The Korean Fair Trade Commission, which is currently investigating the corporate merger of the nation‘s No. 1 and 2 delivery apps, Baedal Minjok and Yogiyo, respectively, vowed stricter evaluation Tuesday, after Baemin’s attempt to change the commission system took flak. Baemin restructured its fee system starting April 1, basically changing from a flat-sum system that requires restaurant owners to pay a monthly fee to a fixed-rate commission of 5.8 percent per order made on the a

Industry April 7, 2020

South Korean hypermarket chain Homeplus said Monday it was exporting toilet paper to Singapore, which has a shortage of daily necessities as its trade partners close borders amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the company, it is selling 2,000 packs of its private brand product Simplus toilet paper and facial tissues to Qoo10, a Singapore-based e-commerce firm. The products departed from Busan Port for delivery to Singapore on Monday. The two types of Simplus products are to be sold on

Consumer April 6, 2020

P&G rolled out Downy Spring Garden on Monday, a new product of its fabric softener Downy Botanis Perfume collection. Downy Spring Garden boasts the delicate scent of spring, allowing customers to enjoy a spring garden from inside their homes, the company said. The product boasts a relatively gentle fragrance and is highly concentrated so users can put in a third of the normal amount for the same effect as its other fabric softeners, the company said. “Downy Botanis Perfume Colle

Consumer April 6, 2020

As of Friday, South Korean consumers can freely order alcoholic drinks online and pay via internet or with a mobile app. With a ban on online purchases of liquor lifted, convenience stores and hypermarket chains stand to benefit, according to the industry. Changes to the Liquor Tax Act came into effect Friday allowing retailers, including restaurants, hypermarkets and convenience stores, to sell alcoholic beverages on mobile apps and on the internet. But delivery is still banned, so custome

Consumer April 6, 2020

Baedal Minjok’s recently restructured fee system, which involves charging restaurant owners a fixed-rate commission of 5.8 percent, is now facing criticism from restaurants that say it imposes a higher cost burden, industry sources said Sunday. The country’s No. 1 delivery app has expanded its fixed-rate system Open Service by lowering the rate from 6.8 percent to 5.8 percent per order starting Wednesday, while scaling back the other optional flat-sum system, Ultra Call. This

Industry April 5, 2020

Amorepacific’s male cosmetics brand BeREADY said Thursday it has launched a new eye shadow palette for men. BeREADY, which was introduced last year, said it rolled out the Mood Up Shadow Eye Palette, the first eye palette product in the market to be developed for men. The brand said the range of cosmetics used by men are expanding from skin base creams to color items. The four colors of the eye palette are chosen based on how well they blend and can also be used for facial contouring,

Consumer April 2, 2020

Pengsoo, a popular costumed penguin character from educational television network EBS, is sweeping the local retail market, with sales rocketing. GS25, a convenience store chain here, said Thursday its collaboration products with Pengsoo is hitting record sales. GS25 rolled out four Pengsoo-themed fresh food items, including tuna sandwich and gimbab (seaweed rice-roll), two umbrellas and four socks on March 27. Over 200,000 orders were made from its convenience stores on the first day of la

Consumer April 2, 2020

Pulmuone, a fresh food company, said Thursday it has launched two portion packs of Pulmuone Sliced Kimchi for small households, reflecting the increasing number of single and two-person households. The pack comes in two sizes -- 400 and 600 grams. While kimchi products are usually composed of 3 to 10 kilogram packs, Pulmuone said its small portion kimchi will fit the needs of small households. According to Statistics Korea, single and two-person households accounted for 57 percent of the pop

Consumer April 2, 2020

With social distancing becoming daily routine for people here in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, fancy restaurants are turning to drive-thru services, according to industry sources Tuesday. Samwon Garden, a decades-old local Korean food restaurant established in 1976, said it started a “driving pickup” service from Friday, in which customers can pick up meals ordered in advance from their cars. The restaurant offers discounts for all customers, selling short ribs menu items at

Consumer April 1, 2020

No one can deny that water is essential for life, but until recently, it has typically been considered indistinctive -- without color, taste or smell. But as water sommelier Ko Jae-youn explains, the common idea that water is tasteless is wrong. Aside from its beneficial mineral content, water also has enough taste to be paired with food, like wine is, he said. “Try light carbonated water with fried chicken, just as a quick way to find out how water can be paired with food. It will ta

Industry April 1, 2020

Ediya Coffee Chairman Moon Chang-ki (far right) turns on a roasting machine at Ediya Dream Factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. The factory that spans 12,982 square meters, with 40 billion won investment, is equipped with new coffee roasting technologies.  Ediya, which has 3,000 franchisees nationwide, said with the opening of the roasting factory and a logistics facility, it has automated all four processes of selecting, roasting and packaging coffee products. (herim@he

Consumer April 1, 2020

Korean food and beverage giant Binggrae said Wednesday it has acquired Haitai Icecream, a subsidiary of Haitai Confectionery & Food, for 140 billion won ($115 million). The exact date of the acquisition will be fixed after details are sorted out. Haitai Confectionery & Food began its ice cream business in 1970 by rolling out Bravo Cone. In January, it was spun off as a separate entity. Following the acquisition, Binggrae is likely to become No. 1 in the confectionery industry, with

Consumer April 1, 2020

Brand value rankings of companies in South Korea are facing an upheaval as the COVID-19 crisis is greatly influencing the consumption patterns, a local poll showed Tuesday. According to the BrandStock Top Index of Brandstock, e-commerce platform operators are seeing a boost in their value, reflecting the increased amount of time people are spending at home, due to social distancing and remote working. Leading e-commerce platform Coupang witnessed its rank jump from No. 54 at the end last ye

Industry March 31, 2020

The South Korean government lifted its sanction on budget airline Jin Air on Tuesday, after having prohibited the company from expanding new flight routes and adding new planes for 20 months. The Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport said it would remove the sanction against the budget carrier, a move that is seen to reflect the company’s recent efforts for improved management, but also comes in time when the airline industry is into a desperate situation in the wake of the COVI

Mobility March 31, 2020

Woowa Brothers, operator of the country’s leading food delivery app Baedal Minjok, said Monday it will file police complaints against businesses that posted fake food reviews on its app, after being paid. According to the company, the firms received about 5,000 won ($4) to 10,000 won for posting positive reviews registered on Baedal Minjok. For instance, they would be paid about 23,000 won to order one fried chicken that cost 18,000 won on the app, write a positive review, and gain 5,000

Consumer March 30, 2020