PRE-MARKET JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCKS NEWS: More than 50,000 KT Corp customers cancelled their subscriptions after the Co. began waiving early termination penalties following a major data breach
JAPAN
Daiichi Sankyo (4568 JT) - Co. is reportedly set to add China and US production lines amid tariff risk, while it was separately reported that the Co. is to shut another research subsidiary. (Nikkei/The Pharma Letter)
ORIX Corp (8591 JT) - Co. announced it appointed Terry Suzuki as the head of its new ORIX Group USA & Europe business unit. (ORIX)
TEPCO (9501 JT) - Co. is to invest JPY 11tln over 10 years to expand nuclear and renewable energy sources. (Nikkei)
Autos - Only about 40% of Japanese automotive parts makers affected by higher US tariffs have been able to raise prices to offset the extra costs, according to a Nikkei survey. (Nikkei)
Other News - Japan Inc. dividends are set to top JPY 20tln for the 1st time in the fiscal year ending in March, which would represent nearly 40% of profit. (Nikkei)
SOUTH KOREA
KT Corp (030200 KS) - More than 50,000 KT Corp customers cancelled their subscriptions after the Co. began waiving early termination penalties following a major data breach. (Yonhap)
LG Electronics (066570 KS) - Co. will unveil its 2026 LG gram lineup at CES 2026, extending the brand’s decade-long leadership in ultra-portable laptops. (LG Electronics)
Geopolitical - North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles which landed in the sea after flying about 900km, while KCNA later confirmed that North Korea had test-fired hypersonic missiles. (Newswires/KCNA/Yonhap)
Retailers - Sales of large discount stores decreased at the sharpest pace in more than 13 years in November, with the retail sales index for large discount stores falling 14.1% M/M, according to government data. (Yonhap)
Other News
South Korean business leaders travelled to China on Sunday to join a business mission accompanying President Lee Jae Myung's state visit, which includes a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Yonhap)