CJ Group to sell CJ Foodville with Tous Les Jours but without restaurant biz CJ Group is seeking to sell CJ Foodville, the group’s food distribution company, together with its bakery franchise Tous Les Jours after transferring the entity’s franchise restaurant business to anot..

Naver, CU to jointly develop O2O commerce platform for convenience stores South Korea’s internet giant Naver Corp. that has recently emerged as a major player in the country’s retail sector has joined hands with convenience store chain CU to develop a next-generation Online..

Cash-deprived SsangYong Motor employees unlikely to get full salary in Jan-Feb Liquidity-short SsangYong Motor Co. will be unable to pay full salary to its employees in January and February, the company announced in a letter to its labor union on Thursday. The management and u..

SK Innovation acquires stake in China’s battery swap biz operator South Korea’s battery producer SK Innovation Co. invested in a Chinese battery service provider to expand its battery business in China. The company announced Thursday that it acquired a 13.3 percent..

LIG Nex1, KAIST team up for artificial satellite research South Korean military and defense company LIG Nex1 Co. has joined hands with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to deepen their collaboration in developing artificial satellite..

Gov’t opens tax probe into Korean Air on alleged gift tax evasion for owner family South Korea’s tax officials have launched a special probe into Korean Air Lines Co. on suspicion of Hanjin Group owner family’s evasion of the inheritance tax. Regulators from the National Tax Servi..

Hyundai Motor Chair to make his first foreign visit to open innovation lab in Singapore Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun will visit Singapore as early as next week to tour the company’s overseas open innovation lab, dubbed Hyundai Motor Global Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS..

Kumho Petrochemical named preferred bidder for Kumho Resort Asiana Airlines Inc. on Wednesday named Kumho Petrochemical Co. as the preferred bidder for Kumho Resort Co., keeping the lucrative golf and resort asset within the founding family after the airliner ..

eBay Korea up for grabs in $4.5 bn a deal EBay Korea LLC, South Korea’s largest open marketplace that operates Gmarket, Auction, and G9, is up for sale under the exit plan of its U.S. parent, stirring e-commerce players and retailers hungry f..

LG Elec folding mid to lower-end phone biz, investors cheer with stock 13% up South Korea’s LG Electronics Co. is rationalizing its smartphone business which has been hurting the bottom line for the world’s top white goods maker for the last six years by folding lower-to mid-en..

Cash-strapped Hanatour Service to sell property assets to stay afloat South Korea’s No. 1 travel agency Hanatour Service Inc. is seeking to sell its Seoul headquarters building or 43 percent of its stake in the Hana Building in Jongno, central Seoul and two business hot..

Kia shares remain strong despite its denial of ‘Apple Car’ production Kia Corp. (formerly Kia Motors) stayed strong Wednesday despite denial that it would be assembling Apple Cars. Shares had gone up as high as 99,500 won ($90.45) earlier in the day after a 10 percent ..

Samsung Elec goes all out to take lead automotive image sensor market South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. is doubling down its foray into image sensor business which would become all-important in self-driving mobility age. According to multiple sources from the elect..

DSME joins Korean peers to open another bumper year in vessel orders Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) became latest among Korean shipbuilding majors to extend the order winning streak from last year-end by landing its first 2021 order for two LPG car..

Hyundai Motor may change new headquarters design to three 50-story buildings Hyundai Motor Group is said to be tilting towards a major change in its new headquarters blueprint of erecting South Korea’s tallest landmark in southern Seoul. U.S-based architectural, urban plannin..

Samsung’s biz decisions could be in limbo during chief’s 4-week prison quarantine Decision-making at South Korea’s No. 1 conglomerate Samsung Group could be in limbo for the next four weeks as its chief has been isolated at a Seoul detention center and is denied of any meetings wit..

Kakao pushes data-based medical solutions further with LG Elec onboard Kakao Corp., South Korea’s largest mobile messaging app operator, is pushing data-based medical solutioning venture with major hospitals in Seoul further with the backing of LG Electronics Inc. Acco..

Hyundai, Kia 2021 earnings upbeat on new EV releases, overseas sales growth South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor Co. and its sibling Kia Corp. anticipate strong rebound this year with releases of much-anticipated new electric vehicles built on proprietary EV-dedicated E-GMP..

