Gong Cha's $2 Billion Auction Pits MBK Against Global Giants — Korea, Its Top Market, Hemorrhages Profit
TA Associates is pursuing a $2 billion (~₩3 trillion) sale of global bubble tea franchise Gong Cha, with Bain Capital, General Atlantic, and Korea's MBK Partners in the running. South Korea remains the brand's largest market at ~900 stores but saw operating profit plunge 78% in 2023 as value-coffee chains Mega Coffee and Compose Coffee take share.
HYBE Q2 2026 Earnings Preview: BTS World Tour Targets ₩1.2 Trillion Quarter
HYBE (352820.KS) Q2 2026 results due late July; consensus revenue ₩1.2T (~$822M), +70.5% YoY. BTS world tour powers first full stadium-concert quarter.
CXMT Prices China's Record USD 9.8 Billion IPO at USD 85 Billion — Samsung and SK Hynix Hold the HBM Line
China's CXMT launches Asia's largest semiconductor IPO of 2026 at USD 85.6 billion valuation, raising up to USD 9.83 billion. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fall in U.S. trading but retain strategic HBM market dominance with approximately 79% combined share.
Korea's Big Three Department Stores Each Near ₩1 Trillion in Foreign Sales as K-Wave Tourism Breaks H1 Records
Korea's three largest department store operators collectively booked ₩1.68 trillion in foreign sales in H1 2026, nearing their full-year 2025 totals, with all three chains projecting first-ever annual foreign revenues above ₩1 trillion as K-wave-driven tourism hits record highs.
SK Hynix Tables Stock-for-Bonus Plan Worth ₩25 Trillion as Union Balks Over Forced Tax Sales
SK Hynix proposes paying its record KRW 25 trillion bonus pool partly in treasury shares. Workers face income-tax bills they must sell stock to cover.
MBK Puts Chairman's Personal Wealth Behind Homeplus as Meritz Extends ₩200 Billion Last-Ditch Rescue
Meritz Financial Group (138040.KS) approved a ₩200B emergency loan to save Homeplus. MBK Partners chairman stakes personal assets as 12,000 jobs and ₩1.2T in exposure hang in the balance.
Align Partners Calls for JB-BNK Regional Bank Merger to Build Korea's Largest Regional Lender at ₩234 Trillion
South Korean activist investor Align Partners has formally called on JB Financial Group and BNK Financial Group to review a merger that would create Korea's largest regional bank with USD 157 billion in combined assets, targeting a post-merger ROE of 12.8%.
Naver vs Coupang 2026: KRW 33 Billion Kurly Bet and First Fulfillment Centers Reset Korea E-Commerce Race
Naver injected KRW 33B into Kurly (stake to 6.2%) and is scouting its first fulfillment centers as Coupang data breach handed Korea No. 2 a 45% MAU surge.
Hyundai Motor Takes 100% Control of Boston Dynamics for $325M as SoftBank Exits — 25,000 Atlas Robots Cleared for Korean and U.S. Plants by 2028
Hyundai acquires SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for $325M, securing full ownership. 25,000 Atlas robots set for Korean and U.S. factory deployment by 2028.
K-Pop Album Exports Hit Record $257M in H1 2026 — BTS "Arirang" Drives 125% Surge, Setting Up HYBE's July 28 Earnings Test
South Korea's K-pop album exports hit a record USD 257.48M in H1 2026 (+125% YoY). BTS's 'Arirang' topped the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks; HYBE reported record Q1 revenue of ₩698.3B (+39.5% YoY). HYBE reports Q2 2026 earnings July 28.
Samsung Galaxy Glasses Meet Meta Head-On With $379–$499 Bet on AI Fashion — Gentle Monster Puts Korea at the Heart of the Wearable Race
Samsung is set to unveil Galaxy Glasses at Unpacked on July 22, 2026. Leaked pricing at $379–$499 matches Meta's Ray-Ban Gen 2. Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster co-designs one frame line, adding Korean design credentials to Samsung's DX growth push.
Korea's Power Grid Trio Locks In ₩1.43T in Contracts as AI Data Centers Trigger a Transformer Supercycle
HD Hyundai Electric, Hyosung Heavy Industries, and LS Electric announced a combined ₩1.43 trillion in power infrastructure contracts on July 2, 2026, driven by AI data center construction and aging US grid replacement. The trio's combined 2026 operating profit is forecast to approach ₩3 trillion, up 38% year-on-year.