SK joins AirAsia’s BigPay consortium to vie for digital banking license in Malaysia SK South East Asia Investment Pte Ltd., an investment arm under South Korean conglomerate SK Group, has joined a consortium led by Malaysian budget airline AirAsia’s fintech subsidiary BigPay as a fin..

SK hynix’s top and bottom line back to 2018 memory heyday in Q2 SK hynix Inc. returned to the 2018 super cycle in memory chips with operating profit more than doubling on quarter in the April-June period on sales of over 10 trillion won ($8.7 billion). The world’..

CJ ENM to build Korea’s biggest virtual studio with Samsung’s micro-LED screens South Korea’s entertainment giant CJ ENM Co. will be able to produce TV series and films with more rich and sophisticated visual effects thanks to a virtual production studio that will be built with S..

Krafton to devote 70% of near $4 bn raised from IPO on global M&As Krafton Inc. readying near $4 billion initial public offering will develop its hit mobile game “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)” into a variety of contents and spend 70 percent of its IPO proceed..

GS Caltex joins a rush of investors in fast-evolving and IPO-eying Kakao Mobility GS Caltex Corp. became the latest to back the fast-driving and evolving Kakao Mobility Corp. whose value stretched to near $3.5 billion amid a rush of investors in the IPO-readying mobility company. ..

STARTUP FOCUS: Typed to launch in US to set new standard on digitalized work Business Canvas Inc., an emerging B2B Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution provider in South Korea having raised near $2 million in latest seed funding and is set to launch its innovative all-in-one ..

Hanwha Group’s financial focus under younger VP turns to platform, digital biz Hanwha Group’s financial investment units are turning more aggressive in their investment portfolios doubling down on emerging digital tech firms to accelerate its digital transformation and find new ..

Korea loses world’s No. 1 display maker title to China Q1 South Korea has been dethroned by China in panel production for the first time in 17 years as Chinese names expand fast in the OLED segment after dominating LCD under state grooming. Korea accounted..

LS Cable & System to invest $161 mn to expand subsea cable output by 50% South Korea’s leading cable maker LS Cable & System Ltd. will invest 185.9 billion won ($161.3 million) to expand its submarine power cable output by 50 percent by 2023. With the investment, it aims..

Carmakers under foreign ownership in Korea performing their worst since 1998 Output and sales by Korean car producers under foreign ownership have shriveled to the worst since 1998 in the wake of Asian financial crisis as they lose fast grounds against foreign brands amid slow..

KSOE adds $1.36 bn LNG vessel orders, overachieves annual target Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE) won a combined 1.56 trillion won ($1.36 billion) worth orders for seven liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from shippers in Liberia, Asia and O..

Market Kurly open to collabo with competitors to enhance K-commerce power: CEO South Korea’s pioneering fresh food delivery platform Market Kurly readying IPO at home is open to collaboration with e-commerce leaders Naver and Coupang to strengthen competitiveness of Korean e-com..

GM Korea, SK Innovation become latest to settle collective bargaining peacefully The usual labor unrest in big South Korean companies has subsided this year in the face of common challenge of parts supply shortage and windfall of strong global demand amid ongoing Covid-19 environm..

Kia’s Q2 earnings beat market consensus to hit record quarterly high Kia Corp.’s operating profit topped market expectations in the second quarter, hitting an all-time quarterly high thanks to buoyant sales of its lucrative sedans and leisure vehicles that helped more ..

Hyundai Motor Q2 OP tripled on year, sales top 30 trillion won milestone South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. reported its best quarterly results in seven years in the second quarter with its operating profit more than tripled on year thanks to solid demand fo..

LG Household & Healthcare logs best-ever OP for Q2, H1 LG Household & Healthcare Co. extended hot earnings streak as its beauty and household care items establish themselves as premium brands during the Covid-19 environment. South Korea’s top beauty and ..

