CNK International () company located in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
that is primarily involved in the metals and mining industry. The company engages in the development of mineral resources projects with a focus on gold and diamond in
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. The company also imports, processes, and sells gold and diamond in South Korea. CNK International was established as Koko Entertainment (), an animation studio founded by Myong Ok Jeon on March 2, 1990. The company's most recognized branding as a former animation studio was Koko Enterprises Ltd. (). The company originated in the
Seocho District
Seocho District () is one of the 25 districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is a part of the Gangnam region, along with the Gangnam district of Seoul. Seocho District ranks as one of the richest neighborhoods in South K ...
in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. The company is currently headquartered in the
North Gyeongsang Province
North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...
in South Korea.
In January 1994, the company went public, and in November 1994, Koko Entertainment merged with Pacific Rim Technologies with Koko Entertainment as the surviving company. In July 1995, the company's name was changed to Koko Enterprises Co, Ltd., and in February 2000, the company registered in the
KOSDAQ
The Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ; ) is a trading board of Korea Exchange (KRX) in South Korea established in 1996. Initially set up by Korea Financial Investment Association as an independent stock market from the Korean ...
securities market. In July 2001, Koko Enterprises acquired all the shares of Ani Content as a transfer of goodwill, and in July 2005, Koko Enterprises acquired Dongham Biotech Co., Ltd. In December 2007, they relocated their head offices to the
Gangnam District in Seoul, and in December 2009, their offices were relocated to the
Jongno District in Seoul.
In February 2011, the company re-branded itself as CNK International Co, Ltd., and in April 2011, the company abandoned the animation industry and entered into the mining industry, specifically non-ferrous metal mining. In November 2011, the company sold off all of its shares of its subsidiary Koko-best as part of a corporate re-structuring. In September 2014, the company ventured into further businesses including tests and research projects on agricultural land improvements, services for testing, research, surveying, design supervision, and extension for farming and fishing village maintenance projects and entering the food industry with restaurants. In November 2014, the company merged with Land Improvement Co., Ltd. with CNK International Co., Ltd. being the surviving company.
CNK International Co. was involved in the 2012
MOFAT Diamond Scandal, in which Kim Eun-seok, the then-energy-and-resources ambassador of
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was accused of
insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider informati ...
and
stock manipulation
In economics and finance, market manipulation occurs when someone intentionally alters the supply or demand of a security to influence its price. This can involve spreading misleading information, executing misleading trades, or manipulating ...
. Kim Eun-seok had shared nonpublic information with family members prior to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that deliberately overstated the size of a Cameroon diamond mine. Kim's family members proceeded to buy shares of CNK International Co. Oh Deok-gyun, then-Chairman of CNK International Co., gained 80 billion Korean won by selling his own shares amid the scandal. CNK International Co. was delisted from
Kosdaq
The Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ; ) is a trading board of Korea Exchange (KRX) in South Korea established in 1996. Initially set up by Korea Financial Investment Association as an independent stock market from the Korean ...
in 2015 by a court ruling, which was appealed up to the South Korean Supreme Court. In January 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling in favor of delisting CNK International Co., which is final.
Former Chairman Oh was convicted of violating the ''Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act'' and sentenced to three years in prison and five years probation.
Filmography
Koko has animated and provided ink and paint for the following series and movies:
* ''
Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995)
* ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company ...
'' (1993–1998)
* ''
Gargoyles'' (1994–1997)
* ''
Freakazoid!'' (1995–1997)
* ''
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'' (1995-2002)
* ''
Lupin the 3rd: Farewell to Nostradamus'' (1995)
* ''
Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series'' (1996–1997)
* ''
Superman: The Animated Series'' (1996–2000)
* ''
Lupin the 3rd: Dead or Alive'' (1996)
* ''Soul Frame Lazenca'' (1997–1998, co-produced with Seoul Movie)
* ''
The New Batman Adventures
''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...
'' (1997–1999)
* ''
Men In Black: The Series'' (1997–2001)
* ''
Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus'' (1998)
* ''
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero'' (1998, co-produced with
Dong Yang Animation)
* ''
Batman Beyond
''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...
'' (1999–2001)
* ''
Spider-Man Unlimited'' (1999–2001)
* ''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, it aired from July 14, 1997, to August 27, 2004. The titular Johnny Bravo (voiced by ...
'' (1999–2001)
* ''
Justice League
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
'' (2001–2004)
* ''
Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring'' (2001, co-produced with Seoul Movie; uncredited)
* ''
Totally Spies'' (2002)
* ''
Secret of Cerulean Sand'' (2002)
* ''Chae Chapong Kimchi Pong'' (2002, co-produced with
Dong Woo Animation)
* ''
Crayon Shin-chan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui. ''Crayon Shin-chan'' made its first appearance in 1990 in a Japanese weekly magazine called ''Weekly Manga Action'', which was published by Futabasha. Due to the death of ...
'' (2003–2007)
* ''
The Marshmallow Times'' (2004–2005, co-produced with Seoul Movie)
References
External links
Koko Enterprises' Homepage
Mass media companies established in 1990
South Korean companies established in 1990
Mines in Cameroon
Mining companies of South Korea
South Korean animation studios
{{SouthKorea-company-stub