Three BTS members -- Jin, RM, and J-Hope -- have sold about 10 billion won worth of HYBE shares. HYBE is BTS’ management company. They sold off some of the shares they received from HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk before the company's listing on the stock market.According to the Financial Supervisory
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. He can be reached at drlee@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Maintain HOLD, cut target price 5.5% to KRW138,000 We maintain HOLD on Netmarble but cut our TP by 5.5% to KRW138,000 to accommodate a 7.8% downward revision to 2022E OP that reflects the disappointing performance
Amorepacific Corp. announced on Nov. 29 that it participated in the recent BTS concert in Los Angeles and promoted K-beauty.BTS held the "BTS Permission to Dance On Stage-LA” concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, from Nov. 27 to 28 (local time).Amorepacific ran a K-beauty promotion booth near th
The National Defense Committee of the National Assembly deferred the adoption of three Military Service Act amendments at its meeting on Nov. 25. The amendments are to allow an alternative military service for well-known popular artists.This means the seven BTS members will be enlisted. They submitt
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com. -- Ed. In 2021, Butter, by Korean boy group BTS, stayed on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks in a row, and Korean drama Squid Game became the most watched show on Netflix. In our view, these
The Institute of International Finance said in its report on Nov. 15 that South Korea’s household debt-to-GDP ratio was 104.2 percent at the end of the second quarter of this year. The ratio is the highest among those of the 37 countries it covered and Hong Kong followed South Korea with 92 percent,
The Korea Insurance Research Institute announced on Nov. 12 that South Korean households’ debt-to-disposable income ratio was 190.6 percent in 2019. “For reference, the ratio was 252.6 percent in Denmark, 232 percent in the Netherlands, 210.1 percent in Australia, 104.1 percent in the United States,
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com. -- Ed. During its 2021 HYBE Corporate Briefing held on Nov 4, HYBE announced its: 1) entry into the NFT market; 2) consolidation of fan community platforms; 3) release of interactive games; and 4) expansi
The Bank of Korea announced last week that South Korea’s income related to audios, videos and related services totaled US$313.7 million in the third quarter of this year, up 17.1 percent from the previous quarter and up 73.5 percent from a year ago.“In that period, the overseas payment regarding the
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. She can be reached at leesunhwa@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Maintain BUY, raise target price 16.3% from KRW430,000 to KRW500,000 We maintain BUY and raise our TP by 16.3% from KRW430,000 to KRW500,000 on HYBE. OP reached a record high in 3Q21, as core businesses conti
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. She can be reached at leesunhwa@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Revise up TP by 19.4% from KRW360,000 to KRW430,000; Maintain BUY We revise up our TP for HYBE by 19.4% from KRW360,000 to KRW430,000, and maintain BUY considering current share price and potential upside. Ou
Busan, Korea's second-largest city, is now campaigning to host World Expo 2030 in its bid to grow into a world-class city. BusinessKorea had an interview with Park Geun-rok, head of the Expo Promotion Team of the Busan Metropolitan Government, who is spearheading efforts to make World Expo 2030
Shinhan Financial Group will take over BNP Paribas Cardif General Insurance, a foreign non-life insurance company.The takeover of the non-life insurance company is intended to acquire the last component needed to become a general financial group. The group launched Shinhan Life Insurance, which was
Located 541 meters above the ground, the Sky Bridge of the Lotte World Tower is a bridge at the highest altitude in the world. The bridge, nicknamed a "rooftop on a rooftop," has been gaining popularity since 2020 by operating a so-called "high-altitude activity program" as an experience course for
The author is a freelance journalist and Google News PR specialist. He can be reached at contact@sitetrail.com. -- Ed. A rise in business formation and registration has continued through May 2021, contrasting dramatically with the patterns seen during the Great Recession, when applications for prosp
The Barossa-Caldita gas field project of SK E&S is causing controversy. Millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year is likely to be emitted from the gas field in Australia in 2025 and later, SK E&S is planning to deal with it by carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the technique is being doubted by m
The six state-run power companies of South Korea are planning to invest almost 40 trillion won in renewable energy facilities until 2034 with their liabilities amounting to more than 70 trillion won.Specifically, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea South-East Power, Korea Southern Power, Korea East-W
At Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the number of employees with 100 million won or more in annual salaries reached nearly 3,000, the largest ever, in 2020. Yet the state utility company’s debt has topped 60 trillion won, compelling it to raise electricity rates in the fourth quarter of the year.
South Korean companies’ sales increased more than ever in the second quarter of this year. This is because semiconductor exports led to a considerable increase in manufacturers’ sales. In addition, their operating profits increased while their debts decreased.The Bank of Korea announced on Sep. 15 t
The Bank of Korea announced on Sept. 9 that South Korea’s household debt-to-GDP ratio was 105 percent in the first quarter of this year, the sixth-highest among the 43 countries the Bank for International Settlements covered in the fourth quarter of 2020.“The Q1 household debt ratio is 132.7 percent