Zigbang, Kurly, Dunamu join Korean unicorn list Home-matching platform Zigbang, grocery delivery app Kurly, and Dunamu, operator of the country’s largest digital coin exchange, are the newest to join the list of Korean unicorns— unlisted vent..

Hyundai Mobis develops brainwave-based system to prevent drowsy driving Auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis has blended its automotive tech with healthcare, developing an innovation based on brainwave measurement to prevent drowsy driving.The company will apply the advanced dr..

Posco in for best year with income at milestone $2 bn Q2 on steel, battery boom Posco earned near $2 billion in milestone operating income, fueled by a jump in steel demand and prices as well as materials for secondary batteries. The South Korean steel giant reported on Thursday..

Yanolja out to revolutionize Korea’s travel scene: CEO One-stop booking from rooms to dining and leisure activity in travel destination is not just what Yanolja is about as it assists hospitality locations to accelerate to full digitalization with connect..

SK, Joyvio to jointly create $86.7 bn fund to invest in alternative food firms SK Corp., the holding entity of South Korea’s third largest conglomerate SK Group, has agreed with Chinese food company Joyvio Group to jointly launch a 100 billion won ($86.7 million) worth fund that..

Hanmi Pharm, LegoChem partner to develop bispecific antibody-based ADC Hanmi Pharmaceutical and LegoChem Biosciences will jointly develop a new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to treat cancers based on a bispecific antibody developed by Hanmi Pharm’s affiliate in China, th..

Anonymous workplace chat app Blind scales up U.S. biz, eyes listing in 2025 U.S.-headquartered South Korean startup TeamBlind, the operator of anonymous workplace chat app Blind which more than a million Silicon Valley workers have on their phone, is confident to go public in..

SKT’s metaverse platform Ifland to become the next big thing after smartphone SK Telecom expects the metaverse platform ‘ifland’ to become the next big thing after smartphone, as metaverse, which refers to a virtual interactive space, is emerging as the next-generation platform..

Absology’s rapid test kit for neutralizing antibodies cleared for export Absology, a South Korean in vitro diagnostic system developer, has been cleared by domestic health authority to export its new rapid test kit used to confirm neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) within minu..

Medipost shares narrow losses after partnership cancellation in China Medipost shares narrowed losses Tuesday after the company said it will look for a new local partner to push for the entry of its knee cartilage defect drug into China. The announcement comes after t..

GC Pharma, Speragen to jointly develop rare pediatric neurometabolic disorder drug South Korea’s GC Pharma has signed a partnership agreement with U.S. Speragen for joint development of a first-in-class therapy for succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency (SSADHD), a rare inhe..

KAI shares gain on SpaceX partnership to launch midsize satellite by 2025 Shares of South Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) rose in morning trade Monday on news that it has joined hands with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch its next-genera..

Samsung Electronics commits to funding $13 mn for R&D projects this year Samsung Electronics Co. will provide 15.2 billion won ($13.3 million) in grant funding to 12 research and development projects in six emerging fields this year. Those fields for Samsung’s research su..

Hyundai Steel begins mass production of first home grown 9% Ni steel plates South Korea’s No. 2 steelmaker Hyundai Steel Co. will start mass producing 9% nickel steel thick plates for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuel tanks for the first time among Korean steelmakers to meet t..

Genexine founder to step down to focus on Covid vaccine development Genexine founder and chief executive Sung Young-chul will step down from his post to become a project leader dedicated to the development of the company’s investigational vaccines to fight Covid-19 an..

SK hynix moves onto 4-gen 10nm DRAM processing on EUV tech South Korea’s SK hynix Inc. has officially moved onto the fourth-generation of 10-nanometer (nm) process, starting mass-production of 8Gigabit DRAM chips for mobile devices on 1anm and joining a selec..

Korean healthcare firms making strides in microneedle-based exploration Korean healthcare companies are making strides with development in microneedle-based drugs to drastically improve convenience and reliability in the delivery of life-saving therapies and vaccines. A m..