Hanwha Aerospace authorized to check quality of Rolls-Royce’s aircraft engine parts South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace Co. became the first partner of Rolls-Royce to take on the quality assurance tasks previously carried out by the U.K. aircraft engine maker.The aviation and defense unit..

S. Korea’s LCC industry to be reshaped with newcomers and merger South Korea’s budget air industry is undergoing a sweeping makeover as the pandemic crisis brought about mega mergers, streamlining and new entries. Air Premia formally can start business upon arriva..

Pharmicell makes impressive turnaround on Covid-19 test kit material The Covid-19 pandemic has created a huge challenge across the industry, but also an opportunity to some biotech firms including South Korea’s Pharmicell Co., which earned fame for its commercial launc..

Samsung Elec earns Common Criteria certification for 5G equipment Samsung Electronics Co. has scored an International Common Criteria certification for its 5G network equipment, gaining the impetus to accelerate its foray into the North American market. The South..

Korean drug developer Mecox CureMed gains speed in U.S. business expansion South Korean biopharmaceutical company Mecox CureMed Co. has integrated U.S. entity Mecox Medi into its operations as a subsidiary to speed up business in the North American market, the company announ..

SK Bioscience wins gov’t order to distribute Covid-19 vaccines in S. Korea SK Bioscience Co. won an order from the South Korean government to manage and operate the Covid-19 vaccine supply chain system in the country that aims to kick off nation-wide vaccinations next month...

Phase 2 trials of Hanmi’s two orphan drugs cleared by FDA Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. said on Thursday that Phase 2 clinical trials of its two investigational orphan drugs, Glucagon Analog (HM15136) and GLP-2 Analog (HM15912), have been approved by the U.S. Foo..

Samsung’s CMO deal with Swiss firm upgraded by $67 mn Samsung Biologics’ contract manufacturing deal previously signed with an unnamed Swiss pharmaceutical company has been upgraded by $67.48 million to total $449.43 million. The new contract value rep..

ToolGen on path to develop rare disease drugs based on patented gene editing tool South Korea’s biotechnology company ToolGen, Inc. is on path to develop therapies to treat Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease, macular degeneration, and hemophilia by utilizing its patented genome edit..

Celltrion’s Covid-19 cure recommended for marketing on condition by experts Celltrion Inc.’s Rekirona (regdanvimab), a genetically modified neutralizing antibody therapy to treat patients with Covid-19 symptoms, has moved a step closer for its marketing approval after an expe..

Yuhan’s lung cancer drug Leclaza cleared as Korea’s 31st novel therapy South Korean health authorities announced on Monday it has granted marketing authorization of Yuhan Corp.’s Leclaza (lazertinib mesylate monohydrate) for the treatment of patients with non-small cell ..

JW Bioscience invests in Singapore’s molecular diagnostic firm One BioMed South Korea’s JW Life Science said on Monday its subsidiary JW Bioscience and One BioMed Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based biotech firm dedicated to molecular diagnostics, have entered into a strategic par..

Celltrion submits IND for Phase 3 study of Prolia biosimilar in US South Korea’s Celltrion has submitted an investigational new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials for its biosimilar of Amgen’s osteoporos..

Chong Kun Dang’s Covid-19 cure shows positive results in Phase 2 trial Chong Kun Dang (CKD) reported positive interim results from the clinical trials of its investigational Covid-19 therapy Napabeltan (nafamostat mesylate), raising hope for the availability of one more ..

HK inno.N to advance into cell/gene therapy market HK inno.N, a South Korean pharmaceutical company formerly known as CJ HealthCare, will explore cell and gene therapy to find new solutions for blood cancer and lung cancer focusing on developing CAR-T..

Bill Gates congratulates LG Chem for polio vaccine development Bill Gates sent a letter of thanks to South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd., congratulating the company on its successful development of a polio vaccine whose development was partly funded by the Bill & Melinda ..

Celltrion’s Covid-19 cure demonstrates efficacy against progression to severity Rekirona (CT-P59), Celltrion’s investigational neutralizing antibody therapy for Covid-19, have met efficacy and safety endpoints in an analysis from a Phase 2 randomized placebo-controlled trial, pro..

