The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at kyeongkeun.kang@nhqv.com. -- Ed. ESTsoft’s main businesses, its software and game divisions, are posting steady earnings growth. The company is also generating meaningful results at its new AI services domain. Given such, w
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at minjae.lee@nhqv.com. -- Ed. A focusing event is an event that is so sudden that it draws massive public attention, thus raising the chances for swift policy action. This summer, the arrival of a single-digit power supply re
Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, has been placed on the list of candidates for parole on Aug. 15, the Independence Day of Korea.The Seoul Detention Center has reportedly submitted a list of people eligible for parole, including Lee, to the Ministry of Justice.The ministry's Pa
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at pk.park@nhqv.co. -- Ed. Recently, results on transplanting 3D printed artificial livers in animals were published in Advanced Materials, the world’s most prestigious materials science journal. Following the co-development p
Samsung Electronics is yet to determine where to build its second semiconductor plant in the United States, although the company purchased land in Austin, Texas in October last year and decided in May this year to invest US$17 billion in the new foundry. In the meantime, Intel is considering taking
Citigroup Inc. is promoting a package deal with Standard Chartered (SC) Bank to sell Citibank Korea and its retail operations in Southeast Asia together. The American bank has reportedly suggested that if SC Bank takes over Citibank Korea, it would be given priority in acquiring Citigroup’s retail o
The authors are analysts of NH Investment & Securities. They can be reached at minjae.lee@nhqv.com and ys.jung@nhqv.com, respectively. -- Ed. Starting from 2H21, we expect to see a series of announcements regarding both nuclear and coal phase-out policies and renewable energy policies in the run-up
A COVID-19 vaccine under development by SK Bioscience is about to enter Phase 3 clinical trials for the first time among vaccines being developed by Korean companies.SK Bioscience announced on June 28 that it submitted a Phase 3 investigational new drug (IND) plan for COVID-19 candidate GBP510 to th
The author is a strategist of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at lawrence.kim@nhqv.com. -- Ed. A Goldilocks economy describes an ideal state for an economy whereby the economy is not expanding or contracting by too much. The Goldilocks principle comes from the children's story The
Samsung Electronics announced on May 21 that it would build a new foundry in the United States by investing US$17 billion. One month has passed since then, and yet details are still up in the air.According to industry sources, the location of the foundry is likely to be determined this summer and th
Moderna Therapeutics’s founder has expressed skepticism about early commercialization of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by Korean companies without technology transfer.Robert Langer, a chair professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a founding member of Moderna Therapeutics, expressed
The nanoparticle technology applied to SK Bioscience's COVID-19 vaccine GBP510, which is under development, is drawing attention. Nanoparticles applied to GBP510 were jointly developed by researchers at SK Bioscience and the University of Washington. The university’s nanoparticle technology is k
Samsung SDI is seeking to enter the U.S. battery market by establishing a joint venture battery plant with a global automaker."We are considering entering the U.S. market," the company’s president Jeon Young-hyun said at the battery industry exhibition “Interbattery 2021” held at COEX in Samseong-do
South Korean COVID-19 vaccine developers are planning to initiate Phase 3 clinical trials in the second half of this year. Their COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be put on the market in the first half of 2022.SK Bioscience is planning to wrap up Phases 1 and 2 for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate GBP
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at pk.park@nhqv.co. -- Ed. With its joint R&D contract with a European pharma set to end in June, expectations are high that OliX will sign a related licensing-out deal in 2H21. We note that once POC is established for its tre
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at pk.park@nhqv.co. -- Ed. Having secured additional funding (W200bn) from the CEPI, SK Bioscience is to begin global phase III trials for GBP500. We see ample business opportunities (led by COVAX) for GBP500 in low-income cou
A top official of Moderna said on June 7 that the U.S. pharmaceutical company is considering producing the stock solution for its COVID-19 vaccine in Korea."We are considering producing the mRNA vaccine stock solution in Korea," said Corinne Le Goff, chief commercial officer (CCO) of Moderna, in an
The tender for eBay Korea, the third-largest e-commerce company in Korea, has narrowed down to a two-runner race between traditional distribution rivals -- Lotte and Shinsegae.Lotte Shopping and Shinsegae E-Mart submitted letters of intent to acquire eBay Korea in a tender held on June 7.Lotte Shopp
South Korean defense companies are expanding overseas marketing for more new business opportunities.For example, Hanwha Defense is making preparations with Oshkosh Defense to win the 54 trillion won OMFV project of the United States. Candidate selection is scheduled for next month and Hanwha Defense
The Bank of Korea is planning to initiate a central bank digital currency (CBDC) experiment in August this year. The central bank recently disclosed its proposal request form for the experiment along with the fact that Samsung SDS is the consultant for the form.Under the circumstances, it is pointed