Phase 2,3 trials of Genexine’s Covid vaccine approved in Indonesia South Korea’s Genexine said on Wednesday it has received regulatory approval for Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate GX-19N in Indonesia, marking it the first pivotal clin..

Helixmith shares fall after return of CAR-T cell therapy license from Bluebird Bio Shares of South Korean gene therapy company Helixmith Co. weakened Thursday after it admitted its license for chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy was returned by American bio pharmaceutic..

Shinpoong Pharm shares freefall on failed clinical trial Shinpoong Pharm shares remained bearish Wednesday after plunging by daily limit of 30 percent drop in the previous session in a panic sell caused by the company’s announcement that its investigational..

Korea, Israel to jointly develop AI ultrasound diagnosis device, gene-cell combo therapy South Korean and Israeli companies will jointly develop artificial intelligence (AI)-based ultrasound self-diagnosis device and a new type of gene-cell combination therapy under two joint R&D projects..

As many as 30 healthcare companies may join Korean stock markets this year Bio entrants to the Korean stock markets will likely be outnumber last year’s record as the second-half pipeline is more packed than the first.A total of 16 pharma and biotech firms are prepping to go..

STARTUP FOCUS: Seoul Robotics’ solution for LiDar sensor draws multinational carmakers Seoul Robotics, a 3D computer vision company based in Seoul, has won over multinational auto brands like BMW, Volvo and Mercedez-Benz with its AI-guided solution for LiDAR sensors, and envisions listi..

Chong Kun Dang to export anemia biosim Nesbell to Middle East South Korea’s Chong Kun Dang announced on Monday that it will export its anemia biosimilar Nesbell (darbepoetin-α) to Oman-based Menagene Pharmaceutical Industries. Under the deal, Chong Kun Dang wi..

Kakao becomes fifth biggest publicly trading name in Korea Platform operator Kakao trails just behind Korea’s traditional household corporate names Samsung, SK, LG and Hyundai Motor in terms of market capitalization. The combined market value of Kakao Corp. ..

Shinhan Financial Group eyes jackpot from pre-IPO invest in Indonesia’s Bukalapak Shinhan Financial Group expects a jackpot from equity investment in Bukalapak, Indonesia’s fourth largest e-commerce company set to deliver the Southeast Asian country’s biggest initial public offerin..

IMM Investment to become No.2 shareholder in outdoor gear firm Helinox South Korea’s high-end camping gear company Helinox Inc. has attracted 40 billion won ($34.68 million) from IMM Investment Corp., hoping to use the latest investment to make inroads into overseas mark..

Shinsegae out to fully own Starbucks Korea, sell 30% to GIC in pre-IPO scheme South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Group will be finalizing ownership restructure in Starbucks Korea this week at the earliest to gain full ownership and then bring Singapore sovereign wealth fund G..

KCC shares fly high powered by U.S. silicon unit’s robust earnings Shares of KCC Corp. have more than doubled as its joining of pre-IPO investment of $3.1 billion in U.S. silicon maker Momentive Performance Materials Inc. paid off nicely. KCC shares closed Friday a..

Woori Financial Group shares down after cash-out by Tongyang Life Woori Financial Group shares fell nearly 4 percent on Friday after Tongyang Life Insurance Co. cashed out of its entire 3.74 percent stake in the holding company. The shares lost 3.86 percent to clos..

Korean financial majors turn giving mood ahead of Kakao Bank’s Kospi landing South Korean financial majors are doling out handsome mid-year dividends from their record first-half earnings as they hope to indulge shareholders ahead of the stock market entry of app-based Kakao B..

HK inno.N prices IPO of up to $519m Mon for novel drug ammunition HK inno.N Corp. under Kolmar Korea on Monday will price its IPO of 10,117,000 shares at a band of 50,000 won to 59,000 won to raise 597 billion won ($519 million) to complete development of its pipeli..

