South Korea is now home to 18 unicorns

South Korea, the fourth-largest economy in Asia, is now home to a record 18 unicorns, or companies with a valuation of USD1 billion or more, data from the Minister of SMEs and Startups showed. The country minted five more unicorns in 2021 to bring the total to 18, ranking Korea 10th in the world in terms of unicorn numbers. Online grocery delivery platform Market Kurly and six other firms were newly added to the list last year, while e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. and Krafton Inc., a South Korean gaming giant behind the global smash hit "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" (PUBG), were excluded. South Korea only had three unicorns in 2017.