Lotte Chilsung rolls out eco-friendly water product with no plastic labels

Lotte Chilsung Beverage said Wednesday it has rolled out bottled mineral water without plastic labels. The new product, 1.5-liter Icis 8.0 Eco, has its brand name engraved on the plastic bottle, taking away the hassle of having to remove the label before recycling it. The exclusion of the label will save about 4.3 tons of packing materials, the company said. The product will be released on Lotte Chilsung’s official shopping site and other online channels, in two bundles, each consist

ConsumerJan. 29, 2020

Rivals join hands for global heated tobacco market

In a rare move in the competitive tobacco industry, South Korea’s KT&G established a strategic alliance with Philip Morris International on Wednesday, to expand the market worldwide for its heat-not-burn cigarette brand lil. The unusual partnership secures a global distribution network for KT&G, which has been domestic-centric until recently, while it would help PMI enhance its campaign of “smoke-free” cigarette products with the added portfolio. During the commemora

ConsumerJan. 29, 2020

New coronavirus: Tips for staying safe

A novel coronavirus that started last month in Wuhan, a central Chinese city, has spread across China and to at least 13 other countries, including South Korea. In China, the pneumonia-inducing virus has killed 132 people and sickened 5,974 as of Wednesday morning, leading to an unprecedented lockdown of around 56 million people in affected areas. But this is after about 5 million had already left Wuhan, according to its mayor, Zhou Xianwang. Out of the 5 million, over 6,000 have reportedly c

TechnologyJan. 29, 2020

BTS delivers barefoot performance of ‘Black Swan’ on The Late Late Show

BTS delivered its very first onstage performance of “Black Swan” on the “Late Late Show” on Wednesday. It is the first single to be released from the upcoming album “Map of The Soul: 7.” The seven band members wore all-black outfits as they sang the orchestral emo hip-hop song against a dimly lit forest background and executed performance art-like choreography without shoes. Wednesday marks the third time the group has appeared on the late-night talk show, a

K-popJan. 29, 2020

Residents protest accommodating evacuees from Wuhan

Residents of Jincheon and Asan in the Chungcheong region on Wednesday strongly protested the government’s plan to use facilities in the cities as quarantine wards for hundreds of South Koreans to be airlifted from the Chinese city of Wuhan amid mounting fears over a deadly coronavirus. 　 The government announced that those evacuated from Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak, will be housed at state-run facilities in the two cities for a 14-day quarantine period. 　 Four charter fl

Social AffairsJan. 29, 2020

[Monitor] South Korea has largest trade surplus with Hong Kong

South Korea had the largest trade surplus with Hong Kong last year, data from the Korea Customs Service showed. Its trade deficit with Japan remained the largest, although the size was the lowest in 16 years due to Tokyo’s restrictions on exports of high-tech materials and the consequent boycott of Japanese products. While China was the country with Korea’s largest trade surplus for 10 years, Hong Kong topped the list last year. Poland joined the list of 10 countries with which K

IndustryJan. 29, 2020

US ups ante, sends furlough notice to S. Korean workers

The US military said it has started notifying nearly 9,000 South Koreans working for United States Forces Korea that they could be put on unpaid leave if Seoul and Washington fail to agree on cost-sharing for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops here. “USFK began providing Korean national employees today with a 60-day notice of a potential administrative furlough that could occur on April 1, 2020,” USFK said Wednesday. It noted that the military was bound by US law to deliver the no

DefenseJan. 29, 2020

N. Korea calls Wuhan virus fight ‘grave political matter’

North Korea on Wednesday ordered all-out prevention to fight the Wuhan coronavirus, describing such preventive efforts as a “grave political matter” that could determine the fate of the nation. 　 “All party organizations must regard efforts of stopping the spread of the new coronavirus as a grave political matter that is concerned with the fate of the nation and reinforce (relevant) political activities,” according to Pyongyang’s official newspaper, the Rodong Si

North KoreaJan. 29, 2020

Samsung’s appliance head touts upcoming Galaxy Home Mini speaker

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Home Mini will likely be launched soon as the company plans to link the voice-activated AI speaker with most of its upcoming home appliances, according to its head of digital appliances on Wednesday. Lee Jae-seung, executive vice president and head of the digital appliances business at Samsung, highlighted the role of the artificial intelligence speaker that will connect almost all Samsung products this year during a press conference to unveil the company&rsqu

TechnologyJan. 29, 2020

Fear of coronavirus spreads to Korea’s commercial banks

Silence prevails at KEB Hana Bank’s main branch in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on Wednesday in Seoul, except for a bell ringing that a bank clerk -- wearing a mask -- is ready to serve the next customer. At the entrance, customers wonder if they are entering a hospital by mistake, as they are greeted with noncontact infrared thermometers and hand sanitizers placed at every corner, along with signs that read “preventative measures top priority.” The branch is one of many bri