Synopex partners with Alpha Plan to advance into hemodialyzer market Synopex Inc., a Korean water treatment system filter and semiconductor component manufacturer, is diversifying its business into the production of hemodialyzers and filter modules whose market is valu..

Curocell readies clinical trial of revolutionary CAR-T cell therapy Curocell, a South Korean biotech startup that has pioneered chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy, is prepping to kick off a clinical trial of a revolutionary CAR-T cell therapy that target..

Samsung`s enhanced 5-nano 5G integrated chip to power Galaxy 21 Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday revealed its first premium 5G-integrated mobile processor chip built on the latest 5-nanometer extreme ultraviolet process node that would power upcoming flagship ph..

World’s first microwave-driven plasma gasification plant plugs in Korea in April The world’s first microwave-driven plasma gasification will be up and running in Korea from April, turning wood pellets, waste vinyl and plastics into energy.The gasification power plant that uses cos..

Samsung lays out AI and robotic assistance from everyday chores to workout The latest home appliances from Samsung Electronics were armed artificial intelligence (AI) powered robotic assistance to enrich living experience. At its first digital showcase for the Consumer Ele..

Korea’s ELS issuance down 31% on year in 2020 Equity-linked securities (ELS) issuance in South Korea fell 31 percent in 2020 mainly due to the weak demand for ELS products tracking foreign stock indices, the Korea Securities Depository data showe..

Hyundai, Kia, each, ready $272 mn green bond offering in Feb Hyundai Motor Co. and its sibling Kia Corp. are said to join the green-theme debt pipeline with issuance of 300 billion won ($272.5 million) worth green bonds, each, in its own drive for environmental..

Foreign investors drive Korea’s latest stock rally South Korea’s benchmark Kospi closed Thursday at a fresh high helped by a strong return of offshore investors on expectations for a continued rally in stocks in line with a revived appetite for U.S. s..

Samsung Elec shares showed modest gains despite reports of Intel order Shares of Samsung Electronics Co. showed a limited reaction to foreign news reports that the South Korean chipmaker may have won its first foundry deal from Intel Corp. After opening 1.14 percent hi..

KT doubles AAA debt issues from original offering on overwhelming response South Korea’s major mobile carrier KT Corp. has decided to double its AAA rated debt issues to 400 billion won ($363.7 million) from its original offering plan after drawing overwhelming institutional..

Hana Bank sells euro bond with -0.17% coupon South Korea’s Hana Bank has issued 500 million euros ($606.5 million) five-year social bonds with below-zero interest rate. The social bond bears interest at a fixed rate of -0.170 percent per annum,..

Mirae Asset to operate Korea’s public pension fund pool of near $20 bn Mirae Asset Global Management Co. will become a new operator of a 21.5 trillion won ($19.5 billion) worth pool of pension funds in South Korea. According to Public Procurement Service on Wednesday, M..

Kakao founder gifts family, relatives $132 mn worth of Kakao shares Kim Beom-su, founder and chairman of South Korea’s biggest messaging app Kakao Corp., has been all-giving mood, gifting his wife, children and relatives his company shares worth a combined 145.2 billi..

Kumho Resort bid draws multiple bidders including Kumho Petrochemical The race for a full stake in Kumho Resort Co., a sub-subsidiary of cash-strapped Asiana Airlines Inc., has drawn multiple contenders, raising expectations for the successful sale that could fetch abou..

Sale of Outback Steakhouse Korea to resume in Feb with higher price tag Outback Steakhouse Korea, the Korean operation of the namesake U.S family restaurant chain, will be out on the market for sale again after its first sale attempt was withdrawn last year due to concern..

Hyundai Steel bumps up its first ESG bond offering on explosive demand South Korea’s Hyundai Steel Co. has bumped up its first-ever environment, society and governance (ESG) bond issues to 500 billion won ($453.5 million) after its initial offering attracted overwhelming..

More Korean bankers sign up for voluntary retirement on improved packages More South Korean bankers are choosing to leave the company amid enhanced compensation packages.About 1,700 employees of local banks have left under the voluntary retirement program or are planning to..

