South Korea’s leading private equity and venture capital firms will convene in Singapore on Oct. 27 for ASK Singapore 2025, where they will share insights and investment outlooks on Asia’s fourth-largest economy with local family offices.
At the conference, hosted by The Korea Economic Daily, they will explore regulatory changes, tax reforms and policy initiatives aimed at revitalizing the domestic stock market since President Lee Jae-myung took office on June 4. They will also assess the potential economic impact of US tariffs.
The forum could not come at a better time.
Alongside the global rise of South Korea’s beauty industry and the worldwide phenomenon of K-pop, corporate restructuring by Korean conglomerates has created attractive buyout and carve-out opportunities for private equity investors.
The agenda includes a focus on rising startups and key growth sectors within South Korea’s evolving industrial landscape.
Speakers at the conference include seasoned investors of private equity, hedge funds, real estate and venture capital, alongside founders and chief executives of South Korea’s most promising startups, including AI chip designer Rebellions and IdeaHub, a patent licensing and investment platform.
For institutional investors, the event will offer a rare opportunity to connect with family offices across Singapore and Southeast Asia.
About 20 family offices headquartered in Singapore have confirmed their participation.
K-BEAUTY
ChulMin Lee, CEO of VIG Partners, will present on South Korea’s beauty industry, while SooMin Kim, managing partner at UCK Partners, will offer perspectives on the country’s buyout market.
Michal J. Chung, CIO of Glenwood Private Equity, will explore trends and opportunities in carve-out deals.
Keith Kim, a partner at KKR, will outline infrastructure investment prospects in South Korea. Representatives from MBK Partners, IMM Private Equity and H&Q Korea will take part in a panel discussion.
STOCK MARKET, REAL ESTATE, TAX
The benchmark Kospi index has rallied following the inauguration of President Lee, who has vowed to propel the benchmark stock index to 5,000 points, a level not seen in the history of the Korean stock market.
Participants will assess the impact of South Korea’s corporate governance reform drive and the rise of shareholder activism — developments expected to narrow the so-called “Korea Discount,” or the persistent undervaluation of Korean stocks relative to their intrinsic value.
On the commercial real estate front, IGIS Asset Management Co., Shinhan REITs Management Co. and Mastern Invest Management Co. will share their outlook on South Korea’s office and broader commercial property markets.
PcW, a consulting firm, will present South Korea’s tax landscape.
Kee Lock Chua, CEO of Vertex Holdings, a venture capital arm of Singapore’s state investor Temasek, will give a welcome speech.
The gathering features a series of curated one-on-one meetings between Korean asset managers and Southeast Asia-based institutional investors, as well as VIP tea sessions and hotel luncheons.
“With the new administration targeting a Kospi index of 5,000 and rolling out policies such as commercial law reforms and the creation of a strategic industries fund, investors in Singapore are showing strong interest in the Korean market to a level we haven’t seen before,” said the head of a Korean asset management firm.
By Kyung-Mok Noh
autonomy@hankyung.com
Yeonhee Kim edited this article.
