With growing popularity of home meal replacements, or ready-to-eat meals that require little preparation, South Korean food processing companies are in a race to develop better and more efficient microwavable packaging.  NongshimIndustry insiders said packaging technology will emerge as an important factor in the competitiveness of products, while busy lifestyles and easy preparation are also boosting the microwavable food market.According to global market research firm Smithers Pira, the South

Industry Jan. 4, 2018

Gwanghwamun in central Seoul was ranked first among the country’s business districts in terms of yearly sales and sales volume per person. YonhapSK Telecom’s big data analysis service Geovision analyzed 20 major business districts across the country from November 2016 to October 2017. Geovision provides an analysis of business districts by tracking statistics of location, population, sales, category of business and consumer’s consumption tendency, combined with information on a map.SK Telecom sa

Industry Jan. 3, 2018

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries has axed 30 percent of its executives as part of the struggling firm’s latest efforts to prepare for a decline in its business due to a further drop in orders. Samsung HeavyFollowing a reshuffle conducted last week, the firm now has a total of 50 board members, down from 72. It also streamlined the organization from 89 to 67 departments or teams by converging its management. In addition, the company decided to increase its capital by 1.5 trillion

Industry Jan. 3, 2018

Local biopharmaceutical company Green Cross Corp. has been rebranded as GC, the company said Tuesday. GC stands for the English initials of the company’s original name Green Cross, but it also represents the company’s motto of “Great Commitment, Great Challenge, Great Company,” the firm said. GCThe company’s new name and logo will apply to all of its subsidiary and affiliated companies, as well as the holding company Green Cross Holdings. “Rebranding the business is intended to reaffirm the comp

Industry Jan. 2, 2018

AIA Korea, local subsidiary of Asia’s largest life insurance AIA Group, officially inaugurated as a Korean corporation, the company said Tuesday. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its launch, AIA Korea said its transition into a corporation will increase the company’s financial transparency and strengthen competitiveness. The company first entered the domestic market in 1987 as an insurer branch.“Establishment as a Korean corporation is an important milestone for the company, which will help u

Industry Jan. 2, 2018

The father of a 5-year-old girl found dead on a hillside in North Jeolla Province admitted Monday to having assaulted his daughter, according to police.YonhapOfficials from the North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency said Ko Jun-hee’s father, 37, told the investigators that he had beaten his daughter with his hands and feet in April at his house in Wanju, North Jeolla Province. He, however, refused to elaborate why and where he hit her, police said. Ko’s girlfriend, only identified by her surname

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2018

South Korean police on Friday began investigating a major blaze in an eight-story building in the southern city of Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, which claimed at least 29 lives.The North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency said it is conducting a forensic examination of the scene with officials from the National Forensics Service and fire authorities. Officials from the National Forensics Service and fire authorities conduct a forensic examination of the scene of a major blaze that broke

Social Affairs Dec. 22, 2017

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it will extend the operating hours of major bus routes from Dec. 18 to Dec. 31. Eighty-nine buses passing through 11 major high-traffic areas such as Gangnam, Seoul Station, Myeong-dong, Sinchon, Yeongdeungpo and Hongik University, will extend their hours of operation to 1 a.m. YonhapOn New Year’s Eve, 15 buses passing through Jongno will run until 2 a.m. the following day for the convenience of those attending the New Year’s bell-ringing cer

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2017

Early investigations point to hospital-acquired infections as the possible cause of the mysterious deaths of four newborns at a local hospital in the span of just 80 minutes last week. A DNA analysis conducted by Ewha Womans University Medical Center, where the babies died on Saturday evening while being treated at the neonatal intensive care unit, found an identical type of Citrobacter freundii in three of the four victims. The hospital suspected contamination of injection tools or IV fluid. 　M

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2017

Seoul police on Tuesday raided a local university hospital where four newborns died successively in less than 90 minutes, suspecting medical malpractice. Investigators from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched the premises of Ewha Womans University Medical Center in Mokdong, western Seoul, to confiscate potential evidence, including incubators, injection tools and medical records, the agency said. YonhapThe move comes as the National Forensic Service and health authorities are scrambling to

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2017

The National Forensic Service began autopsies on the bodies of four newborns Monday to determine what caused them to die successively in less than 90 minutes at a hospital in Seoul. Five forensic doctors are conducting the postmortems, with police and health authorities suspecting bacterial or viral infections, malfunctioning incubators or medical malpractice as possible causes. YonhapFindings of the initial examinations are expected later Monday, while full autopsy results will require a longer

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2017

Seoul’s bike-sharing service was picked as the city’s most-liked public service of the year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday. Seoul's public bike rental service "Ttareungyi" (Seoul Metropolitan Government)Over 121,900 citizens voted online and offline to choose their favorite public service or policy of the year, among some 30 services or projects that the city government has either promoted or newly launched in 2017. Seoul Public Bike, or “Ttareungyi” in Korean from the sound of a

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2017

Police on Sunday continued the search for a 5-year-old girl who went missing in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, nearly a month ago.  YonhapThe North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency on Sunday dispatched 180 police officers, four search dogs and a helicopter to find the girl, Ko Jun-hee, who suffers a developmental disorder. Authorities released some 4,000 leaflets in public places. Fire authorities also sent 25 officials in search of the missing child. The girl disappeared from her home in Deokjin

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2017

The strong cold snap that has gripped Korea for over a week is forecast to continue until the year-end, with daytime high temperatures in inland regions dipping below zero, the weather agency said Sunday. YonhapAccording to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Seoul will continue to have freezing cold weather for the next 10 days -- with temperatures exceeding last years’ average -- due to the influence of a continental anticyclone stretching over the peninsula. On Sunday, Seoul saw a mornin

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2017

A subway maintenance worker died after being hit by an incoming train while working on the platform, police said Thursday. The accident occurred at 7:59 a.m. at Onsu Station.  YonhapThe victim is a 35-year-old man who was dispatched by a subcontractor to Korea Railroad, the subway operator. He was fixing the sewers. Two other workers were with him, but were not hurt, according to the police. Korea Railroad said the deceased was a day laborer who started to work at the site since “not long ago.”H

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2017