[Weekender] Korea's elderly poverty reveals itself in heart of Seoul

The streets of Nakwon-dong behind Tapgol Park in central Seoul are often referred to as a place for older adults, in particular, those living on limited means. “Here, a 10,000 won ($7.58) bill is enough to make your day," said Kim, 74, at a small restaurant in Nakwon-dong. "A bowl of hot soup with rice costs only 3,000 won, and you can even get coffee for an additional 200 won. If you want a haircut, it costs only 6,000 won. That's the reason why people like me, who are down

Dec. 16, 2023

Koreans will 'freeze to death' for iced Americanos even in winter

"I always drink iced Americano, even in winter," said Kim, an office worker in her 30s who identifies as an "eoljukah" person. Eoljukah is a portmanteau of the words for "Even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!" It refers to people who are die-hards for the espresso topped off with water and ice, no matter how cold the weather is. The eoljukah trend has steadily grown among Korea's office workers, as iced Americanos are now ubiquitous in cafes and convenienc

Nov. 27, 2023

[Herald Interview] Food trade chief confident of winning official recognition of Kimchi Day in US

The declaration of "Kimchi Day" is not only necessary to raise awareness about the Korean staple food globally, but also to protect it in a decadeslong cultural feud over its origin, according to Kim Choon-jin, CEO of Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. Kim is a three-term lawmaker who entered South Korea's political scene after having been the dentist of former President Kim Dae-jung. He was appointed as CEO of the state-run food trade agency, known as aT for short, in 2021

Nov. 21, 2023

Chinese beer imports plunge amid Tsingtao scandal

South Korea’s beer imports from China decreased by over 40 percent last month after a hygiene incident at a Tsingtao brewery was revealed. Imports of Japanese beer products, on the other hand, increased by over 300 percent. According to data from the Korea Customs Service on Thursday, Korea’s imports of Chinese beer reached 228.1 tons in October, down 42.6 percent on-year. The import value of Chinese beer products shipped to Korea during the same period came to $1.9 million, also dow

Nov. 16, 2023

Redbreast 15 Year Old whiskey debuts in Korea

Pernod Ricard Korea on Monday launched Redbreast 15 Year Old, a more aged and spicier variant of its Irish whiskey brand, targeting the evolving demand for non-Scotch whiskeys in the rapidly expanding domestic market. The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller previously introduced its Irish whiskey, Redbreast 12 Year Old, for the first time in Korea in September. While retaining the smooth character typical of traditional Irish pot still whiskey, the 15 Year Old brings a spicier pr

Nov. 13, 2023

SPC Samlip partners with Asian supermarket chain H Mart

South Korean confectionery company SPC Samlip said Thursday that it had signed a partnership with H Mart, the largest Asian supermarket chain in North America, as part of efforts to further increase its global presence. H Mart operates some 120 supermarkets in the US, Canada and the UK. In 2022, it posted 4.3 trillion won ($3.28 billion) in sales. Under the partnership, SPC Samlip will increase its supply of confectionery products to be distributed through H Mart's extensive sales network.

Nov. 9, 2023

Farm online, harvest offline: Virtual farming games attract inflation-weary consumers

Home farming is gaining popularity as inflation continues to drive up the prices of produced goods including eggs and vegetables. Recently, the trend has recently taken an interesting turn, with local e-commerce platforms launching mobile farming games that bear real fruit in the physical world. Lee Jae-ram, a 33-year-old office worker in Seoul, recently received his "harvest" of bananas in a package via mail, the fruit of his farming efforts in the mobile game, Al-Farm. Al-Farm is a g

Nov. 7, 2023

Paris Baguette inks sponsorship deal with Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Baguette, South Korean bakery giant SPC Group's flagship bakery chain, announced Thursday that the company has signed a sponsorship deal with French football club Paris Saint-Germain. Of around 30 companies that have partnered with the Paris-based football club, including Nike, Qatar Airways, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, Paris Baguette is the only Korean brand. Paris Saint-Germain is an internationally popular French football club which is widely known for its superstar, Kylian Mba

Nov. 2, 2023

S. Korea vaccinates nearly 82% of cattle amid LSD outbreaks

South Korea's agricultural authorities said Saturday they have vaccinated nearly 82 percent of cattle subject to emergency inoculation amid growing concerns over the nationwide spread of lumpy skin disease. As of Saturday morning, health authorities have administered the vaccine to 357,000 out of 438,000 cows subject to emergency inoculation, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Since the first-ever outbreak of the viral infection last week, the country has so f

Oct. 28, 2023

[Graphic News] Daily card spending up 8.4% in H1 amid post-pandemic recovery

Daily card spending in South Korea rose 8.4 percent in the first half from a year earlier on the back of the post-pandemic economic recovery, central bank data showed. Card holders spent an average 3.3 trillion won ($2.47 billion) per day in the January-June period, compared with 3 trillion won the previous year, according to data from the Bank of Korea. Credit card spending rose 8.8 percent on-year to a daily average of 2.56 trillion won, led by use on e-commerce platforms. Credit card use for

