[Photo News] In commemoration of independence fighter

Starbucks Korea said Thursday it will donate a restored handwritten note of Korean independence movement leader Kim Gu, whose pen name is Baekbeom, to the National Trust for Cultural Heritage as part of its social contribution activities. The note, written in classical Chinese, reads “Yoo Ji Pil Seong,” which can be roughly translated to “If there is a will, it will be achieved.” Kim wrote it to honor the death of independence fighter Yun Bong-gil in 1949. In commemoratio

Feb. 23, 2023

Pending price hikes in soju, beer deepen inflation woes in Korea

Prices of soju and beer products in South Korea are expected to rise soon due to increases in tax, as well as higher costs of logistics and raw materials, according to industry sources, Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the liquor tax on one liter of beer will increase by 30.5 won ($0.023) to 885.7 won in April. The upcoming increase will be higher than last year's rise of 20.8 won. Just by factoring in the tax increase, the factory price of a 500 milliliter beer

Feb. 22, 2023

CJ Logistics forays into Polish market

CJ Logistics, South Korea’s largest logistics firm, said Tuesday it has opened a regional office in Wroclaw, Poland, in a bid to target the European logistics market. According to CJ Logistics, Wroclaw is the largest industrial city and logistics hub in southern Poland. The company explained that the city functions as an important crossing region for European companies, as it is located right in the middle of Europe. Moreover, CJ Logistics explained that Poland is home to Gdansk port, wh

Feb. 21, 2023

Korea targets drone, bot deliveries by 2027

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday unveiled a slew of long-term plans to establish smart logistics infrastructure across the country, which will enable one-hour delivery services using drones and artificial intelligence. The government said it first plans on commercializing robot deliveries by 2026 and drone deliveries by 2027. "We will support the development of technologies to commercialize unmanned deliveries, and create a test bed made exclusively for the pract

Feb. 20, 2023

LG H&H to debut portable tattoo printer at MWC

LG Household & Health Care said Monday that it will be unveiling its own portable temporary tattoo printer, dubbed Imprintu, at the upcoming Mobile World Congress that is slated to kick off next week in Barcelona, Spain. The company will be the first South Korean beauty firm to participate in MWC, one of the largest trade shows for telecommunications and mobility technologies. A combination of "impromptu" and "print," the tattoo printer connects with mobile devices to all

Feb. 20, 2023

Food companies log record sales, but profits lag

South Korean food companies reported robust sales last year, but high raw material prices weighed down their profit growth. In 2022, Korean food companies Lotte Confectionery, SPC Samlip, Ottogi and Nongshim newly joined the short list of Korean food companies who posted annual sales of 3 trillion won ($2.3 billion) or more -- a feat achieved by only four Korean food companies so far. The top four food companies leading the country in terms of sales, which include CJ CheilJedang, Dongwon F&B

Feb. 19, 2023

Retail industries rush to cut ties with Yoo Ah-in

The Korean retail industry is busy preparing measures to erase actor Yoo Ah-in from their brands' promotions, after the actor tested positive for marijuana use and became embroiled in an open drug test investigation for the illegal use of propofol. Musinsa, the largest online fashion platform in Korea by sales, told The Korea Herald that the company is currently reviewing the termination of its brand model contracts with the actor. "With the investigation currently underway, we first d

Feb. 15, 2023

Direct overseas shopping up 60% over 5 years

The value of overseas direct shopping exceeded $4.7 billion last year, significantly up from $2.7 billion in 2018, according to the latest data from the Korea Customs Service released Wednesday. The number of users also tripled over the past five years from 5.19 million to 15.57 million last year. It is the first time the figure has exceeded 15 million, coming to more than 1 in 4 people here. The most popular category for purchases was health-related foods, on which buyers spent a whopping $862

Feb. 15, 2023

[Photo News] Brew with a view

Starbucks Korea on Wednesday opened a new “The Bukhansan” store near an entrance to Bukhansan National Park in Seoul. The two-story building, with almost 1,000 square meters of floor space, aims to give visitors a special experience to interact with nature with a cup of coffee and enjoy the mountain view in the city center. Special features include a photo zone on the rooftop terrace and a walking trail surrounding the store building.