Apparel manufacturer Sae-A Trading after Doosan Machine Tools for over $2.5 bn South Korea’s clothing manufacturer Sae-A Trading Co. is going after the whole ownership in Doosan Machine Tools costing up to 3 trillion won ($2.6 billion) as its cash-rich parent builds up portfolio..

Kakao Bank prices IPO at top end of $34 apiece or $2.2 bn on record institutional bid Kakao Bank Corp. is set to debut on the Kospi in much fanfare as the first bank stock in Korea in nearly 30 years and the first non-physical lender, with its IPO priced at top-end of 39,000 won ($33.9..

SK handing out record interim dividend of $1.30 per share, totaling $69 mn SK Inc., the investment-specialized holding entity of SK Group, is paying out its hitherto highest interim dividend of 1,500 won ($1.30) apiece to share benefits from IPOs of SK family members and equ..

Woori Financial Q2 NP jumps five-fold, helping H1 bottom line hit record high South Korea’s Woori Financial Group Inc. was first among financial majors to herald hot earning streak by capitalizing on the widened gap in deposit and borrowing rates ahead of rise in interest rates..

Korea’s top 100 unlisted firms record quadrupled sales in 3 years, Kurly’s up 20 times Top 100 unlisted companies in Korea have reaped four times bigger revenue over the last three years, with pioneering online grocery marketplace Kurly standing out with sales ballooning by 20-fold on o..

IMM PE to complete purchase of 40% stake in SK Lubricants by end-July IMM Credit Solution, a subsidiary of IMM Private Equity (IMM PE) is wrapping up its acquisition of 40 percent in SK Lubricants Co. by the end of this month to become the second largest shareholder in ..

ChainX’s sudden coin removal and phase-out raises panic about business closure ChainX, a cryptocurrency exchange in Korea, abruptly removed nearly 60 coins around midnight and ordered investors to complete deposit withdrawals by next month, stoking panic about business shutdown...

BHC picked as preferred bidder for Outback Steakhouse Korea South Korea’s fried chicken franchise name BHC Co. has become the preferred bidder to take over Outback Steakhouse Korea by offering up to 280 billion won ($244 million) to add western food to its Kor..

Kakao Bank due to price IPO Thurs envisions a multi financial player, overseas foray South Korea’s app-based lender Kakao Bank will build up to comprehensive financial institution by adding fund, insurance and asset management portfolio and look out for M&A or overseas foray opportuni..

South Korean airline shares tank amid outbreak of Covid-19 variants South Korean airline stocks are back skidding on delayed normalization in international travel due to outbreak of virus variants. On Tuesday, shares of the country’s flag carrier Korean Air Lines clo..

Stock, bond issues by Korean Inc. hit all-time high in H1 Stock and bond offerings by Korean Inc. hit an all-time high in the first half as companies rushed to raise securities while market conditions were still favorable, data showed. According to data re..

Discovery owner F&F joins Centroid in TaylorMade Golf buyout South Korea’s mid-sized fashion company F&F Co. known for sportswear brand MLB and outdoor brand Discovery will join Centroid Investment Partners in a buyout of TaylorMade Golf Co., a California-based..

Korea’s preliminary Q2 GDP up 0.7% on qtr, 5.9% on yr Korea’s economy gained 0.7 percent in the second quarter from the previous three-month period led by state stimuli and private spending, trudging along the track to achieve 4.0 percent growth target f..

S. Korea readying global bond offering likely up to $1.5 bn ceiling in Sept The South Korean government is readying global bond sale up to this year’s budgeted ceiling of $1.5 billion possibly in September before market terms turn unfavorably. According to multiple sources ..

Fitch affirms S. Korea’s rating at fourth-highest AA- with stable outlook Fitch Ratings Inc. reaffirmed South Korea’s sovereign credit rating at AA- with a “stable” outlook, citing robust external finances and resilient macroeconomic performance despite worrisome debt build..