Fubon Hyundai Life plans $551 mn capital expansion ahead of new accounting rule Fubon Hyundai Life Insurance Co., local subsidiary of Taiwan’s Fubon Life Insurance, will increase its capital by 608 billion won ($551.3 million) to bolster its base ahead of a new global accounting ..

Capital shift from banks to stock markets accelerates in Korea this month As much as $13 billion have been yanked out of bank accounts so far this year in South Korea to suggest the bulk could have headed to the asset market amid housing and stock frenzy.The outstanding bal..

Mirae Asset Global readies aggressive expansion in PEF biz South Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. is pushing private equity fund (PEF) business to a higher level based on its confidence in the management. During year-end reshuffle, Mirae Asset Globa..

Investment in inverse funds betting on Kospi fall adds nearly $2 bn this month Investment in inverse funds leveraging on a fall in South Korea’s stocks has added nearly $2 billion over the last two weeks amid anticipation of a correction in the main Kospi that has been on an alm..

Coupang’s potential Nasdaq listing raises hype in related stocks in Korea The news that South Korea’s e-commerce giant Coupang Corp. passed the preliminary review for a Nasdaq listing gave a short-lived boost to shares of related stocks on home turf last week. Dongbang, a ..

SK Innovation bumps up debt offering upon 7-times oversubscription SK Innovation Co. is bumping this year’s first debt issue to 500 billion won ($455 billion) upon confirming overwhelming appetite for EV power-backed note. The South Korean EV battery maker disclosed..

KRX claims Korean stocks undervalued against other G-20 members South Korean stocks are deemed undervalued against peers of other G20 economies, the Korea Exchange said Thursday in the backdrop of concerns for overshooting and overheating in the Korean market. Ac..

KDB extends first loan based on data collateral South Korea’s state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) said Thursday it has lent 5 billion won ($4.56 million) to Korea Credit Data (KCD) with its data and app as collateral, making it Korea’s first loa..

Korea’s trend economic growth stagnated at 2% over past decade South Korea’s annualized growth rate was sustained at 2,00 percent from 2010 to 2019, significantly slowed from 3.6 percent average in the previous decade, due to weakening in productivity and investm..

S. Korea’s Jan. 1-20 exports up 10.6% on robust demand for chips, cars South Korea’s exports in the first 20 days of January jumped 10.6 percent from the same period a year ago thanks to strong demand for semiconductors and automobiles, suggesting a solid rebound in doub..

Korea PPI strengthens for second month in Dec amid extreme cold wave South Korea’s producer prices strengthened for the second straight month in December on strong fresh food produce prices to suggest higher inflation in coming months due to extraordinary harsh winter ..

FKI calls on Seoul to normalize economic ties with Taiwan in H1 South Korea’s biggest business lobby group on Wednesday asked the government to move fast to restore trade and investment relationship with Taiwan, which has become a new tech hub in place of China am..

Korea’s secondary cell output, exports, local demand to surge in 2021 Outlook on South Korea’s secondary battery sector continues to look good this year after their output, exports and domestic consumption all rose last year thanks to strong demand for electric vehicles..

BOK stays pat, won’t move to change direction, but wary of over-speed in Kospi [Updated with comments from BOK governor] The Bank of Korea chose to stay pat in the first rate-setting meeting for 2021 Friday and maintained to keep monetary policy loose and accommodative of the f..

Private loans surge by record $189 billion in South Korea last year Private debt surged by record levels of around $189 billion in South Korea last year amid Covid-19 pandemic and frenzied chase after housing and stocks from cheap liquidity. According to the data rel..

Daily Lotto sales hit record high in 2020 amid Covid-19 economic fallout Daily lottery sales in South Korea reached an all-time high in 2020 as the country falls into its deepest recession since the 1997-1998 financial crisis the due to Covid-19 outbreak. Daily sales of t..

Global and domestic car sales to drop this year from pandemic-peak 2020 Global auto sales this year would stay subdued under 80 million units for the second straight year this year and sales in Korea will fall from pandemic-peak year as normalization will likely take more..

Korea’s OLED exports to hit record high of $13 bn in 2021 amid growing application South Korea’s exports of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels are projected to hit a record high of $13 billion this year amid ever-expanding application of flexible panels. According to a repo..

