Water purifier company Chungho Nice said that sales of its iced coffee machine in the first five months of the year more than tripled from a year prior. The Espre Caffe, which comes in four models, including a countertop version and a large, standing model, is a combination of an ice-dispensing water purifier and a capsule coffee machine that can be used at both home and the office. The taste a...

Hyundai Heavy Industries obtained an order worth $573 million on Monday to make six 2,400-metric-ton Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Philippine Department of National Defense. The Philippine Navy OPVs will be built at Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan shipyard until 2028. The vessel is to be equipped with a 76-millimeter main gun, two 30-mm secondary guns, a helideck capable of operating a helico...

South Korea’s top business leaders assembled for the wedding of Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun’s eldest daughter at a small church in Seoul on Monday. The VIP list included Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong and his daughter, Lee Won-ju. The Samsung chief and his daughter, in a $2,000 Versace sleeveless mini dress and a pair of Gianvito Rossi Portofino sandals, grabbed attention as they...

State-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp. said Monday that it would raise the electricity rate by 5 won (0.4 cent) per kWh, the maximum level it can raise, starting July in response to rising fuel costs and record losses. Following the rate hike, both electricity and gas rates will be increased from next month, imposing heavier burdens on businesses and households already being concerned of s...

Woori Bank, one of the five largest lenders in South Korea, is under investigation over suspicious money transfers totaling 800 billion won ($623 million) as one of the bank employees is standing a separate trial on charges that he stole 61 billion won in the largest bank theft local lenders have seen. A Woori branch in Seoul had sent the money overseas in the last year in what the bank and auth...

A 2.4 trillion won ($1.86 billion) seawater desalination project in Oman overseen by GS Engineering & Construction subsidiary GS Inima has kicked off, officials said Monday. GS Engineering & Construction has signed financing documents for GS Inima’s project to build a Barka 5 Independent Water Plant in Oman, a deal reached with Oman Power & Water Procurement Co. in 2020, the company said. Of th...

Leading total energy solution provider Hanwha Q Cells is accelerating efforts to bring solar energy into households in South Korea, with its Q.Home initiative that will allow people to produce, store and manage solar energy. The product is already being sold in Europe, where demand is high. The company, which entered the solar energy business in 2010 and has since provided energy storage systems...

The second edition of South Korean furniture and home appliance brand Coway’s Icon Water Purifier is garnering attention with its innovative characteristics. Launched June 2, the product features artificial intelligence technology that autonomously diagnoses the operation status of the water purifier, according to the company. In addition, the user can use its mobile app to not only analyze the...

Starbucks Korea has been bolstering its efforts in creating equal job opportunities and giving back to society. The coffee chain, with over 20,000 employees across over 1,600 locations nationwide, has been recognized by the government for providing equal employment opportunities to disadvantaged groups. The Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities chose Starbucks Korea as an “excel...

Powerful-X Recovery Cream is the nation’s No. 1 sports cream, offered by Powerful-X, a local sports beauty and health care company. Since its launch in 2014, sales exceeded 30 billion won ($23.2 million) in 2017 and its success led to the maker’s stock debut on Konex, a securities exchange for small and medium-sized firms, in the same year. The firm attributed the cream’s huge success to its st...

Automatic car wash system company Come In Wash first received attention for offering high quality car wash services using an automatic, no-touch, no-brush car wash which was patented in 2019. With increasing market demand and business expansion, Come In Wash has opened its first branch in downtown Seoul on June 10. Located in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, it offers a top quality car wash sys...

Shinhan Card recently launched debit cards that feature the popular animation character Loopy, targeting “Generation MZ,” a local term combining millennials and Generation Z and roughly encompassing those born from the 1980s to 2010s. “Hilarious Loopy,” an exaggerated version of Loopy’s funny character, went viral across social media and online communities among teens and 20-somethings, promptin...

Experts say few options left for government to control sky-high oil prices; Refiners resist, calling profits “short-lived”

South Korea's first COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed by SK Bioscience Co., has received an approval recommendation from a government advisory group of pharmaceutical experts, officials said Monday, pushing the vaccine candidate one step closer to commercial launch. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said GBP510, the vaccine candidate developed by SK Bioscience, was recommended during a me...

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. had the highest electric vehicle sales in Indonesia last month, an Indonesian automotive industry association said Sunday. Hyundai sold 196 EVs -- 195 units of the IONIQ 5 and one unit of the IONIQ Electric -- in the Southeast Asian market in May, according to the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO). Hyundai accounted for 98 percent of the e...