S. Korea’s July 1-20 exports up 32.8% on year South Korea’s exports in the first 20 days of July surged nearly 33 percent from the same period last year, keeping up sizzling pace after record shipments in the first half led by mainstay exports of..

Kakao to run Korean central bank’s digital currency pilot project Kakao Corp. is poised to run Korea’s pilot central bank digital currency (CBDC) project, which will test technological feasibility and usefulness of electronic money. The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Tues..

Young Koreans under 30 spend 10 months to land their first job It takes an average 10 months for young Koreans to find their first job upon graduation, which pay less than 2 million won ($1,737) a month. According to a survey released by Statistics Korea on Tue..

S. Korea’s unloading of copper and nickel mines contradicts K-battery policy State-run Korea Resources Corporation (Kores) is speeding up its exit from overseas resources development projects, but concerns rise that it is selling too cheap, and the divestiture contradicts the ..

Six out of 10 small biz owners at risk of closing doors amid 4th wave of Covid-19 Small business owners in South Korea are being driven out of business as the country has gone into the toughest Level 4 antivirus restrictions amid a recent upsurge of Covid-19 infections. According..

Koreans in 20s and 30s give up job search amid prolonged Covid-19 crisis in June Nearly half of South Korea’s record high number of discouraged workers in June were those in their 20s and 30s, while senior Koreans in need to afford living after retirement also went on searching fo..

Korean recovery in domestic spending hits snag amid Covid resurgence The resurgence of Covid-19 cases is adding uncertainty to the recovery path of South Korea’s domestic spending, warned the Ministry of Economy and Finance in its latest economic outlook report publish..

Korea’s bipartisan agreement on extra budget increase by $3 bn amid raging Covid-19 South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties have come together for a rare agreement on a 3.5 trillion won ($3 billion) addition to the government’s extra budget for mom-and-pop businesses grappling wi..

UPDATE: BOK reaffirms rate hike need despite worst virus hit after holding rate at 0.5% South Korea’s central bank on Thursday reaffirmed its hawkish stance on monetary policy, citing the solid recovery and growing financial imbalances despite the country’s worst outbreak of Covid-19 tha..

Korea’s household debt growth picks up in June, H1 largest ever on record South Korea’s household debt grew at the fastest-ever pace in the first six months amid the protracted Covid-19 situation and runaway housing prices that required borrowings for rents and housing fina..

Korea’s job gains lose steam in June, likely further after toughened mitigation rules South Korea added nearly 600,000 jobs in June, expanding for a fourth straight month in line with economic recovery, although the pickup pace slowed from a month ago amid simmering summer wave of Covi..

Import price fastest in near 7 yrs in June, outpacing export price for Korea Prices of imports rose faster than those of exports for South Korea last month, with the pace picking up to near seven-year high due to unfazed strengthening in international commodity prices, which c..

Korean fin min puts foot down on renewed talk on universal relief handout South Korea’s finance minister reiterated opposition to the idea of offering universal handout in Covid-19 relief funds after chiefs of rivaling parties made a verbal agreement to tweak the program du..

Money supply in Korea up 0.6% in May, easing from record pace in April Money supply in South Korea extended its growth streak in May, although the pace slowed down from the previous month amid easing in frenzied asset investment. The country’s M2 money supply reached 3..

S. Korea’s hourly minimum wage set at 9,160 won ($8) for 2022, up 5.1% on year South Korea’s minimum wage rate per hour has been set at 9,160 won ($8.02) for next year, up 5.1 percent from this year in the third subdued gain after two double-digit hikes to fall short of Presiden..

Employment insurance subscribers surge in Korea in June on economic recovery The number of Koreans subscribed to employment insurance surged in June in line with economic recovery and job increases, although monthly state handout for the unemployed passed the 1 trillion won ($..

