The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act abolished 10 years after implementationOn Jan 22, the Korean government announced its decision to abolish three regulations closely related to public liv
The Korean government has begun to improve its system to allow more skilled foreign workers to work longer at workplaces in Korea.On Aug. 24, the Ministry of Justice announced a plan to revolutionize work visa regulations in order to drive Korea’s economic growth at the 4th Regulation Innovation Str
The government has designated seven specialized complexes for the nation’s advanced strategic industries such as semiconductors, secondary batteries, and displays. In addition to this, five specialized complexes for materials, parts and equipment have also been newly designated to focus on five othe
Aiitone, a KOSDAQ-listed company, participated in the first global STO (Security Token Offerings) forum held in Korea and presented a blueprint for the era of STOs.Aiitone (230980, CEO Jin Yeop Lee), a fintech company based on block chain technology, participated in the Tokenomy Korea 2023 Internati
Seventeen of the top 100 global unicorns (privately held companies with an enterprise value of more than 1 trillion won) are unable to do business in Korea due to regulations.The Korea Economic Research Institute of the Federation of Korean Industries said in its report titled “Global 100 Unicorn Co
The government will shorten the site preparation period for the world’s largest system semiconductor industrial complex to be built in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province of Korea by two years. As governments in the United States, countries in the European Union (EU), Japan and other countries are scrambling
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at keonhyeong.ha@shinhan.com -- Ed.Korea’s GDP grows 0.3% QoQ in 1Q23, avoiding technical recessionKorea’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the first three months of 2023 grew 0.3% from the previous quarter, preventing the country fro
The South Korean government announced on April 20 that 10.5 trillion won (US$7.91 billion) would be invested in venture firms and startups.“6.1 trillion won [US$4.6 billion] will go to those in the initial stage of growth, 1.9 trillion won [US$1.4 billion] to those in the middle, and 400 billion won
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.NHN’s dominance in the web-board game market is strengthening, and we also favorably view ongoing sales growth at firm’s payment services & ads arm and its technology domain. Marketing cost reducti
Leaders in the global semiconductor equipment and component industry are expanding their production and R&D bases in South Korea.For example, Applied Materials is considering setting up an R&D center in Yongin, which is home to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plants and an R&D center of Lam Researc
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on Feb. 9 that its budget investment in green and self-driving car R&D would be 499.4 billion won this year. For reference, the same budget was approximately 435 billion won last year.This year’s budget spending consists of 229.3 billion won in gr
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at ys.jung@nhqv.com -- Ed.The EU Commission recently announced its Green Deal Industrial Plan, which aims to simplify regulations and strengthen financial support. Details will be announced at a later date, but similar to the
The Bank of Korea said in its report on Jan. 30 that the productivity of the South Korean economy, which was less than 60 percent of that of the U.S. economy before the outbreak of COVID-19, is increasing even more slowly these days.“The labor productivity increased 5.4 percent 20 years ago but edge
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Earnings at NHN’s web-board game business (the firm’s cash cow) are continuing to strengthen, and (escaping the sluggishness of the Covid-19 crisis) its Chinese commerce business earnings look se
The Korea Fair Trade Commission reported to President Yoon Suk-yeol that it would discuss how to improve rules and regulations applied to conglomerates.The discussion is likely to cover separation between industrial capital and financial capital. According to the current law, a general holding compa
The Financial Services Commission announced on Jan. 24 that it would repeal the mandatory registration applied to foreign investors since 1992 and public disclosures in English would become mandatory next year in the case of every listed corporation with at least 10 trillion won in assets.At present
Vestas, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, reported a US$300 million investment in South Korea at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.An investment report signing ceremony was held at a hotel in Davos in the presence of Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang and Ve
President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s New Year opening ceremony together with the heads of multiple business groups.They include SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun, LG Group cha
The Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service announced insurance deregulation plans on Nov. 20.According to the plans, each life or non-life insurance company can have a subsidiary handling a single product, such as pet insurance and driver insurance. In addition, speciali
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at minjae.lee@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Interest rate upcycle and housing price decline in playIn 2022, the domestic housing price has been falling with mortgage rates rising in line alongside the BOK’s series of base rate hikes. Given