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

Kolmar Korea announced Monday that the company has won a lawsuit against Italian cosmetics manufacturer Intercos’ local office here, which allegedly transferred trade secrets about sun care product technology. According to Kolmar Korea, the Seoul Central District Court has ruled in favor of Kolmar Korea in a civil case, in which Kolmar Korea accused Intercos Korea and its two former employees of stealing confidential technologies related to Kolmar’s sun care products. The court has o

Oriental Brewery announced Monday its flagship beer brand Cass secured six awards for its innovative marketing campaigns at the 2023 Effie Awards Korea. The Effie Awards spotlight marketing campaigns around the world for their creativity and tangible business impact. Baek Sun-ah, Netflix Korea’s creative production director, was among the judges for this year's Korean segment. Cass won several accolades, including best brand in the 10th Anniversary Special Award category, marking a de

L’Oreal Korea, making its 30th anniversary this year, said Friday it would boost collaboration with South Korean partners to ride the K-beauty boom around the world. “Korea has a very strategic and strong role to play within the ecosystem of the North Asia Beauty Triangle,” Fabrice Megarbane, president of the company’s North Asia Zone and CEO of L’Oreal China, during a press conference at the Korean unit’s headquarters in southern Seoul. The North Asia Beauty

Hyundai Engineering & Construction has started sales of its new apartment complex, Hilstate Sinyong The River, located in Gwangju’s Sinyong district. The apartment complex consists of a total of 19 buildings with 1,647 housing units, which range from 74-square-meter homes to 135-square-meter luxurious penthouses. According to the builder, one of the standout features is its strategic location. The complex is near the brand new Sinyong Station of Gwangju Metro Line 2, set to be operatio

Oriental Brewery CEO Ben Verhaert (third from left) and other executive members pose for a picture to celebrate the completion of a solar power system at the company’s brewery in Gwangju, Tuesday. The company said the solar panels will help eliminate 1,709 metric tons of carbon emissions per year. With more plans to expand the solar power-based production system, the company aims to run all its production facilities on renewable energy only by 2025. (Oriental Brewery)

High-end Korean hotels have continued to raise prices this year of mango bingsu, a Korean shaved ice dessert popular in the summer, despite mango prices having stabilized. This year, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul sold its mango bingsu at 126,000 won ($94), 31.3 percent higher than last year. Shilla Seoul also raised the price of its progenitor luxury mango bingsu by 18.1 percent to 98,000 won, while Lotte Hotel increased the price by 4.5 percent to 92,000 won. The price rally drew particular attentio

South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang said Wednesday it launched a new global marketing campaign for its Bibigo brand, dubbed “Live Delicious.” The campaign clip, featuring a TikTok-friendly dance and music, was distributed in Korea, the US, Europe, Japan, China, and Thailand via YouTube. “If the company’s past campaign for Bibigo aimed to build connections with customers by focusing on the integrity of our food products, the latest campaign focuses more on appealing to

South Korea’s fisheries industry on Tuesday raised concerns over the business impact of Japan’s planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean later this week. “Concerns are mounting among merchants here as the latest announcement will lead directly to decreases in the number of visitors to fish markets, as well as in the overall consumption of fish and seafood,” an official from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperati

Starbucks Korea said Friday that the company has launched its sixth community store nearby Dongnimmun Station in central Seoul, which will support descendants of Korea's national patriots. Starbucks Korea has been raising funds from its community stores by collecting 300 won ($0.22) for every product the company sells at its various community stores and delivering financial support to local communities since 2014. This sixth community store has been established near Dongnimmun Station and

McDonald's Korea on Monday held a special book talk event in Jung-gu, Seoul, to delve into "McDonald's 35 Years of Brand Story in Korea," the two-volume series published last month for the fast food chain's 35th anniversary in Korea. During the event, author Kang Han-ki and McDonald's Korea's Senior Director of Corporate Relations Shim Nari, who spearheaded the development of the book, shed some light on the book's development. “Such a project usuall

Binggrae, the nation’s largest snack maker, said Wednesday that it posted record sales of 77.5 billion won ($57.9 million) in overseas markets in the first half of this year. The figure is a 27 percent jump from a year ago and has more than doubled over the past five years. Binggrae attributed the upbeat earnings to its ice cream brands, especially its bestselling fruit-flavored ice cream Melona. Of the total earnings, 60.1 percent, or 46.6 billion won, came from ice cream sales. Melona al

Employees of Dong-A Otsuka, the nation’s leading beverage maker, celebrate the launch of White Kombucha-flavored Narangd Cider at the company’s headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Following pineapple and green apple, the new sweet and sour flavor is the latest addition to the company’s zero-calorie, zero-sugar carbonated beverage brand. (Dong-A Otsuka)

South Korean pharmaceutical firms and fashion brands are hoping that the Chinese government's recent decision to allow large groups to travel to Korea would bring a medical tourism boom and K-pop-inspired fashion windfall. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Thursday restrictions regarding group travel to Korea would be lifted for the first time since 2016, following its decision to abandon its “zero COVID” policy in January. According to Korea Tourism Organization

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang posted record second-quarter earnings amid the thriving performance of its new business initiatives -- extending its dominant run for four consecutive quarters since turning a profit for the first time in 2022. During its earnings call Wednesday, the New York-listed company said it posted record quarterly sales for the April-June period at $5.8 billion, for on-year growth of 16 percent. Operating profits were tallied at $147.6 million, showing a 42 percent

People wait in a line to enter a restaurant for samgyetang, or South Korean ginseng chicken soup, in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, Wednesday, a day ahead of malbok. Malbok in Korea refers to the last of the three hottest days of the year, following chobok and jungbok, and is celebrated by eating samgyetang. Amid an increase in production costs such as the price of feed , the retail price of chicken per kilogram stood at 6,151 won ($4.61) as of Tuesday, showing an on-year increase of 8.1 percent from

The prices of apples and pears are expected to rise due to decreased fruit yields caused by poor weather conditions, according to data released by government-funded research organization Korea Rural Economic Institute on Wednesday. The projection for the agricultural sector for August raises concerns because the two fruits are typically in high demand in September, as they are the most popular choices for gift sets for the upcoming Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, holiday. The major national har

By Cho Seung-hwan, minister of oceans and fisheries As summer arrives, the blazing sun glazes up the asphalt and the summer heat intensifies. Indeed, the season to embark on a well-deserved summer vacation has arrived. And yet, we inevitably mull over the specifics of somewhat vague but long-awaited vacations around this time of the year. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel priorities have shifted, focusing more on nature, outdoor activities, healing, relaxation and unique experiences.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs set a goal to double the exports of kimchi to $300 million by 2027 via a comprehensive plan to bolster the nation's kimchi industry, the ministry announced Monday. The Food Ministry unveiled its five-year plan for 2023 to 2027 for the promotion of the domestic kimchi industry. The plan comes as the Kimchi Industry Promotion Act, which mandates the announcement of the nation's general plan to invigorate the indigenous kimchi industry e

By Ben Verhaert Oriental Brewery CEO Now is the best season for enjoying a refreshing beer, and Aug. 4 is International Beer Day and I would like to speak for beers today, especially for Korean beers. As one of the oldest human-produced drinks, the beer has many charm factors which have allowed humankind to enjoy it for so long as 8,000 years. First of all, beer is inclusive. Men and women across geographies and socioeconomic groups enjoy having a beer with friends. Beer has always been a great