SEOUL, KOREA, and NEW YORK, NY, June 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire – Global Star Acquisition Inc. (NASDAQ: GLST;GLSTU; GLSTW, "Global Star"), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), led by CEO Anthony Ang, is thrilled to announce that it has entered into a merger agreement with K Enter Holdings Inc. (“K Enter”), a Delaware corporation. K Enter holds contracts to acquire seven diversified entertainment operating companies based in Korea, engaged in the entertainment content and IP creation businesses (the “Seven Korean Entities”), and K Enter plans to consummate the acquisition of the Seven Korean Entities prior to the closing of the merger.
The merger combines Global Star’s strengths and expertise in finance and the strength and expertise in the global entertainment industry of K Enter and the Seven Korean Entities. The Seven Korean Entities are known for their dynamic content creation and IP-based business models, and have an estimated combined revenue of approximately US$153 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Following the closing of the merger agreement, the parent of the combined company will be named “K Wave Media Ltd.” and we expect that its securities will be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market.
The transaction has been valued at US$610M and is anticipated to be completed in the late fourth quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Global Star currently has approximately $92 million in trust, which will be available to the combined company upon completion of the merger, assuming no redemptions.
CEO Anthony Ang expressed his excitement about the merger: “This merger with K Enter represents a significant step for Global Star Acquisition, Inc. Our extensive search and shortlisting process has led us to ultimately join forces with K Enter and leverage the impressive track record and creative capabilities of the Seven Korean Entities in entertainment content and IP creation, several of which have found a strong global audience. This strategic partnership allows us to enter the Korean entertainment market, known for its rich talent pool and groundbreaking content. K Enter, in addition to having an internal K drama production team, is party to agreements to acquire equity interests in the Seven Korean Entities, one of which is Solaire Partners Ltd. (“Solaire Partners”), a Korean content-specialized private equity firm based in Seoul Korea that has invested in some of the highest-grossing films out of Korea. Mr. Pyeung Ho Choi, and Mr. Young Jae Lee of Solaire Partners have been appointed to senior management positions at K Enter. K Enter has also entered into agreements to acquire equity interests in one K drama production company, three K movie production companies, one virtual production company, and one IP merchandising company. Our focus on delivering public shareholder value drives our decision-making, and we believe the liquidity that will be provided to the combined company should help fortify the strategic positioning of K Enter to acquire the Seven Korean Entities and effectively deploy this capital to continue its strategy of expansion to markets outside Korea.”
“Together, we will drive the future of the entertainment industry,” said Young Jae Lee, CEO of K Enter. “We are delighted to embark on this merger journey and become a public company with Global Star Acquisition, Inc. K Enter’s leadership consists of partners of Solaire Partners, and by combining our resources and expertise, we will continue to create and offer exceptional Korean entertainment experiences for audiences worldwide,” continued Mr. Lee. “Together, we will contribute to the future of the entertainment industry in a more meaningful way.”
Advisors
Lee & Ko L.L.P. is serving as Korean legal advisor and Loeb & Loeb LLP is serving as U.S. legal advisor to K Enter. PWC is serving as Auditor to K Enter. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is serving as legal advisor to Global Star Acquisition Inc. KPMG is serving as the financial advisor to K Enter Holdings Inc.
About Global Star Acquisition Inc.
The Company (NASDAQ: GLSTU) is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company prioritized the Nordic region and Asia Pacific, especially Southeast Asia as its geographical focus. The Company is led by Anthony Ang, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Khoo, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, and Shan Cui, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
About K Enter Holdings Inc.
K Enter Holdings Inc. is a recently formed holding company for the purpose of acquiring seven diversified entertainment operating companies based in Korea, engaged in the entertainment content and IP creation businesses (the “Seven Korean Entities”). K Enter has an internal K drama production team, and the Seven Korean Entities to be acquired by K Enter include Solaire Partners Ltd. (“Solaire Partners”), a Korean content-specialized private equity firm based in Seoul Korea that has invested in some of the highest-grossing films out of Korea, one K drama production company, three K movie production companies, one virtual production company, and one IP merchandising company. As a combined platform, we expect these companies to provide a significant amount of synergy.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release is provided for informational purposes only and has been prepared to assist interested parties in making their own evaluation with respect to the Proposed Business Combination and for no other purpose. No representations or warranties, express or implied are given in, or in respect of, this press release. To the fullest extent permitted by law under no circumstances will the Company, K Enter, or any of the Seven Korean Entities, interest holders, affiliates, representatives, partners, directors, officers, employees, advisors or agents be responsible or liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or loss of profit arising from the use of this press release, its contents, its omissions, reliance on the information contained within it, or on opinions communicated in relation thereto or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Industry and market data used in this press release have been obtained from third-party industry publications and sources as well as from research reports prepared for other purposes. Neither the Company nor K Enter has independently verified the data obtained from these sources and cannot assure you of the data’s accuracy or completeness. This data is subject to change. In addition, this press release does not purport to be all-inclusive or to contain all the information that may be required to make a full analysis of the Company, K Enter or the Proposed Business Combination. Viewers of this press release should each make their own evaluation of the Company and K Enter and of the relevance and adequacy of the information and should make such other investigations as they deem necessary. This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the benefits of the Proposed Business Combination, including K Enter’s ability to accelerate the development of its products and bring them to market, the anticipated timing for completion of the Proposed Business Combination, and the Company’s and K Enter’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. The Company and K Enter anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s and K Enter’s assessments to change. These forward-looking statements, which may include, without limitation, words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will”, “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “might,” “continues,” “think,” “strategy,” “future,” and similar expressions, involve significant risks and uncertainties (most of which factors are outside of the control of the Company or K Enter.
