Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok team up in 'Whenever Possible'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Aging population to drive down Korea's housing prices from 2040: experts
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[Herald Interview] Pernod Ricard’s fight for millennials’ hearts comes with whisky and art
In an online auction early this month, Scotch whisky brand Royal Salute sold artworks inspired by the brand with the help of Seoul Auction. Bidders scrambled until the last minute to get hold of the items that ended up selling at prices higher than the company had expected. “It was really impressive to see these brand-inspired artworks sold out at such high prices,” said Florent Leroi, marketing director at the South Korean unit of global liquor company Pernod Ricard, during an int
April 27, 2021
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Retail sales up 18.5% in March on spring promotions, revenge shopping
Retail sales in South Korea jumped 18.5 percent in March from a year earlier on the back of seasonal promotions by offline stores, with local consumers also turning to "revenge shopping" amid the prolonged virus pandemic. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 13.1 trillion won ($11.7 billion) last month, up from 11.1 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Sales from offline stores jumped
April 27, 2021
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‘BTS effect’: Why corporations want a piece of the action
BTS’ success in the music industry is fast spilling over into the advertising business as more companies seek a promotional boost from the group and their fans’ social media omnipresence. Last Monday, McDonald’s announced it would team up with South Korean pop group BTS for a new celebrity meal named The BTS Meal. A few days later, French fashion house Louis Vuitton named the pop icons as its new House Ambassadors. The two companies’ posts on Twitter were soon met with
April 25, 2021
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Oriental Brewery taps Youn Yuh-jung as brand ambassador
South Korea’s largest brewer, Oriental Brewery, has tapped veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung as the new brand ambassador for its flagship beer brand Cass, the company said Friday. In a commercial, Youn, the first Korean woman to be nominated for an Academy Award and a strong contender for best supporting actress, discusses opening herself up to form relationships with people as she promotes the beer. The company said Youn, “who is not afraid to speak her mind,” is an inspiration
April 23, 2021
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CU implements electric trucks for supply delivery
CU is implementing electric trucks for supply deliveries to its stores to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the convenience store chain said Thursday. BGF Retail, the operator behind the convenience store chain, said it is introducing Kia’s Bongo EV, the pure electric version of the automaker’s compact pickup truck. The trucks will be delivering products from BGF Logis Gwangju, its distribution center in Gyeonggi Province to midsized and large CU stores in Seoul’s Gangnam ar
April 22, 2021
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Homeplus appoints ‘retail veteran’ Lee Jae-hoon as new CEO
Homeplus has appointed Lee Jae-hoon, currently leading Carver Korea, as its new chief executive officer, the company said Wednesday. According to the South Korean discount chain, Lee is a retail expert who has built his career in the retail and consumer goods industry for about 30 years, spending a third of that time as CEO of many retail companies. Lee, who is currently the CEO of Carver Korea, a cosmetics firm known for its skin care brand AHC, will start in the role at Homeplus in May. L
April 21, 2021
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Yuhan-Kimberly partners with forestry agency, environmental group to create forest
Yuhan-Kimberly has teamed up with the Korea Forest Service and an environmental organization to create a forest dedicated to carbon neutrality, the South Korean hygiene product manufacturer said Tuesday. According to the company, the firm, the state-run Korea Forest Service and Forest for Life agreed to work together to plant trees in Seokpo Forest in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to establish what they christened the carbon neutrality forest. On April 8, the company held a signing ceremony a
April 20, 2021
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McDonald's to release BTS meal in nearly 50 countries
Fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s has announced that it is teaming up with popular Korean group BTS for a new celebrity meal which will hit the stores next month globally. The BTS Meal consists of a 10 Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a medium Coke as well as Sweet Chili and Cajun dipping sauces inspired by popular recipes from the South Korean unit of McDonald’s, which will be available for the first time in the US. The new collaboration, which follows the company’s prev
April 20, 2021
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Coca-Cola hopeful COVID-19 vaccines will reverse profit slide
NEW YORK (AFP) -- Coca-Cola reported Monday a decline in first-quarter earnings amid continued weakness in away-from-home sales, but said increased vaccine availability was boosting sales in some markets. The soda giant, which relies on sporting events, concerts and other public venues for a significant fraction of its sales, described performance as a mixed bag, depending on the region. Coca-Cola scored stronger volumes in China and India, but lower volumes in the United States and Europe du
April 19, 2021
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Oriental Brewery begins sale of All New Cass nationwide
South Korea’s largest brewer, Oriental Brewery, has begun the sale of its newly revamped flagship beer All New Cass nationwide. Following a ceremony at its Cheongju plant on Sunday, the beer -- bottled in clear glass -- will hit the shelves at convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and entertainment venues sometime late this month, the company said. In March, OB unveiled the new Cass, ditching the brand’s famous brown bottle in a dramatic change of appearance, hoping to cont
