[THE INVESTOR] The sale of South Korean insurance firm ING Life Korea, which may be worth up to 3 trillion won ($2.62 million), has drawn attention from Chinese buyers, sources said on June 20. Hong Kong-based private equity firm JD Capital, leading investment group Fosun and Taiping Life are in negotiations or conducting due diligence on the Korea’s fifth-largest insurance company by assets. Asian buyout firm MBK Partners plans to sell its stake in ING Life Korea by the end of this year by comm

[THE INVESTOR] Kiwoom Securities will acquire a Seoul-based savings lender TS Bank to expand its revenue sources, the Korean brokerage firm said on July 20. Kiwoom plans to buy the entire stake -- 2 million shares -- in TS Bank for 88.5 billion won (US$77.52 million), according to the firm’s regulatory filing. Currently, TS Bank runs two branches in Yeoksam and Yeouido, Seoul. Kiwoom said the acquisition plan aims at “increasing revenue by entering the savings banking business.” The deal is the

[THE INVESTOR] E-Land Group is in the final stages of negotiations with US private equity giant KKR to include the rental costs of its local retail chain Kim’s Club branches to a deal to sell over 70 percent stake in the hypermarket, according to sources on July 19. E-Land is pushing KKR, which was picked as the preferred bidder to acquire Kim’s Club in late March, to pay some 100 billion won (US$87.60 million) for five years of rental costs of the hypermarket franchise’ 37 branches in advance,

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s IMM Private Equity, the largest shareholder of local coffee franchise Hollys Food and Beverage, operator of the namesake specialty coffee chain, has decided to sell its entire controlling stake. According to industry sources on July 15, investors are showing keen interest in acquiring the popular coffee chain with more than 500 stores nationwide. Daesang Group, Carlyle Investment Management and several Chinese financial investors are cited as potential bidders. Hollys Coff

[THE INVESTOR] Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Holdings on July 13 began the process of selling three energy-related subsidiaries. The companies -- Daeryun Power, Byeollae Energy and Daeryun E&S -- are to be sold as a bundle, and the sale will be conducted by Mirae Asset Daewoo. Hanjin Heavy's Subic ShipyardHHIC Holdings and Daeryun E&S each hold 29.17 percent and 50 percent in Daeryun Power and Byeollae Energy, respectively. Daeryun E&S, a gas supplier, is 100 percent owned by HHIC Hol

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Heavy Industries Group’s plans for selling off HI Investment & Securities could be getting off to a rocky start with potential buyers taking a reserved approach. The sale is part of the shipbuilding conglomerate’s restructuring plans, and while a number of securities firms have been listed as potential buyers, their response so far has been lukewarm. The group holds 85.3 percent of Hi Investment & Securities through Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. Hyundai Mipo Dockyard’s largest sh

[THE INVESTOR] MBK Partners has recouped a record amount from its investments over the past two years since July 2014, industry sources said on July 10.Since June 2014, MBK Partners -- South Korea’s largest PEF -- managed to recoup US$3.3 billion by selling equity and driving up dividends from its past investments. MBK Partners founder and chairman Michael Byung-ju Kim When including the returns from other projects MBK jointly invested in, such as with South Korea’s National Pension Fund, Singap

[THE INVESTOR] GE Capital will decide on the sale of its stake in Hyundai Capital Services within July, industry sources said on July 8. GE Capital currently holds 20 percent of Hyundai Motor Group’s financing arm. The US firm plans to unload the shares, and with no buyer appearing, GE Capital had planned to exercise the put option and resell to Hyundai Motor Group.Based on the most recent transaction regarding Hyundai Capital Services’ shares, its stake is likely to cost around 700 billion won

[THE INVESTOR] The Fair Trade Commission has refused CJ HelloVision’s request to delay its decision on the planned merger and acquisition deal with SK Broadband, an IPTV firm run by SK Telecom. FTC officials told Herald Business and The Investor that they would not be pushing back the schedule.  Last week, the regulator handed down a preliminary decision to CJ and SK, saying that it opposes the merger, as it could hamper fair market competition by unleashing an excessively-dominant player. CJ an

[THE INVESTOR] Cable TV operator CJ HelloVision has sought the antitrust regulator’s permission to delay a meeting for deciding on its planned merger and acquisition deal with SK Broadband, a local IPTV firm.To that end, it also said it would like to delay submitting a report on the matter. “We have asked the Fair Trade Commission to postpone its July 15 standing committee meeting by a month, and the report deadline to Aug. 4,” CJ HelloVision said in a statement, stressing that the schedule is t

[THE INVESTOR] China’s Haier and Korea’s CJ and Cuckoo are surfacing as likely bidders to acquire Tongyang Magic, a local appliance maker whose key business is water purifier rental service. Toyang’s largest shareholders Glenwood Private Equity and NH Private Equity, both based in Korea, plan to send information memorandum to possible bidders next week with aims to start the bidding process from later this month. According to industry sources, Tongyang had long gauged its entry into the Chinese

[THE INVESTOR] NH Investment & Securities said on July 8 that it bought the Australian Red Cross’ office building in Sydney for some 100 billion won (US$ 86.3 million). The South Korean securities firm raised real estate funds with FG Asset Management to acquire the 12,700-square-meter building in Kent Street, Sydney. Built in 2011, the five-story building is on a 15-year lease contract with the Red Cross. (theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)