In addition, this press release includes a summary set of risk factors that may have a material impact on the Company, K Enter or the Proposed Business Combination, which are not intended to capture all the risks to which the Company, K Enter or the Proposed Business Combination is subject or may be subject. Factors that may cause such differences include but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; (2) the risk that the Proposed Business Combination may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of the securities; (3) the risk that the Proposed Business Combination may not be completed by the Company’s business combination deadline; (4) the inability to complete the Proposed Business Combination, including but not limited to due to the failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of the Company or K Enter for the Merger Agreement, to receive certain governmental, regulatory and third party approvals or to satisfy other conditions to closing in the Merger Agreement; (5) the failure to achieve the minimum amount of cash available following any redemptions by the Company's stockholders; (6) the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq following the Proposed Business Combination, including but not limited to redemptions exceeding anticipated levels or the failure to meet Nasdaq's initial listing standards in connection with the consummation of the Proposed Business Combination; (7) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Proposed Business Combination on K Enter’s business relationships, operating results, and business generally; (8) risks that the Proposed Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of K Enter or the Seven Korean Entities; (9) the inability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Proposed Business Combination and to realize estimated pro forma results and underlying assumptions, including but not limited to with respect to estimated stockholder redemptions and costs related to the Proposed Business Combination; (10) the possibility that the Company or K Enter or the Seven Korean Entities may be adversely affected by other economic or business factors; (11) changes in the markets in which K Enter and the Seven Korean Entities compete, including but not limited to with respect to its competitive landscape, technology evolution, changes in entertainment choices or regulatory changes; (12) changes in domestic and global general economic conditions; (13) risk that K Enter may not be able to execute its growth strategies; (14) the risk that K Enter experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations after the Proposed Business Combination; (15) the risk that the parties will need to raise additional capital to execute the business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (16) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Proposed Business Combination to achieve its commercialization and development plans, and identify and realize additional opportunities, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of K Enter to grow and manage growth economically and hire and retain key employees; (17) risk that K Enter may not be able to develop and maintain effective internal controls; (18) the risk that K Enter may fail to keep pace with rapid technological developments or changes in entertainment tastes to provide new and innovative products and services, or may make substantial investments in unsuccessful new products and services; (19) the ability to develop, license or acquire new content, products and services; (20) the risk that K Enter is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; (21) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to K Enter’s business; (22) the risk of cyber security or foreign exchange losses; (23) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (24) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties related to the Merger Agreement or the Proposed Business Combination; (25) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and response on any of the foregoing risks, including but not limited to supply chain disruptions; (26) the risk that K Enter fails to successfully and timely consummate its acquisition of one or more of the Seven Korean Entities`; and (27) other risks and uncertainties to be identified in the Registration Statement, including those under “Risk Factors” therein, and in other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) made by the Company. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, the Registration Statement to be filed with the SEC with respect to the Proposed Business Combination (as described further below), and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive, are provided for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither the Company nor K Enter presently know or that the Company and K Enter currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company and K Enter anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s and K Enter’ assessments to change. However, while The Company and K Enter may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, The Company and K Enter specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. Neither the Company nor K Enter gives any assurance that the Company or K Enter, or the combined company, will achieve its expectations. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements, and they should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s and K Enter’ assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This press release is provided for informational purposes only and has been prepared to assist interested parties in making their own evaluation with respect to the Proposed Business Combination. However, this press release does not purport to be all-inclusive or to contain all the information that may be required to make a full analysis of the Company, K Enter, or the Proposed Business Combination.
In connection with the Proposed Business Combination, the Company and Purchaser intend to file relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement on Form F-4, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus of the Company (the “Registration Statement”). The Company urges its investors, shareholders, and other interested persons to read, when available, the proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC and documents incorporated by reference therein because these documents will contain important information about the Company, K Enter and the Proposed Business Combination. After the Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents will be mailed to the shareholders of the Company as of the record date established for voting on the Proposed Business Combination and will contain important information about the Proposed Business Combination and related matters. Shareholders of the Company and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, these materials (including any amendments or supplements thereto) and any other relevant documents in connection with the Company’s solicitation of proxies for the meeting of shareholders to be held to approve, among other things, the Proposed Business Combination because they will contain important information about the Company, K Enter, and the Proposed Business Combination. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction without charge, once available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Global Star Acquisition Inc., 1641 International Drive, Unit 208, McLean, VA 22102 or (703) 790-0717. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.
Participants in Solicitation
The Company, K Enter, and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s shareholders in connection with the Proposed Business Combination. The Company’s shareholders and other interested persons may obtain, without charge, more detailed information regarding the directors and officers of the Company in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on May 25, 2023. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies to the Company’s shareholders in connection with the Proposed Business Combination will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Proposed Business Combination, when available. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Proposed Business Combination will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus that the Company intends to file with the SEC. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described above.
No Offer or Solicitation
This press release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the Proposed Business Combination and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or exemptions therefrom.
Contact
Global Star Acquisition Inc.
1641 International Drive, Unit 208
Mclean, VA 22102
Anthony Ang
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Anthony.ang@globalstarspac.com
