Most Popular
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Qoo10 liquidity crisis sparks massive complaints, fears of wider damage
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Yoon urges municipalities to embrace foreigners
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What is happening at Hybe?
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S. Korea to consent to Japan's Sado mines gaining World Heritage status: official
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Korea unveils tax reform bill to spur economy
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Actor’s excessive airport security sparks probe into human rights violations
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Actor Yoo Ah-in accused of sexual attack
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Man who let his father die due to financial difficulties to be released on parole
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S. Korea, China shifting from tensions to cooperation: Seoul
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LG Electronics achieves record earnings in Q2
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Lotte Mart apologizes for turning away guide dog in training
A day after receiving flak on social media, Lotte Mart issued an apology Monday over a recent incident where one of its employees refused entry to a dog being trained to assist a person with a disability. On Sunday, a social media user shared pictures of a dog sitting inside Lotte Mart’s Jamsil branch in Seoul and said an employee had refused to allow the dog and trainer into the store. “The employee raised their voice, blaming the woman for bringing a dog in when she is not eve
Nov. 30, 2020
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Pulmuone’s tofu achieves carbon trust standard
Pulmuone, a South Korean food company, said Monday its tofu products achieved a global standard for carbon footprints by Carbon Trust. According to Pulmuone, 10 of its tofu products attained Carbon Trust Standard for Carbon by Carbon Trust, a UK-based organization for climate impact reduction. “We are delighted to congratulate Pulmuone for being the first Korean food company to have its product carbon footprint certified by the Carbon Trust,” Morgan Jones, associate director of C
Nov. 30, 2020
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Massive year-end sales open on online shopping platforms
With the end-of-year shopping season in full swing, South Korea’s major online shopping platforms including Coupang, WeMakePrice and Olive Young have announced big discounts and special deals. Coupang, the largest e-commerce platform in the country, is holding a Christmas sale until Boxing Day offering a range of Christmas-related items at a special price including home decor products and gifts. Discounts of up to 50 percent are being offered for some of the most popular kids’ toys
Nov. 30, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Pernod Ricard brings RTD craze to Korea
Consumption of alcohol at home has been growing amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. According to Statistics Korea earlier this week, households spent an average 19,651 won ($17.75) a month on alcoholic beverages, the highest figure since the agency began collecting relevant data. With that, the demand for better convenience in drinking has also surged, further accelerating the growth of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages since before the pandemic. The ready-to-drink market in the US, for inst
Nov. 26, 2020
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Daesang eyes Middle East with Korean food products
South Korean general foods company Daesang said Thursday that it is branching out into the Middle Eastern market, which serves a population of about 4 billion, with popular food products such as halal-certified kimchi and tofu. Daesang said it has teamed up with 21 stores in Qatar, including Carrefour, Lulu and Spar. In Iraq its products are being distributed through Carrefour and Majidi Mall, with plans underway to expand its presence in the region to countries including Saudi Arabia and Israe
Nov. 26, 2020
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Amorepacific study shows harmful impact of mask wearing on skin
South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific published findings from a recent study on Wednesday showing that mask wearing can cause dry skin and redness. The researchers discovered that wearing a mask for between one and six hours can also bring significant change to skin temperature and sebum after conducting an experiment with 21 men and women. The perioral area – the area surrounding the mouth including both lips and the upper lip area under the nose – could be most affected afte
Nov. 25, 2020
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Home interior design app Ohouse secures $70 million in investment
Home interior design platform Ohouse has raised 77 billion won ($70 million) in a new round of Series C funding from investors including technology investment firm Bond, the app’s operator, Bucketplace, said Monday. IMM Investment, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Capital and Naver Corporation were among the existing investors that participated in this round, the company added. This raises the company’s total funding to 88 billion won ($80 million). Launched in 2014, th
Nov. 23, 2020
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Retail sales up in Oct. on pandemic, promotional events
Retail sales in South Korea increased 8.4 percent in October from a year earlier on the back of the pandemic and consumption-boosting events, data showed Monday. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 12.01 trillion won ($10.7 billion) last month, up from 11.08 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Online platforms led the overall growth, with their revenue advancing a whopping 17.2 percent over t
Nov. 23, 2020
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Card spending up 6.3% on-year during nationwide shopping festival in Nov.
