Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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Coupang deliver record-breaking revenue of W4.7tr in Q1
South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang posted a record-breaking 4.7 trillion won ($4.2 billion) in revenue during the first quarter of this year as the business continues to grow in size but its operating loss nearly doubled due to an increase in operating and administrative costs. According to the firm’s earnings report, revenue was up 74 percent compared to one year ago, its biggest Q1 sales figure to date. “We ended the quarter with 16 million active customers, a 21 percent year-
May 13, 2021
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E-commerce giant Coupang logs record sales in Q1
South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. said Wednesday its first-quarter sales hit a new high, but operating losses widened sharply due to increased costs and investment. Sales stood at $4.21 billion in the January-March period, up 74 percent from a year earlier, Coupang said in a regulatory filing. The figure was the largest top line for the first quarter, the New York-listed company said. Yet Coupang registered an operating loss of $295 million for the last quarter, up a whopping 180 per
May 13, 2021
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HiteJinro to sell Terra in US, Singapore and Hong Kong
South Korean liquor maker HiteJinro said on Wednesday it will bring popular lager Terra to the US, Singapore and Hong Kong. The move marks the first time the green-bottled beer will be sold outside Korea since its release three years ago, with a batch of 1.2 million 330-milliliter bottles set to hit the shelves in Hong Kong first, before they are made available in the US and Singapore. Terra will be supplied to Korean communities in the countries first, where high demand is expected, before be
May 12, 2021
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[Feature] One year into pandemic, contactless businesses continue to thrive
Once fueled by an emphasis on social distancing and hygiene woes, contactless businesses are continuing to thrive in Korea nearly one year into the coronavirus pandemic as companies rush to prepare for the post-pandemic era. Lee Do-shim, a 29-year-old Pilates instructor in Sejong City, is among the many who have become used to meeting basic necessities such as grocery shopping and getting takeout food without human interaction. “After the pandemic began, social distancing became the norm
May 12, 2021
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Samsung announces global launch of expanded BESPOKE home appliance lineup
Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday introduced its expanded lineup of customizable home appliances to global audiences as the South Korean tech giant aims to boost sales amid the pandemic-driven stay-at-home trend. The company said its BESPOKE Home solutions will be available in more countries this year with more products. BESPOKE is a brand promoted by Samsung that allows consumers to tailor their own configurations by material, color and modules to meet user preferences in home ap
May 11, 2021
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Designer behind controversial GS25 poster, accused of ‘misandry,’ breaks silence
The designer behind a controversial image used by South Korean convenience store chain GS25 -- accused of being “misandrist” -- has apologized to customers, store owners and colleagues for the inconvenience her work caused but rejected claims that she was part of a group known for mocking men online. In a post uploaded on Blind, an anonymous forum designed for employees of a corporation to discuss internal affairs, the designer, who remains anonymous, said she was breaking her silen
May 10, 2021
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Firms target young people with senior models
Zigzag, a fashion e-commerce platform that mainly targets customers in their 20s and early 30s, has recently hired Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, who is 73 years old, as a model. In Zigzag’s advertisement revealed online, Youn asks, “There are a lot of people who are younger and prettier, but then, I got the role (for the advertisement). Did you guys make a mistake?” The hire came as a “fresh” idea, attempting to break the norm that young figures are hired as model
May 5, 2021
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Namyang Dairy chairman resigns after yogurt COVID-19 prevention claims
Namyang Dairy Products Chairman Hong Won-sik offered his resignation Tuesday, after the company came under fire for the claim that its yogurt drink Bulgaris can help protect from COVID-19. Hong, who took over the company from his father, the late founder Hong Doo-young, also said he will not hand over management rights of the company to his children. “We have received much love from the public as the oldest private dairy company. But I failed to fulfill the expectations of the consumer
May 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Retailers accused of being ‘man-haters’ over gesture
Several South Korean retailers including convenience store GS25 and an online fashion store were forced to delete advertisements after critics accused “pinching hand signs” of being a symbol of misandry. In a statement to store owners on Tuesday, GS25 CEO Cho Yoon-sung apologized for the design of a poster that caused “pain” and “inconvenience” to customers and vowed to “thoroughly” investigate those involved in making the image. The now-deleted
May 4, 2021
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Lotte Foods to switch to EVs for sales activities
Lotte Foods will replace all of its company cars used for sales activities with electric vehicles in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the company said on Monday. The South Korean food manufacturing firm will distribute about 380 units of Chevrolet’s Bolt EV for all of its sales employees, who drive over 20,000 kilometers on average per year, the company explained. Lotte Foods said it will be distributing the cars in May and June. Prior to the change, the company installed 90