Feb. 15, 2023

BAT launches new Glo to take on KT&G, PMI

British American Tobacco’s South Korean branch announced Tuesday that the company will launch a new tobacco heating product, Glo Hyper X2, this month, in a bid to increase its share in the South Korean market. According to BAT Rothmans, the Korean arm of BAT, Glo Hyper X2 will be available on Feb. 27 at convenience stores and online e-commerce platforms. The new device is priced at 40,000 won ($31.56). “South Korea is making a significant contribution to BAT,” said BAT Rothmans

Feb. 14, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s kimchi imports hit new high in 2022

South Korea’s imports of kimchi touched an all-time high in 2022 amid galloping consumer inflation in the country, government data showed. Inbound shipments of the spicy Korean traditional side dish came to $169.4 million last year, up 20.4 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. The on-year growth rate was the highest since the 53.8 percent surge recorded in 2010. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish normally made of fermented cabbage, salt and h

Feb. 10, 2023

Philip Morris bets big on low-priced Iqos

The South Korean unit of international tobacco company Philip Morris Korea said on Wednesday it will release Iqos Iluma One in Korea this month, amid the tobacco companies' heated competition for market share in Korea. "The newly released Iqos Iluma One, which is the latest addition to our flagship heat-not-burn electronic cigarette brand Iqos, is most characterized by its all-in-one design," said PMK managing director Paik Young-jay during a press conference. According to Paik, u

Feb. 8, 2023

Pulmuone pushes for ready-meal vending machines in Korea

Korean food giant Pulmuone is in talks with US food-tech company Yokai Express to sign a deal before July for the launch of vending machines that can cook instant meals, the firm said Tuesday. "Pulmuone is in due process of securing exclusive rights to distributing and installing Yokai Expresss' vending machines that will sell Pulmuone's products in Korea," a Pulmuone official told The Korea Herald. "We aim for the contract to be signed during the first half of this year

Feb. 7, 2023

Foreign shoppers flock back as pandemic nears its end

International shoppers are returning to South Korea amid eased virus restrictions, seeing sales rebound for local department stores. Hanwha Galleria, the retail arm of the Hanwha Group, said on Tuesday that sales in the luxury goods section at the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong-dong, a posh shopping district in southern Seoul, had increased by 500 percent on-year between August and January. Hanwha Galleria’s Apgujeong branch is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Gangna

Feb. 7, 2023

[Newsmaker] [From the Scene] Robot shelves, packagers behind Coupang's ultra-fast Rocket Delivery

DAEGU -- Unmanned robots glide about a fulfillment center, depositing goods into boxes. The boxes are each plastered with stickers bearing names of South Korean regions, such as "Daegu 1" and "Jeju Island." Once the boxes are full, delivery trucks come to ship them to their appropriate destinations. The robots sort and move products by delivery destination in just a few seconds with several human employees overseeing the entire station. The robots, which are named “Sort

Feb. 7, 2023

KT&G aims big for overseas expansion

KT&G, South Korea's dominant tobacco company, is making aggressive inroads into overseas markets in a bid to increase its sales and market share abroad, according to the company on Sunday. Aiming to foray into foreign markets, the company recently signed its first long-term sales and purchase agreement with global tobacco maker Philip Morris International. Under the 15-year agreement that lasts until January 2038, KT&G will be providing PMI with its heat-not-burn "lil" bra

Feb. 5, 2023

[Graphic News] Exports of soju up 13.2%

Exports of soju, South Korea’s traditional distilled liquor, increased 13.2 percent in 2022 from a year earlier, data showed, rebounding for the first time in three years. Outbound shipments of soju reached $93.3 million in 2022, rising sharply from $82.4 million tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. In terms of volume, exports advanced 12.7 percent to reach 67,104 metric tons, the data showed. Soju is a clear, distilled liquor made with grain

Feb. 3, 2023

Hygiene warning issued for McDonald's stores in Korea

McDonald's was found to have received hygiene warnings from the nation's food safety authorities more frequently than its smaller rivals here, according to a parliamentary report on Wednesday. Citing data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Safety, Rep. Ko Young-in of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said in the report that the US hamburger chain with some 400 outlets nationwide received a total of 91 penalties in the 2018-2022 period. The data showed that McDonald'

Feb. 1, 2023

Paris Baguette opens 100th franchise store in US

Korea’s leading bakery franchise Paris Baguette has launched its 100th franchise store in the US, stepping up its overseas business, its operator SPC Group said Monday. Reaching the milestone with the opening of "Paris Baguette Red Bank" in New Jersey, the company aims to introduce 1,000 stores across the US market by 2030. According to the food company, Paris Baguette plans to sign 160 additional franchise deals this year. Entering the US in 2005, Paris Baguette has worked on en

Jan. 30, 2023

Lotte Duty Free wins rights to run Melbourne Airport shops

Lotte Duty Free said Wednesday it clinched a 10-year contract to become the new operator of Melbourne Airport duty-free shops, in a bid to make further inroads into the Oceania market. According to the South Korean duty-free goods retailer, starting June 1, Lotte will offer a duty-free experience in the Australian terminal’s existing 3,600 square meter duty-free space, as well as the airport’s online e-commerce platform. The South Korean retailer became the preferred bidder for the O

Jan. 25, 2023