[THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s No. 1 mobile game developer Netmarble Games is seeking to go public on the nation’s benchmark stock exchange KOSPI in the coming months. The company has long gauged its initial public offering in Korea or the US as part of its push for global expansion.A NASDAQ debut could help it elevate its presence in overseas markets but there was risk of being undervalued as compared to KOSPI.  Netmarble founder Bang Joon-hyuk.Sources say its recent failed attempt to acquire Pla

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDI and LG Chem, the nation’s top two battery makers, are preparing to get battery certifications from China later this month, hoping the recent tensions between Korea and China will not affect the pending decision. After four failed attempts over the past months, this is their fifth attempt to receive China’s state subsidies for electric vehicles using their batteries. A total of 56 firms, most of them Chinese, have thus far been certified for subsidies that take effect f

[THE INVESTOR] Shares of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors on Aug. 4 started lower than the previous day after news reports that Samsung Electronics could purchase some or all stake in Mgneti Marelli, the parts maker of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Hyundai closed at 130,500 won (US$117) per share, down 1.14 percent from the day before.  Its smaller affiliate Kia plunged to a record low of 40,650 won in 52 weeks earlier in the day but the price recovered to 40,800 won, a 0.49 percent decline. Hyundai Mo

[THE INVESTOR] NEW YORK -- When Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note smartphone first hit the market in 2011, many critics, as well as rivals were doubtful on the success of the phone featuring a screen larger than 5 inches and a stylus. Some, including the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs in particular, were especially skeptical about the digital pen, which they said was too dumb to mimic the delicate moves of human fingers.Samsung Electronics’ president and mobile business chief Koh Dong-jin. Samsung Ele

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S7 Edge topped Android phone sales in the first half of this year, a market research firm said on Aug. 3According to Strategy Analytics, the curved-screen version of Samsung’s flagship smartphone shipped 11.3 million units in the first six months of the year, outselling its flat-screen sibling that was ranked third with 11.8 million shipments. The curved screen of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.The second-highest selling Android phone was Samsung’s budget smart

[THE INVESTOR] Kakao Corp., the operator of the nation’s most popular mobile messenger KakaoTalk, said on Aug. 3 that it has provided the government access to 15 user accounts following its wiretap request in the first half of this year. Amid privacy concerns among its users, the Korean internet giant started providing chat records of KakaoTalk to cooperate with serious criminal investigations from October last year. The company has also published a transparency report twice a year.  Adding to t

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean Internet giant Naver will build its second head office building adjacent to the current headquarters in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.The company said on Aug. 3 it plans to start the construction within the year on a 120,000 square-meter site that it purchased from the city government for 123.5 billion won (US$111 million) back in 2014. The concept image of Naver's second headquarters buliding.The first-phase construction includes building eight floors above the ground a

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics shipments of its Galaxy Note 7 could reach 12 million units in the latter half of this year, Hyundai Securities forecast on Aug. 3. The latest Note phablet was unveiled on Aug. 2, with its key features including an iris scanner, a curved screen and waterproof stylus functions.  Samsung Galaxy Note 7“The Galaxy Note 7, which is scheduled to be launched on Aug. 19, will preoccupy demand for premium phones before Apple’s iPhone 7 that comes out later in September,

[THE INVESTOR] CJ Korea Express will set up a 50:50 joint venture with Chinese appliance giant TCL, the logistics unit of CJ Group said Aug. 3.The Korean firm will invest 486 million yuan (US$73 million) to acquire 50 percent stake in TCL’s logistics affiliate Speedex that handles transport of the company’s home appliances and smartphones. CJ Korea Express’ distribution centerThe acquisition process will be finalized by Aug. 31 and the new entity will be named as CJ Speedex.CJ Korea Express, the

[THE INVESTOR] NEW YORK -- When it was first launched n 2011, not many expected Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note smartphone to survive the tough competition with small-size peers, including the then hot-selling iPhone. Journalists and industry people try out Samsung Electronics’ new gadgets at the Galaxy Note 7 Unpacked event held in New York on Aug. 2. Samsung ElectronicsThe Note lineup -- with its latest model Note 7 unveiled on Aug. 2 in New York -- has evolved and gained a great deal of popu

[THE INVESTOR] Coway, the nation’s No. 1 water purifier rental service firm, said on Aug. 2 its second-quarter operating profit plunged 89.3 percent to 11.8 billion won (US$10 million) on-year largely due to its recent recall of nickel-tainted products. Net profit also nosedived 96.6 percent to 2.8 billion won during the April-June period from a year ago, while sales were down 0.1 percent to 555 billion won. The company faced a public outcry after the toxic chemical nickel was detected in some o

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean government will review Google’s recent request asking its permission to carry map data out of the country amid public concerns about the possible outflow of national wealth. The National Geographic Information Institute, together with seven other government offices, will hold a meeting to discuss the issue on Aug. 12, with the deadline for the final decision set for Aug. 25. Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, visited Seoul in Mar