VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Seoul, South Korea-based pop music publisher SM Entertainment invested an undisclosed amount to acquire shares in indie label BALJUNSO to contribute to the globalization of K-Pop's indie sector.

Japan-based mobile messaging app Line will launch an open sticker marketplace called Line Creators Market in April and will also release a Skype-like service in five countries.

Boston, US-based app maker Spritz said it will launch its app that will make reading easier on small devices on the soon-to-come smartphone Galaxy S5 and smartwatch Gear 2 of South Korean electronics giant Samsung.

Japanese gaming platform and web services provider DeNA invested an undisclosed amount in Between, a chat app for couples created by South Korean firm VCNC, to help the app become an open platform.

Based on data gathered by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, foreign direct investment (FDI) poured into Seoul, South Korea, reached $6 billion in 2013, an all-time high since the global financial crisis hit in 2008.

South Korea-based Android manufacturer LG has launched G Flex, a new phablet which has a curved display and self-heals or minimizes scratches on the surface.

Seoul, South Korea-based startup investor Samsung Ventures invested an undisclosed amount in Michigan, US-based nanotech firm XG Sciences to co-develop more advanced batteries for consumer electronics.

San Francisco, California-based online car booking service Uber planned to venture into the Asia Pacific market and start hiring staff members across 14 cities, according to an Uber representative.

South Korea-based Bitcoin startup Korbit raised $400,000 in funding from several Silicon Valley investors including Tim Draper, Naval Ravikant, David Lee, and Barry Silbert, for the company's growth.

South Korea-based investment fund Korea Investment Corp (KIC) is considering selling a $1-billion stake in Bank of America after the latter's value halved since 2008, according to a report by Korean media.

Tech giants Microsoft and Samsung are in talks to acquire stakes in a France-based online music startup and a video-sharing website, according to a report by French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.

Japan-based trading house Marubeni Corp sold its 30% interest in Australia-based Milmerran Power Station to a buyer in South Korea for under A$200 million ($179 million), according to a source familiar with the deal.

Hyundai Motor Co. on Friday named sales chief David Zuchowski as the new chief of its US arm. Zuchowski will replace incumbent US chief John Krafcik, whose contract expires at the end of the year.

South Korean oil refiner operator GS Holdings Corp entered into an agreement with commodity trader LG International Corp to acquire a combined stake in STX Energy for $598 million.

Local buyout funds like MBK Partners and Vogo Fund are now leading the domestic buyout market in South Korea just nearly a decade after its first private equity fund was established in the country, the Financial Times reported.