K-beauty eyes Wall Street glow-up with first ETF

A prospectus for what would be the first US-listed K-beauty exchange-traded fund arrived at the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, stirring expectations that global capital could soon flow into the sector at scale. The prospectus was filed by US-based asset manager Guinness Atkinson for its K-beauty ETF, ticker KBTY, which plans to list on NYSE Arca. The fund will put at least 80 percent of net assets into K-beauty companies, defined as firms organized, headquartered, or listed in Sou

2026-07-14 15:14:34:00

One face, one formula: Inside Amorepacific's AI beauty lab

Yongsan-gu has never been Seoul's beauty district, not like Seongsu or Myeong-dong, but it may be inching in that direction with Amorepacific's newest flagship store, Amore Yongsan, where beauty means one formula for one face. During The Korea Herald's visit to the store last week, a two-armed robot behind a glass wall labeled Hera Custom Match was at work inside its own sealed booth, selecting a bottle, carrying it to the pigment station and mixing, every so often breaking into a small dance mi

2026-07-14 11:20:42:00

Korean Air logs record Q2 revenue despite fuel-driven profit dip

Korean Air posted record second-quarter revenue on robust passenger travel and cargo demand, although operating profit slipped amid higher fuel costs, the national flag carrier said Monday. According to preliminary earnings data, second-quarter revenue rose 26 percent from a year earlier to 5.02 trillion won ($3.4 billion), marking the company's strongest April-to-June performance on record. Operating profit fell 34 percent to 261.8 billion won, pressured by higher jet fuel prices following the

2026-07-13 17:12:38:00

Cosmax enters Japan via joint venture in first overseas push

South Korean cosmetics manufacturer Cosmax has formed a joint venture with major Japanese beauty supplier Fujishin to take its artificial intelligence-powered beauty platform abroad for the first time, the company said Monday. The venture, called Trinex, is majority-owned by Cosmax, which holds a 51 percent stake. Fujishin holds the remaining 49 percent. It pairs Cosmax's formulation technology with Fujishin's network of roughly 20,000 salons across Japan, offering consumers customized products

2026-07-13 11:03:58:00

Hoban tops 20% in Hanjin KAL, narrows gap with Cho

Korean construction company Hoban Group has raised its stake in Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Korean Air parent Hanjin Group, to more than 20 percent, narrowing the gap with the controlling shareholder bloc led by Hanjin Group Chair Walter Cho to less than 1 percentage point. In a regulatory filing Friday, Hoban disclosed that its stake in Hanjin KAL had risen to 20.15 percent from 18.46 percent, after affiliates purchased an additional 1.13 million shares on the open market. The latest pur

2026-07-12 13:31:34:00

Late-night fried chicken? Tourists are ordering like locals

South Korean food delivery platform Baemin, operated by Woowa Brothers, saw orders from overseas visitors more than quadruple in the first half of this year. According to the company on Sunday, order volume placed through foreign-issued credit cards and global payment services such as WeChat Pay, Alipay and Apple Pay climbed 331 percent, while transaction value grew 308 percent. Baemin remains the only major domestic delivery app that accepts both foreign-issued credit cards and global payment p

2026-07-12 10:51:28:00

Agriculture minister taps Mongolia's appetite for K-food

Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung traveled to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, this week as South Korea seeks to tap rising demand for Korean food in one of its fastest-growing overseas markets, the Agriculture Ministry said Thursday. During her two-day visit on Wednesday and Thursday, Song attended consumer tasting events showcasing Korean fresh food products and highlighting cultural similarities between the two countries, where families gather over meals during major holidays. She also took part in th

2026-07-09 20:29:36:00

Daewoo E&C expands into AI-era energy infrastructure

Daewoo Engineering & Construction is expanding into energy infrastructure, betting that surging power demand from artificial intelligence data centers will create new opportunities in liquefied natural gas, nuclear power and small modular reactors. The company said the rapid expansion of generative AI was increasing demand not only for data center construction but also for reliable electricity supply. Daewoo E&C bills itself as the only Korean construction company with experience across the enti

2026-07-09 14:18:03:00

Meet the architect behind K-beauty's first US national week

Korean beauty recently earned a place on the US National Day Calendar with the inaugural National K-Beauty Week, held May 11 to 17, a fitting tribute to what is now one of the most powerful forces in the world's largest beauty market. Organized by global K-beauty distributor Landing International and beauty retailer Ulta Beauty, the week featured promotions across major US cities before culminating in a Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony in Times Square led by Landing International founder and CEO Sar

2026-07-09 13:52:58:00

Musinsa sets up Taiwan unit to accelerate Asia expansion

Musinsa has set up a new subsidiary in Taiwan, extending the South Korean fashion platform's regional reach as it moves to capture demand for Korean fashion across Asia, the company said Wednesday. The Taiwan unit, established Tuesday, positions Musinsa in what the company calls a promising market, backed by steady economic growth and growing local interest in Korean fashion. Sales from Taiwan on Musinsa's global online store more than doubled annually on average between 2023 and 2025. Taiwanese

2026-07-08 14:43:43:00