Oct. 23, 2023

[Weekender] Indie bookstores thrive in reading-reluctant Korea

Despite consistently falling reader engagement, independent bookstores are surviving -- and even thriving -- in South Korea. "Over the last decade, we've seen a pretty sharp drop in the number of people picking up at least one book a year – down from 72.2 percent in 2013 to just 46.9 percent in 2021. But when you consider all the different ways people can get their info these days, maybe that's not quite the disaster it seems," said Baek Won-geun, the brain behind 15 of

Oct. 21, 2023

[Herald Interview] New Royal Salute whisky debuts in Korea to tap growing premium market

Pernod Ricard’s Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Richard Quinn Edition 2 has recently made its world debut in South Korea, where young drinkers are increasingly turning their eyes to high-end whiskeys. The second collaboration with UK fashion designer Richard Quinn "features a deeper and more flavorful blend, and the design is bolder and more colorful," said Pernod Ricard Korea CEO Frantz Hotton in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. “The reason why Korea was selected as the

Oct. 18, 2023

Beef prices have soared 100-fold over 50 years : data

The cost of daily necessities in South Korea has surged over the past 50 years amid the nation's rapid economic growth and soaring inflation, revealed data released Monday. According to data compiled buy the Korea Price Research Center, a 1 kilogram cut of Korean beef that would have cost 1,366 won in 1974 now costs 145,900 won ($108), while the price of pork rose from 700 won per kilogram to 31,800 won during the same period. Beef and pork experienced the steepest price hikes of 100-fold a

Oct. 16, 2023

Prices for dining out soar beyond inflation

Price increase rates of about 80 percent of restaurant menus exceeded the price increase rate of a market basket of consumer goods in September, according to data on Monday. According to Statistics Korea, the consumer price index, which functions as an economic metric for the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods, showed an on-year growth of 3.7 percent in September. Meanwhile, the increase rate in the sector for dining out, a key indicator of inflation in the food sector f

Oct. 9, 2023

[Photo News] Whiskey in vogue

(From left) Richard Quinn, an English fashion designer and a brand collaborator for Pernod Ricardo Korea; Frantz Hotton, CEO of Pernod Ricardo Korea; Mathieu Deslandes, head of Royal Salute; and Miguel Pascual, chief financial officer of Pernod Ricardo, pose for a photo to celebrate the global debut of the second edition of Royal Salute 21 Year Old Richard Quinn in Seoul on Wednesday. The whisky’s world premiere comes against the backdrop of significant growth in high-end wines and whiskie

Oct. 4, 2023

Immersive tech firm iStaging sets up Asian branch in Seoul

The Taiwan-based immersive tech company iStaging said last Wednesday it is expanding its presence in the Asian market by setting up its Asian subsidiary in Seoul. The inauguration event was held on Sept. 21 at the Daewoo Summit Gallery in southern Seoul, with its key partners in attendance. The company offers augmented and virtual reality solutions to more than 100,000 corporate clients globally, including Samsung Electronics. With the latest Asian launch, it aims to bolster ties with companies

Oct. 4, 2023

'No Japan?' Korea swings from extreme rejection to selective embrace

For one local beer aficionado, the recent increase in the variety of alcoholic beverages available at convenience stores has been noticeable and -- to a moderate degree -- welcome. "Various Japanese beer brands are now part of the 'Buy four cans of imported beer for 10,000 won ($7.50)' deal," 32-year-old Lee Hyun-soo told The Korea Herald. "So I thought, 'Why not relish their rich flavor?' Especially since I haven't been to Japan in ages,” he said. M

Oct. 2, 2023

McDonald's Korea introduces kiosks for visually impaired customers

McDonald's Korea said Friday that the company has upgraded its self-service kiosks for visually impaired customers at 15 stores located in Seoul. The company said the new kiosks come with new keypads and headphone jacks, through which visually impaired users can connect their headphones and browse the menu. The 15 stores have been selected based on their proximity to welfare institutions, education institutes and job centers for visually impaired people. McDonald's Korea noted that t

Sept. 15, 2023

Musinsa kicks off preview show for 2024 spring-summer collection

Musinsa, the largest online fashion platform in South Korea, has kicked off a preview event that showcases local fashion brands' collections for spring-summer 2024, the company said Friday. Under the title of “24ss Musinsa Season Preview,” the company will showcase over 200 products designed by 30 local brands at Musinsa Terrace Seongsu and Musinsa’s three separate offline studios in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood in eastern Seoul. Musinsa's latest event has been organ

Sept. 15, 2023

SPC’s Paris Baguette secures bigger footing in North America

South Korean bakery giant SPC Group said Wednesday that it is opening nine new Paris Baguette stores in North America this month, seeking a bigger footing in one of the key strategic markets. With the planned nine new openings, SPC will be operating a total of 150 stores in the region. In Canada, SPC will open a Paris Baguette store at the Southpark on Whyte, a residential complex located in Alberta on Friday, while another outlet is set to open in Newmarket, Ontario, next week. In the US, seven

Sept. 13, 2023