours will become possible as early as next month through travel bubble arrangements, under which quarantine mandates are waivere..

Seoul eases up on reactor policy to build capabilities for joint projects with US South Korea is subtly adjusting its policy to phase out of nuclear fuel and revisiting reactor technology after it was approached by the U.S. for partnership in next-generation reactor generation for ..

Korean antitrust watchdog to step up scrutiny on chaebol family ownership South Korea will fix loopholes in antitrust rules to prevent owner family of big conglomerates from fattening wealth through spin-offs in family business. According to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC)..

Korea to achieve herd immunity before targeted November: President Moon South Korea is expected to reach herd immunity before its initial target as the country’s mass Covid-19 vaccination drive is picking up speed, said President Moon Jae-in Monday. “Vaccination rate is..

Some Korean corporate giants could be affected by G7 tax deal South Korea’s conglomerates running subsidiaries in foreign countries with corporate tax rate of less than 15 percent are expected to face extra tax burdens, following the historic agreement by the G7..

KFTC newly launches online advertising monitoring team South Korea’s antitrust watchdog is reinforcing its monitoring on unfair advertising practices by platform giants like Google and Facebook. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Monday that it has add..

Korean travel agencies ready manpower and tech for travel normalization South Korean travel agencies have sharpened high tech and initiated recruiting as they ready for pent-up demand for overseas travel amid progress in vaccination across the world. My Real Trip, the co..

Offshore crypto exchange accounts by Koreans subject to tax report from next year South Korean citizens and companies holding accounts for offshore digital coins are subject to a compulsory reporting duty to tax authorities from next year. Under the current system in Korea, resid..

Samsung Elec shares higher on presidential hint of review on chief release Shares of Samsung Electronics have opened Thursday stronger upon anticipation of its chief Jay Y. Lee coming out of the prison possibly within months after President Moon Jae-in expressed most positiv..

Hotels in Seoul come down by Covid-19 and renovated into luxury homes Hotels in Seoul’s most bustling district Gangnam are shuttering one after another due to the protracted Covid-19 that has kept away foreign guests for more than a year. The Recenz Premium Gangnam Gar..

S. Korea unveils homegrown space rocket for first time South Korea unveiled Tuesday a fully assembled model of its homegrown space rocket for the first time since the country began its development in 2010. The real-life qualification model (QM) of the spa..

Crypto exchanges face bank and financial authority reviews to continue biz An exchange hosting won-based trade in digital coins must register with the Korean financial authority by Sept. 25 and could be forced to shut down if they do not meet the requirements in security and..

Seoul to bid to host UN climate change conference in 2023 to strengthen green identity The South Korean government will bid to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023 to strengthen its green identity.President Moon Jae-in introduced his vision to..

U.S. offer of vaccines to Korea doubled to 1 million, helping to finish 1 jabs on 27% by H1 The United States has doubled the offer of Covid-19 vaccines to South Korea, helping to accelerate vaccine program to complete first shots for 1 million extra to 14 million people, or more than a quar..

Korea’s FTC clears SK hynix’s acquisition of Intel NAND flash, SSD biz South Korea’s antitrust agency on Thursday gave a nod to SK hynix’s $9 billion acquisition of NAND flash and solid state drive (SSD) business from U.S. chipmaker Intel. The Fair Trade Commission on ..

Hyundai, Kia recall more than 700,000 cars in Korea for fire risk Hyundai Motor, Kia and some other local and foreign brands including Mercedes-Benz will voluntarily recall more than 710,000 vehicles for faulty parts in South Korea, mostly related to fire risk linke..

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..

Korean Avengers-like superheroes coming soon South Korea’s major production house Studio Dragon will make a Korean superhero series based on popular local webtoons, hoping that Korean superheroes can make a global sensation like Iron Man, Hulk, ..

Seoul, Maekyung to jointly host Asia’s biggest startup fair “Try Everything 2021” in Sept Maekyung Media Group and Seoul Metropolitan Government will co-host Asia’s biggest global startup convention “Try Everything 2021” in September, the second of its kind following the inaugural event la..

BTS’ “Butter” goes after previous “Dynamite” record, at No.1 on Billboard Hot 100 for 2nd week BTS’ “Butter” defended the top at the Billboard Hot 100 for the second consecutive week, raising expectations for a feat that can match its previous English super-hit “Dynamite.” Billboard said on Mo..

Krafton feeds game pipeline upon fast move to the top-tier group ahead of IPO South Korea’s soon-to-go-public Krafton Inc., label behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), is making fast ascension to threaten the top-tier publishers Nexon, NC Soft and Netmarble. Krafton ha..

BTS Butter tops Billboard Hot 100 as fourth song in 9 months K-pop superstar BTS is again making headlines after its new all-English song “Butter” topped Billboard’s main singles chart, becoming the septet’s fourth No.1 in the last nine months. Billboard annou..

JTBC Studios acquires content producer Wiip for foray into U.S. South Korea’s content production house JTBC Studios Co. has acquired U.S. television studio Wiip for global outreach. JTBC Studios, which has been making equity investments in Los Angeles-based Wiip..

Kakao launching webtoon platform first in Southeast Asia and then NA, Europe Kakao Entertainment Corp. is rebranding its web comic platform Kakao Webtoon from Daum Webtoon with richer high-tech and original contents in June as it seeks to broaden global audiences versus Naver ..

BTS sweeps 4 awards at Billboard Music Awards, new song creating bigger splash K-pop sensation BTS swept four awards at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night (local U.S. time), including top selling song for its megahit single “Dynamite”, the biggest achievement for th..

Korean language, literature majors growing popular among foreign students Growing popularity in Korean pop music and drama is driving foreigners to Korean universities to learn Korean history or Korean language and literature. Out of 4,331 graduate school students learning ..

Korean FTC okays Naver-Hybe’s merger of K-pop fan community platform South Korea’s antitrust watchdog has approved a deal between internet major Naver Corp. and BTS label Hybe Co. to merge their K-pop fan community platform services. On March 2, Naver and Weverse Com..

Tapas under Kakao confident of turning into web comic powerhouse in U.S.: CEO Kim California-based web comic publisher Tapas Media Inc. is ready to expand further now that it has become a formal member of Kakao family and can leverage on Kakao Entertainment Corp.’s intellectual pro..

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..