Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said Monday it will raise its membership fee for existing members from 4,990 won ($3.60) to 7,890 won starting Aug. 7, prompting mixed expectations about the impact of the fee hike. This move follows Coupang’s decision to increase its membership fees for new members to the same price of 7,890 won starting on April 13. Coupang counted approximately 14 million members as of last year, more than double the 6 million in 2020 when it launched the membership servi

Companies July 8, 2024

South Korea’s Hyosung Heavy Industries said Monday it secured a 330 billion won ($240 million) deal to supply 420-kilovolt high-voltage transformers to Norway’s electricity agency Statnett. The project aims to expand infrastructure for renewable energy and replace aging facilities in phases by 2029. Out of the total order, Hyosung signed a deal for the first batch, valued at 304 billion won, Friday. Hyosung attributed the latest deal to its expertise spanning from design to installat

Companies July 8, 2024

Lee Jin-sook, former president of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation’s Daejeon unit, has been nominated as the new chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, the presidential office announced Thursday. The 63-year-old started her career at Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, also known as MBC, as a news reporter in 1987. Lee was South Korea's first female war correspondent, covering the Gulf War in 1991 and the Iraq War in 2003. In recognition of her contributions, she received the

Politics July 4, 2024

Starbucks Korea is launching the Festival for All promotional event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its operations in the nation, the coffee giant announced Thursday. This seven-day event kicks off Friday and features new food and beverage products from overseas branches. For beverages, the company will showcase its French vanilla latte and "The Melon Of Melon Frappuccino," initially launched in the US and Japan, respectively. The French vanilla latte includes two shots of blonde

Companies July 4, 2024

Lim Sang-seop, former deputy minister of the Korea Forest Service, has been nominated as the new minister of the agency, the presidential office announced Thursday. The 54-year-old is a seasoned forest expert with extensive experience in both policy and fieldwork. He joined the forestry agency in 1998 after passing the higher technical civil service examination and has held various positions within the organization. The presidential office praised Lim as an expert who has contributed to enhancin

Politics July 4, 2024

Korean energy, retail and construction conglomerate GS Group launched its annual hackathon on Wednesday, running to Thursday, centered on artificial intelligence to drive digital transformation across the company. GS Group has hosted such hackathon events since 2020, but this marks the first year participants are allowed to use generative AI, including ChatGPT, with the aim of enhancing AI utility capabilities among employees. "With the advent of generative AI, we've entered a peri

Companies July 3, 2024

Posco Group Chairman Chang In-hwa announced that the group plans to integrate advanced materials into its core operations, alongside steelmaking and secondary battery materials, aiming to double sales to 5 trillion won ($3.6 billion) by 2030. "Let’s restore our core competitiveness and trust across our business, management and organizational culture, boldly innovate beyond our limits, and strive toward the future," Chang said during a meeting in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province,

Companies July 2, 2024

The Fair Trade Commission has launched formal proceedings to sanction Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress for alleged violations of e-commerce laws. According to industry sources on Monday, the FTC recently issued a review report outlining sanctions against AliExpress for failing to report its basic business information to the government. Under the Act on the Consumer Protection in E-Commerce, operators of e-commerce platforms must report their business name, email address, internet domain name

Industry July 1, 2024

US-based e-commerce giant Amazon is increasingly reaching out to Korean beauty product makers to join its sprawling online platform, where demand for “K-beauty” products is soaring globally. Amazon Global Selling Korea, the Korean unit, held the Amazon K-Beauty Conference -- the first exclusively dedicated to Korean beauty products -- at a Seoul hotel on Thursday. Co-hosted by Kolmar Korea, Korea's leading original design manufacturer for global beauty brands, the event attrac

Companies June 30, 2024

South Korean tire maker Kumho Tire said Wednesday its electric vehicle tire product, Ecsta HS52, has been recognized for its high-quality technology by the European automotive magazines ADAC and Auto Bild. ADAC and Auto Bild are two of the most influential automotive magazines in Europe and globally, known for their content on cars and related products, as well as their extensive performance testing. Kumho Tire’s Ecsta HS52 received a "good" rating from ADAC in their summer tire

Companies June 26, 2024

GYWANGYANG, South Jeolla Province -- South Korean steel giant Posco announced Tuesday that it has successfully established a full value chain for secondary battery materials and components. “We anticipate that as the (electric vehicle) market grows, the value of raw materials within the battery supply chain will increase, and thus we plan to accelerate investments focused on high-profit raw materials,” said Baung Jin-chul, vice president of Posco Holdings, during a press conference h

Companies June 26, 2024

POHANG, South Gyeongsang Province -- A significant experiment is underway at Posco's massive steel-making complex in Pohang, the industrial heart of South Korea, ushering eco-friendliness into the steel industry. A four-story structure, with its safety fences painted in vivid yellow, houses electrode rods and storage for raw ironmaking materials. On Monday, the electric smelting furnace (ESF), which is usually housed within this structure, was temporarily laid out for overhaul separately as

Companies June 26, 2024

South Korean discount chain Homeplus has renovated its Ulsan branch into the Homeplus Mega Food Market, a new concept store designed to offer an enhanced on-site shopping experience focused on fresh food products. “Along with the Homeplus Mega Food Market, the new core drive of Homeplus’ growth, we will continue to increase our interactions with customers while strengthening the competitiveness of our offline stores,” said Jo Do-yeon, head of Homeplus’ marketing departmen

Companies June 23, 2024

South Korean national flag carrier Korean Air will reopen some routes to China that had been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to a recent rise in travel demand between the two countries. Starting in July, Korean Air will resume flights between Busan and Shanghai, as well as between Jeju Island and Beijing, with each route operating seven times a week, according to the air carrier on Thursday. Later this year, flights will also resume between Incheon and Hefei, Busan and Beijing

Companies June 20, 2024

South Korean convenience store operators facing a saturated market at home are now eyeing expansion overseas, especially in Southeast and Central Asia where rapid economic growth and the popularity of Korean content are leading to a growing demand for Korean-style comprehensive convenience stores. Currently, the nation’s top two chains, BGF Retail and GS25, operate a combined 1,168 convenience stores overseas. While GS25 operates 573 namesake stores in Vietnam and Mongolia, BGF Retail ha

Industry June 16, 2024