For more than 60 years, Korea had not made it to U.S. Billboard charts, but starting with Psy’s Gangnam Style in 2012, K-pop’s presence on the charts has been growing with BTS, BlackPink, and Nujins making their splashes.As K-pop’s status has changed, so has the number of foreigners visiting Korea.
According to industry sources and foreign media reports on Sept. 25, Apple’s newest smartphone, the iPhone 15 Pro, has become embroiled in controversy due to excessive overheating of its mobile chip, the A17 Pro. This chip marks the debut of TSMC’s large-scale 3-nm production.Recently, a Chinese use
Thanks to the success of K-pop artists like BTS and Blackpink, as well as the booming export of K-dramas and other Korean content, the first half of this year witnessed a record-breaking trade surplus in copyright exports, marking an all-time high.According to the “2023 First-Half Intellectual Prope
Intel, which has declared its ambition to surpass Samsung Electronics and claim the second spot in the foundry, or semiconductor contract manufacturing, industry next year, showcased its technological prowess by unveiling its first-ever 18A wafer prototype in the 1.8-nanometer (nm) range, demonstrat
In response to the rapidly evolving landscape of the logistics sector, characterized by an increase in the value addition of logistics, the integration of advanced systems, and the proliferation of borderless e-commerce, Incheon International Airport is steadfast in its commitment to enhancing logis
From January to July this year, the accumulated export value of ramen surpassed US$500 million for the first time, marking a historic high for the period. The success and popularity of K-content such as dramas and movies are believed to have contributed to this growth.According to the Korea Agro-Fis
Hapag-Lloyd, based in Germany and the fifth-largest shipping company in the world, is currently considering participating in the acquisition bid for Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), the largest shipping company in South Korea, which is currently offering a sale.According to investment banking (IB) ind
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at heeyeon.lim@shinhan.com -- Ed.2Q operating loss of KRW12.6bn in line with expectationsKakaopay posted decent 2Q23 preliminary results with consolidated operating loss of KRW12.6bn (continued loss QoQ) on sales of KRW148.9bn (+5.2%
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at eunsang.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.Shinhan Alpha REIT is expected to pay out special dividends following the sale of Yongsan The Prime Tower. Amid tight office supply-demand, the company is actively hiking rents. However, rising
As household debt has ballooned to a record high, emerging as a big risk for the Korean economy, debt burdens on Korean households are the second largest among major economies in the world. The Bank of Korea (BOK) said that rising household debt will hamper Korea’s economic growth in the long run an
The economic effects of the Korean Wave have reached 37 trillion won in the last five years, according to a study.The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) said on July 10 that Korea enjoyed 37 trillion won (US$29 billion) in economic effects thanks to the Korean cultural wave from 2017 to 2021.
The export value of our instant noodles has hit a record high this year, surpassing 400 million dollars in the first half. Orders are pouring in from not only Asia but also the United States and Europe.The preliminary export value of instant noodles for the first half of this year is 442.62 million
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at inhae.ji@shinhan.com -- Ed.Record-high quarterly sales driven by IPs and concertsHYBE is expected to have achieved all-time high quarterly sales of KRW599.9bn in 2Q23, sharply exceeding upward adjusted market expectations. Driven
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at inhae.ji@shinhan.com -- Ed.Rapid recovery in inbound traffic from countries other than ChinaAccording to monthly traffic data released on June 29, inbound travelers recorded around 870,000 people in May. Amid upbeat expectations
Negotiations are underway to resume currency swaps between Korea and Japan after an eight-year hiatus. A U.S. dollar-denominated swap is on the table. Japan has an indefinite and unlimited full-time swap agreement with the United States. Therefore, some analysts believe that Korea will be able to en
According to the 2022 International Investment Balance Sheet by Region and Currency (Provisional) released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on June 27, the balance of Korea’s external financial assets, excluding reserves, stood at US$1.7456 trillion at the end of last year. This represented a drop of US$1
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at yjjung86@shinhan.com -- Ed.Earnings momentum intact in 2Q23Kia’s global wholesales came in at 528,000 units (+11% YoY) in April-May. The growth was driven by robust overseas sales of 428,000 units (+13% YoY), vs. domestic sales of
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned of possible corporate debt distresses in Asian countries, singling out Korea as becoming one of the most vulnerable if high interest rates persist.In its report on corporate debt in Asia on May 29, the IMF aggregated by country the percentage of total
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.HYBE posted a 1Q23 earnings surprise, reaffirming that its multi-label system enhanced earnings strengths. We raise our TP to W370,000 in consideration of platform monetization and the expected entr
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at yjjung86@shinhan.com -- Ed.1Q23 OP comes in at KRW3.6tr (+86% YoY, +7% QoQ)Hyundai Motor posted operating profit of KRW3.6tr (+86% YoY, +7% QoQ) on sales of KRW37.8tr (+25% YoY, -2% QoQ) in 1Q23, beating the consensus estimate by 2