Articles by Kim Da-sol
Kim Da-sol
ddd@heraldcorp.com-
‘Small-giant’ retailer Style Nanda captures eye of L’Oreal
Social network platforms were abuzz with the news of South Korea’s fashion and beauty brand Style Nanda deciding to sell its 70 percent stake to L’Oreal for 400 billion won ($37 billion) on Tuesday. Style Nanda CEO and Founder Kim So-hee (Kim So-hee instagram)Industry insiders said it is a representative case of the global beauty giant recognizing the brand power of a Korean label, particularly in the Chinese market.According to Swiss financial services company UBS, Style Nanda’s deal partner,
Industry April 11, 2018
-
Incheon Airport touted as convenient service provider for PyeongChang Olympics, Paralympics
Incheon Airport successfully achieved the role of a transport hub during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics in February and March, the airport said, citing feedback from Olympics athletes and related officials. Incheon International Airport CEO Chung Il-young (left) shakes hand with International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons at Incheon Airport in March. (IIAC)South Korea‘s main gateway operated special arrival and departure services exclusively for Olympics te
Industry April 11, 2018
-
‘Irreversible’ change expected in Samsung when uncertainty is cleared: FTC chief
South Korea’s top conglomerate Samsung Group is likely to make an “irreversible” change after uncertainty over the fate of its de facto head is cleared, the head of the nation’s antitrust watchdog said Tuesday, referring to an upper court’s ruling on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.FTC Chairman Kim Sang-jo (Yonhap)The Supreme Court has been reviewing Lee’s case since last month. It is expected to take up to about six months to hand down the final ruling on Lee, who was freed on a
Industry April 10, 2018
-
Korea Yakult achieves sales of W1tr in 2017
Korea Yakult, a household name in the yogurt and fermented dairy product market in Korea, said it achieved sales of 1 trillion won ($940 million) in 2017, five years after it spun off its instant noodle division Paldo. Korea Yakult’s fermented milk products (Korea Yakult)In 2012, Korea Yakult spun off Paldo following the release of its hit chicken-based instant noodles Kkokkomyeon in 2011. Korea Yakult’s sales after the spin-off dwindled to around 900 billion won. According to data from the Fin
Industry April 9, 2018
-
GS E&C’s operating profit surge 544 percent in Q1
GS Engineering & Construction said Monday that its first-quarter operating profit jumped more than fivefold compared to its profit on-year.From January 1 to March 31, the company made a total of 380 billion won ($356 million) of operating profit, a 554.75 percent jump from the previous year, according to GS E&C. Its operating profit has been showing a positive figure for 16 consecutive quarters, it added. The company said a sharp increase in operating profit is attributable to constant gain from
Industry April 9, 2018
-
Air purifier sales forecast to reach 3 mil mark this year
Air purifiers are the most wanted home appliance electronics this year amid escalating concerns over bad levels of fine dust and indoor air pollution, industry watchers said, forecasting its sales to reach up to 3 million units by the end of this year.Sales of air purifiers have been increasing since 2014. A total of 1.4 million units of air purifiers were sold last year, up from 1 million in 2016, 870,000 units in 2015 and 500,000 in 2014. The sales rise is expected to continue as the South Kor
Industry April 8, 2018
-
Shinsegae eats up Korea’s retail industry with aggressive expansion
Since 2016 when Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin separated and began to run the management of E-Mart, a retail unit of Shinsegae group, E-Mart and its private brand products have never been so ubiquitous in the everyday lives of South Koreans. Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin (Yonhap)While the number of E-Mart stores decreased by two to 145 in 2017 compared to the previous year, its product lineups became more diversified with launches of packaged ready-to-eat food brand Peacoc
Industry April 5, 2018
-
Shin Ramyun now available at Switzerland’s Matterhorn
South Korean food and beverage company Nongshim’s best-selling Shin Ramyun is now available at the top of the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Tourists pose with Shin Ramyun at Jungfrau in Switzerland. (Nongshim)Sources said that a kiosk in Matterhorn’s Gornergrat observatory began selling Shin Ramyun last month, upon the request of the Switzerland tourism office covering the canton of Valais.In May 2016, the tourism authority allowed the sale of Korean instant noodle maker Ottogi’s Jin Ramen there, f
