Most Popular
-
1
Conflict erupts over ruling camp's takeover plan
-
2
Can Yoon be suspended without impeachment?
-
3
Yoon banned from leaving country
-
4
[Breaking] Yoon to step back from state affairs, diplomacy: ruling party leader
-
5
KG leaves VCHA citing 'abuse and mistreatment'
-
6
Bumpy road ahead for Korean economy
-
7
[News Analysis] How will North Korea react to South Korea’s political crisis?
-
8
[News Analysis] Vegetative presidency undermines diplomatic efforts, achievements
-
9
[Exclusive] ‘Martial law troops felt something was amiss. They took pause’
-
10
Ex-Defense Minister arrested for insurrection, abuse of authority
-
Yoon's office apologizes for flip-flop on overseas direct purchases ban
The presidential office apologized Monday for causing confusion among consumers by reversing its plan to ban direct overseas purchases of products that do not have a national certification mark. Sung Tae-yoon, director of national policy at the presidential office, made the remark after the government backtracked on its proposed ban on direct overseas purchases of 80 types of goods that have not received the Korea Certification (KC) safety mark. The policy confusion comes amid criticism that the
May 20, 2024
-
Seoul sees further jump in cost of dining out
The price of five out of eight major dishes at local eateries in Seoul increased again in April, as the cost of eating out continues to rise in the nation's capital. The Korea Consumer Agency, an affiliate of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, compiles the monthly average prices for eight major dining options in South Korea, in a bid to provide the public with an understanding of the changing costs of dining out. Of the eight, the prices of gimbap, jajangmyeon, kalguksu, naengmyeon and kimchi
May 17, 2024
-
Starbucks Korea to speed up hiring process
Starbucks Korea announced Thursday that the company has introduced a faster hiring process that will halve the time to recruit baristas and workers at its branches. “The existing hiring process takes around 50 days to recruit new employees, but the new hiring process will take roughly three weeks,” an official from Starbucks Korea said. According to Starbucks Korea, the new hiring process will be tested at 50 of its branches across the country. The company could extend the adoption o
May 16, 2024
-
TikTok girl surprised with Buldak Carbonara Ramen event
South Korean food giant Samyang Roundsquare, formerly Samyang Foods Group, surprised a young Texas girl who went viral on TikTok after receiving a multi-pack of Buldak Carbonara Ramen as a birthday gift. Adalynn Sofia's emotional reaction to receiving the spicy noodles garnered nearly 100 million views and 10 million likes on the platform since it was posted in early April. As a gesture of appreciation, Samyang Roundsquare organized a surprise event for the girl at her home. A bright pink v
May 14, 2024
-
Processed food satisfaction rate keeps falling: report
South Korean consumers’ satisfaction with processed food dropped in 2023 compared to the year before, a report showed Monday, marking a decline in the price category for the third-straight year. The Korea Rural Economic Institute conducted a survey of 2,000 households across the country between August and October last year, asking them to rate their satisfaction with processed foods on a scale of 1 to 5. The respondents gave a 3.6, after marking 3.9 for three consecutive years from 2020 to
May 13, 2024
-
Dried seaweed prices skyrocket to highest-ever level
The wholesale price of gim, or dried seaweed, in South Korea in April nearly doubled from last year, rising to its highest-ever level. A 100-sheet package of gim was traded at an average of 10,089 won ($7.4) in April, soaring by 80.1 percent compared to the same month in 2023, according to the state-run Korea Maritime Institute. It was the first time that the wholesale price of gim surpassed the 10,000-won mark, and the institute projects that the price will keep climbing to 10,875 won by Octobe
May 7, 2024
-
Combined operating profit of 7 TV home shopping channels plunges 39.6 pct last year
Seven channels selling goods on television in South Korea saw their combined operating profit plunge 39.6 percent on-year in 2023, according to industry data Sunday, hurt by intense competition with social media and livestreaming platforms. The combined operating profit of the seven TV home shopping channels stood at 327 billion won (US$241 million) last year, compared with a combined profit of 541.1 billion won in 2022, according to the data released by the Korea TV Homeshopping Association. It
May 5, 2024
-
Cost of eating up, particularly in Seoul: data
The prices of dishes at local eateries have been on the rise in South Korea, following the rising prices of agricultural, fishery and livestock products reported last week. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, an affiliate of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, the average prices for eight major dining options have all gone up in Seoul in March, compared to March of last year. In a bid to provide a general understanding of the dining costs in South Korea, the agency discloses the monthly average
April 28, 2024
-
Orion's Turtle Chips sales soar in US
The popularity of the Orion brand's Turtle Chips continued to grow in the US last year, boosting its annual sales to around 12 billion won ($8.8 million). Orion, a South Korean confectionery and snack manufacturer, is supplying the chips at the snack bars of major firms such as Google and Netflix, the company said Wednesday. According to Orion, the annual sales of Turtle Chips in the US reached 12 billion, around 200 times higher than the figure in 2017 when the company first launched the s
April 24, 2024
-
Beer imports from Japan more than double in Q1
