From the Scene In series
Stories told from where they are happening.
#Issues
# First-hand
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From the Scene In series
Stories told from where they are happening.
Would you like to subscribe?
Musinsa’s first beauty flagship gets a pharmacy twist
Musinsa built its name by spotting fashion trends early. Its latest beauty bet takes it somewhere more clinical — and into more direct competition with Korea’s dominant beauty retailer, CJ Olive Young. The fashion platform opened its first standalone beauty flagship Friday in Hongdae, western Seoul, a youth shopping district with heavy international foot traffic. While CJ Olive Young has forged its leadership around convenience, broad selection and an extensive store network, Musinsa asserts its
Sept. 10, 2026 - 17:08:16
What's up with Koreans waiting hours for Chipotle?
At lunchtime in southern Seoul's Gangnam, the line for a burrito bowl stretched down the block. Nearly a week after Chipotle opened its first Asian location in Seoul on Sept. 2, customers were still being told to expect waits of up to two or three hours. On Sunday, some 150 people were counted in line by 11 a.m., stretching more than 50 meters. For some of those waiting, however, the food was only part of the point. "We've got to keep up with what's trending," said university student Kim Min-ju,
Sept. 10, 2026 - 11:46:13
From White House pledge to Louisiana, Hyundai's $5.8b bet takes shape
DONALDSONVILLE, Louisiana — Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun stood beside US President Donald Trump at the White House 17 months ago to unveil one of the Korean auto giant’s biggest bets on American manufacturing. At the heart of the $21 billion US investment package unveiled in March 2025 — later increased to $26 billion — was a $5.8 billion steel mill in Louisiana, the group's first steel production base in the US and a move to make one of the most essential materials for vehic
Sept. 6, 2026 - 10:24:36
Chung Myung-whun returns to the piano, this time for patients
GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province -- “I might not play it well, but I wanted to play something today anyway,” Chung Myung-whun told the audience on Sept. 3 before taking the stage — this time not as a conductor, but as a pianist, in the unlikely setting of a hospital hall. Chung has played piano in a hospital setting several times before, in Japan for children with cancer. But the performance at Myongji Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, was his first in a Korean hospital, for an audience of patient
Sept. 3, 2026 - 19:02:09
Big crowds, smaller checks as Frieze and Kiaf open in Seoul
Wednesday's preview at Coex was VIPs and press only, but it hardly felt that way. By early afternoon, the aisles were packed with collectors decked out in designer bags and statement jewelry; gallery staff had already spent much of the day walking clients behind the booth walls to talk numbers. Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul opened side by side for a fifth year, kicking off what has long become the biggest event on the city's art calendar. Frieze brought 133 galleries from 30 countries and regions,
Sept. 3, 2026 - 14:52:34
Galaxy Robot Park: Glimpse of the future or spectacle without substance?
A dozen humanoid robots line up onstage. Rose's "APT." starts playing, and they begin to dance in formation. After that, it's Saja Boys' "Soda Pop" and Yena's "Catch Catch," with the machines shifting positions and keeping pace with one another. At first, it looks awkward. Watch a little longer, though, and it becomes surprisingly compelling. This was the scene Friday at the official opening of Galaxy Robot Park, which Galaxy Corporation bills as the world's first robot-centered cultural complex
Aug. 24, 2026 - 15:21:59
CJ CheilJedang's California kitchen feeds Bibigo's US rise
Korea Herald correspondent BEAUMONT, California — CJ Group's three-day K-pop and Korean culture festival, KCON LA 2026, drew 142,000 fans, and for many of them, the food may have mattered just as much as the music, with over 10,000 people lining up to try US-made Korean dishes at the booth run by the group's flagship Korean food brand, Bibigo. Few attendees likely knew, however, that the mandu, or Korean dumplings, on their plate traced back to a plant not far away. The factory in Beaumont, abou
Aug. 23, 2026 - 16:49:35
Inside Tous Les Jours' bid to bake its way to US success
