(Photo=Viva Republica) South Korea’s rapid stock market gains are reshaping the country’s corporate hierarchy, pulling fast-growing fintech firms and securities companies into a tightly regulated group of large conglomerates monitored by the government. At the center of the shift is the annual designation by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, which classifies corporate groups based on total assets and subjects the

(Photo=Coupang) Coupang Inc, the New York listed South Korean e-commerce company, reported a first-quarter operating loss of $240 million as growth slowed and its customer base declined, marking a return to losses after more than four years. The company posted a net loss of $260 million for the period, according to a filing on the fifth local time. The results

Photo=Lotte Uniqlo is preparing to re-enter Seoul’s Myeongdong, more than five years after exiting the area amid a consumer boycott and the Covid-19 pandemic. The planned reopening marks a high-stakes effort to regain footing in one of South Korea’s most prominent retail districts, where local brands have strengthened their presence and operating costs have climbed. According to industry officials on

Photo=Coupang Brian Kim, founder of Coupang and chairman of Coupang Inc., has been designated the controlling person of a large business group under South Korea’s antitrust framework, making him the first chief executive of a U.S. corporation to fall under the rule. The April 29 decision by the Korea Fair Trade Commission marks the first such case since the country

Kang Seong-cheol, chief executive of Daedong Robotics, is betting that combining artificial intelligence with robotics—what he calls “physical AI”—can help tackle chronic labor shortages in agriculture. Speaking on April 29 at the company’s “2026 Daedong Tech Day,” Kang said Daedong Robotics aims to evolve beyond a machinery maker into a global provider of robotics solutions tailored to real-world farming challenges.