South Korea's customs service on Saturday announced six new operators for duty-free shops in Seoul and two other cities.
The Korea Customs Service said that it selected Hyundai Department Store, Shinsegae DF and Lotte Duty Free for three outlets in Seoul. Top City Corp. took the Seoul slot reserved for a small and medium-sized firm.
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Busan Duty Free won the license for a shop in the southern port city of Busan, while Alpensia clinched the license for an outlet in Gangwon Province.
The announcement came amid calls to delay or cancel the selection process due to a high-profile corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil.
Lotte and SK, which were among the candidates vying in the competition, were among the conglomerates that paid large sums of money to two nonprofit foundations controlled by Choi. (Yonhap)