Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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China outpaces Korea in smaller OLED shipments for 1st time
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Yoon, Lee end first talks with differences, agree to meet more
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CU launches beer subscription service
CU is launching a beer subscription service to target the increasing number of people enjoying imbibing alone and at home, the convenience store chain operator said Thursday. BGF Retail, the firm behind the convenience store chain, has teamed up with beer subscription app service Dailyshot to roll out its service where a user can get three cans of popular beer products from a nearby CU store at 6,900 won ($6.10) per month. CU is the first to launch such a service for beer in the convenience
March 18, 2021
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More cosmetics firms adopt eco-friendly packaging
More cosmetics companies in South Korea are adopting eco-friendly packaging amid growing concerns and calls to reduce single-use plastic. Earlier this month, cosmetics conglomerate Amorepacific unveiled eco-friendly paper packaging which it said reduces the use of plastic by some 70 percent and can last up to 36 months. The paper tube container, which uses “nano thin film blocking” technology and will be adopted for its clean beauty brand Primera sometime in the first half of this
March 18, 2021
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[News Focus] Four-way race for E-bay Korea acquisition
The race to acquire a controlling stake in eBay Korea is shaping up to be a four-way battle, with big-name players in retail all in for a deal valued at 5 trillion won ($4.42 billion). According to industry sources, Lotte Group, Emart Inc., SK Telecom Co. and private equity firm MBK Partners have been chosen as the preliminary bidders to buy the South Korean unit of the e-commerce giant, which operates some of the country’s major online shopping platforms including Gmarket, Auction and G
March 17, 2021
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Shinsegae, Naver ink stock swap deal to combine forces in retail industry
South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group and information technology behemoth Naver are combining forces to gain an upper hand in the fast-changing e-commerce field, the two firms announced Tuesday. Chiefs of the two sides signed a stock swap deal worth 250 billion won ($221 million) and a strategic partnership agreement at JW Marriott Hotel in Seoul earlier in the day, they said. The ceremony was attended by E-mart CEO Kang Heui-seok and Shinsegae CEO Cha Jeong-ho, both from Shinsegae Grou
March 16, 2021
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Drive-thru, delivery push up sales at McDonald's Korea
Despite difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, McDonald’s Korea witnessed a 7 percent growth in sales last year, driven by strong drive-thru and delivery orders, the company said Tuesday. In a pre-recorded video, McDonald’s Korea Managing Director Antoni Martinez revealed that overall sales for McDonald’s and its franchises here topped 980 billion won ($866 million) in 2020, up 7 percent from a year earlier. Excluding franchise outlets, the revenue for stores directl
March 16, 2021
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Ikea Korea launches first Circular Hub in Goyang branch
Ikea Korea has unveiled its first “Circular Hub” in South Korea at its Goyang branch in Gyeonggi Province, where second-hand items are sold, the Swedish furniture company said Monday. The Circular Hub is a global project introduced by the Ingka Group, in its commitment to prolong the life of its products and contribute to circularity, Ikea explained. “With the launch of ‘Circular Hub,’ we are excited to support the many people with new, more inspiring ways to ea
March 15, 2021
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Pulmuone Foods names LG’s ex-marketing director as new CEO
Pulmuone Foods, a subsidiary of fresh food company Pulmuone, said Monday it had named the ex-vice president of LG’s Global Marketing Center as its new CEO. Kim Jin-hong, the new CEO of Pulmuone Foods, boasts some 20 years of marketing experience under his belt at home and abroad. The 55-year-old took on multiple senior roles while at LG including President of LG Electronics France and was the president of Kellogg Company’s South Korean unit between 2013 and 2014. “As the co
March 15, 2021
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Coway hires BTS as new model
Coway has hired the BTS as the new model for global promotion of the company, the Korean home appliances rental company said Sunday. Signing the contract with BTS’ management agency Big Hit Entertainment, Coway said it seeks to raise brand awareness and increase its consumer base in the global market. Under the contract, BTS will be promoting the company image and its services, including lease of various appliances such as water and air purifiers and mattress rentals, Coway said. Adve
March 14, 2021
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After Coupang, Market Kurly seeks IPO in 2021 at home or in US
South Korean e-commerce grocer Market Kurly said Friday it has decided to go public within this year and is exploring whether to make its stock market debut at home or in the United States. "We received positive statements from our accounting consultants about going public within this year," Market Kurly spokesman Song Cheol-wook said. "We are open to all options," he said, though he said the US is not a fixed destination as debuting on the New York Stock Exchange would req
March 12, 2021
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Revisiting the rise of Coupang ahead of NYSE debut
Coupang has been in the headlines ever since it filed for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange last month, generating speculation over its value. When it is Thursday in the US, Coupang will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange at $35 per share, the company announced Thursday (Seoul time). It is the biggest IPO debut for any foreign company since Alibaba. At home it is the second-largest e-commerce platform, trailing only Naver, the country’s internet conglomerat
