Korea to open energy supply market to private sector

[THE INVESTOR] The government will partially open the nation’s state-controlled energy supply market to the private sector, as part of comprehensive restructuring plans for public firms accused of inefficient management and high debt levels, officials said Tuesday.In a workshop meeting led by President Park Geun-hye, chiefs of state firms also vowed to reduce non-core work and list a total of eight power suppliers to attract fresh funds and improve management transparency.　Chiefs of state firms

June 14, 2016

[LOTTE CRISIS] Lotte firms’ market cap lose another 400 billion won

[THE INVESTOR] Lotte Group companies’ market capitalization dropped by more than 400 billion won ($340 million) on June 14, the second trading day since the corruption probe began.On June 10, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office began an extensive corruption probe on the conglomerate. The authorities believe that Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho and other family members have embezzled billions of won from the group.  The Investor.According to market data, the nine listed Lotte firms’ market

June 14, 2016

Korean government makes last-minute push for MSCI inclusion

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean government is making a last-ditch effort to get its stock market included in the top grade of global market indices, government officials said on June 14. The key decision by New York-based index provider MSCI on the potential inclusion of Korea on its developed market index is to be announced on June 15 (Korea time). To request the upgrade, a delegation of officials from a financial regulator and economic ministries, recently visited MSCI’s office in Hong Kong, accordi

June 14, 2016

KEPCO seeks public listing of subsidiaries

[THE INVESTOR] Eight of Korea’s state-run energy companies, including subsidiaries of Korea Electric Power Corporation, will push for initial public offerings from the first half of 2017, the government said on June 14. The Korean government announced the plan as part of its broader corporate restructuring efforts on public energy and resource development firms against the backdrop of low international oil prices. Under the scheme, five subsidiaries wholly owned by KEPCO, including Korea South-E

June 14, 2016

Strong IPO pipeline for 2nd half of 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s stock market will see mega initial public offerings during the second half this year with subsidiaries of large conglomerates like Samsung and Lotte poised to fuel the IPO market.  Given that companies commonly push for public listing after posting half-year earnings in June, more deals will fill up this year’s upcoming IPO calendar, following the robust first half, thanks to the stock market that is recovering from negative sentiments.As of June 8, a total of 15 companies

June 14, 2016

Probe evaporates W1tr from Lotte firms’ market cap

[THE INVESTOR] The combined market capitalization of the nine Lotte Group firms listed on local markets dropped by more than 1 trillion won ($851.8 million) on Monday.The drop is thought to have been driven by the expanding corruption probe centered on the members of its founding family -- Shin Kyuk-ho and his two sons Shin Dong-joo and Shin Dong-bin. At the end of the market close on Monday, nine listed Lotte Group firms’ shares dropped compared to the closing prices on Friday. (The Korea Heral

June 13, 2016

[LOTTE CRISIS] Hotel Lotte withdraws IPO as embezzlement probe deepens

[THE INVESTOR] Hotel Lotte on Monday officially canceled its initial public offering scheduled for next month, as a large-scale embezzlement probe into the group and its affiliates deepened with emerging reports of confirmed wrongdoings.“We are pushing back our IPO to a later time and cancelling all remaining procedures in consideration of Lotte’s current circumstances and investor interests,” Hotel Lotte said in an emailed statement.“Listing the company is an integral part of reforming Lotte Gr

June 13, 2016

POSCO most popular stock among foreign investors

Korean steelmaking giant POSCO was the most popular stock this year for foreign investors, market data showed Monday, amid improving sentiments helped by its better-than-expected earnings. According to financial data provider FnGuide, foreign investors bought a net 475.8 billion won ($407.3 million) worth of POSCO stocks on the Seoul bourse during the January-May period. This was the largest portion of foreign net buying, which came to about 3.39 trillion won in the period.Shares in the steelmak

June 11, 2016

KRX to extend stock trading hours from August

Korea’s stock market operator will extend trading hours of the stock and derivatives markets by 30 minutes from August, in a bid to synchronize them with other Asian markets, Korea Exchange said Tuesday. The bourse operator said the markets will be open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., aiming to invigorate the sluggish equity market. Kim won-dae, the head of the securities market division at KRX, speaks during a press conference, held in Seoul, Tuesday. (KRX)“The Korean equity market is increasingly ex

May 24, 2016

Osstem Implant bets on emerging markets for growth

In the world of dental implants, Korea is an outlier. Nearly 250 out of every 10,000 people in the population receive such treatment here, putting Korea at the top of the world in implant penetration. Getting an implant costs just $1,000-$1,500 (1.3 million won-1.8 million won) in this country with per capita income of $27,340. Credit for the popularity of one of the most expensive dentistry procedures goes to Osstem Implant. Osstem Implant‘s dental implant productsThe company, formed in 1997 by

May 23, 2016

Hotel Lotte IPO expected to become S. Korea's biggest offering

South Korean retail giant Lotte Group's hotel unit said Thursday it will go public on the KOSPI market on June 29, which is expected to fetch over 5 trillion won ($4.19 billion) to mark as the nation's largest-ever initial public offering.Hotel Lotte Co. said in a regulatory filing that it will offer 47.85 million shares at a range between 97,000 won to 120,000 won per share. Hotel Lotte (Yonhap)The offering is estimated to be around 4.6 trillion to 5.7 trillion won, and its medium range of pric

May 19, 2016

Hitting the sweet spot in the confectionery market

A bag of immensely popular potato snacks has become an unexpected game changer for local confectionery shares. Due to the success of the Honey Butter Chip, its manufacturer Haitai Confectionery and Foods has recovered the No. 2 spot in sales in the Korean confectionery market for the first time in five years. The firm’s share prices have also soared. Honey Butter chip (Yonhap)Haitai share prices closed at 53,800 won ($45.6) on Monday, a whopping 250 percent above its May 11 initial public offeri

May 16, 2016

Green Cross to issue bonds for U.S. expansion

Green Cross Corp., a listed Korean pharmaceutical company, said Thursday that it plans issue three and five-year bonds worth some 100 billion won ($86 million) to finance its expansion overseas.The company’s bond underwriter NH Investment & Securities will evaluate the value of the bonds graded AA minus through a book building process next week. Its bond issues mark the first time for the company to raise funds in the local capital market.“The proceeds will be used for its expansion in the advan

May 12, 2016

Caregen eyes growth in cosmeceuticals

Caregen is not a typical Korean biotechnology company local investors are most familiar with.When it comes to biotech shares trading on the stock market, LG Life Sciences or Medy-Tox would generally come to mind. They are big biotech players, with the market cap of LG Life Sciences reaching over 1 trillion won ($858.8 million) on the benchmark KOSPI. Medy-Tox ranks 6th with nearly 3 trillion won in market cap on the tech-heavy KOSDAQ.Caregen’s booth at the World Congress of Dermatology in Vancou

May 9, 2016

Fading headwinds open way for Paradise to start slow recovery

Paradise, Korea’s largest foreigners-only casino operator, may show a gradual rebound in the latter half of the year, following strong headwinds faced by the country’s casino industry last year. The recovery of Paradise, which runs casinos in three major cities in Korea and on Jejudo Island, will continue at “a modest pace” this year and its new resort Paradise City, which is under construction in Incheon, will help the company to attract more VIPs from 2017, analysts said.The headquarters of Pa

May 2, 2016