Lotte Group Nears KRW 1.3 Trillion Sale of Rental Unit to TPG, Igniting Kakao Mobility Merger Speculation
Lotte Group sells 61.18% of Korea's top car-rental firm to TPG at KRW 58,000/share, a 25% discount vs Affinity. TPG may merge it with Kakao Mobility for a KRW 8T mobility platform.
SK and KKR Seal 49:51 Renewable Energy JV to Launch Korea's Largest Clean-Power Platform
SK Inc. and KKR finalize a 49:51 joint venture to consolidate South Korea's largest renewable energy platform, targeting 10 GW of capacity by 2031 from a 1.7 GW base.
Chip Boom Vaults South Korea Into the $100 Billion Monthly Export Club, Fourth Country in History
South Korea posted USD 102.25 billion in exports in June 2026 — its first time exceeding the USD 100 billion monthly threshold — joining Germany, China, and the US as only the fourth country in history to reach this milestone. Semiconductor exports led at USD 44.8 billion, up 199.5% year-on-year.
BOE Exits Galaxy S27 OLED Bid as Samsung Display Locks In All Flagship Models
BOE halted Galaxy S27 OLED development after Samsung Display lobbied against Chinese supply, keeping all four S27 models on South Korean panels and risking a consumer price hike.
EcoPro BM Prices KRW 1.2 Trillion Rights Issue to Fund Indonesia Nickel Push, Shares Plunge 19%
EcoPro BM launched a KRW 1.2T rights issue to expand its Indonesian nickel smelter stake, triggering a 19% after-hours stock drop on dilution fears.
Kolon Industries Puts PCB Resins and OLED Coatings Up for Sale as Lee Kyu-ho Steers Group Toward AI and Clean-Energy Materials
Kolon Industries is divesting its PCB epoxy-resin and OLED display-coating businesses via a Samjong KPMG process, while retaining its strategically valuable mPPO (AI semiconductor material) unit. Fourth-generation heir Lee Kyu-ho is driving the restructuring amid Kolon Global's high leverage of ~332% debt-to-equity. Q1 2026 operating profit rose 130% YoY to KRW 61.9 billion.
Wemade Founder Sells KRW 920 Billion Stake to China-Linked NeoPulse, Handing Mir IP Control to Alibaba-Tied Investor
Wemade (112040.KS) founder Park Kwan-ho is selling his entire 39.33% stake to China-linked NeoPulse for KRW 920B (USD 593M), with the Hong Kong-registered Shengsong Investment affiliate set to become the largest shareholder at 40.25% by October 30, 2026.
Korea's NPS Faces KRW 20–74 Trillion Rebalancing Sell-Off as KOSPI Hits 8,476
Korea's NPS faces mandatory equity rebalancing of KRW 20–74 trillion starting July 1, as the KOSPI rally near 8,476 has pushed the pension fund's domestic equity ratio to ~30%, above its 28.8% upper band.
Samsung SDI and SK On Gain Edge as Korea Mega-Project Plans Embed KRW 3.4 Trillion in Battery Demand
Samsung SDI and SK On are positioned to capture the bulk of Korea KRW 3.4-4.3 trillion ESS and data-center battery pipeline embedded in the mega-project blueprint, while LG Energy Solution faces capacity constraints.
Korea's Battery Trio Moves Fastest to Claw Back US Tariff Cash as Hyundai Stays on the Sidelines
LG Energy Solution leads Korea's battery makers in reclaiming over KRW 100B from US tariff refunds after Supreme Court ruling, while Hyundai Motor stays cautious amid Trump retaliation threats.
KakaoBank FinTech Lab Lands Four Papers at ICLR, ACL and LREC, Staking Out Korea's Bank-Side AI Safety Frontier
KakaoBank's FinTech Research Institute had four financial AI safety papers accepted at ICLR 2026, ACL (with KAIST), and LREC — covering prompt injection defense and a financial-risk AI safety taxonomy.
Samsung Electronics Union Chief Survives Confidence Vote With 87.5% Mandate, Eyes Separate DS Chip Bargaining in 2027
Samsung Electronics' largest union reconfirms chair Choi Seung-ho with 87.5% approval (33,550/38,336 votes), plans to push for DS division as separate bargaining unit in 2027 wage talks.