The Korea Institute of Public Finance said in its report on March 8 that South Korea’s government debt-to-GDP ratio was 41.9 percent in 2019, the sixth-highest among those of the 14 OECD members that are non-key currency countries. The 23 key currency countries include the United States, Japan, Germ
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Investment Corp. He can be reached at mj1224@shinhan.com. -- Ed. Continued success at home + rising expectations for MU Miracle 2In the domestic market, Webzen's major games continue to record solid performance with MU Archangel ranking 14th and the in-house d
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at hwdoh@nhqv.com. -- Ed. SK Hynix has signed a W4.8tn-worth contract with ASML to procure EUV equipment. We believe that the company’s decision demonstrates rising demand for EUV systems, which is likely to benefit related eq
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at ryan.ra@nhqv.com. – Ed. Dentium recorded a 4Q20 earnings surprise, backed by record-high quarterly sales in China and Russia. We believe that the Chinese implant market has entered a blossoming phase. This year, Dentium’s e
Online shopping mall Timon has attracted 305 billion won from investors, gaining momentum in its plan to have an IPO in the second half of 2021.Following Coupang's planned listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Timon is expected to step up preparations for listing on the KOSDAQ. Competit
The IMF announced on Feb. 7 that South Korea’s government debt-to-GDP ratio is estimated to rise from 40.78 percent in 2015 to 64.96 percent in 2025 to show the ninth-fastest pace in the group of 37 advanced economies.According to the IMF, South Korea’s increment for 2019 to 2021 is estimated at 10.
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jack.baek@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Despite the rapid growth of the digital book market, sales growth at Daewon Media subsidiary Daewon CI (80.2% stake) has been restrained to a CAGR of 5% over the past five years amid a decrease in
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. They can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Building on the popularity of the new titles it released in Korea last year, we expect success for Webzen’s MU IP-based licensed games to be rolled out in China in 2021.Anticipate fourth hit in
SsangYong Motor has got one step closer to a court receivership as its pre-packaged bankruptcy plan (P-Plan) hit a snag.Choi Dae-hyun, senior vice president of Korea Development Bank (KDB), said at an online press conference on Feb. 2 that the potential investor left Korea on Jan. 31 without making
KB Kookmin Bank's commercial featuring BTS has become a smash hit in Indonesia.The bank announced on Feb. 1 that the ad surpassed 20 million views on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram in about a month since its appearance in Indonesia.After watching the ad video, Indonesians posted positive commen
SsangYong Motor is seeking to attract US$250 million in investment from U.S. auto retailer HAAH Automotive.SsangYong Motor and HAAH Automotive will sign an investment agreement in early February at the earliest and submit a pre-packaged bankruptcy plan (P-Plan) to the court.A prepackaged bankruptcy
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. He can be reached at drlee@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Naver decides equity investment in entertainment platform operator beNX— Naver announced on Jan 27, 2021 that it would invest KRW411.8bn (a 49% stake) in beNX—a Big Hit Entertainment subsidiary and the operator of
The authors are analysts of NH Investment & Securities. They can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com and jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com, respectively. -- Ed. − On Jan 27, Big Hit Entertainment announced a collaboration with NAVER and YG Entertainment. Details are as follows:1) Integration of NAVER’s V LIVE and Weve
SsangYong Motor has been pushed one step closer to falling under court receivership as HAAH Automotive of the United States has notified Mahindra & Mahindra of India, the largest shareholder of the troubled automaker, and Korean creditors of the collapse of its acquisition negotiations.Without addit
Hanjin International concluded a senior secured loan agreement of up to US$343.8 million in December last year by using the Wilshire Grand Center in LA as collateral. The lead manager is Standard Chartered Bank Korea and an initial loan of US$230 million has been executed. Standard Chartered Bank Ko
KB Kookmin Bank announced on Dec. 28 that it has disclosed an ad video in Indonesia that features the BTS, a global K-pop superstar boy band who has been working with the bank since 2018.In this ad video, Kookmin Bank shares its great vision to become a star of Indonesian finance that satisfies the
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Institute of Sport Science said on Dec. 21 that Son Heung-min’s economic effect is estimated at 1,988.5 billion won. Earlier, in September this year, the ministry and the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute estimated the effect of BTS at the to
The Korea Economic Research Institute recently compared the industrial safety-related laws of South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and France and said on Dec. 16 that industrial accident-related punishments in South Korea are quite strict even without the Severe Acciden
The current strong won is because of the weak dollar that resulted from the massive liquidity supply from the United States after the outbreak of COVID-19. However, the strong won is particularly conspicuous compared to other emerging currencies. This has to do with the fact that the economic impact
The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at ym.ko@shinhan.com and hyungwou@shinhan.com, respectively. -- Ed. Focus on positive changes for telecom equipment in 2021Global telcos have put off investments this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect capex spend to