Naver’s management control over Line, which it has developed into a global messaging service over the past 13 years, could be handed over to Japan due to pressure from the Japanese government. If control is transferred, Naver could lose a market of 200 million users in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, p
Coupang is set to invest about 360 billion won in Taiwan as it launches rocket delivery services in the region.According to local media reports in Taiwan on April 25, including in the Liberty Times, the Department of Investment Review under Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has approved Coupang
Lotte Group has sold “Lotte World Adventure Shenyang” in China. It marks over seven years since construction was halted at the end of 2016 due to China’s retaliation over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Lotte World Shenyang was envisioned as a large-scale pr
SK hynix achieved unexpectedly strong performance in the first quarter, surpassing market expectations.The company announced on April 25 that it recorded 12.43 trillion won (US$9.04 billion) in sales and 2.89 trillion won in operating profits, representing a 23 percent operating profit margin, and 1
Toss Lab, the provider of the enterprise collaboration tool JANDI, announced that it has been honored with the 'Technology Rising Star Partner of the Year' award at the AWS Partner Summit Seoul 2024. This prestigious award is presented to an AWS Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partner that has dem
China’s Alibaba Group, the parent company of AliExpress, which has been embroiled in controversy for selling knockoffs and distributing low-quality, unauthorized goods in Korea, is reportedly considering making a 100 billion won equity investment in Korean women’s fashion application Ably, causing a
Both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the two leading semiconductor giants in South Korea, closed lower. The decline was influenced by a simultaneous sharp drop in semiconductor stock prices, with Nvidia falling by 10 percent in the U.S. market.In the KOSPI market on April 22, Samsung Electronics c
South Korea is expected to maintain its position as the most expensive country for smartphones in the world. Since surpassing Japan in 2021, South Korea has held onto this top spot without challenge, with forecasts suggesting it will continue to have the highest average selling price (ASP) for smart
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
The collective net worth of Korea’s 50 Richest on the 2024 Forbes list rose slightly to US$115 billion from $106 billion, amid the country’s global chipmaking ambitions. The complete list can be found at www.forbes.com/korea, as well as in the April/May issue of Forbes Asia and the May issue of Forb
The finance ministers of South Korea and Japan jointly announced that they could take appropriate measures to address recent volatility in the foreign exchange markets, signaling a readiness for “verbal intervention.” It appears that South Korea and Japan are joining hands to engage in a “currency w
The water industry is generally defined as the business of producing and supplying potable water and industrial water needed for households and industries, as well as transporting and treating wastewater. The water industry is expected to steadily grow due to factors such as worsening water scarcity
It has been more than a month since AliExpress received a voluntary agreement proposal from the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) to block hazardous and harmful products but the agreement has not yet been signed yet. Recently, AliExpress has been caught selling deleterious products one after another and i
In November 2023, Lucid Kitchen opened its offline shop in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, boasting a high-level commercial and residential culture comparable to the 17 districts of Paris, which have the highest income in Europe, attracting attention from various local Europeans.Thanks to the popularity of Ka
The NAND flash market, which experienced a significant contraction last year due to a slowdown in the Information Technology (IT) market, is poised for a sharp recovery this year, bolstered by increasing demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI).According to industry sources on April 15, TrendForce, a
With China dominating the large-sized Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel market, it has now firmly set its sights on expanding its territory in the ultra-large TV market. This move is putting pressure on the pursuit by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.According to market research firm Omdia on
Lee Boo-jin, CEO of Hotel Shilla, is selling her 5,247,140 shares of Samsung Electronics through off-hours bulk trading, commonly known as block deals. The CEO has consistently been divesting stakes in Samsung Electronics and its affiliates to secure funds for hefty inheritance tax payments.Accordin
Coupang has been found to be cheaper than major retailers such as hypermarkets when it comes to groceries and daily necessities that drive shopping cart prices.A recent survey by market research firm Ipsos analyzed the prices of 79 products in 49 categories, including processed food, fresh food, and
Shinhan Securities has announced that the proportion of overseas stocks in accounts held by minor investors recorded 20.6 percent as of March 27, which is significantly higher than the proportion in accounts held by all individual investors, which stands at 7.6 percent.The proportion of overseas sto
During the first quarter, foreign investors net purchased nearly 15.8 trillion won (US$11.66 billion) worth of domestic stocks, marking the highest level ever recorded since relevant data collection began.According to the Financial Supervisory Service on April 8, foreign investors net purchased 5.10