Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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SPC heir promoted as president
Paris Baguette operator SPC Group promoted its third-generation heir Hur Jin-soo as president of Paris Croissant, the group‘s de facto holding company, the firm announced Thursday. The recent promotion is in recognition of Hur’s contribution to raising Paris Baguette’s brand awareness in major foreign markets, explained SPC. He also led the bakery chain’s joint venture project in Indonesia and Cambodia this year. At its global branches, SPC appointed foreign executive
Dec. 30, 2021
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Shinsegae buys stake in Seoul Auction to explore art, NFTs
Shinsegae and Seoul Auction are teaming up to expand operations in arts, NFTs and metaverse fields, South Korea’s largest art auction house said Thursday. The department store operator will purchase 28 billion-won ($23.6 million) of new shares issued by Seoul Auction, according to a DART announcement posted by the two firms on Wednesday. When the acquisition is finalized on Jan. 6, Shinsegae will own a 4.82 percent stake in Seoul Auction. The firm is currently the largest art auc
Dec. 30, 2021
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Manufacturer to pay compensation for ‘toxic’ baby bathtubs
A local manufacturer and a distributor of a plastic baby bathtub that was previously recalled for containing high levels of toxic environmental hormones will have to pay compensation to thousands of customers. The Korea Consumer Agency said Wednesday it advised the baby tub’s manufacturer, Daehyeon Chemical, and its intermediate distributor, Kihyun Industries, to pay 50,000 won ($42) to each customer who used the product as compensation. While the tub was mostly sold at Daiso stores, t
Dec. 29, 2021
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[Best Brand] Coway’s new induction cooktop in high demand
Home appliances company Coway said its new induction cooktop is enjoying high demand thanks to its auto cooking function, as more consumers are choosing to cook at home rather than eat out amid the pandemic. The auto cooking function of Coway’s Noble Induction Freedom, launched in November, saves the trouble of watching and controlling the heat for pots and pans to keep the contents from burning or boiling over. When cooking rice in a pressure cooker, for example, the cooktop automatic
Dec. 28, 2021
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[Best Brand] aT, driver behind kimchi exports
Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) has been at the center of promoting kimchi overseas, expanding the fermented dish’s presence in the United States and increasing its global exports. Located in Naju, South Jeolla Province, the state-owned company overlooks the distribution and transaction of all agricultural goods produced in Korea. One of its recent efforts is promoting kimchi in the United States and abroad. The firm has been particularly upping its activities i
Dec. 28, 2021
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60% of locals say K-fried chicken ‘not Korean’: survey
Six out of 10 Koreans do not think fried chicken is Korean food, or hansik, according to a survey from a public institution released Monday. The results come from a survey conducted by the Korea Food Promotion Institution in October on 1,500 Korean nationals aged between 19 to 69. Respondents were shown 30 dishes commonly enjoyed by locals and asked whether they thought the dish was “Korean” or not. Only 36.1 percent of respondents answered Korean style fried chicken -- without
Dec. 27, 2021
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Korean fragrance market soars on pandemic blues
The market for fragrance products has seen an unprecedented expansion both in size and type of products, with more consumers, especially those in their 20s and 30s, opening their wallets for new olfactory experiences in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. According to global market watcher Euromonitor, Korea’s fragrance market grew 36.4 percent from 2018 to 2019, and is projected to reach 650 billion won ($547.5 million) by 2023. “During a crisis, we depend more on our olfact
Dec. 26, 2021
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[Weekender] As pandemic continues, Christmas home parties evolve
For Kim Yo-sup, a 23-year-old student in Seoul, Christmas last year was a nightmare. Being forced to stay at home, a Zoom Christmas party was his only practical option to celebrate the holidays. Come this holiday season, he is determined to avoid a repeat of last year. “Before COVID-19, I used to party outside on Christmas Eve until Christmas with my friends. Last year, I was living with my parents. So I was extra careful and met my friends through Zoom on Christmas. This year, I will be
Dec. 25, 2021
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Bristling over virus restrictions, small businesses stage protest
Hundreds of small business owners took to the streets in Seoul on Wednesday to express their pent-up anger over the government‘s retightening of COVID-19 protocols nationwide. Chants of “Stop politically-motivated quarantine measures that kill all business owners” resounded throughout Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul, as the large group of protesters demanded an immediate lift of gathering bans and operation hour limits. “The more than three-month long level four so
Dec. 22, 2021
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Don’t throw away Glo devices, return them, says BAT Rothmans
BAT Rothmans, the Korean business arm of British American Tobacco, is ramping up its recycling campaign in Korea to encourage people not to throw away used Glo devices, the company said Wednesday. The Seoul office of the London-based tobacco company said it has installed return bins for Glo tobacco heating devices at 50 convenience stores in cities nationwide with heavy foot traffic, with more to be added in the coming year. Customers can go to either a 7-Eleven, CU or GS25 convenience store
Dec. 22, 2021
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Virtual model Lucy set to debut as Lotte Shopping show host
Virtual humans are everywhere: They promote products on social media, appear on billboard ads and now host infomercial shows. Lotte Home Shopping said Tuesday its virtual model Lucy will make her television debut as a show host on Wednesday for a special Christmas broadcast. Lucy is scheduled to appear in a teaser clip of the program and will introduce products offered on sale. This will be the first time the public gets to hear her voice, the infomercial channel said. Boasting 70,000 fol
Dec. 21, 2021
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Louis Vuitton out, as duty-free suffers
Louis Vuitton, a brand that once symbolized the prestige that came along with overseas travel for Koreans, is exiting some duty-free stores in Korea, according to multiple officials in the industry. “Louis Vuitton announced mid this year it will pull out of all Korean duty-free stores operating in the city. It’s unclear exactly when, but we expect it will be around the end of the year to early 2022,” said one official from a local duty-free operator who requested anonymity.
