How Did Netmarble Devour ‘Woongjin Coway (Now Coway)’, Spat Out by Woongjin Group Due to the ‘Winner’s Curse’?
Netmarble’s acquisition of 'Woongjin Coway (now Coway)' was a mega-deal that starkly illustrated both the limitations of Leveraged Buyouts (LBO) and the epitome of textbook M&A Structuring. In 2019, to reclaim Coway from MBK Partners, Woongjin Group opted for an overly aggressive LBO strategy, financing 1.6 trillion won of the 2 trillion won acquisition cost through loans and convertible bonds. However, overwhelmed by a massive interest burden, they were forced to resell the company a mere three months after the re-acquisition. In contrast, Netmarble entered the bidding war with clear strategic objectives: securing a stable 'Cash Cow' to offset the inherent volatility of its gaming business, and creating smart home AI platform synergies leveraging Coway’s 7 million subscriber accounts. The essence of this transaction lies in its meticulous financial modeling and high-stakes brinkmanship in price negotiations. Initially, Netmarble secured preferred bidder status by ...