South Korea
KKR's acquisition of Korea-based Kim's Club falls through
South Korean retail conglomerate E-Land Group has dropped plans to sell its luxury grocery chain Kim’s Club to KKR after agreeing a separate strategic divestment.
Korean LPs prioritize yield-generating alternatives - AVCJ Forum
Korean institutional investors are raising their allocations to alternative assets, but a need for yield means they favor assets like private debt and infrastructure over private equity.
GPs target micro gains in weaker macro environment - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors expect private equity funds to deliver outsize returns, regardless of the lower growth environment in Asia, which means GPs must focus more on making a difference to portfolio companies at the micro level.
Deal focus: Goldman, EastBridge cook up expansion plan
After attempts to grow cross-border struggled, the founder of Korean cookware manufacturer Happycall opted to bring in EastBridge Partners and Goldman Sachs' capital and expertise
KKR's China private equity heads to spin out
David Liu, co-head of Asia private equity and head of China at KKR, and Julian Wolhardt, the regional leader of China, will leave the firm at the end of this year to raise a China-focused fund.
Size matters: Korea's heavily contested buyouts
Korea has delivered some of Asia's biggest private equity buyout opportunities, but the scarcity of these deals means processes are highly competitive and assets are richly priced
Q&A: VIG Partners' Jason Shin
Jason Shin, managing partner at VIG Partners, explains why GPs are gravitating towards the consumer space in Korea, and why company founders are increasingly willing to do business with private equity
Korea exits: Seller central
Foreign buyers and restless chaebols could help deliver more exit opportunities for private equity firms in Korea – provided it is the right asset, at the right price, at the right time
Cross-border consumer: The Korean wave
Driven by the popularity of music, TV dramas and beauty products, Korea’s cultural cachet has never been stronger. PE and strategic investors want to monetize the phenomenon, for as long as it lasts
Korea VC: Leaps of faith
Korean e-commerce start-ups have seen breakthroughs in fundraising over the last few years, but investors are already concerned about the future of the industry
TPG hires Ex-MSPEA executive as partner in Korea
TPG Capital has appointed Sanghoon Lee, formerly a managing director with Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), as a partner to lead the firm’s investments in South Korea.
Goldman, EastBridge buy majority stake in Korea’s Happycall
Goldman Sachs and South Korean mid-market focused PE firm EastBridge Partners have agreed to buy a majority stake in Korean cookware and kitchen appliances maker Happycall.
Korean strategics confirm interest in PE-owned Tongyang Magic
SK Networks and Unid have both expressed an interest in Tongyang Magic, a South Korean consumer appliances manufacturer put up for sale by Glenwood Private Equity and NH Private Equity.
Korean online beauty retailer Memebox raises $66m
Memebox, an e-commerce company that sells Korean beauty products, has raised $65.95 million in Series C funding led by Formation Group, an Asia-focused VC firm launched by Formation 8 co-founder Brian Koo.
Korean brokerage wins license to launch PE arm
South Korean brokerage NH Investment & Securities has been awarded a license to launch a private equity investment unit.
Deal Focus: L Capital taps Korea’s cultural clout
Clio Cosmetics hopes to leverage Korea's entertainment appeal throughout Asia
L Capital Asia takes minority stake in Korea cosmetics player
L Capital Asia – the private equity arm of luxury goods giant LVMH – has acquired a minority stake in Clio Cosmetics, a South Korea-based color cosmetics manufacturer, for an undisclosed sum.
Bain, Goldman Sachs to acquire Korea’s Carver
Bain Capital Private Equity and Goldman Sachs have agreed to acquire a majority position in Carver Korea, a specialist cosmetics supplier.
GIC backs South Korea's Hyundai Logistics
Singapore’s GIC Private has invested in a real estate fund that acquired the Hyundai Logistics Distribution Center in South Korea.
Korea's NPS allocates $605m to four local PE firms
South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) has allocated KRW700 billion ($605 million) to funds managed by domestic GPs VIG Partners, Skylake Investment, Lindemann Asia Investment and SG Private Equity.
Hahn & Co moves towards control of Korea's Ssangyong Cement
Korean GP Hahn & Company will assume majority control of Ssangyong Cement with the acquisition of a stake held by Japan-listed Taiheiyo Cement for KRW454.8 billion ($394 million).
Korea's Dongbu agrees $174m sale to Keystone
Keystone Private Equity has agreed to acquire distressed Korean construction company Dongbu Corporation for KRW206 billion ($174 million).
Korean PE-backed Acushnet files for US IPO
Acushnet Holdings, a golf equipment and apparel business backed by Korean PE investors, has filed for an US IPO.
KKR to buy Korean retailer Kim's Club - report
KKR has agreed to buy Korean luxury grocery chain Kim's Club from its owner, Korean retail conglomerate E-Land Group.