November 13, 2018

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Korean startup entrepreneur lives brewing dream

[THE INVESTOR] Jeon Dong-keun, CEO of Korean craft beer brewery The Satellite Brewing Company, was not really a big fan of beer. That is, until he tasted a peach-flavored craft beer at a pub near Kalamazoo College in Michigan, the US, where he studied economics. “I was first surprised by the variety of beer options at a pub in the US,” CEO Jeon told The Investor in an interview at the startup’s office in Gasan-dong in southwestern Seoul on Nov. 9.“Then I was mesmerized by the taste of craft beer

SK hynix introduces new DRAM chip

[THE INVESTOR] Chipmaker SK hynix said on Nov. 12 that it has developed a second-generation 10-nanometer class 8-gigabit DDR4 DRAM chip.The new chip manufactured using 1Ynm technology boasts 20 percent higher productivity and 15 percent more energy efficiency, compared to the previous generation 1Xnm DRAM. The letters, X, Y and Z, are used to indicate high-, mid-, and low-single digits -- a lower the number indicates more advanced chip fabrication technology.The new DRAM chip supports a data tra

JYP founder likely to gain W18b from exercising preemptive rights

[THE INVESTOR] K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment founder and Chief Communications Officer Park Jin-young is expected to gain more than 18 billion won (US$15.88 million) by exercising his preemptive rights to buy extra shares, according to sources on Nov. 12.According to Financial Supervisory Service, Park has exercised his preemptive rights to buy 695,894 shares for 4,311 won apiece when the company issues new shares on Nov. 15. He has already paid 3 billion won for the fee required to exercise

Hyundai Motor heir touts hydrogen as ultimate clean energy

[THE INVESTOR] Amid Hyundai Motor’s efforts to capitalize on its fuel cell electric vehicles, its Chief Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun zoomed in on hydrogen energy as a key economic and social solution for clean mobility at a forum in Singapore last week, the company said on Nov. 11.　“The report (released by the UN) warns us that we must decrease global greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent below 2010 levels by 2030, in order to avoid a catastrophe. I sincerely believe without any shadow of doubt tha

Woori Bank’s M&A capability in question despite new holding company structure

[THE INVESTOR] While South Korean commercial bank Woori Bank and its subsidiaries are inching closer to a holding company structure, possibilities of aggressive mergers and acquisitions to expand the banking group remain low for the time being.　Such skepticism comes amid a possible fall in the capital adequacy ratio of the nation’s fourth-largest commercial lender, despite the banking group’s higher capacity to leverage private investment after the holding company is reintroduced in 2019. 　Under

Hyundai Oilbank mulls postponing W2tr IPO to next year

[THE INVESTOR] Local refiner Hyundai Oilbank is likely to postpone its highly anticipated initial public offering to next year because of a delayed audit and dismal market conditions, according to sources on Nov. 9. The firm received the green light for listing from the Korea Exchange after a preliminary screening in August, but it is still awaiting a financial audit by the Financial Supervisory Service and the Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a procedure necessary for IPOs. Eve

NCSoft hopes to shoot ahead with new mobile games next year

[THE INVESTOR] Korean game publisher NCSoft unveiled five mobile games on Nov. 8 that are expected to become its growth engines next year.The newly unveiled massive multiplayer online role-playing games include “Lineage2M,” “Aion2,” “Blade & Soul 2,” “Blade & Soul M,” and “Blade & Soul S” -- based on stories and characters featured in the original versions, “Lineage,” “Aion” and “Blade & Soul.”“Lineage,” originally a PC game first released in 1998, got huge success in the domestic and global mar

Nexon invests in Swedish game company

[THE INVESTOR] Game giant Nexon said on Nov. 8 that it has made a strategic investment in Stockholm-based game company Embark Studios. The Swedish game firm was recently established by Patrick Soderlund, former executive of game company Electronic Arts, in a bid to develop games utilizing streaming, cloud and artificial intelligence technologies. He was formerly CEO of Swedish game firm DICE, which was acquired by EA in 2006, and held executive roles, including as chief design officer.The two co

Woori Bank CEO to lead holding company

[THE INVESTOR] Woori Bank announced on Nov. 8 that President and CEO Sohn Tae-seung has been appointed to double as president of a holding company scheduled to be launched in January.　The bank’s board of directors approved his appointment until March 2020, soon after the Financial Services Commission gave the green light to its plan to turn itself into a holding company, seven months after submitting a proposal.Through this move, Woori Bank, the nation’s only commercial bank that doesn’t have a

Hyundai raises stake in ride-hailing firm Grab

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor Group said on Nov. 8 it has raised its stake in Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab, by investing US$250 million, its second round of investment after 28.40 billion won (US$25 million) in January. Founded in 2012, Grab is the third-largest ride-hailing app following Didi Chuxing Technology and Uber Technology. Grab occupies about 75 percent of the Southeast Asian market. The investment is seen as Hyundai’s strategic move to transform itself from a car manufacturer

LOTTE Members signs MOU with Sahid Hotel

[THE INVESTOR] LOTTE Members, operator of membership reward service L.POINT, on Nov. 8 announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sahid Hotel in Indonesia.The Indonesian firm operates 28 hotels, including seven five-star hotels, and aims to operate 100 hotels by 2025.LOTTE Members CEO Kang Seung-ha“As one of the biggest operator of a membership reward service, we expect great synergies in tourism and leisure sectors by working with Sahid Hotel. We will also further expand ou

Microsoft CEO pitches efficacy of AI, cloud computing

[THE INVESTOR] Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Nov. 7 shared his vision for artificial intelligence and the progress of partnerships with Korean companies during his second visit here after talking over the helm of the software giant.He was delivering a keynote speech at the company’s AI conference Future Now in Seoul. Nadella last visited in 2014 soon after he was appointed to head the company. Since then, the firm has been pouring in resources to bolster its capabilities in emerging segments, s

NongHyup, IBK CEOs to brief NY authorities on anti-money laundering efforts

JYP founder likely to gain W18b from exercising preemptive rights

SK hynix introduces new DRAM chip

Hyundai Motor heir touts hydrogen as ultimate clean energy

Lawmaker reveals Samsung BioLogics’ internal documents

Celltrion’s net profit plunges 49% in Q3

Mirae, Naver acquire logistics centers in Vietnam for W53b

LG Electronics CEO seeks to recruit IT experts in US

Local Samsung Pay users up 58% in Oct.

Samsung set to widen gap with Intel

Samsung likely to release foldable smartphone in March

[EQUITIES] ‘JYP Entertainment gains fast abroad'

[EQUITIES] ‘Fila Korea posts earnings surprise in Q3’

[EQUITIES] ‘Kiwoom Securities disappoints in Q3’

[EQUITIES] ‘Mando to maintain momentum’

GM Korea to launch upgraded Malibu sedan this month

LG Corp. makes list of top 20 social value firms worldwide

Korea’s top renewable battery firms to create W100b fund

LG Chem in-licenses rights to US firm’s immunotherapies

SoCar showcases self-driving tech for car-sharing services

WeWork signs MOU with Busan City to launch new offices

Big Bang’s Seungri to head Headrock VR

Kakao Ventures invests W1b in K-beauty platform Limese in India

Why birth order is a big deal at LG

New thinking needed on GM Korea

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