March 11, 2021
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Amorepacific becomes first South Korean cosmetics company to join RE100
Amorepacific said Wednesday it has joined RE100, a global renewable power initiative, becoming the first South Korean cosmetics firm to do so. The company plans to supply electricity in the workplace entirely with renewable energy by 2030 in an effort to help tackle climate change. From production to logistics, energy sourced to run all of its facilities at home and abroad, including the headquarters and its research center, will be affected by the initiative. Launched in 2014 and led by the
March 10, 2021
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Two weeks into opening, the Hyundai Seoul makes a splash in sales
Seoul’s newest and biggest department store, the Hyundai Seoul, is enjoying immense popularity, in what industry insiders hope to be a sign of a revival of consumer sentiment amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. According to industry analysts on Tuesday, the shopping mall in the office district of Yeouido, central Seoul, is estimated to have recorded sales of 37.2 billion won ($32.6 million) in its first week of business, since pre-opening on Feb. 24. Some 1.5 million people are esti
March 9, 2021
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Yanolja to give out stocks worth W10m to each staff
Yanolja, the largest accommodation and leisure activity booking platform operator in South Korea, said Monday it would give out 10 million-won ($8,900) worth of stocks in their company to each of its 1,000 staff. The decision will see the stocks given to the company’s current employees and new staff, after CEO and co-founder Lee Su-jin and head of C&D Lim Sang-kyu donated a total of 600,000 stocks. Though the company has previously given stocks to some of its staff through its loya
March 8, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Women in leadership should be new normal’
Despite South Korea’s slow progress in breaking the glass ceiling, its tobacco industry has seen a leap forward in recent years. Last year, BAT Korea appointed its first female country manager. Philip Morris Korea has also made progress in building an inclusive work environment, with initiatives such as flexible working hours, remote working and half-day Fridays. In Korea, 33 percent of the company’s mid-level and senior management staff are women, with a goal of hitting 40 percent
March 7, 2021
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FTC to revise e-commerce law in line with new shopping norms
When Kim Ji-young -- a pseudonym -- purchased a designer bag for 1.96 million won ($1,737) via an online community in 2019, she was told that delivery would take about four weeks as the bag was coming from another country. The bag, however, never arrived and the seller was nowhere to be found. Kim’s case is among the 69,452 cases of online shopping consumer damage reported to the Korea Consumer Agency in the past five years. While the e-commerce retail industry is growing by leaps and b
March 7, 2021
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[Weekender] Cycling, a pandemic-perfect sport
From going out late at night to traveling abroad, the coronavirus pandemic has prevented us from doing many things we love -- except for cycling. On the weekend, serious cyclists with racing bicycles and more casual riders on Seoul Bikes mingle on the cycling lanes alongside the Han River in Seoul which cuts through the city and stretches nearly 500 kilometers. Kim Tae-gyun, a 37-year-old marketing director and a former PE teacher in Seoul, said cycling has become his go-to exercise as of lat
March 6, 2021
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Online shopping grows over 20% in Jan. amid pandemic
Online shopping in South Korea grew more than 20 percent in January from a year earlier as the protracted pandemic promoted more people to buy products via e-commerce platforms, data showed Friday. The value of online transactions stood at 15.1 trillion won ($13.3 billion) in January, up 22.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The value of online shopping in January slightly declined from a record high of 15.9 trillion won in December last year but still
March 5, 2021
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[News Focus] Who will acquire eBay Korea?
Alongside Coupang’s imminent debut on the US stock market, the local e-commerce market is in for another major event -- the sale of eBay’s Korean unit which operates one of the biggest online marketplaces here, Gmarket. According to industry sources on Thursday, major local retail giants and IT firms may be considering participating in the race to acquire eBay Korea. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the two advisory firms for the auction, have sent information memorandums, or I
March 4, 2021
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Lotte Confectionery rolls out spicy tteokbokki-flavor sauce ice cream
Lotte Confectionery is launching a spicy cheese tteokbokki-flavored ice cream, the company said Tuesday. The new flavor is being introduced as a limited edition of Lotte’s Chal Tteok ice cream line. A total of 500,000 will be sold in retail channels including supermarkets and ice cream discount stores. To make the tteokbokki flavor, the company said it mixed Jalapeno into the orange-colored rice cake, which wraps around the cheddar cheese-flavored ice cream with spicy chips and cookie
March 2, 2021
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Number of duty free store shoppers plunges to a record low in January
The number of shoppers at duty free stores stood at 343,983 in January, the lowest since the coronavirus crisis began to affect the South Korean economy last March, according to the Korea Duty Free Shops Association. Some 280,000 South Korean nationals and 59,600 foreign nationals spent a 1.38 trillion won, the latest data from the association showed. The figure is down nearly 80,000 compared to December last year. Sales, however, are up 16.7 percent compared to the previous month. Compared t
March 2, 2021