The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea hosted the sixth Doing Business in Korea seminar on Tuesday to explore strategies for bolstering Korea’s competitiveness as a regional business hub in the Asia-Pacific region. This year’s event was held at a Seoul hotel, drawing participation from officials and policymakers from the Korean and US governments, as well as representatives from domestic and foreign companies. AmCham CEO James Kim stated in his opening remarks, "Given Korea&r

Industry April 24, 2024

이르면 6월부터 육･해･공군 각군 본부가 위치한 계룡대 내에서 아이폰 사용이 전면 금지될 것으로 보인다. 최근 아이폰 사용자들도 별도의 앱을 통해 통화녹음이 가능해지면서 늘어난 기밀 유출 우려에 따른 조치이다. 23일 다수의 군관계자들에 따르면 지난 11일 공군본부는 인트라넷망을 통해 ‘전기능차단제한장비’를 불허한다는 내용의 공문을 전파했다. 공군본부는 “녹음기, 레코드 등 앱을 통한 대화나 회의 내용 녹음 뿐만 아니라 개인 통화 녹음 등 모든 음성데이터 저장”을 통제한다는 지침과 함께 “각종 사업공고, 공적민원, 잔여상담, 개인소통 등의 통화녹음이 필요한 부분까지 차단이 불가피하다”고 밝혔다. 공문 한 편에는 “아이폰 반입 통제”라는 문구가 명시돼 있다. ‘전기능차단제한장비’란 카메라와 녹음 등 일부 기능을 차단하는 권한을 요청하는 서드파티앱을 허용하지 않는 전자기기를 지칭한

한국어판 April 23, 2024

South Korea’s military is considering a comprehensive ban on iPhones in military buildings due to increasing concerns about possible leaks of sensitive information through voice recordings, according to multiple military sources on Tuesday. The sources, a group of ranking officers who wished to speak on condition of anonymity, said that the Air Force headquarters released an internal announcement on the military's intranet server on April 11, instructing a complete prohibition on any

Industry April 23, 2024

Korea Ginseng Corp., the country’s leading manufacturer of ginseng products, said Monday it plans to prioritize its marketing efforts in the Indonesian market, particularly leveraging the growing popularity of the Indonesian volleyball player under its sponsorship. Currently, the KGC sponsors the Red Sparks women’s volleyball team under its premium ginseng product brand, JungKwanJang. In 2023, the volleyball team was joined by Megawati Pertiwi, a 24-year-old volleyball player from In

Companies April 22, 2024

French aviation authorities have rejected opening flight routes to Paris to T'way Air, the South Korean budget carrier, dealing a blow Korean Air's efforts to acquire Asiana Airlines, according to industry sources on Friday. The industry sources said the French aviation authorities delivered their opposition to T’way Air’s operations in Paris to both the South Korean government and Korean Air, citing "a violation of a mutual agreement between the two countries," m

Industry April 19, 2024

S-Oil, one of major refineries in South Korea, made a donation of 560 million won ($405,000) to the Korea National Council On Social Welfare to support its ongoing program assisting firefighters and their families, the company said on Friday. According to the refinery company, the KNCSW, a charity organization under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will allocate the fund to the Heroic Firefighter Protection program. This program covers the medical expenses of injured firefighters, provides sc

Companies April 19, 2024

Sungsimdang, a local bakery brand based in Daejeon, outperformed the country's top bakery franchise giants, Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours, logging record sales last year, a regulatory filing showed Friday. Rosso, Sungsimdang's holding company, said the bakery recorded sales figure of 124.3 billion won ($89.7 million) in 2023, a 52.1 percent increase from the previous year’s 81.7 billion won. It is the first time a local bakery has achieved more than 100 billion won in sales w

Companies April 19, 2024

Small business owners are now required to wear a second hat as an online content creator to increase engagement with young consumers, the head of Seoul Business Agency, a business support institution run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said at the Global Biz Forum held in Seoul, Wednesday. The GBF, organized by The Korea Herald, is an association of experts from various fields such as business leaders, scholars, diplomats and celebrities, who come together to provide comprehensive views on

Industry April 18, 2024

CJ Olive Young said Thursday it has introduced portable translators supporting 16 languages in its outlets nationwide to enhance the shopping experience for foreign visitors and the work efficiency of its employees. The handheld device supports 16 languages for real-time translation, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian and Mongolian. In addition, they offer sight translation through an attached camera, allowing users to take a picture and see the translated text on the scre

Companies April 18, 2024

SPC Group said Thursday its bakery chain Paris Baguette had launched its first store in the Philippines. The new Paris Baguette branch in Manila features wooden interiors, designed to create a premium European bakery ambiance, and is located on the first floor of the SM Mall of Asia, the largest shopping center in the Philippines, with a total of 90 seats available. In August, SPG Group signed a franchise agreement with a local retailer Berjaya Food Berhad. This deal falls under the so-called &q

Companies April 18, 2024

South Korea witnessed its highest-ever import figures for pineapples and mangoes in March, largely driven by the government’s recent efforts to address the soaring prices of homegrown apples by diversifying demand toward alternative options. According to the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday, the import volume of pineapples reached 8,686 tons, worth $8.68 million, in March, up 44.7 percent from the previous year, marking a record high. Imports of mangoes also more than doubled to 6,264 tons

Industry April 16, 2024

The fast-food chain Burger King unveiled the New Whopper, a revamped version of its signature item on Monday, one week after announcing the discontinuation of sales of the original Whopper. According to an announcement on the fast-food chain's Korean website Monday, the reinvention was focused on intensifying the smokey flavor in the burger patties. Compared with the original Whopper, the new version has a thicker patty to enhance its juiciness and texture, along with additional salt and pe

Companies April 15, 2024

The stock price of New York-listed e-commerce giant Coupang surpassed $20 a share on Friday for the first time in 18 months, following the company's announcement it would raise membership fees by nearly 60 percent. Coupang's stock price closed trading at $21.25 on Friday, marking an 11.49 percent increase from the previous day's closing price of $19.06. Its market capitalization recorded $38.1 billion. The surge in the stock price coincided with the company's announcement ear

Companies April 14, 2024

South Korea's leading ramyeon manufacturer Nongshim plans to prioritize the promotion of Chapagetti, its black bean-flavored ramyeon product, to diversify its overseas marketing appeal. Following Shin Ramyun, its top-selling instant noodle product, the company will now focus on promoting its 40-year-old Chapagetti as the next major brand targeting the global market, a Nongshim official said during a press conference held in eastern Seoul on Friday. "We have previously concentrated on a

Companies April 14, 2024

Chinese e-commerce platforms, including the big three AliExpress, Temu and Shein, saw their Korean sales more than double over the past six months, while their Korean rivals suffered lukewarm sales performance during the same period, according to payment transaction data released Wednesday. According to an analysis report by BC Card, the nation’s largest payment processing company, payments made on Chinese e-commerce platforms soared more than 130 percent from October last year to March th

Industry April 10, 2024