Korea’s July 1-10 exports up 14.1% on yr, losing some of the sizzling steam in past 3 mos Korea’s exports added 14.1 percent on year in the first 10 days of July, or 21 percent on daily average, keeping up growth momentum since November but losing steam from around 40 percent surge in the ..

Debt-financed investment binge pushes up net assets to record level in Korea Net asset value per a South Korean household rose by the fastest-ever 10.6 percent last year to average record 512.2 billion won ($445,624) amid debt-financed housing and stock buying spree.According ..

Overseas crypto exchanges under same registration rule by Sept. to service Koreans Foreign cryptocurrency exchanges servicing digital coin trade in the Korean won are obligated to register business with South Korea’s financial regulators by Sept. 24 or face penalties and suspension ..

DH’s deadline for Yogiyo sale extended to Jan 2022 Germany’s Delivery Hero (DH) gained five more months until January to complete the divesture of South Korea’s No.2 food delivery app Yogiyo in return for its acquisition of No.1 player Baedal Minjok (..

Seoul likely to raise tax audit threshold on YouTubers on overseas earnings The South Korean tax authorities will strengthen watch on foreign exchange transactions to crack down on tax evasions of social media influencers like YouTube video creators. The National Tax Service..

Google and Apple’s in-app billing system likely face ban under new Korean law Mobile app market operators like Google and Apple won’t be able to force Korean app developers with their own billing systems for in-app purchases as the dominant ruling party has pushed the related b..

Jeju airport project turned away by environment ministry The long-delayed project to add a second airport in South Korea’s most popular resort island of Jeju has been rejected by the Ministry of Environment after two-year-long reevaluation. The Ministry of ..

Optimus CEO gets 25 years in prison for fraud The chief executive of Optimus Asset Management, a major South Korean hedge fund accused of running one of the country’s biggest fund fraud schemes, was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday for fra..

Asian startup extravaganza Try Everything kicks off with ASEAN-Korea XTC contest Startups in Asia are invited to vie for the ASEAN-Korea Regional for eXtreme Tech Challenge (XTC) by Aug. 1 as a part of the events leading up to the Asia’s biggest global startup convention Try Every..

Korean publishers forced to take crypto, betting games overseas due to regulations South Korea is a powerhouse in game production, but also in regulations. On top of being the world’s only country outside socialist names to enforce shutdown on online game playing by minors after mid..

Seoul seeks to classify cryptocurrencies into 3 types to apply different rules South Korea’s financial authorities have embarked on a process to classify nearly 600 digital coins traded in the country into three categories to regulate them with different laws.The Financial Servi..

Netflix appeals against first trial defeat in Seoul over network fees Netflix has filed an appeal against a Seoul court ruling that was recently given in favor of SK Broadband in their legal battle over network usage fees.Netflix Services Korea, the South Korean subsidi..

40 Korean exporters to Iran collect $70 mn in frozen money in 3 years Some 40 Korean companies that exported to Iran were paid $70 million in recent months, collecting a chunk of their outstanding account receivables from the Arab country whose overseas assets have been..

No. of int’l migrants falls at sharpest pace in 2020 amid pandemic The number of South Korean and foreign migrants decreased at the fastest pace last year as cross-border movements were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. The number of forei..

Commercial YouTube channels on stock investment must register by end-July YouTube channel operators for paid stock investment tips must register with authorities as a quasi-investment advisory service by the end of July, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) ..

SKT receives remedial order for favorable fee for former music unit, avoids fine South Korea’s top wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. avoided fines, although receiving remedial order from the antitrust authority for favorable support for its former music streaming service affiliate t..

Seoul bulks up New Deal initiative to $191 bn, includes youth projects South Korea will spend 60 trillion won ($52 billion) more to scale up New Deal initiative to 220 trillion won by 2025 and devote 8 trillion won to support the youth population, announced President Moo..

Busan wants to create Korea’s first public-backed digital coin exchange The Busan Metropolitan Government overseeing South Korea’s second largest city on southeastern coast is pushing for the country’s first exchange for digital assets. The city government has been worki..