Korea’s 2020 job data worst since wake of 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis The annual count in the unemployed fell for the first in 11 years and by the steepest in 22 years as the pandemic took toll on jobs and overall economy as much as the past global financial crises. Th..

Korea’s 2020 fiscal deficit nearly doubles on year to over $90 bn as of Nov South Korea’s fiscal deficit stretched to nearly 100 trillion won ($91 billion) by November last year after four rounds of supplementary budgets to fight Covid-19 and reduced corporate tax income. A..

FDI pledges to S. Korea down 11.1% in 2020, but still above $20 bn Foreign direct investment (FDI) to South Korea fell 11.1 percent against a year earlier in 2020 but still came above $20 billion for the sixth consecutive year, data showed. According to the Ministr..

S. Korea projected at No. 7 in per capita income and No. 10 in GDP scale in 2020 South Korea is projected to finish 2020 at No. 10 in global gross domestic product (GDP) scale and No. 7 in per capita income as it turned out to have survived the pandemic year better than others. K..

Seoul shells out record high of $11 bn in unemployment benefit in 2020 State subsidy for jobless South Koreans hit an all-time high last year due to the surge in job losses amid Covid-19 fallout. The Korean government doled out 11.85 trillion won ($10.8 billion) in job ..

Korea’s January 1-10 exports down 15.4% vs daily exports up 5.8% South Korea’s exports in the first 10 days of New Year shriveled 15.4 percent on year due to shorter working days, while daily exports added 5.8 percent. According to data from the Korea Customs Ser..

Seoul faces $161 billion debt maturing over the next three years The South Korean government has to repay 48 trillion won ($43.7 billion) bonds maturing this year and another 129 trillion won worth over the next two years after it had issued record debts to finance..

Korea’s Jan-Nov current account surplus 25 percent higher than a year ago South Korea extended its current account surplus for the seventh straight month in November last year, pushing the black 25 percent fatter than a year ago, amid recovery in the latter half. Asia’s fo..

Korean households’ debt for stock investment hits record high in Q3 2020 Both stock investments and borrowings from banks by South Korean households reached a record high level in the third quarter of last year, suggesting a significant amount of debts flowed into the stoc..

Korea’s biohealth exports at record high last year, join 10 mainstay rank South Korea’s biohealth industry set a new milestone in outbound shipments with a 50 percent jump last year, led by robust demand for Covid-19 test kits and biosimilar products in Europe and the Unite..

Renault Samsung offers early retirement to all employees first time in 8 years Renault Samsung Motors Co. has opted to cut permanent payroll on top of the earlier decision to slash 40 percent of executives as part of efforts to strengthen profitability, the top priority to recei..

Class-action suit against AI chatbot Luda developer joined by over 300 victims Alleged privacy infringement victims of South Korea’s now temporarily suspended artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service Lee Luda (Luda) are set to file a class action against its developer Scatte..

S. Korea wins WTO case over U.S. AFA provision The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Thursday ruled in favor of South Korea in a lawsuit against the United States concerning high tariffs imposed on Korean steel and transformer products under the “..

Korea ups subsidies for eco-friendly cars to speed up green push South Korea will offer up to 19 million won ($17,000) in subsidies to people who buy an electric car this year and up to 37.5 million won for a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle to ensure more eco-f..

Seoul to inject $1 bn in level-4 autonomous car projects, promote chip specialists South Korean government has detailed out its supports for the Big 3 industries, including 1.1 trillion won ($1 billion) investment on level-4 autonomous driving technology and nurturing 3,600 non-memo..

Uber launches franchise taxi-hailing service Uber Taxi in Seoul Uber Taxi, a cab-hailing service by U.S. Uber Technologies using a pool of licensed taxis, has been launched on a trial basis in South Korea, adding competition in the heated franchise ride-hailing ma..

Korea’s coffee imports surge to record highs in 2020 amid home café boom South Korea’s coffee and espresso imports surged to record levels in 2020 as the Covid-19 crisis drove up even higher demand in coffee-loving country due to remote working environment and social dista..

