The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, the first new gaming device from Japan’s Nintendo in eight years, is expected to incorporate a significant amount of technology from Samsung Electronics. It is predicted that a wide range of Samsung products, from displays to memory and foundry services, will be used,
It has been revealed that global SPA brand H&M is struggling to overcome challenges in the domestic market.According to the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system on April 24, the operating profit of Hennes & Mauritz AB, the operator of H&M, for the fiscal year 2023 from Decemb
Netflix Services Korea has begun an administrative lawsuit against Korea’s tax authorities over 78 billion won (US$57 million) in tax imposed on the OTT giant. Much attention is being paid to see how the Korean court will rule on the unfair practice of global platform companies such as Netflix not p
It has been revealed that the four American “big tech” companies -- Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Meta -- collectively garnered around 9 trillion won in sales and about 600 billion won in operating profit in South Korea over the past year.According to the audit reports disclosed in the Financial Sup
Starting this year, the Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) agreements agreed upon by the heads of conglomerates and their family members will be subject to mandatory disclosure. Consequently, companies affiliated with major corporate groups are obligated to disclose the status of RSUs, not only for listed
At the 47th regular shareholders’ meeting held on March 28, Ssangyong Engineering & Construction announced that it achieved a profitability turnaround in 2023 as it approved the financial statements for the year.In the 2023 fiscal year, the company achieved sales of 1.44 trillion won (US$1.06 billio
Korea’s inheritance tax is too high compared to G7 countries, leading to the Korea discount (the undervaluation of the Korean stock market) and discouraging investment, according to a proposal to adjust it to a reasonable level in this year’s tax law revision.“Over the past 30 years, G7 countries ha
Thanks to the government’s Value-Up program, high-dividend and low price-to-book ratio (PBR) stocks are garnering attention. However, some large-cap stocks are still sticking to their non-dividend policies, leading to increasing discontent among shareholders.According to the Korea Exchange on March
The combined operating profit of the top 10 companies by market capitalization in the South Korean stock market falls short of those of leading Japanese company Toyota and top Taiwanese company TSMC.To address the “Korea discount,” which refers to the undervaluation of South Korean stocks, it is poi
The Korea Development Institute (KDI) has maintained its economic growth forecast for South Korea at 2.2 percent for this year. However, it has slightly lowered its forecast for private consumption, citing prolonged high interest rates as a contributing factor.According to the “Economic Outlook” rel
Coway Co., Ltd., the “Best Life Solution Company,” has released its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023."We’re proud to have achieved such a successful 2023, even in the face of significant challenges present in both domestic and international markets. Our stable performanc
The global leading automotive company Toyota, which has been embroiled in a “quality certification fraud” scandal, announced a record-breaking net profit of 4.5 trillion yen, equivalent to 40.2 trillion won or US$30.28 billion, for the fiscal year 2023, spanning from April 2023 to March 2024. The pr
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.While Secretary Yellen's key goal in 2023 was to secure TGA cash despite a massive fiscal deficit, the one for 2024 is to be improving the fiscal balance by using the tax revenue surplus. This implie
The U.S. semiconductor equipment industry has voiced the opinion that companies from allied countries, including South Korea and Japan, should also be subject to the same level of comprehensive regulations that they face in the process of exporting to China. There is speculation within South Korea t
Eric Sangyub Sung, chairman of the Korea Venture Business Association and CEO of Intellian, emphasized the necessity of globalization for the growth of venture businesses. In a New Year’s event for the innovative venture industry held on Jan. 19 at EL tower in the Seocho district of Seoul, Chairman
The merger between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, which has been dragging on for over three years, gained momentum by overcoming a significant hurdle. The European Union (EU) competition authorities, who had been rigorously reviewing the merger, have reportedly made a de facto approval decision.If
Last year, 540,000 foreign workers received year-end settlements, and the reported tax amount reached a record-breaking 1.2 trillion won (US$915.68 million).The National Tax Service (NTS) announced that the number of foreign workers who filed tax reports was 544,000, and the reported tax amount reac
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.We attribute the strong yield drop of 4Q23 to a reversal of the sharp r* increase fears of 3Q23, rather than bets on economic downturn. Of note, the Fed’s actual r* estimate was halved in 4Q23. For t
Last year, the debt of the central and local governments, non-profit public institutions, and non-financial public enterprises in the public sector reached nearly 1,600 trillion won (US$1.24 trillion), marking a historic high. The debt of non-financial public enterprises such as Korea Electric Power
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at jk.ahn@shinhan.com -- Ed.The Bank of Korea (BOK) unanimously decided to leave the base rate unchanged at 3.50% for a tenth consecutive month at the November Monetary Policy Board (MPB) meeting. The number of MPB members open to th