May 3, 2021
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[Weekender] The rise of curated fashion platforms
Having a lot of tabs open while browsing for clothes online? For a growing number of shoppers, those days are over. Similar to how going to a shopping mall with a wide range of brands seems more of a safe bet than having to travel between stores far apart from each other, more people in South Korea are turning to platforms like Musinsa and Zigzag -- algorithm-driven e-commerce fashion platforms where shoppers are presented with items from thousands of brands. Musinsa, which boasts some 6,000
May 1, 2021
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No more lining up over summer merch as Starbucks introduces reservation system
Starbucks Coffee Korea is introducing a reservation system for this year’s seasonal loyalty reward program, so that customers do not have to wait in line for its limited-edition merchandise, the coffee chain said Thursday. Starbucks said it is starting the summer event May 11, where customers can collect stamps by buying Starbucks drinks and can then exchange 17 stamps for seasonal merchandise. This year’s merchandise consists of the Starbucks Summer Day Cooler and Starbucks Nig
April 29, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Pernod Ricard’s fight for millennials’ hearts comes with whisky and art
In an online auction early this month, Scotch whisky brand Royal Salute sold artworks inspired by the brand with the help of Seoul Auction. Bidders scrambled until the last minute to get hold of the items that ended up selling at prices higher than the company had expected. “It was really impressive to see these brand-inspired artworks sold out at such high prices,” said Florent Leroi, marketing director at the South Korean unit of global liquor company Pernod Ricard, during an int
April 27, 2021
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Retail sales up 18.5% in March on spring promotions, revenge shopping
Retail sales in South Korea jumped 18.5 percent in March from a year earlier on the back of seasonal promotions by offline stores, with local consumers also turning to "revenge shopping" amid the prolonged virus pandemic. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 13.1 trillion won ($11.7 billion) last month, up from 11.1 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Sales from offline stores jumped
April 27, 2021
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‘BTS effect’: Why corporations want a piece of the action
BTS’ success in the music industry is fast spilling over into the advertising business as more companies seek a promotional boost from the group and their fans’ social media omnipresence. Last Monday, McDonald’s announced it would team up with South Korean pop group BTS for a new celebrity meal named The BTS Meal. A few days later, French fashion house Louis Vuitton named the pop icons as its new House Ambassadors. The two companies’ posts on Twitter were soon met with
April 25, 2021
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Oriental Brewery taps Youn Yuh-jung as brand ambassador
South Korea’s largest brewer, Oriental Brewery, has tapped veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung as the new brand ambassador for its flagship beer brand Cass, the company said Friday. In a commercial, Youn, the first Korean woman to be nominated for an Academy Award and a strong contender for best supporting actress, discusses opening herself up to form relationships with people as she promotes the beer. The company said Youn, “who is not afraid to speak her mind,” is an inspiration
April 23, 2021
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CU implements electric trucks for supply delivery
CU is implementing electric trucks for supply deliveries to its stores to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the convenience store chain said Thursday. BGF Retail, the operator behind the convenience store chain, said it is introducing Kia’s Bongo EV, the pure electric version of the automaker’s compact pickup truck. The trucks will be delivering products from BGF Logis Gwangju, its distribution center in Gyeonggi Province to midsized and large CU stores in Seoul’s Gangnam ar
April 22, 2021
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Homeplus appoints ‘retail veteran’ Lee Jae-hoon as new CEO
Homeplus has appointed Lee Jae-hoon, currently leading Carver Korea, as its new chief executive officer, the company said Wednesday. According to the South Korean discount chain, Lee is a retail expert who has built his career in the retail and consumer goods industry for about 30 years, spending a third of that time as CEO of many retail companies. Lee, who is currently the CEO of Carver Korea, a cosmetics firm known for its skin care brand AHC, will start in the role at Homeplus in May. L
April 21, 2021
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Yuhan-Kimberly partners with forestry agency, environmental group to create forest
Yuhan-Kimberly has teamed up with the Korea Forest Service and an environmental organization to create a forest dedicated to carbon neutrality, the South Korean hygiene product manufacturer said Tuesday. According to the company, the firm, the state-run Korea Forest Service and Forest for Life agreed to work together to plant trees in Seokpo Forest in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to establish what they christened the carbon neutrality forest. On April 8, the company held a signing ceremony a
April 20, 2021
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McDonald's to release BTS meal in nearly 50 countries
Fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s has announced that it is teaming up with popular Korean group BTS for a new celebrity meal which will hit the stores next month globally. The BTS Meal consists of a 10 Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a medium Coke as well as Sweet Chili and Cajun dipping sauces inspired by popular recipes from the South Korean unit of McDonald’s, which will be available for the first time in the US. The new collaboration, which follows the company’s prev
April 20, 2021