-
Coupang adds Kiehl’s to R.LUX lineup, expands premium beauty offering
South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang announced Tuesday that it has begun offering products from global cosmetics brand Kiehl’s through R.LUX, its premium beauty product delivery platform. Founded in New York 170 years ago, Kiehl's is a globally recognized premium beauty brand owned by French beauty giant L'Oreal. It is best known for its moisturizing products, such as lip balms and facial creams. To celebrate the launch, R.LUX is running a promotional event for Kiehl’s products through Sunday.
April 22, 2025 -
Coway claims 2025 triple crown in brand rankings
Coway, a leading South Korean appliance company, announced Thursday that it ranked high in key brand evaluations for 2025, demonstrating strong market trust. In Brandstock’s "Korea's Top 100 Brands” for the first quarter this year, Coway ranked 32nd, climbing three spots from the previous quarter. The rankings are based on the evaluation company’s Brand Stock Top Index, which consults over 1,000 brands across 230 industries through consumer surveys and market data. Coway also dominated the 2025
April 17, 2025 -
Samyang's Buldak hot sauce to spice up Coachella
Samyang Foods said Thursday it has renewed the packaging for its popular hot chicken flavored Buldak hot sauce, as part of a strategy to expand its presence in global markets. The redesign is aimed at attracting a new generation of consumers — particularly younger people and new customers — by highlighting the sauce’s intense heat and enhancing its packaging with bold visual elements. The updated bottle features a striking torch graphic representing its fiery flavor, as well as a flame-shaped QR
April 10, 2025 -
Chilsung Cider celebrates 75th anniversary with new package design
Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., a leading South Korean food and beverage company, has unveiled a new package design for its iconic lemon-lime soft drink, Chilsung Cider, in celebration of the brand’s 75th anniversary. The redesign, which rolled out in November 2024, marked the drink’s first major update in 24 years. The refreshed packaging features a larger central star — Chilsung’s core symbol — alongside a bold, modern font. Launched in 1950, Chilsung Cider has sold over 37.5 billion cans (250 mi
March 30, 2025 -
Instant noodles, beer, milk and burgers to cost more starting April
Those living in Korea should get ready to spend more, as prices for popular items such as ramyeon, beer, milk and burgers are set to rise in April. South Korean food giant Ottogi Corp. will raise prices on 16 of its 27 ramyeon products by an average of 7.5 percent, marking its first price hike in over two years. Jin Ramen, one of Ottogi’s flagship instant noodle brands, will increase from 716 won to 790 won at major hypermarkets on April 1. “Due to the recent surge in exchange rates, the costs o
March 30, 2025 -
Watch out for fake K-food products
Copycats of iconic Korean food products are being sold in China and elsewhere, with deceiving packaging Can you tell if this is real Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen or a knockoff? It is a fake -- not genuine -- Samyang Foods product. The real one bears the Samyang Foods logo, while this one has a "Bingoone" logo instead. According to Seo Kyoung-duk, a liberal arts professor at Sungshin Women's University who is most known for campaigning to promote Korean culture overseas on Tuesday, this is just one
March 25, 2025 -
From fad to lifestyle: Slow-aging diet gains momentum among young Koreans
Food companies embrace new health trend with more nutritious offerings Ha Sang-hee, a woman in her 30s, regularly shares photos of her homemade meals on social media platform X. Her dishes consistently exclude white rice, processed foods and strongly flavored sauces— a choice she refers to as the "slow-aging diet." To fully enjoy meals without these ingredients, she experiments with recipes and shares her successful creations online. "(After eight months on the diet,) I feel my stamina and immun
March 22, 2025 -
More South Korean eggs headed for US
More South Korean eggs are poised to make their way into American kitchens as the United States prepares to ramp up imports to stabilize US egg prices, according to news reports on Friday. Speaking to reporters and industry leaders on Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said South Korea would join Turkey and Brazil in bolstering egg shipments to the US. The move comes as part of a broader initiative by the US government to mitigate soaring egg prices, which have reached record highs f
March 21, 2025 -
Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun Toomba debuts in Malaysia
Korea’s No. 1 ramyeon maker, Nongshim, said Monday that it has launched its new Shin Ramyun type, Shin Ramyun Toomba, in Malaysia by launching a brand shop on TikTok Shop, the leading online platform there. To boost brand awareness, Nongshim appointed top Malaysian singers, including Khai Bahar and Wany Hasrita, as ambassadors. They are promoting the product through the TikTok series “Snow Falling in Busan.” Additionally, the company is strengthening offline marketing by securing placements in m
March 17, 2025 -
AmCham, Homeplus partner to boost US food imports
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and Homeplus signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to expand the import of US food products and strengthen trade cooperation between Korea and the US. The signing ceremony, held at Homeplus' headquarters in Seoul, was attended by AmCham Chairman and CEO James Kim, Homeplus CEO Jo Ju-yeon, and officials from the US Embassy’s Department of Agriculture. This marks the first official partnership under AmCham’s "Buy America" campaign. As part of th
March 13, 2025 -
Consumer prices rise at 2% level for 2nd month in Feb. on weak Korean won
South Korea's consumer prices rose at a 2 percent level for the second consecutive month in February, driven by a weaker local currency that pushed up import costs, data showed Thursday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, increased 2 percent from a year earlier last month, according to the data from Statistics Korea. This follows a 2.2 percent on-year rise in January, which marked the steepest on-year increase since July. South Korea's consumer inflation has remained below 3 percent sinc
March 6, 2025 -
Gim prices fall slightly after yearlong climb
After more than a year of steadily rising prices, gim, crispy dried seaweed, has finally seen a slight decline in cost. According to data released Tuesday by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the average retail price for 10 sheets of dried gim stood at 1,400 won ($0.96) as of Feb. 28. That marks a decrease of 27 won from the previous week and 76 won from the prior month. Despite the drop, prices remain high — 25 percent above last year’s 1,119 won. For 12 consecutive months, gim
March 4, 2025 -
South Koreans consumed 30kg of pork per person in 2024
The average South Korean consumed an estimated 30 kilograms of pork last year, according to data released Monday. South Korea’s livestock cooperative designated March 3 as Samgyeopsal Day — the date referring to the three layers of fat that give the cut its name — to promote sales of pork belly, with local retailers often running special discounts. According to data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute, last year’s per capita pork consumption marked a 6.8 percent increase from the five-year a
March 3, 2025 -
Sweet success: Choco Pie tops 4b unit sales
Orion's iconic snack Choco Pie surpassed 4 billion units sold last year, marking the highest annual figure since its launch in 1974. Orion on Thursday unveiled key sales figures to celebrate the snack's 50th anniversary. According to the company, total sales since the product's launch have exceeded 50 billion units, with cumulative revenue surpassing 8 trillion won ($6 billion). In particular, 67 percent of sales, or 5.5 trillion won, came from overseas markets. Orion attributed its success to i
Feb. 27, 2025 -
Pulmuone, Orion see stellar 2024 earnings of over W3tr
Powered by upbeat overseas sales, Pulmuone, Orion see continued sales growth Korean food giants Pulmuone and Orion will join the list of food companies with over 3 trillion won ($2.09 billion) in sales for 2024, driven by the rising global popularity of Korean food. According to the market consensus issued by Korean securities companies in the December-January period, health-focused food company Pulmuone is expected to log 3.18 trillion won in sales last year, a 6.5 percent increase from a year
Jan. 26, 2025