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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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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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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Amorepacific announces ‘less plastic’ campaign on Earth Day
Amorepacific Group, a leading cosmetics company here, announced a plan on Wednesday to use less plastic to safeguard health and the environment. Wednesday was Earth Day. The company’s “less plastic” campaign consists of three actions: to reduce the use of plastic packaging for its products, to recycle more of its plastic packaging and to increase the use of upcycled materials to produce its products. “We will continue to stand up front in creating a happier, more beau
April 22, 2020
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Samyang Foods to record highest sales in Q1
Samyang Foods, an instant noodle manufacturer here, is expected to see the highest sales in the company’s history in the first quarter of this year, with sales of instant noodles showing notable growth amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the industry on Wednesday, Samyang Foods’ total sales in the first quarter is expected to see an increase of 30 percent from a year earlier, with its exports recording over 75 billion won ($60.8 million) in the first quarter. That figure is mo
April 22, 2020
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Orion records 82% increase in snack sales in key markets
Orion, a South Korean confectionery company, said Tuesday it recorded sales of 208.3 billion won ($168 million) in March, an increase of 41 percent on-year. The sales of snack products in its biggest markets, South Korea, China and Vietnam, also grew 82 percent on-year for the month, the company added. “Newly released snacks have gained popularity and our snack portfolio, which originally revolved around pie products, is becoming more diverse,” Orion said. In March, South Korea
April 21, 2020
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SPC introduces Eggslut to South Korea
Korean food company SPC Group said Tuesday that its affiliate SPC Samlip has acquired the exclusive contract for operations in Korea of Eggslut, a popular egg sandwich franchise in California, as well as the license for Singapore. The company said it will introduce the first Eggslut store in Korea at Coex Mall in Seoul in June. US brand Eggslut is famous for its egg sandwiches made with a warm brioche bun, scrambled eggs and sriracha mayo sauce. “We are pleased to show Korean guests t
April 21, 2020
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Fashion for handicapped, Heartist collaborates with Beanpole
Samsung C&T’s fashion unit said Monday its business casual brand for the handicapped, Heartist will roll out a new line of clothes in collaboration with its other brand Beanpole, to celebrate the first anniversary of Heartist. Heartist, which was launched in April 2019, is the first fashion brand for the handicapped, introduced by a conglomerate here. Under the concept of “Fashion for All Abilities,” the brand presents business casual products specially designed for thos
April 20, 2020
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HiteJinro’s Ilpoom Jinro wins Gold award in Monde Selection 2020
HiteJinro, a South Korean liquor maker, said Monday two of its premium soju products won Gold awards in the Monde Selection 2020 for the second consecutive year. According to the company, its Ilpoom Jinro 1924, a 100-percent distilled soju, and limited edition Ilpoom Jinro 19 years were chosen for the top Gold award. Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products since 1961. It is run by International Institute for Quality Selections based in
April 20, 2020
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Nongshim rolls out Chapaguri cup noodle from ‘Parasite’
Nongshim said Monday it is launching a ready-made instant Chapaguri cup noodle, which has garnered global popularity after being prominently featured in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite.” Chapaguri -- translated as “ram-don” in English subtitles in the movie -- is a mixture of Nongshim’s Chapaghetti black bean instant noodles and soup-based Neoguri ramen. The new Chapaguri product will be in the form of instant cup noodles, and it will be released in Korea firs
April 20, 2020
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89% of 20-40s shop online for their parents: Auction
With online shopping booming amid the COVID-19 pandemic, elderly parents are also taking part in the shopping culture with the help of their children, data showed Thursday. According to Auction, an ecommerce platform operated by eBay, over 89 percent of 2,564 customers aged 20-49 surveyed, have shopped online for their parents. The survey was conducted from March 28 to April 4. For reasons to shop on behalf of their parents, 35 percent of the respondents said it was because their parents we
April 16, 2020
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[Monitor] E-commerce giant Coupang now bigger than offline retailer Lotte Mart
Coupang became the first Korean e-commerce company to surpass 7 trillion won ($5.75 billion) mark in annual sales, getting ahead of offline retailer Lotte Mart, one of the three biggest discount store chains in the country. According to Coupang’s audit report Tuesday, it recorded 7.15 trillion won in sales in 2019, a 64.2 percent surge from 4.35 trillion won in 2018, while operating loss decreased by more than 400 billion won, to 720 billion won from 1.12 trillion won. Meanwhile, Lott
April 16, 2020
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Caremile sees surge in quarantine goods orders from foreign governments
Korean safety solution company Caremile said Tuesday it is seeing a rapid surge in orders of Korean-made diagnostic kits and quarantine goods from various countries, including Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Iraq and Malaysia, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Caremile, which has rights for Solgent’s global special sale, for instance, exported the “Solgent COVID-19 DiaPlexQ Detection Kit” that can be used for 100,000 people on March 27 upon an emergency request from Uk
