Investors urge KT&G to spinoff ginseng business

Feb.28.2023

Investors urge KT&G to spinoff ginseng business

Investors demand KT&G split profitable ginseng business, appoint external directors, and improve shareholder return policies.

Several activist investors have filed an injunction with the Daejeon District Court in South Korea, demanding that KT&G address their grievances by spinning off its profitable ginseng business, appointing certain external directors, and strengthening its shareholder return policy.

Investor group led by Singaporean private equity firm Flashlight Capital has repeatedly urged the company to spin off its ginseng business to restore the company's value and stock price.

However, during last month's investor relations event, KT&G refused this request. KT&G Senior Executive Vice President Bang Kyung-man stated, "In the long run, splitting the company has almost no benefit for the company's value or shareholders.

Bang expressed concerns that if the ginseng business department separates, KT&G may lose its "synergy".

During the meeting, KT&G rejected a request from the fund to strengthen KT&G's shareholder return policy. The tobacco manufacturer stated that the current policy "should be temporarily retained.

Lee Sang-hyun, the founder of Flashlight Capital, believes that once KT&G adjusts its investment portfolio to better achieve its environmental, social, and governance goals, its stock price will rebound beyond 140,000 Korean won, which was last seen in 2016.

The stock price of KT&G reached its lowest point on February 17 at KRW 87,100, but has since slightly recovered.

Reference:

Investors are urging KT&G to proceed with the spinoff of their ginseng business.

This document has been generated through artificial intelligence translation and is provided solely for the purposes of industry discourse and learning. Please note that the intellectual property rights of the content belong to the original media source or author. Owing to certain limitations in the translation process, there may be discrepancies between the translated text and the original content. We recommend referring to the original source for complete accuracy. In case of any inaccuracies, we invite you to reach out to us with corrections. If you believe any content has infringed upon your rights, please contact us immediately for its removal.

Why Many E-Liquids Today Are "Not Bad, but Not Memorable" – Mylor’s Approach to Experience Design

Why Many E-Liquids Today Are "Not Bad, but Not Memorable" – Mylor’s Approach to Experience Design

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

EVO NXT European Tobacco & NGP Exhibition

EVO NXT European Tobacco & NGP Exhibition

FDA Expands ENDS Market Access With First Authorization of Non-Tobacco and Non-Menthol Products

FDA Expands ENDS Market Access With First Authorization of Non-Tobacco and Non-Menthol Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on May 5, 2026 that it authorized the marketing of four Glas electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway. The authorized products are Classic Menthol, Fresh Menthol, Gold and Sapphire pods, each containing 50mg/ml, or 5%, tobacco-derived nicotine.

May.06 by 2FIRSTS.ai

Australia’s NSW Finds Lower Vaping Rates Among Teenagers Aged 14 to 17

Australia’s NSW Finds Lower Vaping Rates Among Teenagers Aged 14 to 17

A new report from Cancer Council’s Generation Vape research project shows that fewer teenagers in New South Wales are trying vaping after the state government introduced tougher vaping goods laws. Among surveyed NSW teenagers aged 14 to 17, the proportion who had tried vaping fell from 29.6% in April 2024 to 20.1% in October 2025.

Mar.17 by 2FIRSTS.ai

Casey’s, the No. 3 U.S. C-Store Chain, Sees Nicotine Category Shift as Pouches Rise 31% and Vapor 12%

Casey’s, the No. 3 U.S. C-Store Chain, Sees Nicotine Category Shift as Pouches Rise 31% and Vapor 12%

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ: CASY) reported accelerating growth in modern nicotine products during its fiscal third quarter ended January 31, 2026. Nicotine pouch sales increased 31% year over year, while vapor products rose 12%. Although cigarette unit sales continued to decline, management stated that the rate of decline slowed compared to prior quarters.

European Commission Publishes Tobacco Control Framework Evaluation, Says Smoking and Tobacco-Related Deaths Have Declined

European Commission Publishes Tobacco Control Framework Evaluation, Says Smoking and Tobacco-Related Deaths Have Declined

The European Commission has published its evaluation of the EU tobacco control framework, assessing the effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of the Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive in protecting public health and ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market.

Apr.03 by 2FIRSTS.ai

BAT Appoints Constantinescu as CFO,He Previously Spent 16 Years at the Company

BAT Appoints Constantinescu as CFO,He Previously Spent 16 Years at the Company

BAT has appointed Dragos Constantinescu as chief financial officer. Constantinescu, currently head of Asahi Europe & International, will join the company on September 1 and replace Javed Iqbal, who has served as interim finance chief since August last year

Apr.09 by 2FIRSTS.ai

Canada Studies UK-Style “Smoke-Free Generation” Tobacco Ban

Canada Studies UK-Style “Smoke-Free Generation” Tobacco Ban

Canada’s federal health minister, Majorie Michel, said she is looking into legislation that would permanently ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after 2008. She said Canada has seen the approach recently proposed in the United Kingdom and is reviewing it with partners. Health Canada previously said the Government of Canada has invested C$66 million annually since 2018 to help Canadians quit smoking and reduce the harms of nicotine addiction.

Apr.29 by 2FIRSTS.ai

Related Topics

News

Related Read

FDA Expands ENDS Market Access With First Authorization of Non-Tobacco and Non-Menthol Products

FDA Expands ENDS Market Access With First Authorization of Non-Tobacco and Non-Menthol Products

Australia’s NSW Finds Lower Vaping Rates Among Teenagers Aged 14 to 17

Australia’s NSW Finds Lower Vaping Rates Among Teenagers Aged 14 to 17

Casey’s, the No. 3 U.S. C-Store Chain, Sees Nicotine Category Shift as Pouches Rise 31% and Vapor 12%

Casey’s, the No. 3 U.S. C-Store Chain, Sees Nicotine Category Shift as Pouches Rise 31% and Vapor 12%

European Commission Publishes Tobacco Control Framework Evaluation, Says Smoking and Tobacco-Related Deaths Have Declined

European Commission Publishes Tobacco Control Framework Evaluation, Says Smoking and Tobacco-Related Deaths Have Declined

BAT Appoints Constantinescu as CFO,He Previously Spent 16 Years at the Company

BAT Appoints Constantinescu as CFO,He Previously Spent 16 Years at the Company

Canada Studies UK-Style “Smoke-Free Generation” Tobacco Ban

Canada Studies UK-Style “Smoke-Free Generation” Tobacco Ban