Industry April 4, 2018
-
Electro Mart targets to open 10 more outlets by year-end
Discount chain E-mart’s Electro Mart said Tuesday that it would open 10 more outlets and achieve 500 billion won ($470 million) in sales by the end of this year.Electro Mart, which specializes in electronics, was launched in 2015 and currently runs 20 outlets across the country, including one in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, slated to open Friday. The company said its sales reached 337 billion won last year, rising twofold over just a year. Officials said they expect sales to hit 500 bill
Industry April 3, 2018
-
WeMakePrice’s 2017 sales jumps 28 percent
Annual sales of South Korean e-commerce company WeMakePrice jumped 28 percent last year to 473 billion won ($445 million), well exceeding its competitors’ sales growth average of 19.2 percent, the company said Tuesday. WeMakePrice (WeMakePrice)The increase in sales has been attributed to reducing operating losses, as it logged 41.7 billion in losses, a 34.4 percent drop from last year.Its operating loss rate, calculated by net loss divided by turnover, recorded 8.8 percent, in the single digits
Industry April 3, 2018
-
Starbucks Coffee Korea launches order service via Samsung’s Bixby
Starbucks Coffee Korea said Tuesday that customers are now able to order menu items via voice commands to Bixby, Samsung’s artificial-intelligence based virtual assistant, which has been linked to Starbucks Coffee Korea’s mobile order and payment app Siren Order. A model orders from the Starbucks menu via Samsung’s Bixby. (Starbucks Coffee Korea)“Customers can order as if they are talking to a barista at our Starbucks store, such as asking for more syrup or extra whipping cream,” said a Starbuck
Industry April 3, 2018
-
Incheon Airport celebrates 17th anniversary
Incheon International Airport celebrated its 17th anniversary last week, vowing to become an airport of smart technology and handle up to 130 million passengers by 2027. Incheon International Airport (IIAC)The ceremony, held on Thursday, was attended by some 400 airport employees, officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as well as airlines and partner companies.Incheon International Airport CEO Chung Il-young said “Incheon International Airport was able to take a leap a
Industry April 2, 2018
-
Orion wins Choco Pie trademark case in Vietnam
South Korean confectionery company Orion said Monday that it has recently won a trademark suit against a Vietnamese company for its signature product Choco Pie. Orion’s Choco Pie sold in Vietnam (Orion)According to Orion, a Vietnamese confectionery company was found to have been using Choco Pie trademark for their products in 2015. Orion has been using Choco Pie trademark since 1994 in Vietnam. Orion reported the case to the Vietnam Intellectual Property Research Institute as trademark infringe
Industry April 2, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] US’ cancer warning ruling for coffee draws mixed reactions in Korea
Following a Los Angeles judge’s ruling that coffee companies including Starbucks should carry a cancer warning label due to a chemical produced in the roasting process, leading coffee chains operating in South Korea remained cautious while civic activists called for alert. Consumers were mostly confused.A local subsidiary of US coffeehouse chain Starbucks Coffee Korea said that the matter is impacting the entire US coffee industry, not just limited to Starbucks.“We understand that around 90 coff
Industry March 30, 2018
-
[Weekender] Finding the love of life on mobile app
To begin a relationship, there are many things to consider about a potential partner, from age to personality, occupation and, for some, blood type.According to a survey conducted by Dooit Survey in January, the majority of 3,768 Koreans ranked personality as the priority when choosing a partner. Men ranked appearance and health as the second priority and occupation as third. Women put occupation and economic ability in the second spot, followed by appearance. The time-consuming process and limi
Industry March 30, 2018
Most Popular
-
1
Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
-
2
Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
-
3
Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
-
4
Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
-
5
Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
-
6
[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
-
7
Korea enters full election mode
-
8
[Kim Seong-kon] The April 2024 election will decide our future
-
9
Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
-
10
[Hello India] Corporate Korea sees new growth drivers in India