BHC Co. logged 400.4 billion won ($358 million) in sales in 2020, up 26 percent from the year earlier, placing the company as the No. 2 South Korean fried chicken franchise, the franchise operator said Wednesday. According to BHC Co., which runs the BHC Chicken brand, the company’s operating profit also grew by 33 percent on-year to record 130 billion won in 2020. It is the first time the fried chicken franchise recorded sales surpassing the 400 billion mark, the company said. Among t

Consumer April 14, 2021

진행자: 조혜림, Naomi Garyan 1. [Video] ‘People in Myanmar are like prisoners’ 요약: 미얀마 군부 쿠데타 사태로 많은 사상자가 발생하는 시점에서 국내에 있는 미얀마 민주화운동가들의 목소리를 코리아헤럴드가 직접 인터뷰했다. [1] The crisis in Myanmar has continued for over two months since the military coup on Feb. 1. Civilians have carried out mass protests to restore freedom and democracy. The armed forces have responded with brutal crackdowns across the country, leading to hundreds of dead victims including young children. *military coup: 군사 쿠데타 *

Podcast April 14, 2021

Black Yak is launching a rental service providing free hiking shoes for foreigners as part of its “Together Mountain” campaign, in partnership with the Gangbuk-gu Office in Seoul, the Korean outdoor clothing brand said Tuesday. On Tuesday, Black Yak Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kang Tae-sun and Gangbuk-gu Council Chairman Park Gyeom-su held the opening ceremony of the rental shop, located inside the Black Yak Ui-dong branch near Bukhansan Ui Station on the Ui-Sinseol Line.

Consumer April 13, 2021

The first Malaysian outlet of CU, the South Korean convenience store chain, has seen more than 11,000 customers in just 10 days since opening, the company said Tuesday. According to BGF Retail, the firm behind the CU chain, an average of 1,000 people have visited the store in Kuala Lumpur daily since it opened on April 1. That is about three times the average number of visitors of CU stores in South Korea, the company added. A typical CU store here is open for 24 hours. But the Malaysian st

Consumer April 13, 2021

Ginseng can help boost the effectiveness of flu vaccines used on mice, and is also helpful in protecting respiratory organs, Korea Ginseng Corp.’s research institute said Monday. According to a study by KGC’s Korea Ginseng Research Institute, ginseng intake increases the protective effect of vaccines compared to when the vaccine is used alone. The Korean ginseng company also cited research dubbed, “Protective Effect of Korean Red Ginseng Extract on the Infections by H1N1 a

Consumer April 12, 2021

Since its launch last year, Manpower Korea’s recruitment process outsourcing -- or RPO -- service has garnered positive feedback from clients for completing recruitment at a reduced time and cost. According to the Korean unit of ManpowerGroup, a global workforce solutions provider headquartered in Wisconsin, two projects last year exemplified the strength of its Talent Solutions RPO service in the local market. In one of the cases, a US-based health care company was able to achieve its

Industry April 4, 2021

Dumplings have long been one of the popular staples Koreans have in their daily meals. Served steamed, fried or boiled, the dish, called mandu here, would make for a good snack, or a tasty and filling meal. Yet there was also nothing spectacular about the humble dish of chopped meat, seafood or vegetables wrapped in dough. That is until food companies began to rediscover the potential of frozen mandu, propelling it into a new heyday with growing global recognition. According to data from Ni

Consumer April 3, 2021

The power struggle over Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Hanjin Group, seemed to settle at last as the three-way alliance of an estranged sister of the Korean Air chairman, an activist fund and a builder officially disbanded, industry data showed Friday. In a regulatory filing, Grace Holdings, which is a special purpose firm of the activist fund Korea Corporate Government Improvement, Bando Engineering and Construction and Cho Hyun-ah said they have ended their agreement for joint ownership

Mobility April 2, 2021

In South Korea, where a great portion of the population is concentrated in urban areas, pickup trucks are not the most popular vehicle types. But with the rising trend of outdoor activities, and as more adventure enthusiasts find fun in driving through the mountainous terrains of the country, interest in pickup trucks is increasing. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, the pickup truck market had hovered around 20,000 units in annual sales, but that number has grown,

Mobility April 1, 2021

Construction company Daewoo E&C continues to strengthen its corporate social responsibility activities, operating various volunteer work programs for its employees, the company said Tuesday. Since 2007, Daewoo E&C staff have taken part in various volunteer programs. Rather than one-off events or one-time donations, their activities have been focused on contributing their talent to improving the living environments for the underprivileged, the company explained. In 2018, the company a

Industry March 30, 2021

South Korean conglomerate GS Group kicked off the first meeting of its ESG committee for sustainable business management, the company said Monday. The committee for environment, social and corporate governance, commonly referred to as ESG, will help accelerate their planned initiatives, the company said. Under the auspices of the company’s board of directors, the committee is led by former Minister of Economy and Finance Hyun Oh-seok, who has been reappointed as an outside director, th

Industry March 29, 2021

Local business leaders and mourners paid tribute on Sunday to the founder of Nongshim Group, Shin Choon-ho, who died of chronic illness on Saturday at the age of 92. Shin led the country’s major food conglomerate and leading instant noodle producer for 56 years. The late chairman was born in Ulsan in 1930 and was the younger brother of the late Shin Kyuk-ho, who founded South Korean retail conglomerate Lotte Group. At the funeral altar at Seoul National University Hospital on Sunday

Consumer March 28, 2021

BMW Group Korea will introduce 10 new cars to local customers this year, including electric vehicles and new Mini models, and will expand its facilities here, adding new service centers, showrooms and expanding its existing logistic center to improve customer satisfaction, the automaker said Sunday. In its first launch this year, the automaker in February rolled out the second-generation BMW 4 Series, to which the brand’s new “design language” has been applied. The renewed

Mobility March 28, 2021

Hyundai Glovis is expanding its cargo business to use its pure car and truck carriers for break-bulk transport to diversify its business portfolio, the company said Thursday. As freight owners are experiencing shortage of shipping containers, Hyundai Glovis seeks to utilize its car and truck carriers, the vehicle delivery arm of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, explained. Break-bulk shipping is transporting cargo or goods that cannot fit in standard-size shipping containers or cargo

Mobility March 25, 2021

Amid the growing popularity of plant-based proteins as healthy and eco-friendly alternatives to meat, Pulmuone aims to become a leader in the plant-based food industry, the company said Wednesday. The South Korean food company’s Plant Protein Meal Bureau will release new products domestically and globally, in countries including the US, China and Japan, it added. Pulmuone, which revealed a three-year plan for the plant-based food push, chose six categories to focus on: plant-based pro

Consumer March 24, 2021