S. Korean President Moon to speak at WEF Davos Agenda on Covid-19 South Korean President Moon Jae-in will speak on the global health care and economic crisis at The World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos Agenda, taking place virtually on Jan. 25-29.Moon will deliver a key..

Moderna may build vaccine plant in Korea, Novavas, SK Biosience to supply vaccine Stephane Bancel, chief executive of U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna Inc., said he wants to build a manufacturing plant in Korea to produce vaccines against respiratory infectious diseases. The remark ..

S. Koreans’ credit card spending on Netflix doubles in 2020 Netflix has earned nearly $500 million from credit card users in South Korea last year amid fast proliferation in the pay TV and over-the-top market by the global streaming ace. According to applicat..

Home trade in Korea hit all-time high in 2020 The number of housing transactions reached an all-time high last year due to frenzied chase after housing amid lack of supplies and regulations that fanned prices to multiple-year highs. The Ministr..

Korean gov’t to offer $273 bn aid to small biz out of $454 bn policy lending The South Korean government will earmark near 500 trillion won ($454.2 billion) in cheap policy loan for small and mid-sized companies and self-employed to help them sustain businesses through protrac..

Google, Facebook, Neflix must ensure network and service stability in Korea Google, Facebook, and Netflix are among the six major multinational content providers that will face liability for the maintenance of their network and service stability under a revised telecommunicat..

Samsung heir Lee returns to prison upon sentenced 2 and 1/2 years jail term Updated with court development Jay Y. Lee, Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman and de facto leader of South Korea’s biggest conglomerate Samsung Group, is put behind bars for the second time over a..

Korea’s fair trade watchdog bolsters monitoring of mobile app, O2O markets South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is strengthening its watch over online businesses to better protect small firms and consumers against market dominators, a move likely to mostly target multin..

Seoul to launch Trade On platform to support exports of local SMEs The Seoul city government and Seoul Business Agency (SBA) will launch ‘Trade On,’ a platform to back small and medium-sized companies in South Korea promote their products and services to overseas mar..

Korean pres puts an end to talk of pardoning ex presidents Presidential pardon for two imprisoned presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye may have to be considered in some time, given their age, but only when it has the backing of the majority people, Pres..

Shares of Samsung Elec and others down as the group awaits Lee verdict Shares of Samsung Electronics Co. and other flagships under Korea’s household corporate name have sagged Monday as investors await the final verdict on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee’s ..

S. Koreans advised against overseas travel until Feb 15 South Korean government on Friday advised citizens against overseas travel for another month amid still-strong resurgence in the virus outbreak across the globe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said..

ESG disclosure to be mandatory in phases for Kospi-listed firms South Korea will mandate listed companies with more than 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) in assets to disclose their environmental, social and governance (ESG) report starting 2025, announced the countr..

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..

Domestic car sales down 4.1% y/y - FTI Domestic car sales shrank for a 16th straight month in September, down 4.1% from a year earlier to 77,433 vehicles, as the coronavirus outbreak hurt demand, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) sai..

Vietnamese exporters could gain US$633 million by increasing trade with India A booth showcasing Vietnamese fruits in India. India is now one of Việt Nam’s top 10 trading partners, and Việt Nam ranks as India’s fourth-largest ASEAN trading partner. — Photo con..

Prayut: New finance minister next week Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ended speculation that outgoing finance permanent secretary Prasong Poontaneat could be the new finance minister. He said the new finance minister will be a famil..

VN stocks expected to keep progressing amid international pressure HÀ NỘI — Strong domestic purchasing is expected to keep Vietnamese shares upbeat this week, securities firms have forecast. However, international news may hinder market momentum and..

S. Korea’s mid-tier game developers rush to roll out new titles South Korea’s mid-tier game publishers are rolling out new titles to dominate the market at a time when their bigger rivals – Nexon, Netmarble and NCSoft – are taking a break after a slew ..

NCSoft’s K-pop fan community platform Universe opens Jan. 28, concert in Feb Global K-pop fans will be able to enjoy a variety of fun activities on a mobile fan community platform Universe upon the global launch due next Monday, South Korea’s gaming giant NCSoft announced Thur..