April 19, 2021
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Coway’s ad featuring BTS racks up over 10 million views
South Korean home appliance maker Coway has said its new advertisements featuring K-pop group BTS have racked up over 10 million views on YouTube. In yet another sign of the group’s commercial success in the advertisement industry, the septet’s commercials promoting the company’s products, including a water purifier and a mattress, were met with millions of views and over 25,000 comments within 17 days, Coway said. The ads, which are available on the company’s official
April 18, 2021
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After Coupang Eats’ success, other food delivery apps rush to speed up delivery
South Korean food delivery apps are rushing to offer speedier delivery services by making riders deliver just one order at a time, rather than multiple orders, to ensure the freshness of the food – a move borne out of growing competition in the industry. WeMakePrice O, food delivery app operated by e-commerce platform WeMakePrice, became the latest to adopt the “one order per trip” system this week, as it announced a memorandum of understanding with LK ICT, a company that
April 18, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Can yogurt fight COVID-19? Namyang Dairy under fire for false claims
Namyang Dairy Products, a major dairy producer here, has come under fire for claiming its yogurt drink prevents COVID-19. At a symposium hosted by the Korea Research & Institute of Bio Medical Science on Tuesday, the head of Namyang Dairy’s internal research institute presented the results of its research on Bulgaris, the firm’s yogurt drink. “We’re the first firm in the country that has discovered fermented dairy products are effective in preventing influenza and
April 15, 2021
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BTS represents Korean beer Kloud
K-pop juggernaut boy band BTS is the new face of Korean beer brand Kloud, Lotte Chilsung Beverage said Thursday. The South Korean maker of liquor, soft drinks and tea has signed a modeling contract with the septet – RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- with financials of the deal undisclosed. The first commercial featuring the group will be unveiled Friday, the firm said. The signing of BTS signals a new marketing war among the three major beer makers in Korea – Orient
April 15, 2021
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BHC Chicken achieves W400b sales in 2020
BHC Co. logged 400.4 billion won ($358 million) in sales in 2020, up 26 percent from the year earlier, placing the company as the No. 2 South Korean fried chicken franchise, the franchise operator said Wednesday. According to BHC Co., which runs the BHC Chicken brand, the company’s operating profit also grew by 33 percent on-year to record 130 billion won in 2020. It is the first time the fried chicken franchise recorded sales surpassing the 400 billion mark, the company said. Among t
April 14, 2021
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Black Yak launches free hiking shoes rental service for foreigners
Black Yak is launching a rental service providing free hiking shoes for foreigners as part of its “Together Mountain” campaign, in partnership with the Gangbuk-gu Office in Seoul, the Korean outdoor clothing brand said Tuesday. On Tuesday, Black Yak Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kang Tae-sun and Gangbuk-gu Council Chairman Park Gyeom-su held the opening ceremony of the rental shop, located inside the Black Yak Ui-dong branch near Bukhansan Ui Station on the Ui-Sinseol Line.
April 13, 2021
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Coupang senior job openings in Singapore spark speculation of foray into Southeast Asia
South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang is hiring a small number of employees for senior positions in Singapore, a move that has been seen as part of steps to branch out into the Southeast Asian market. The company recently posted several job openings on global recruiting site Linkedin for its office in Singapore including head of retail, head of logistics and head of operations. It is also hiring a senior front-end engineer for its video streaming platform Coupang Play. A Coupang representati
April 13, 2021
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First CU store in Malaysia hits jackpot with Korean products
The first Malaysian outlet of CU, the South Korean convenience store chain, has seen more than 11,000 customers in just 10 days since opening, the company said Tuesday. According to BGF Retail, the firm behind the CU chain, an average of 1,000 people have visited the store in Kuala Lumpur daily since it opened on April 1. That is about three times the average number of visitors of CU stores in South Korea, the company added. A typical CU store here is open for 24 hours. But the Malaysian st
April 13, 2021
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Ginseng improves flu vaccine effectiveness in mice: research
Ginseng can help boost the effectiveness of flu vaccines used on mice, and is also helpful in protecting respiratory organs, Korea Ginseng Corp.’s research institute said Monday. According to a study by KGC’s Korea Ginseng Research Institute, ginseng intake increases the protective effect of vaccines compared to when the vaccine is used alone. The Korean ginseng company also cited research dubbed, “Protective Effect of Korean Red Ginseng Extract on the Infections by H1N1 a
April 12, 2021
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[News Focus] Coupang, E-mart, Market Kurly join race to offer cheapest price as competition grows
Major e-commerce giants in South Korea are offering the cheapest prices and free delivery to keep an edge over their rivals, as competition grows amid the pandemic-fueled online shopping boom. E-commerce grocer Market Kurly was the latest to ramp up competition on Monday as it announced its “Every Day Low Price” -- a lowest-price guarantee program for some 60 food products. The new measure will see the platform offer products such as rice, instant noodles, fresh vegetables and fru
April 12, 2021