MarketJan. 29, 2020

IBK chief takes office, ending 27 days of labor protests

The head of the Industrial Bank of Korea officially took office Wednesday after nearly a month of being unable to enter his office in the face of fierce protests from the labor union, which objected to the government’s influence on financial organizations. After reaching an agreement with the labor union to improve management transparency, IBK CEO Yoon Jong-won had his inauguration ceremony Wednesday, vowing to turn the state bank into a world-class financial institution that upholds et

MarketJan. 29, 2020

Renault executive visits conflict-ridden Busan plant

A senior executive from Renault Group visited the South Korean unit’s manufacturing plant in Busan on Wednesday, amid deepening labor and management conflict and falling productivity at Renault Samsung Motors. According to the South Korean unit of the French automotive group, Renault Group’s Deputy Alliance Executive Vice President Jose Vicente de los Mozos visited the Busan plant and held a meeting with manager-level employees. The company said the trip was part of his tour of Ren

MobilityJan. 29, 2020

Hyundai Wia to supply auto parts to global carmakers under W702b deal

Hyundai Wia said Wednesday that it has clinched a 702 billion won ($596 million) deal with European and US automakers to supply constant-velocity joints (CV joints).  Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive parts manufacturing arm did not disclose the names of the companies, but said that under the deal 55 percent of the parts will be supplied to eco-friendly vehicles. This is its first major deal with overseas carmakers.  CV joints enable a drive shaft to transmit power from the eng

MobilityJan. 29, 2020

Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism to promote temple food at foreign universities

Reaching the heart through the stomach, the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism on Wednesday laid out its plan to Korean promote temple food internationally. Established in 2004, the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism promotes Korean Buddhism and its cultural contents by providing traditional cultural experience programs, education, exhibition and campaign. “We will promote Korean temple food overseas with Korean Cultural Centers and Korean embassies located outside of Korea,” head

CultureJan. 29, 2020

Margot Robbie explains Harley Quinn’s return in ‘Birds of Prey’

Harley Quinn does not cope well with the breakup from her “pudding” Joker in the beginning of “Birds of Prey,” but this may just be her first step out into the world, said Margot Robbie, who reprises her role from “Suicide Squad,” during a video press conference Tuesday. Robbie was joined by director Cathy Yan and lead actors Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Ella Jay Basco. In the first DC flick to hit the screens this year -- “Bir

FilmJan. 29, 2020

Crude oil spills from buoy off coast of Ulsan

Local maritime police took emergency action Wednesday after crude oil spilled from a buoy -- an offshore crude oil loading facility -- installed off the coast of Ulsan, according to police and news reports. Police said oil bands were found at around 8 a.m. about 3.6 kilometers south of Ganjeolgot, Ulju County. A local merchant ship passing through the point reported it to police, saying brown oil was floating on the sea. The oil bands were reportedly distributed hundreds of meters long and 1

IndustryJan. 29, 2020

S. Korean envoy departs for Europe for talks on denuclearization, peace efforts

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon, embarked on a trip to Europe on Wednesday for talks with senior officials there over ongoing efforts for denuclearization and a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul officials said. Lee's trip to Belgium and Germany came as Seoul has been striving to secure global support for its push to bolster inter-Korean cooperation projects, such as individual tours to the communist state, and move forward stalled nuclear negotiations between Washingt

Foreign AffairsJan. 29, 2020

BTS’ ‘Connect’ global art project kicks off in Seoul

BTS’ global art project “Connect, BTS” has landed in Seoul, combining music and art with the group’s philosophy. The press event for the Korean leg of the exhibition was held Tuesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in downtown Seoul, the fourth destination of the project following London, Berlin and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The exhibition involves 22 artists and curators across five cities around the world who resonate with BTS’ philosophy centering on diversity, lo

K-popJan. 29, 2020

China’s coronavirus raises economic concerns in Korea

As the outbreak of China’s new coronavirus rapidly spreads, concerns have been raised about the Korean economy that heavily depends on China, the nation’s top export destination by volume. On Wednesday, China confirmed the number of deaths from the coronavirus epidemic at 132 and the number of confirmed cases at around 6,000. If the coronavirus turns into a prolonged outbreak, “the biggest concern is the impact on the Chinese economy,” said Park Sang-hyun, an analyst

IndustryJan. 29, 2020

Ex-justice minister suspended from duty as professor after indictment

Cho Kuk, former justice minister indicted over an ex-vice mayor's bribery case, was suspended from duty as a professor at Seoul National University (SNU) on Wednesday, officials said. The university said it has decided to impose an administrative action against Cho, who resumed his job as professor of the SNU law school in October 2019 after stepping down from the justice minister post following a scandal involving his family. "As of Wednesday, we decided to relieve him of his duty on th

Social AffairsJan. 29, 2020