South Korea
Asia Leaders
Chung Shin-a Has Restored Kakao’s Operating Momentum. The Agentic AI Bet Is More Difficult
Kakao is again growing with discipline. Chung Shin-a’s next task is to make AI useful across the group while keeping incentives, data and accountability under control.
Asia Leaders
Ho Sung Song Has Given Kia Record Scale. Tariffs Will Test the Quality of Its Growth
Ho Sung Song remains Kia’s president and CEO as record sales meet tariff pressure. His mixed EV and hybrid strategy now faces its hardest execution test.
Asia Leaders
South Korea’s Lee Opens Silicon Valley AI Push With Four CEO Meetings
President Lee Jae Myung begins an 11-day tour with talks in San Francisco aimed at turning South Korea’s AI and semiconductor plans into global partnerships.
Asia Leaders
Thailand Courts Korean Biotech With a $42.7 Billion Wellness Market
Thailand’s deputy prime minister invited Korean investment in vaccines, medical devices, wellness and future food at a July 22 forum in Seoul.
Asia Leaders
Lee Jae Myung Links an AI Summit to South Korea’s South America Trade Push
Lee Jae Myung will meet technology chiefs, venture investors and three South American presidents during a July 24–August 3 trip focused on AI, trade and critical minerals.
Asia Leaders
Choi Soo-yeon Has Put AI Inside NAVER’s Growth Machine. Now the Economics Must Catch Up
NAVER’s AI strategy has moved from demonstration to distribution. Choi Soo-yeon must now prove that agents can deepen the platform’s economics as quickly as they raise its infrastructure bill.
Asia Leaders
Choi Soo-yeon Made AI Pay Across Naver's Core. Global C2C Must Justify the Expansion
Choi Soo-yeon has placed search and display advertising, commerce, payments, cloud, web content and consumer-to-consumer marketplaces at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.
Asia Leaders
Jisoo Expanded BLISSOO Across Music, Screen and Luxury. Coordination Is the Hidden Cost
Jisoo has placed artist management, music rights, screen compensation, membership relationships and brand-ambassador contracts at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.
Asia Leaders
Jennie Kim Made Ruby an Independent-Label Asset. ODD ATELIER Must Build Beyond a Release Cycle
Jennie Kim has placed recorded-music rights, distribution partnerships, performance, merchandise, pop-up retail and luxury sponsorships at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.
Asia Leaders
Bom Kim Built Korea’s Fastest Commerce Machine. Taiwan and Farfetch Are Exposing the Cost of Expansion
Bom Kim made speed and reliability a habit in South Korean commerce. Coupang’s newer businesses are growing faster than the core, but their losses are testing the limits of the model.
Asia Leaders
Bom Kim Built Coupang Around Reliability. A Data Breach Has Made Trust the Hardest Delivery
Coupang transformed Korean shopping through speed and dependable logistics. Bom Kim must now rebuild confidence after a breach exposed the limits of operational excellence without digital trust.
Asia Leaders
EJAE Turned a Film Song Into a Global Hit. Now She Has to Turn Recognition Into a Career She Controls
After ‘Golden’ made EJAE an Oscar-winning songwriter and a global voice, her next test is turning soundtrack-scale attention into a business she can sustain.