Card spending made during a massive nationwide annual shopping festival earlier this month rose 6.3 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry said Friday, amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Card spending amounted to 37.4 trillion won ($33.5 billion) in the Nov. 1-15 period, when the country held the annual Korea Sale FESTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The shopping festival involving major retailers, manufacturers and traditional markets drew a total of 1,784
Nov. 20, 2020
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Starbucks Coffee Korea to test-run coffee delivery service
Starbucks Coffee Korea said Thursday it would start a test-run for coffee deliveries next week, and open a new delivery-only outlet. According to the coffee chain, it will open Yeoksam E-mart branch in Gangnam, Seoul on Nov. 27, where the coffeemaker will take only delivery orders made from the company’s mobile app. The 100-square-meter store will act as the space for employees to make drinks and prepare food, and for storing merchandize, Starbucks said. It will also have space for de
Nov. 19, 2020
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Amorepacific invests W3b in beauty content producer firm
South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific said Tuesday it would invest 3 billion won ($2.7 million) in Dmil, a multi-channel network company. According to Amorepacific, Dmil is a media contents firm, producing and selling cosmetics-related content and items, partnering with 250 content creators, including YouTubers Jella, Woorin and Chaeyoung. “From this investment, Amorepacific Group will establish a close partnership with beauty influencer-made contents and in commerce,” Lee Yo
Nov. 17, 2020
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Coupang now among 3 biggest employers in Korea
E-commerce giant Coupang was the third-largest business in South Korea in terms of staff as of the third quarter of this year, following Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, a market research firm said Tuesday. The report released by CEOScore showed that Coupang hired a total of 43,171 employees as of late September, rising from the fourth-biggest employer position to the third. The report was based on data from the number of subscribers to the National Pension Service. Coupang’s ris
Nov. 17, 2020
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Amazon taps into Korea by investing in 11st
Amazon is partnering with Korean e-commerce platform 11st to avail purchase of its goods to Korean customers, 11st operator SK Telecom said Monday. According to SKT, which is SK Group’s mobile carrier that operates online shopping platform 11st, the two made an agreement for Amazon’s equity participation in 11st. Amazon is reportedly expected to purchase up to 30 percent of 11st’s company shares. Depending on 11st’s performance, which includes the company’s plan
Nov. 16, 2020
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[Monitor] Alibaba posts record-breaking Singles Day sales of $56.26 billion
China’s largest e-commerce platform, Alibaba, posted an increase in its annual Singles Day sales this year. While Alibaba had revealed daily sales figures for every Nov. 11 each year, this year its data included Nov. 1-10 presales figures, which reached 372.3 billion yuan ($56.26 billion). Presales combined with Nov. 11 sales totaled 498.2 billion yuan. What began as a celebration of singlehood in the country has become the world’s biggest one-day online sales event, with Alibaba s
Nov. 13, 2020
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Amorepacific appoints new president
South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific announced the appointment of Kim Seung-Hwan as its new president on Thursday, in a major post-COVID-19 shakeup following lackluster sales this year. Kim, 51, previously served multiple roles including as head of the human resources unit. He will replace Bae Dong-hyun as the group’s president from next year. The age gap between Kim and Bae has been seen as a move to bring younger blood into power as the company struggles to fend off competition b
Nov. 12, 2020
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Cafe24 to hold joint webinar on K-fashion in Japan with Shoplist
E-commerce platform Cafe24 will host a joint webinar with Japanese online fashion store Shoplist on how South Korean fashion businesses can branch out into Japan’s online fashion market. The event, scheduled for Nov. 18, will see Kazuya Santo, head of global business at Shoplist, touch on K-fashion trends and how businesses can strategize to succeed. Jaesuk Lee, CEO of Cafe24, promised similar events in the future and said growing interest in K-fashion continues to fuel global demand.
Nov. 12, 2020
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Estee Lauder’s apology for ‘Asian skin tone’ stokes backlash
US cosmetics giant Estee Lauder has apologized after unilaterally shipping a darker shade of foundation to Asian customers, but their decision to single out women in their apology is drawing yet another round of criticism. The company came under fire earlier this week after a viral online review revealed that a matte foundation product ordered online arrived in a different shade with a note explaining that Ivory Nude was the “best color for Asians” while Shell, which the customer h
Nov. 11, 2020
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Coupang opens counseling center for female delivery staff
E-commerce giant Coupang has recently opened a counseling center for its female delivery staff members as part of efforts to create a healthy work environment, the company said. The center will conduct various activities designed to resolve obstacles at work and provide consultation which can be scheduled by phone or on its website. For those who find an in-person visit difficult, phone or text consultations are also available. As of November, Coupang had about 400 female delivery staffs and t
Nov. 9, 2020
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Kahlua to roll out coffee cocktails at independent cafes in Seoul
Liqueur brand Kahlua will roll out new coffee cocktails at nine cafes across Seoul on Monday as part of its new “Coffee Goes Cocktails” campaign. Cafes 1984 in Mapo and BNHR in Yongsan are among the establishments where a special Kahlua-based cocktail representing each of their baristas will be sold, Pernod Ricard Korea said Thursday. “With Kahlua expanding its presence as the leading coffee liquor brand, we launched the event to take the lead in spreading coffee cocktail cul
Nov. 5, 2020
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eBay Korea's Big Smile Day goes big, offers customers chance to rent cinema
eBay Korea is adding a series of promotional events and special deals as part of its annual shopping event Big Smile Day -- including a cinema rental. From Thursday to Sunday, the promotional event dubbed “Smile Club Lounge” is going online to offline for members of Smile Club -- a premium membership service launched in 2017 that provides exclusive deals, discounts and specialized customer services that have helped the e-commerce giant secure a large number of loyal customers. Smi
Nov. 5, 2020