South Korea's imports of Japanese beer products more than doubled on-year in the first quarter this year, despite a 20 percent drop in the country's overall beer imports during the same period, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Korea Customs Service, the combined value of Korea's beer imports in the January-March period decreased by 19.8 percent on-year to reach $45.2 million. In terms of volume, the country' beer imports went down by 24.1 percent to 48,322 t
April 17, 2024
-
Chanel, Louis Vuitton see muted growth in Korea
Luxury fashion houses reported a slowdown in sales growth in Korea after years of upbeat sales that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent earnings reports. “Consumption of expensive luxury products soared over the past few years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. But, luxury purchases started to slow down last year as consumer confidence remained low amid economic woes,” an industry source said on the condition of anonymity. The two largest luxury brands in
April 16, 2024
-
Greyd’s video platform helps Korean sellers go global
Greyd, a social commerce platform developed by Seoul-based software developer Arbaim, aims to secure a bigger footing in overseas markets as it offers an effective marketing tool for Korean sellers that is also entertaining to attract global customers. Short-form videos, typically defined as any video under 90 seconds in duration, have become increasingly popular on a variety of social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Advertisers are also turning their eyes to the new ty
April 15, 2024
-
Amid deepening apple crisis, S. Korea eyes long-term measures
This year’s spikes in apple prices have prompted South Korean officials to explore long-term strategies to stabilize fruit harvests. While the latest price trends are influenced by various factors, including short-term weather events, officials are concerned about a troubling underlying trend: Declining harvests due to shrinking cultivation areas in the country attributed to climate change, a decreasing and aging farming population, among other reasons. Data released Thursday by the Korea
April 11, 2024
-
7 in 10 Korean retailers feel threat from Chinese e-commerce rush
Seven out of 10 retailers in Korea say they feel threatened by the rapid expansion of Chinese e-commerce platforms, especially the big three -- AliExpress, Temu and Shein -- an industry-wide survey found Monday. Of the 500 retailers surveyed by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the nation’s largest business lobby, 69.4 percent said their businesses are under threat by the Chinese rush, while 74.4 percent expected heightened competition in the market. Almost 60 percent of online
April 8, 2024
-
Food delivery platforms compete with free delivery
The competition among Korea’s three largest food delivery platform operators is intensifying as each of them has recently launched free delivery services to increase their share of the market. On Friday, Yogiyo, the third-largest food delivery app provider, announced that the company would begin free delivery for users with Yogiyo membership. Yogiyo’s decision came after the other two companies, Baedal Minjok (Baemin) and Coupang Eats, rolled out membership-based free delivery servic
April 5, 2024
-
S. Korea's beauty exports hit all-time high of $2.3b in Q1
South Korea’s exports of cosmetics jumped around 22 percent on-year to hit an all-time high in the first quarter of this year, amid the growing international popularity of Korean culture, government data showed Tuesday. According to the Korea Customs Service, the country’s exports of cosmetic products came to $2.3 billion in the January-March period, up 21.7 percent on-year from the same three-month period last year. The export figure is the highest ever for the first quarter. South
April 3, 2024
-
More S. Koreans voice dissatisfaction with overseas e-commerce platforms in 2023
More South Korean consumers expressed dissatisfaction with their experiences shopping directly via online platform services based overseas last year, partly attributed to Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress tapping deeper into the Korean market as well as greater demand for overseas travel among Koreans using online travel agency services based in Singapore, according to the Korea Consumer Agency. According to the KCA on Friday, the total number of requests for advice and reports of disputes
March 29, 2024
-
Consumer sentiment snaps 3-month rise in March amid rising prices, slumping spending
South Korea's consumer sentiment snapped an improvement for the third consecutive month in March amid soaring prices of farm goods and a slump in private spending, a central bank poll showed Tuesday. The composite consumer sentiment index stood at 100.7 this month, down from 101.9 the previous month, according to the survey conducted by the Bank of Korea. A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The central bank said consumer sentiment declined amid a rise in prices of agri
March 26, 2024
-
Nongshim earns over 50% of its profit from overseas on K-food hype
The sales and operating profit of South Korea's top ramyeon maker Nongshim hit all-time highs last year thanks to the popularity of ramyeon products in foreign markets, the company said Friday. The company’s operating profit in 2023 jumped by 89.1 percent from a year earlier to reach 212 billion won ($159 million), while its annual sales came to 3.4 trillion won, up 9 percent on-year. "As global inflation stubbornly remains high, ramyeon products have appealed to foreign consumer
March 15, 2024
-
[From the Scene] The Hyundai Seoul turns Yeouido into young shoppers' mecca
Just a few years ago, the streets of Yeouido, Seoul's main finance and investment banking district normally full of white-collar workers during weekdays, were quiet during weekends. But now, the high-profile opening of The Hyundai Seoul, the largest retail mall in Korea's capital, has reinvigorated the area, making it a shopping mecca for those in their 20s and 30s in only three years. “I can see more people, particularly younger people, coming to this office district in Yeouido
March 5, 2024