** K-pop label HYBE Co Ltd 352820.KS shares rise as high
as 7% to 196,600 won to hit a near one-month high, while social
media giant Kakao Corp 035720.KS shares rise up as much as
7.4% to 62,400 won ($47.40)in morning trade
** Cos' shares rallied after HYBE on Sunday dropped its bid
to take over its rival SM Entertainment Co Ltd 041510.KQ .
** SM Entertainment shares fall as much as 21.6% in early
trade, hitting a one-month low, compared to the smaller KOSDAQ
market's .KQ11 1.5% drop as of 0202 GMT
** Kakao's tender offer bid to purchase a 35% stake in SM at
the price of 150,000 won per share will continue until March 26
** Park Seong-guk, an analyst at Kyobo Securities, said HYBE
shares rallied as withdrawing its plan to take over SM cleared
uncertainty over the financial strain of the deal
** He added SM shares were crashing as chances of a new
bidder faded following HYBE's announcement to drop its takeover
bid over the weekend
** HYBE and Kakao said on Sunday they had agreed to
cooperate on platform businesses
($1 = 1,316.4900 won)
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim)
((Hyunsu.Yim@thomsonreuters.com;))