Sellers are leaving Tmon and Wemakeprice, the online shopping platforms owned by Singapore-based e-commerce giant Qoo10, due to delays in payment reportedly caused by liquidity issues, according to industry sources, Wednesday. Major retailers like Lotte Shopping, GS Retail and Hyundai Department Store suspended sales on Tmon and Wemakeprice earlier this week, citing a failures in getting paid by the two platforms. Similarly, travel agencies including Hana Tour, Modetour and Yellow Balloon Tour a

Industry July 24, 2024

LG Chem announced on Wednesday that Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, which had acquired the global license for LB54640 -- a new oral drug for a rare form of obesity developed by LG Chem -- has begun giving doses to the first participants in a phase 2 clinical trial. For the phase 2 trial, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals recruited 28 patients aged 12 and older with hypothalamic obesity -- a condition caused by congenital or acquired damage to hypothalamic function, resulting in difficulties in appetite control. Th

Companies July 24, 2024

Nongshim announced on Tuesday that it has been selected for South Korea's smart farm export project that aims to establish and operate a pilot greenhouse in Saudi Arabia. The project is initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and led by the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency, according to the company. The agreement ceremony took place at Nongshim's headquarters in Seoul, attended by Nongshim CEO Lee Byung-hak, Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion A

Companies July 23, 2024

Vien Yeung, a 29-year-old Chinese American from the University of California, Berkeley, and a current MBA candidate at Harvard Business School, has chosen to spend her summer at Korea's food giant, CJ CheilJedang. With her graduation set for March 2025, Yeung's decision to work at the company stems from her ambition to gain international experience for her future career. “I wanted to get my MBA to reach the executive level, potentially becoming a chief marketing officer one day,&

Companies July 23, 2024

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.com, owned by Alibaba Group, said Monday that it will launch an online platform to help Korean sellers expand into global online markets. The new platform, called the South Korea Pavilion, will be available starting Aug. 8 and will focus on business-to-business transactions, according to the company. "Despite the abundance of talented sellers in Korea across various fields such as food, cosmetics and auto parts, many still struggle to expand their online sal

Companies July 22, 2024

Yoo Sang-im, a professor of materials engineering at Seoul National University, has been nominated as the new minister of science and ICT, the presidential office announced Thursday. Introducing Yoo, the presidential office described him as “the right person to strongly lead our country’s science and technology policies during this great transformation of the advanced technology revolution, based on his long research experience and expertise in the field of science and technology.&rd

Politics July 18, 2024

Daewoo Engineering & Construction has been chosen as the preferred bidder to build nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic, the company said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy earlier in the day, the Czech government has selected the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power as the preferred bidder to build four nuclear power units in the country. If the final contract is signed in March 2025, Daewoo E&C will be responsible for the construction. Daewoo E

Companies July 18, 2024

Amid the burgeoning community of social media platforms, including YouTube and TikTok, the number of Korean individuals earning over 100 million won ($72,300) annually from their content on these platforms increased from 2020 to 2022, according to a report released Monday. The report submitted by the National Tax Service to Rep. Cha Gyu-geun of the Rebuilding Korea Party revealed the total number of individual creators increased from 27,560 in 2020 to 39,366 in 2022. Over the same period, the to

Industry July 16, 2024

DNK, a Seoul-based property management solution provider, formerly known as Dongnae, said Tuesday it has launched its fully redesigned property management system that enhances convenience for asset managers through centralized operational services. Currently managing over 15,000 units in the Korean market, the system now offers advanced features such as tenant tax reporting tools and banking virtual account integration. It supports English and Korean. Additionally, DNK disclosed its intention to

Companies July 16, 2024

LG Electronics said Monday it has opened a new research lab in Frankfurt, Germany dedicated to developing its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technologies, with a focus on providing practical air solutions for the European market. The Frankfurt facility, covering around 1,000 square meters, is the third of its kind, following branches in Changwon, Korea and Atlanta, the US. Its primary focus is to develop high-quality HVAC technologies for residential, commercial and industrial

Companies July 15, 2024

Beverages and food items labeled with "zero" -- intended to indicate they are sugar-free -- have faced criticism in Korea, as their promoted benefits often lead consumers to overconsume them, believing they contain no ingredients that could negatively impact health. In recent years, zero-labeled items have emerged among Korean consumers, largely driven by the increasing demand for healthier sugar-free snacks. These products provide a similar sweetness as those made with regular sugar b

Industry July 14, 2024

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said Friday it is not considering acquiring a part of Homeplus, a supermarket chain grappling with poor performance in recent years. The announcement was made in response to local media reports suggesting that Coupang plans to acquire Homeplus Express from MBK Partners, the private equity fund that owns Homeplus. Homeplus' supermarket business comes in two types: Homeplus, a large discount store, and Homeplus Express, a smaller hypermarket. Homeplus o

Companies July 12, 2024

Starbucks Korea said Thursday it has partnered with the country’s heritage service organizations to intensify its contribution to cultural preservation efforts. Starbucks Korea, the Korea Heritage Service and the National Trust for Cultural Heritage agreed to establish a national heritage protection fund during a ceremony held at the Starbucks Hwangudan branch in Seoul on Thursday. The event was attended by Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun, Korea Heritage Service Administrator Choi Eung

Companies July 11, 2024

McDonald's Korea has introduced new items under its "Taste of Korea" lineup -- including a cheeseburger and a chicken muffin featuring locally sourced peppers -- highlighting its commitment to collaborating with rural areas across the country. In its fourth edition since 2021, this year’s Taste of Korea lineup focuses on peppers produced in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, in the Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Burger and Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Muffin. “McDonald’s

Companies July 11, 2024

The Korea Housing Builders Association said Wednesday that its special delegation is visiting Vietnam this week to explore new opportunities in the Southeast Asian country where diverse development projects are underway to boost the vibrant economy. The delegation consists of 13 members, led by Chairman Jung Won-ju, who doubles as chairman of Daewoo Engineering & Construction. They departed for the seven-day trip on Saturday, during which they plan to meet with government and business leader

Industry July 10, 2024