Department stores saw rising sales early this year after two years of stagnant growth, according to department store data Sunday.Hyundai Department Store announced that it had posted 4.6 percent on-year growth in sales over the first three months of the year, while Lotte Department Store‘s sales grew 4.2 percent on-year.(123rf)The unusual increase in sales in the early months is partly due to the late surge in winter fashion revenue brought on by a late winter, according to industry watchers.Sal

Industry March 27, 2016

Myeong-dong is one of the liveliest neighborhoods of Seoul, constantly abuzz with the sounds of shop owners calling out to potential customers, the rustle of shopping bags, cars honking and, last but not least, shoppers chattering -- in Mandarin.Although Myeong-dong is considered a landmark of Seoul, the majority of the shoppers are clearly not from Korea.“Chinese tourists make up about 60 percent of the shoppers,” said Lee Dong-hee, the director of the Myeong-dong Tourism Special District Assoc

Industry March 27, 2016

Discount store chain E-mart is using its smartphone app to provide benefits for visitors to its offline stores, the company said Sunday.Customers who open the app while connected to in-store wireless internet until April 6 will receive a 2,000-won coupon.  E-mart holds a location-based promotion through its mobile application. (Emart)The promotional event is designed to show customers how using the mobile E-mart app could enhance their offline experience, the company said.The brand is also plann

Industry March 27, 2016

Lotte and Shinsegae, the nation’s two retail giants, are planning to build shopping complexes in Seoul and neighboring cities to curb the rapid growth of online retailers.By 2018, Lotte plans to open four shopping malls -- two in Seoul and the other two in Incheon -- to lure customers wanting to enjoy shopping and cultural activities at one site.The malls will be outfitted with retail stores, supermarkets, movie theaters and restaurants on floors ranging in size from 160,000 square meters to 410

Industry March 18, 2016

Boeing Korea president Eric John said Thursday he would invest more in aerospace research and development projects in Korea to forge closer ties with Korean companies.“Just in the last four years, the amount we spend per year on R&D in Korea has doubled,” John told reporters in Seoul. Boeing Korea president Eric John (Boeing)“This year, it’ll be almost $2 million. In 2012, it was about $1 million. So it‘s still small, but I want to make it much bigger,” he said, adding that such moves would crea

Industry March 17, 2016

The name Karl Muller is most recognized in the orthopedic shoe world as referring to the mechanical engineer who developed the Masai Barefoot Technology shoe in the late 1990s. Now there is a second Karl Muller -- the original Muller’s son, who jumped into the market in 2008 with his own brand of Swiss wellness shoes, Joya. “When I was growing up, all I knew was making shoes,” Muller Jr. told The Korea Herald at the Joya Seoul office in Mapo-gu on a visit to Seoul. Born in 1985, Muller Jr. spent

Industry March 13, 2016

　(Amway)Amway launches dietary supplement brand　Amway launched its latest brand Truvivity in the Korean market Monday, to expand its presence in what it calls the “inner beauty” market Truvivity is a joint project between the teams of Amway’s dietary supplement brand Nutrilite and skin care brand Artistry. The first two Truvivity products to be released in Korea are moisturizers: The pill-form Aqua Supplement and the Aqua Powder Drink. The Aqua Supplement is taken before bed, while the Aqua Powd

Industry March 10, 2016

Growing fears about the spread of the Zika virus led to more than 1,000 people canceling their international flights in February, according to Korean airlines on Thursday.They said a total of 1,376 pregnant women and family members had canceled flights to countries where Zika virus infections had broken out. These flights had been booked with either Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Eastar or T’way Airlines. In this file photo from Feb. 12, passengers are checked for fever as they

Industry March 10, 2016

Hanjin Group, parent company of Korean Air, said Wednesday that it will open a 73-floor hotel in downtown Los Angeles later next year, as part of efforts to expand its hotel business overseas.The announcement came during a topping-out ceremony held to celebrate the completion of the concrete frame of Wilshire Grand Hotel in the city. The final piece of steel is hoisted during the topping-out ceremony at The Wilshire Grand Hotel. (Hanjin)The ceremony was attended by Chris Martin, CEO of architect

Industry March 9, 2016

Korean air carriers are set to impose fuel surcharges on international flight services based on distance traveled starting May 1.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday that it has approved plans submitted by six air carriers here to shift their current method of calculating fuel surcharge rates based on regions. Currently, air carriers impose fuel surcharges based on regional charts. For instance, passengers traveling to cities in Europe and Africa get the same amount

Industry March 9, 2016

KT&G, Korea’s largest tobacco manufacturer, has opened a cultural facility at Myongji Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as part of its social contribution project, according to officials on Wednesday. Kim Jin-han (fourth from left), head of the social contribution office at KT&G, and Kim Hyoung-soo (sixth from left), superintendent of Myongji Hospital, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sangsang Stage at the hospital on Wednesday. (KT&G)The company has donated 150 million won ($124,000)

Industry March 9, 2016

KT&G, Korea’s leading cigarette manufacturer, has released the latest limited edition “This Africa” decorated with animal prints, the company said Tuesday.Named “Africa Wild,” the special packs are covered in trendy leopard and zebra prints and are on sale for just one month. Limited-edition "Africa Wild" packs (KT&G)The cigarettes themselves remain the same, coming in the existing Rula or Mola flavors with the same tar content of 5.0 mg. The company expects a positive response to the limited-ed

Industry March 8, 2016

Consumers should be on the lookout for exaggerated or false advertising on home shopping networks, the Korea Consumer Agency cautioned Tuesday.(123rf)The KCA reported the results of a study conducted last September through October, which showed that 82.9 percent of TV shopping advertisements claiming a “TV-only” or “lowest price guaranteed” deal were selling products that were also available through online channels or were priced higher than the lowest cost. The study included 100 broadcasts on

Industry March 8, 2016

Heading to the theaters this weekend? The Korea Herald offers a guide to the top movies playing in theaters.Room (Canada, Ireland)　Drama. Directed by Lenny AbrahamsonOpened March 3　Based on an eponymous novel by Emma Donoghue, “Room” follows Joy (new Academy Award winner Brie Larson) and her son Jack who are liberated after spending years locked in a small room by an abusive captor. Mother and son try to adjust themselves to their newfound freedom and experiences in a strange, outside world.　　Tw

Film March 4, 2016

Netmarble Games, in collaboration with game developer Netmarble Blue, launched Friday its first role-playing game of 2016. Called “Knights of Night,” the game hopes to combine the visual effects of existing RPGs with strong strategic elements, optimized for a mobile user environment.“We focused on three things when preparing the game,” Netmarble Games COO Baek Young-hoon told reporters at the “Knights of Night” Media Day at the GLAD Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.“First is stylish action, with

Culture March 4, 2016