South Korea’s leading environmental exhibition, the International Exhibition on Environmental Technology & Green Energy, has received UFI certification, the Korea Environmental Preservation Association announced Tuesday.UFI is the French abbreviation for a global association that represents trade show organizers and exhibition center operators. As a UFI-approved international event, ENVEX is now recognized as a high-quality exhibition that provides a secure space for business interactions, KEPA

Industry May 7, 2019

Philip Morris International announced Wednesday that the US Food and Drug Administration has officially approved the sale of its tobacco device Iqos.Iqos is a heat-not-burn tobacco device that has passed the premarket tobacco application submitted to the FDA, making it now legal for the company to market the product in the US. (Yonhap)Unlike e-cigarettes, which heat a nicotine-infused liquid, HNB devices such as Iqos are noncombustible devices that heat tobacco, generating a nicotine-infused aer

Industry May 1, 2019

Free Wi-Fi services will be available on 4,200 public city buses nationwide, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced Wednesday.In an effort to improve information accessibility and reduce telecommunication costs, the ministry will provide 100 gigabytes of data per bus every month for public use. Buses with Wi-Fi services will have a ministry-issued sticker attached for easy recognition. Ministry-issued sticker (MSIP)Public Wi-Fi services are available at some 13,000 designated areas across the

Technology May 1, 2019

 Royal azaleas are in full bloom at the Gunpo Cheoljjuk Festival, in Gunpo, Gyeonggi province. The azaleas, known as “cheoljjuk” in Korean, are native to Korea and go into full bloom at the end of April.  (Yonhap)

Travel April 30, 2019

Homeplus has teamed up with P&G Korea to co-host the 2019 Play Cup Youth Futsal Festival, from April 6 until June 8, at HM Futsal Parks located in various branches of Homeplus, the company said Monday.This year’s edition, with some 1,200 youth futsal players from 120 teams participating at five Homeplus Futsal Parks, will be the biggest tournament to date. A youth futsal team holds up the championship cup after winning first place. (Homeplus)The event provides an opportunity for youths to foster

Industry April 29, 2019

KB Financial Group announced Monday it has launched the “KB Innovation Finance Council” to provide investment and credit support to innovative startups as well as small and medium-sized enterprises.The council, consisting of 12 executive members from KB affiliates including KB Investments, KB Securities, and KB Kookmin Bank, has been created to “revitalize venture capital and innovative finance among startups and SMEs,” said the group.Outlining various ways the council wi

Market April 29, 2019

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday it will look into some 20 imported drinks for glyphosate residue.The US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund revealed in a report in February that glyphosate had been found in 19 out of 20 brands of 15 popular beers and five wines tested there. Glyphosate is an active chemical ingredient found in Roundup, the herbicide produced by Monsanto. Under the classification from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, glyphosate is classi

Industry April 26, 2019

Executives of Oriental Brewery, South Korea’s largest beer manufacturer, celebrated Earth Day this week by making products containing effective microorganisms and donating them to a volunteer center in Gangnam, the company said Thursday.On April 17, five days before Earth Day, some 20 OB executives gathered at a volunteer center to discuss “green survival,” which refers to the need for people to take action in order to pass down a healthy and green Earth to future generations.  OB CEO Bruno Cose

Industry April 25, 2019

KMS, which specializes in internet of things solutions for fire safety and prevention, received the Presidential Award for its automatic fire-extinguishing system at the 11th Industrial Safety Awards this year, the venture company said Wednesday. (KMS)NAGA Fireguard is an IoT-based automatic fire-extinguishing sensor that allows real-time monitoring and prevention of fire. Installed in places that are often difficult to reach or dangerous, such as underground communal areas or high-voltage elect

Technology April 24, 2019

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the launch of South Korea’s state-run Public Procurement Service, the organization has placed special emphasis on creating a variety of opportunities for domestic companies, particularly the smaller venture firms and startups, to step up exports with innovative technologies.In an interview with The Korea Herald, PPS Administrator Jung Moo-kyung said his drive for innovative merging of technologies and active support from the organization on the occasion

Economy April 23, 2019

Nexon Developer Conference, an annual convention for IT and gaming companies, will return this year from Wednesday to Friday at Nexon Korea’s headquarters in Pangyo Techno Valley, Gyeonggi Province.Well-known game developers and IT experts from around the world will attend the conference to share their experiences, key technologies, as well as insights, said Nexon Korea.Launched in 2007, NDC started out as an in-house event for game developers but turned into an open conference in 2011. Since th

Industry April 21, 2019

Some 600 million Choco pies were sold in Vietnam last year, with sales reaching 92 billion won ($80.9 million), the highest recorded in Vietnam so far, Korean confectionary firm Orion said Wednesday.According to Orion, Choco pie sales in Vietnam surpassed sales in Korea last year at 83 billion won. It is the second country to have done so, with the first being China. Choco pie, chocolate-covered biscuits with marshmallow filling, was first introduced to Korean consumers in 1974. Its popularity g

Industry April 18, 2019

GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo shared advice and new business strategies at an executive meeting Wednesday. Amid growing use of artificial intelligence, big data and shared economy, as well as the recent turbulence in South Korea’s corporate world, Huh took on a cautionary stance by encouraging his executives to remember the fundamentals and respond to changes with agility and flexibility.Huh Chang-soo, chairman of GS Group. (GS Group)“There are many cases where companies that were once leading

Industry April 17, 2019

South Korean e-commerce company Coupang announced Monday its revenue for 2018 marked 4.42 trillion won ($4.1 billion as of the date of the report), posting 65 percent growth from the previous year.In its 2018 financial statements Coupang indicated that its operating deficit stood at 1.09 trillion won due mainly to its heavy investments. Throughout 2018, the company invested in its popular next-day delivery flagship service Rocket Delivery by expanding item selections from 2 million to 5 million

Industry April 15, 2019

SK Innovation’s new public relations campaign “Imagination Into Reality” has gained 20 million views within 27 days of its launch, making it the fastest growing PR campaign by the company, SK Innovation said Wednesday. SK Innovation, an energy and chemical subsidiary of SK Group, released five 12-second videos last March to promote its philosophy and vision. The videos feature innovative technologies currently in the works at the company. (SK Innovation)Since the release, the videos have gained

Industry April 4, 2019