Korea Herald correspondent LA HABRA, California — CJ Foodville, CJ Group's food service arm, brought Tous Les Jours to the United States in 2004, becoming the first Korean bakery chain to do so. After years of ups and downs, profitability finally took hold and has now been sustained for eight straight years. Part of the success story plays out inside one of the chain's 205 US stores, a roughly 80-seat outpost in La Habra, California, where the typical American bakery experience takes on a Korean
Aug. 19, 2026 - 14:43:39
A decade after brutal killing, Manila steps up protection for Koreans
MANILA — Hours before a group of South Korean reporters was due to visit the Korean Help Desk on Aug. 10, a typhoon swept through the Philippine capital, prompting authorities to order government employees to work from home. By the time the scheduled visit began, the downpour had eased. In Malate, one of Manila's busiest commercial and nightlife districts, Philippine police maintain a visible presence around the neighborhood frequented by hundreds of Koreans each day. The patrols are part of bro
Aug. 18, 2026 - 14:32:38
How Olive Young's US store makes K-beauty interactive
Korea Herald correspondent PASADENA, California — "Annyeonghaseyo, welcome to Olive Young!" a staff member called out as customers ambled through the door at the K-beauty retailer's first US store on Friday. The store, launched in May and situated on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, is designed to resemble its Korean counterparts, save for small touches like a long corridor running from the entrance to the back wall and a customer with her dog on a leash. Spanning 803 square meters, it sits acros
Aug. 17, 2026 - 15:55:12
K-pop brings the crowd, K-beauty keeps them exploring
Korea Herald correspondent LOS ANGELES — When CJ Group launched KCON in 2012 in Irvine, California, it drew roughly 10,000 fans to a modest bill of K-pop acts. Fourteen years on, and spanning 11 regions and 14 cities worldwide, the festival has pulled in a cumulative 2.35 million attendees, with last year's Los Angeles edition alone drawing 125,000. "KCON isn't only a concert, it's a broader showcase of Korean lifestyle that has pulled the festival well past its original fan base," said Park Cha
Aug. 17, 2026 - 11:01:52
Shower truck offers Seoul’s homeless more than relief from the heat
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Euljiro in central Seoul was beginning to empty after another sweltering day. Office workers and tourists drifted away as dusk settled over the neighborhood. Near Exit No. 3 of Euljiro 1-ga Station, a small truck marked “Mobile Bath Vehicle” stood by the roadside. A weary-looking man emerged after a shower, the strain of the day still visible but his expression noticeably lighter. Inside, the shower room was bright and spacious, with gleaming faucets and floors free of rust
Aug. 6, 2026 - 11:39:36
Australia’s Northern Territory courts Korean investment in gas, AI
DARWIN, Australia — Australia’s Northern Territory is courting Korean investment in shale gas, critical minerals and AI data centers, seeking to leverage its natural resources and proximity to Asia as a new growth engine. More than 160 business leaders and investors from 12 countries gathered in Darwin, Australia, on July 15 for the second Northern Territory Investment Summit. Representatives from SK Innovation E&S, Posco and Samsung C&T attended to explore potential partnerships. Central to the
July 27, 2026 - 14:26:39
Korea’s resource hunt moves beyond China
ALICE SPRINGS/DARWIN, Australia — China's tightened grip on critical mineral exports has pushed Korean industrial groups to look to Australia’s Northern Territory for alternative supplies of rare earths and natural gas. China controls as much as 90 percent of global rare earth refining, leaving manufacturers exposed to Beijing’s export restrictions. Hyundai Motor Group, SK Innovation E&S and Posco International are now exploring projects stretching from a rare earths deposit near Alice Springs t
July 27, 2026 - 14:25:03
Inside K-Heritage House, where centuries of heritage meet digital storytelling
BUSAN — K-Heritage House, the official exhibition space of the host nation for the 48th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, opened Monday at Bexco in Busan, bringing together the country's World Heritage sites, living traditions and cutting-edge digital technology in a sprawling exhibition the size of roughly two soccer fields. A few steps inside, visitors can move from prehistoric rock carvings to royal rituals, then on to traditional music and demonstrations by master artisans. Child
July 21, 2026 - 14:06:20
