NHN’s Line to go public in Tokyo, New York

[THE INVESTOR] Line Corp., a Tokyo-based mobile messenger platform owned by Korean Internet giant NHN Corp., will go public on main stock markets in New York and Tokyo next month, the company said Friday.

In a regulatory filing, the company said it will start trading its shares on the Tokyo stock market on July 14th and in New York on 15th.

The company will issue 35 million new shares offered at 2,800 yen ($26.20) per share. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Nomura Securities are the lead advisers on Line’s initial public offering, the company said.

The decision was made after two separate board meetings held in Seoul and Tokyo on Friday afternoon. Lee Hae-jin, chairman of the board of directors at Naver Corp. and who also serves as chairman of Line Corp., led both meetings, seeking consensus for Line’s dual IPO plan, they said.

The decision Friday also puts an end to months of market speculation on the exact timeline of Line’s listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange.

Line previously planned to go public in 2014, but abandoned the plan in the face of opposition from parent company Naver Corp. The company was expected to secure around $18 billion via the IPO at that time.

Lee was holding the board meetings amid reports that the Japanese main bourse was set to approve the listing of Line. The planned IPO is expected to be the biggest in Japan this year, securing around 600 billion yen, NHK reported. It is the first time for a Japan-based firm to make its stock market debut both in Tokyo and New York at the same time, it added.

Line was established in 2011 as NHN Japan and changed its name in 2013.

Naver currently controls Line with 100 percent of shares. The listing of Line was delayed due to its parent company Naver two years ago, as the Korean Internet giant feared a possible hostile takeover, according to industry sources.

Line appears to be hurrying to hold a dual IPO amid growing concerns that it would draw less investments if it delayed the plan further. The company may have faced pressure from its employees wanting to receive stock options, according to local reports. 

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)