Foreign crypto exchanges with Korean won settlement to be under FIU’s scrutiny Foreign cryptocurrency exchanges allowing traders to settle their transactions in Korean currency must register their business with South Korea’s anti-money laundering body even if they operate outsid..

Naver, Kakao, SK vie for Korean central bank’s digital currency pilot project South Korea’s household IT names Kakao Corp., Naver Corp., and SK Group are vying to win over the country’s pilot project on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Bank of Korea said Monday its te..

Newly arriving Disney Plus may pay indirect network fees when servicing its contents Global video streaming giant Disney Plus is expected to indirectly pay network usage fees to telecommunications companies in South Korea via content distribution network (CDN) operators, which could s..

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..

Com2us expands “Summoners War” IP with “The Walking Dead” creator South Korea’s Kosdaq-listed game publisher Com2us Corp. is expanding the intellectual property (IP) of its globally-hit mobile title “Summoners War” in cooperation with Skybound Entertainment founded ..

YG Enter stock buoyant ahead of Blackpink comeback Shares of YG Entertainment Inc. are being lifted on anticipation of improved earnings in the latter half of the year due to packed lineup including main girl group BlackPink. YG Entertainment shares ..

Krafton partners with Hollywood producer Adi Shankar to create PUBG animated series Krafton Inc., South Korea’s game powerhouse behind hit mobile game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), has partnered with Hollywood film producer Adi Shankar to create an animated series based on th..

NCSoft unveils AI-based translation tool dedicated to gamer jargons and colloquialisms NCSoft Corp. has developed and implemented its own AI-based language translation engine capable of processing colloquialisms, abbreviated words and even slangs used by gamers. The Korean mobile and ..

The heyday of NCSoft Lineage may be coming to end by Odin of Kakao The Lineage legacy who has reigned over the multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) names from South Korea is under threat as Kakao Games Corp.’s new label “Odin: Valhalla Rising” (hereinafter r..

BTS Butter on Billboard No.1 for 7th week, may be joined by Permission to Dance BTS’ single “Butter” spends its seventh week at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and may be challenged by the K-pop sensation’s newest all-English feel-good song “Permission to Dance” in coming weeks. ..

Korean action film “The Villainess” to be made into TV series by Amazon Studios South Korean director Jung Byung-gil’s action film “The Villainess,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, is set to be adapted for a TV series by Amazon Studios, Next Entertainment Wor..

BTS’ “Butter” sets new record by topping Billboard Hot 100 for sixth week The journey by BTS is undone as it achieved yet another milestone in the history of K-pop with its new single “Butter” retaining at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth consecutive week. “B..

Kakao Games stock sees double-digit jump on success of “Odin” Shares of Kakao Games Corp. are running high on the success of the publisher’s first self-made label “Odin: Valhalla Rising” (hereinafter referred to as “Odin”). On Monday, Kakao Games shares jumped ..

Overseas foray by Korean games gain traction from China sanctions, Covid-19 Sanctions by China acted as a boon for South Korean game publishers as they eagerly sought out the greater global market through mobile and console labels amid self-entertaining momentum during Covid-..

S. Korea conquers e-comics frontier led by IT giants Kakao and Naver South Korea has become new global power behind comics, out to replace the heydays of American cartoons and Japanese manga, with IT giants Naver and Kakao in the vanguard to expand e-frontiers across t..

BTS members become stock-rich as label stock tests new highs The 7 members of K-pop superstar BTS have joined the stock-rich group with holdings of over 20 billion won ($17.6 million) after shares of their entertainment agency Hybe Co. topped 300,000 won for th..

Kakao extends winning streak vs Naver in webtoon platform in Asia Kakao Webtoon has become the most popular app in Thailand and Taiwan in digital comic downloads, elbowing out its archrival Line Webtoon in just a week after it first made inroads into the two markets..

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 ..