Changing moon
20/12/2005. Korea's private equity scene has certainly been spiced up of late, providing some flavourful events for foreign participants, says the Asia Private Equity Review.

M&A in Korea
15/06/2005. Korean M&A transactions in 2004 showed a downward trend in the first three quarters in terms of deal value, says PricewaterhouseCoopers. Total M&A transaction value which totalled US$3.5bn in Q1 2004 declined to US$2.3bn in Q2 2004 and then fell further to US$1.8 billion in Q3 2004.

Foreign direct investment - a market overview and discussion of opportunities
16/04/2003. The Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s has in the long term had positive effects on the Korean economy, particularly from the point of view of foreign investors, argue Timothy O'Brien and Edward Kim of Coudert Brothers. The government made various legal reforms to encourage direct investment from overseas, some of which are explained here.

Private equity and venture capital
08/10/2002. The number of venture capital firms in Korea has grown rapidly over recent years. In 1999 and 2000 a total of 91 were set up. However, the unsatisfactory performance of these firms, allied with high-profile prosecutions for stock price manipulation and other crimes, has led to restructuring in the venture capital industry, say Wonkyu Han, Je Won Lee and Song Il An of Lee & Ko. This overview of the Korean private equity and venture capital industry details the various laws and regulations that apply for investors looking to invest in venture, such as venture investment partnerships, individual investment partnerships and securities investment trusts.

Overview of foreign investment in Korea
05/08/2002. Lawyers from Korean law firm Kim & Chang discuss the regulatory regimes and considerations for overseas investors in Korea. There are various structures available that should be considered before making any investment.

Venture business, venture capital and Kosdaq
15/04/2002. The year 1997 saw the Korean government implement legislation to promote venture businesses. The most important statute under this legislative scheme was a law that provides the basic tools necessary for the development of venture-backed companies. Young Cheol Jeong of Yun Kang Jeong & Han, Seoul look at the success of these measures.

Venture capital market in Korea
27/11/2001. The growth of KOSDAQ and preferential tax incentives for venture capitalists has contributed to a boom in Korea's venture capital industry. The number of firms has increased in the last year from 63 to 148 so opportunities for investment are on the up. Here, the Korean Venture Capital Association provides an overview of the current market in Korea.

Korea - Venture Business, Venture Capital and KOSDAQ
10/07/2001. Since 1997, Korea has witnessed significant legislative changes to the venture business framework. This article from Woo, Yun, Kang, Jeong & Han provides a summary of the regulatory framework.