Mr. Pizza, a pizza franchise operated by South Korea’s MPK Group, has opened its fifth store in the United States inside the Westfield Century City shopping mall in California.　The new Los Angeles location of Mr. Pizza is on the third floor of the Westfield mall, considered among the largest shopping complexes in the U.S.　The Korean pizza franchise will feature a diverse menu of pastas and pizzas made with handmade dough, toppings and baking methods, as well as “special combo” value sets priced

Industry Dec. 10, 2015

Reebok Classic has joined hands with Danish fashion brand Wood Wood to launch a collaborative collection infusing contemporary sportswear style with street fashion in South Korea. 　Dubbed the Reebok Classic by Wood Wood, the collection was inspired by the street style of the ‘90s, when sports fashion was at the peak of public attention. It features tracksuits, sweatshirts and padded jackets, among other items, which combine the design philosophies of the two brands.　“Reebok Classic’s sporty iden

Industry Dec. 10, 2015

Italian sportswear brand Ellesse is set to reemerge as a stylish performance wear brand next year, introducing a revamped lineup of colorful, trendy active wear to South Koreans. 　　Under the new slogan “Add color to your game,” the repositioned brand will seek to target younger consumers, particularly females, with three high-performance wear categories -- active, lifestyle and heritage.　Zic Company, a local sportswear manufacturer, will be exclusively marketing and selling Ellesse products afte

Industry Dec. 10, 2015

Paris Baguette, South Korea’s largest franchise bakery chain has opened a new market-style store dubbed “Paris Baguette Market” near Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. 　The store was established as a “lifestyle bakery” offering not only diverse baked goods, but also a “Snacking” corner featuring light meals, as well as a “Delicatessen” selling cheese, butter, milk, processed milk and wine, among other goods, according to the brand.　The Paris Baguette Market will also reintroduce two signatur

Industry Dec. 10, 2015

KOREA-AUSTRALIA FTA ANNIVERSARY -- Australian ambassador to South Korea Bill Paterson (left) and director general of the trade policy bureau at the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Jin-kyu pose during a ceremony held in Seoul on Thursday to celebrate the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Korea-Australia FTA. The bilateral free trade pact took effect on Dec. 12, 2014. (Australian Embassy in Korea) 

Industry Dec. 10, 2015

S-OIL AWARDS CIVILIAN HEROES -- S-Oil CEO Nasser al-Mahasher (left) awards a total of 140 million won ($119,000) to 20 civilian heroes in South Korea in a ceremony held in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee Seong-sun (right) was awarded the top cash prize for his courageous act of saving 10 lives in a fire that broke out in an apartment complex in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, this year. (S-Oil)

Industry Dec. 9, 2015

The Partners for the Future Foundation, the nonprofit charity organization of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, pledged to continue its efforts to boost youth employment as it celebrated its 15th anniversary Wednesday.The PFF, sponsored by AMCHAM members, has been lending a hand in helping young Koreans find jobs and improve their lives through educational and training assistance since its establishment in 2000. “Giving back to the community is a part of the DNA of AMCHAM members and th

Industry Dec. 9, 2015

Han Sung Motor, the largest Mercedes-Benz dealer in South Korea, aims for 10-13 percent growth in car sales in 2016, its chief executive said Wednesday.The target is higher than the 8 percent growth rate of the country’s imported luxury car market predicted for next year by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. Han Sung Motor CEO Ulf Ausprung speaks during a press conference held Wednesday in Seoul. (Han Sung Motor)Han Sung CEO Ulf Ausprung revealed the company’s total car

Industry Dec. 9, 2015

LG Life Sciences, the biopharmaceuticals unit of LG Group, is emerging as a stronger player in the nation’s pharma industry as it gears up to export its newly developed 5-in-1 multifunctional vaccine Eupenta globally.　“We are expecting to receive the World Health Organization’s prequalification (PQ) approval of the new vaccine within one to two weeks, becoming eligible to join the United Nation’s procurement bid for 5-in-1 vaccines as early as next year,” a LG Life Sciences spokesperson told The

Industry Dec. 7, 2015

Seoul Design Week, South Korea’s largest public design festival, will seek to scale up the event regionally with its counterpart in Beijing.  　The plan was unveiled with the closure of the 2015 SDW, organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, on Sunday. Visitors look at design-savvy items displayed at Seoul Design Market on Sunday, which was held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza as part of the 2015 Seoul Design Week. (Seoul Design Foundation)　Seoul Design Week is planning to set up a “Seoul Pavilion

Arts & Design Dec. 7, 2015

　South Korea’s Anticorruption and Civil Rights Commission agreed to share its corruption-fighting know-how with developing countries, in an MOU signed with the United Nations Development Program on Friday.　“With this MOU, we want to increase our strategic opportunities to help increase the anticorruption capacity of developing countries by combining the UNDP’s policy expertise and country-level presence, with ACRC’s anticorruption technical expertise and innovative tools, such as the Anticorrupt

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2015

With the setting sun, darkness seeps into the harbor city of Incheon. As people unwind after a hectic day of work with bottles of soju, some beer and ample amounts of Korean barbecue in the local popular hangout, things start to get a little rough around a clearly-drunk 50-something man.　Uniformed police officers arrive on the scene and attempt to calm things down, but are welcomed with a slap and violent behavior with rants of “How dare you lecture me when you’re just my son’s age!” Cops specia

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2015

The government’s decision to delay the abolishment of the state-run bar exam has stoked vehement opposition, as students from 24 of 25 law schools in Korea agreed Friday to hand in dropout letters and refused to attend classes.　The University of Seoul Law School, one institute which did not participate in the movement, held a general meeting later in the day to discuss the matter. 　“The Justice Ministry broke its promise in 2007 to abolish the bar exam, which is a nearsighted decision that is ag

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2015