Dec. 20, 2021
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Korean food companies go vegan to target meat-alternative market
Plant will become the new beef on our dinner tables soon, with more Korean food companies coming up with their own versions of plant-based meat alternatives to cater to global vegan population of some 79 million and growing. CJ CheilJedang said Sunday its launching a vegan brand called PlantTable due to a growing interest in vegetarian food here in Korea and around the world. The food company said it will launch two types of vegan Bibigo Dumpling products in Singapore and Australia sometime
Dec. 19, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Demand for wine, Korean beef surge in 2021, says E-mart
Customer demand for wine and Korean beef has shown rapid increase this year, as an alternative to dining outside, said the local discount chain E-mart on Sunday. The discount retailer tracked the changes in the type of products sold from 2019 to November this year. According to the store’s data, wine leaped from 10th place in 2019 to sixth in 2021, with sales jumping by 32 percent from 2019. More Korean consumers have started venturing into higher-priced wines compared to the sta
Dec. 19, 2021
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Amorepacific shifts China strategy for sales rebound
South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific is mulling drastically reducing the number of its Chinese stores amid faltering sales, while also ramping up efforts to expand its luxury portfolio and online sales. President Kim Seung-hwan reportedly hinted at a strategic shift in the company’s China business in a meeting with local analysts this week. As of 2019, Amorepacific operated 1,280 stores of five budget brands -- Hera, IOPE, Mamonde, Etude and Laneige -- in China. In 2020 that number fe
Dec. 16, 2021
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Trade Week 2021 offers export opportunities for SMEs
Trade Week 2021 ended its four-day run on Friday, connecting local small and medium sized enterprises with foreign buyers and inviting experts to share insights on globalization strategies. Organized by the Seoul Business Agency, the event offered various business opportunities for participating small enterprises through programs such as online business matching with foreign buyers, live commerce sessions and product launch events. Local daily necessities maker CM Company inked a deal with
Dec. 15, 2021
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Beating COVID blues: Koreans open wallets for ‘sweet luxuries’
This year will be the first time Choi Kyung-mi ordered a cake for Christmas. The freelance writer placed an order for a 38,000 won chocolate vegan cake she planned on sharing with friends and family at a party to celebrate the end of the year. She was one of the lucky ones: Cakes have already been selling out at bakeries across the country. Tous Les Jours bakery franchise operator CJ Foodville said it has seen an explosive growth in reservations for its Christmas cakes this year, as ma
Dec. 13, 2021
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CJ Olive Young to speed up online push ahead of IPO next year
Health and beauty store chain CJ Olive Young plans to go beyond brick-and-mortar retail and transform itself into an “omnichannel platform” that connects e-commerce with offline retail, ahead of its plans to go public next year. “No one inside the company defines Olive Young as a health and beauty store. We see our brand as an omnichannel platform,” Olive Young CEO Koo Chang-geun said at a press event at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Friday. The renewed push to
Dec. 12, 2021
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Beauty companies share globalization strategy at Trade Week 2021
Business leaders in the cosmetics and beauty industry shared their thoughts on the growth potential of K-beauty on Thursday, at Trade Week 2021, a four-day global conference organized by the Seoul Business Agency to offer support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Seoul. L’Oreal’s Chief Digital Officer Lee Seon-young kicked off the seminar, explaining how digitalization is changing the company’s business strategy. “We do not think the rise in online busine
Dec. 9, 2021
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Whey out of line: Seoul Milk under fire for portraying women as dairy cows in ad
Korea’s No. 1 milk producer by market share, Seoul Dairy Cooperative is under fire for objectifying women and portraying voyeurism in its latest video advertisement for its organic milk products. The 52-second video shows people, most of whom are presumably women, dressed in white drinking water from a stream and relaxing in a green meadow somewhere in Gangwon Province. In the next scene, a man quietly approaches with a video camera from the cover of trees. He steps on a branch an
Dec. 9, 2021