SK to pour 128 tln won into domestic investment through 2028

South Korean conglomerate SK Group said Sunday it will invest 128 trillion won ($87.9 billion) through 2028 in the domestic market, with a focus on chip manufacturing to meet the growing demand in artificial intelligence fields. The chip-to-chemical enterprise will build four large-scale semiconductor fabrication plants over the years in its main Yongin chip cluster, south of Seoul, with the amount of investment likely to increase to up to 600 trillion won. The announcement came after SK Group C

Nov. 16, 2025

Samsung to invest W450tr in next 5 years for new facilities, R&D in Korea

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it will invest 450 trillion won ($309.2 billion) in the next five years to build new manufacturing plants in South Korea for its key affiliates. The announcement came after Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung along with chiefs of other conglomerates to discuss the recent tariff agreement with the US and their companies' domestic investment. Samsung said part of the 450 trillion won investment will be spent on fac

Nov. 16, 2025

Lee pledges regulatory overhaul to remove barriers for businesses

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed to remove regulatory barriers to support business activities during a Sunday meeting with heads of the country’s top conglomerates, held to discuss follow-up measures to the recently closed tariff deal with the US. Underscoring their joint efforts in successfully concluding the tariff negotiation, Lee also expressed appreciation for the dedication of corporate leaders. “I will do my best to minimize the barriers for companies to do business. It is the r

Nov. 16, 2025

US naval chief visits HD Hyundai to discuss Korea–US shipbuilding partnership

US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea’s largest shipyard, to explore potential shipbuilding collaboration between Korea and the US, according to HD Hyundai on Sunday. The visit comes after US Navy Secretary John Phelan visited the same shipyard in April to inspect the company’s next-generation Aegis destroyer, Jeongjo the Great. Caudle’s tour on Saturday was guided by HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun, after their discussion on strengthening the

Nov. 16, 2025

Samsung forms M&A unit, raising anticipation for Lee’s next moves

As Samsung Electronics formally establishes a mergers and acquisitions team within its newly launched Business Support Office, anticipation is building over the tech giant and its chaebol chief charting a fresh management strategy heading into the new year. Earlier this month, Samsung upgraded its Business Support Task Force into a permanent organization, and, just a week later, added its first-ever team devoted solely to M&A. With the shift coming after Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong

Nov. 16, 2025

US auto tariff cut could be backdated to Nov. 1, but questions remain over chips

South Korea and the US set the tariff rate at 15 percent on a range of Korean goods after finalizing a joint fact sheet on their trade deal Friday, ending months of uncertainty for Korean exporters, with reduced auto duties potentially taking affect retroactively from Nov 1. The two countries released full details of the deal two weeks after an October summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. Seoul agreed to a $350 billion investment pledge during their

Nov. 14, 2025

LX Pantos, Sinotrans launch JV to target China’s e-commerce cargo

Korean logistics company LX Pantos on Thursday signed an agreement with China’s largest logistics firm Sinotrans to form a joint venture aimed at capturing surging demand for sea-air multimodal transport of Chinese e-commerce cargo. The new company, FutureLinks, will be 60 percent owned by LX Pantos and 40 percent by Sinotrans. The venture will build a transshipment network centered on the Incheon-Weihai route, a key logistics corridor between Korea and China, and offer end-to-end services to ma

Nov. 14, 2025

German Innovation Days aim to boost Korea ties

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Seoul, in cooperation with the Herald Media Group, will host German Innovation Days 2025, a monthlong series of events from Monday to Dec. 16 aimed at promoting Germany’s innovative capabilities and deepening bilateral cooperation with Korea. The initiative will bring together German and Korean experts from diverse sectors — including science, technology, business, academia and culture — to foster dialogue on pressing global challenges and emergi

Nov. 13, 2025

South Korea ripe for more private credit exposure: Apax exec

Institutional investors in Korea are ramping up their allocations to private credit as they seek to broaden alternative portfolios while maintaining tighter risk control, according to a senior executive at global private equity firm Apax Partners. Derek Jackson, partner and head of Credit at Apax, said Korean institutions are increasingly exploring private credit — debt financing provided by nonbank lenders such as private equity firms — as they look for yield and diversification beyond traditio

Nov. 13, 2025

LG, Mercedes-Benz chiefs agree to bolster collaboration on next-gen auto parts

Top executives of LG Group's key affiliates met with Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius in Seoul on Thursday, agreeing to expand collaboration in EV components and software-defined vehicle (SDV) technologies, and build on LG's combined battery, display and automotive electronics capabilities. LG Electronics said Kallenius held talks with LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan, LG Display CEO Jeong Cheol-dong, LG Energy Solution CEO Kim Dong-myung and LG Innotek CEO Moon Hyuk-soo at the group’s Twin Tower i

Nov. 13, 2025

Korea steps up investment banking by tapping first IMA operators

South Korea is boosting the investment-banking capacity of major securities firms through its new Investment Management Account regime, open to brokerages with at least 8 trillion won ($5.5 billion) in capital. Industry reports said Thursday that the Securities and Futures Commission under the Financial Services Commission approved the designation of Korea Investment & Securities and Mirae Asset Securities as the nation’s first IMA operators. In essence, the IMA system lets firms pool and manage

Nov. 13, 2025

[Contribution] Oh Value, where art thou?

By Daniel Lam In our global asset allocation, we are overweight equities and underweight bonds. The US and China are in a trade truce. The Fed is supporting the economy via rate cuts, and we now see a 60 percent probability of a soft landing in the US economy, up from 55 percent at the end of September. The earnings season in the US has been solid, both in terms of numbers and guidance. This environment means it is easier to find opportunities in equities, but there are still areas of interest i

Nov. 13, 2025

S-Oil CEO wins top industrial honor for petrochem project

Korea awarded S-Oil CEO Anwar A. Al-Hejazi the nation’s highest industrial medal on Thursday, a recognition that spotlights the foreign executive’s role in advancing the 9.3 trillion won ($6.37 billion) Shaheen Project — one of the country’s most consequential petrochemical investments. CEO Al-Hejazi received the "Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit" at the 2025 Foreign Company Day ceremony at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas on Thursday, recognizing his contribution to the natio

Nov. 13, 2025

CU opens first US store in Hawaii as K-culture hub

CU, South Korea’s largest convenience store chain run by BGF Retail, has opened its first US store in Honolulu, Hawaii, aiming to serve as a K-culture platform abroad, the company said Thursday. It is the first Korean convenience store brand to enter the American market. The launch follows a master franchise agreement signed in May with CU Hawaii LLC, a newly formed entity established by local firm WKF. Under the agreement, BGF Retail grants its local partner the authority to use the CU brand, e

Nov. 13, 2025

Samsung Electronics' new business support division launches M&A team: sources

Samsung Electronics' newly launched business support division has created a team dedicated to merger and acquisition projects, industry sources said Thursday, raising expectations the South Korean tech giant will speed up efforts to pursue new takeover deals. According to the sources, Samsung Electronics' business support division, which kicked off last week by reorganizing a task force launched in November 2017 after Samsung Group closed its Future Strategy Office, has formed a separate team fo

Nov. 13, 2025