April 15, 2020
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In coronavirus pandemic, ‘lipstick effect’ gives way to ‘eyeliner effect’
Ever heard of the lipstick effect? Some say lipstick acts as the barometer of an economy -- lipstick sales go up when consumer sentiment weakens during economic recessions as people tend to treat themselves with lower-cost indulgences. When the US economy slumped in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks, lipstick sales increased by about 11 percent in the second half of the year compared to the first half. This led Estee Lauder Chairman Leonard Lauder to coin the term “lipstick index.” &
April 14, 2020
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Popularity of S. Korea as tourist destination grows for 6th year in a row: poll
A government poll showed Monday that the global popularity of South Korea as a tourist destination increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2019, thanks to the promotional effects of the country's globally loved cultural content sector. According to the 2019 poll on the effect of tourism marketing, released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the level of foreigners' recognition of South Korea as a tourist destination rose by 1.1 percent
April 13, 2020
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Duty free giants withdraw from Incheon airport first time
Duty-free operators, including local No. 1 Lotte Duty Free and runner-up Shilla Duty Free, have given up their preferred bidder positions for operation licenses at Incheon Airport, amid the ongoing tug-of-war between the companies and airport over rental fees. It is the first time for the conglomerates to withdraw from signing operation contracts due to rental prices, according to industry sources Friday. Incheon International Airport Corp. announced the preferred bidders to operate eight ai
April 10, 2020
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Fila Korea collaborates with BTS to launch Love Yourself Collection
Fila Korea said Thursday that it had collaborated with BTS to launch the Love Yourself Collection -- 12 new items of clothing and shoes celebrating the K-pop boy group’s hit album. The FILA X BTS Love Yourself Collection is inspired by the artwork and graphic elements in the music videos for BTS hits “DNA” and “Idol,” released respectively in 2017 and 2018, the company said. According to the South Korean sportswear brand, the FILA X BTS Love Yourself Collection
April 9, 2020
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Over 10m use McDonald’s drive-thru platform in Q1
McDonald’s Korea said Thursday more than 10 million cars made orders from McDrive, its drive-thru platform, in the first quarter of this year, surging sharply amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the burger chain, March saw the highest number of users for the drive-thru service, and sales went up by 30 percent on-year. The average value per order also rose by 15 percent. As people avoid face-to-face transactions with the social distancing trend, the burger chain said about 60 percen
April 9, 2020
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Sunscreen sales on the rise, despite face masks
With the weather warming up in South Korea, sunscreen sales are on the rise -- despite the “new normal” of wearing face masks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, industry sources said Tuesday. According to CJ Olive Young, a health and beauty store chain here, sales of sunblock jumped 81 percent from March 30 to Sunday, compared with the same period a month earlier (March 2 to 8). Among them, organic or carbon-based sunscreen products were the most popular, witnessing a 132 percent incre
April 8, 2020
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[Graphic News] Retail sales up 9.1% in Feb. amid virus pandemic
Retail sales in South Korea rose 9.1 percent in February from a year earlier as more people purchased daily necessities through online platforms amid the spread of the new coronavirus here, data showed. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 10.6 trillion won ($8.68 billion) last month, compared with 9.71 trillion won a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The sharp increase came as online stores enjoyed a w
April 7, 2020
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[Newsmaker] From drive-thru markets to flower challenges, virus-hit businesses go creative
Small businesses and local governments in South Korea are testing out creative ideas as they seek to overcome a slump stemming from the new coronavirus that has infected more than 10,000 here. In the southern cities of Gimhae and Seosan, farmers have set up drive-thru markets to sell vegetables and fruit, taking a cue from the government's successful drive-thru virus screening centers. A package of 11 kinds of vegetables is being sold for 20,000 won (A social media challenge aimed at helping
April 7, 2020
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Homeplus exports toilet paper to Singapore
South Korean hypermarket chain Homeplus said Monday it was exporting toilet paper to Singapore, which has a shortage of daily necessities as its trade partners close borders amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the company, it is selling 2,000 packs of its private brand product Simplus toilet paper and facial tissues to Qoo10, a Singapore-based e-commerce firm. The products departed from Busan Port for delivery to Singapore on Monday. The two types of Simplus products are to be sold on
April 6, 2020
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P&G rolls out new fabric softener Downy Spring Garden
P&G rolled out Downy Spring Garden on Monday, a new product of its fabric softener Downy Botanis Perfume collection. Downy Spring Garden boasts the delicate scent of spring, allowing customers to enjoy a spring garden from inside their homes, the company said. The product boasts a relatively gentle fragrance and is highly concentrated so users can put in a third of the normal amount for the same effect as its other fabric softeners, the company said. “Downy Botanis Perfume Colle
April 6, 2020