S. Korea’s Naver to buy global storytelling platform Wattpad for $600 mn South Korean internet giant Naver Corp., which runs the world’s largest webtoon platform, will acquire Wattpad Corp., a Toronto, Canada-based social storytelling platform, for $600 million, expanding ..

NCSoft to broaden its Asian presence with Lineage and K-pop content biz South Korea’s game giant NCSoft Corp. is seeking to expand its global presence in 2021 with its flagship title Lineage and new K-pop content platform Universe. The company attracted 1.2 million and 2..

Netmarble eyes $3 bn revenue with quarterly mobile game releases South Korea’s leading game developer Netmarble Corp. is expected to achieve near $3 billion in revenue this year with new mobile game titles lined up quarterly in the pipeline. Netmarble will likely..

Hanwha invests $63.5 bn in K-pop copyright sharing platform Musicow Hanwha Corp, the holding company of South Korea’s chemical-to-defense conglomerate, has invested nearly 7 billion won ($63.5 billion) in Seoul-based music copyright sharing platform Musicow to bet on ..

Blockchain crypto games gain traction but face regulatory hurdles Game publishers are eyeing blockchain-based crypto games as their new growth engine as value of digital currencies has continued to rise, but they are struggling to roll out the games in South Korea d..

Disney Plus’ ESPN to shake Korea’s sports broadcasting market South Korea’s video streaming wars spill over to the sports front as Disney Plus, armed with sports channel ESPN, is slated to enter the local market this year. Korean players are beefing up their o..

League of Legends Champions Korea to kick off on Jan. 13 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), the primary competition for League of Legends esports in South Korea, will kick off virtually on Jan. 13, with anticipation running high for last year’s LoL Wo..

BTS “Dynamite” stays at Billboard singles top 10 longest for K-pop act BTS continues with writing new chapter in K-pop history as it remains longest – 13 weeks – on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 song chart for a K-pop act with “Dynamite” at No. 5 this week. Th..

NCSoft’s Lineage 2M to hit Taiwan and Japan in Q1 Lineage 2M, the second mobile version of South Korean game publisher NCSoft Corp.’s mega-hit massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) title Lineage, becomes available in Taiwan and Japa..

MK pick: News of 2020 The Maeil Business Newspaper has compiled the top 10 domestic news of the year 1. Coronavirus puts the global economy to a standstill The novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China hit Korean shores i..

Netmarble and Kabam’s “Marvel Realm of Champions” now available worldwide Mobile RPG title Marvel Realm of Champions – second series in collabo between Korea’s Netmarble and its North American subsidiary Kabam – has become playable worldwide from Thursday. The g..

K-pop overseas revenue nearly double this year on BTS, BlackPink feat South Korea’s overseas revenue from music labels and videos reached a record high as of November this year thanks to the exploding popularity of K-pop artists such as BTS and BlackPink. According to ..

Nexon becomes No. 2 most valuable game stock in Japan with value near $30 bn South Korean game developer Nexon Co. has become the first Korean game publisher to be worth near $30 billion, becoming the second most valuable game stock in Japan after Nintendo. Nexon trading on ..

Taiwan poses as key testbed for Korean games reaching to Chinese gamers Taiwan has become a key testbed for Korean games tapping Chinese audience and gamers around the world.According to industry tracker Gevolution on Tuesday, Gravity’s Ragnarok Origin ranked second and N..

Korea’s MMORPG market gets hotter with new rollouts for the year-end season South Korean game publishers big and small are rolling out new mobile titles in year-end season to steal some shares off the mobile massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) market domin..

BTS lands first Korean song atop Billboard 100, safe from conscription for 2 yrs K-pop superstar BTS made history again as “Life Goes On” became the first Korean song to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s main singles chart. Life Goes On officially debuted atop this week’s Hot 100, making..

BTS lands fifth No. 1 album on Billboard 200 K-pop superstar BTS broke another record as it landed its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with its latest mini album ‘BE’. The album, released on Nov. 20, earned 242,000 equivalent albu..

Netflix sets up Korean subsidiary devoted to content production Global streaming giant Netflix added a new South Korean subsidiary devoted to developing and producing Korean content. According to industry sources on Thursday, Netflix established Netflix Entertain..