South Korea
Hahn & Co. to buy stake in South Korea’s STX Energy - UPDATE
Hahn & Co. has agreed to buy a 43.15% stake in STX Energy, a subsidiary of beleaguered South Korean conglomerate STX Corp. AVCJ understands that the transaction a couple of months away from completion, and the terms could change pending the resolution...
Korea's Kakao, government to launch start-up fund
South Korean mobile app developer Kakao has teamed up with the South Korean government to launch a KRW30 billion ($27 million) fund aimed at supporting start-ups. The Small & Medium Business Administration (SMBA) will back the Kakao Young Entrepreneur...
Intel Capital backs South Korean mobile tech maker
Intel Capital, the US chipmaker's corporate VC arm, has invested an undisclosed amount in Zinitix, a South Korean developer of touchscreen controller technology for mobile devices. The funding will help the company expand into other rapidly growing markets...
CVC, MBK among final bidders for ING Korea unit - report
CVC Capital Partners and South Korean PE firm MBK are among the last five bidders to begin preliminary due diligence as they consider an offer for at least 51% stake in the Korean unit of Dutch insurance firm ING Groep.
Korea Teachers Pension Fund CIO to step down
Yun Kyu Lee is to step down as chief investment officer of Korea Teachers Pension Fund (KTPF). His replacement has yet to be announced.
PE firms seek partnerships with Korean corporates - AVCJ Forum
Private equity firms are best served working with South Korean conglomerates rather than competing against them for assets, with collaborative efforts to secure overseas assets a strong potential source of deal flow, industry participants told the AVCJ...
Morgan Stanley-backed Hyundai Rotem targets IPO
Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean railway and defense systems manufacturer backed by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), has applied to the Korea Exchange for an IPO. According to local media, the company is looking to raise KRW300-400 billion ($270-360...
Formation 8 raises $448m, eyes US-Asia VC opportunities
Formation 8, a start-up venture capital firm that targets US businesses with the potential to expand into Asia, has raised $448 million for its debut fund. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the firm has eight operating professionals based out of offices...
University of Michigan commits to Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia IV
The University of Michigan has committed $25 million to Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s (MSPEA) fourth pan-regional fund. The vehicle, which reached a first close of $750 million towards the end of last year after less than six months in the market,...
Q&A: Vogo Investment's Jason Shin
Jason Shin, managing partner of Vogo Investment, explains why South Korean company owners’ preference for local partners goes well beyond foreign private equity’s well publicized scrapes
A multi-faceted market
Of readers who have been following Asia’s private equity markets for some years, few would contest South Korea’s place as one of the more important locations for international investors. After all, apart from maybe Australia, it has been the region’s...
Korea buyouts: Young pretender?
South Korea was the only significant PE market in Asia to see an uptick in deal flow last year. Investors have high expectations; uncertainty among local conglomerates – and local GPs – could make or break them
Chaebol cross-shareholding: David and Goliath
Removing cross-shareholding structures that hold Korea’s conglomerates together, and arguably suffocate competition, is key to economic democratization. But will it happen and what would it mean for PE?
Strained relations: Foreign PE and financial services
Global buyout firms have seen less deal flow in South Korea in recent years, with financial services sector activity a shadow of its former self. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are unwelcome
AVCJ at 25: Michael B. Kim of MBK Partners
Michael B. Kim, founding partner of MBK Partners, left The Carlyle Group in 2005 to set up his own private equity firm. The time was right, the capital was available, and there was a desire to become more local
AVCJ at 25: Roy Kuan of CVC Capital Partners
Roy Kuan, managing partner at CVC Capital Partners, witnessed a transformation in private equity in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. Suddenly he was in the buyout business, carving out assets from distressed conglomerates
AVCJ at 25: Weijian Shan of PAG
Weijian Shan, chairman and CEO of PAG, made his name in private equity turning around troubled companies for Newbridge Capital. Two bank deals helped open international investors’ eyes to the Asia buyout opportunity
AVCJ at 25: George Raffini of Headland Capital Partners
George Raffini spent 21 years with HSBC’s Asia private equity unit before the team spun out to form Headland Capital Partners in 2010. He witnessed Asia reach new highs in the 1990s before brutally falling to earth
AVCJ at 25: Ta-Lin Hsu of H&Q Asia Pacific
Ta-Lin Hsu, founder and chairman of H&Q Asia Pacific, brought venture capital to Taiwan as part of efforts to develop the tech sector. It was a launching pad for private equity across the region
MBK appoints advisor for ING South Korea bid - report
North Asia-focused buyout firm MBK Partners is said to have hired Barclays to advise on a bid for ING's South Korean life insurance business.
Vogo-backed Tong Yang Life eyes ING South Korea unit
Vogo Capital-backed Tong Yang Life Insurance is considering purchasing ING Group's South Korean insurance unit.
Korea's AmorePacific leads pharma firm's Series B round
AmorePacific Ventures, the VC arm of Korea's largest cosmetics group, has led a $7 million Series B round of investment in Miami-based Brickell Biotech, a pharma firm specializing in skin conditions. Further details of the deal were not disclosed.
STIC-led consortium finalizes LIG Nex1 deal
A group of Korean investors led by STIC Investments has agreed to buy a 49% stake in LIG Nex1, a domestic aerospace and defense company owned by LIG Group. The sale price is said to be KRW420 billion ($388 million).
Morgan Stanley in control deal for Korean paper maker
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) has agreed to buy a majority stake in South Korean bathroom tissue producer Monalisa for KRW91.4 billion ($84.2 million). The seller is Kwang-ho Kim, the company’s CEO, who will also exit two unlisted entities...