Korean companies are turning to remote hiring processes to resume recruitment disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. According to industry sources, major companies are shifting recruitment procedures online, replacing face-to-face interviews with video interviews to keep applicants safe and to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. The increasingly important trend of minimizing contact has been encompassed in the “untact” movement -- to “undo contact” where

Industry March 11, 2020

South Korean pharmaceutical and chemical company Yuhan-Clorox said Monday that it had posted information on its website about how to use its bleach as a household disinfectant. The company said the tips on “sterilization and disinfection methods to prevent infectious disease” -- posted on March 2 -- were available on the Yuhan-Clorox website in response to an increasing number of customers inquiring about the efficacy of household disinfectants amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The K

Industry March 10, 2020

While the use of drones both in the public and commercial realms expands, South Korea has yet to develop a unified position on how to authorize them, particularly in the R-75 zone of restricted airspace in Seoul. According to the Aviation Safety Act, a drone weighing 12 kilograms or less (without fuel) and with a length of 7 meters or shorter doesn’t require authorization for flight as long as it stays under an altitude of 150 meters and keeps out of airport control zones and prohibited

Industry March 10, 2020

Pledging to become a coronavirus-free airport amid the spread in South Korea, Incheon International Airport Corp. on Monday starts a full-fledged three-step temperature monitoring program on all outbound passengers. The airport said the preboarding temperature checks, which have been running on a trial basis since Thursday, will officially begin as of 9 a.m. Monday as part of an effort to make the airport coronavirus free. “As the gateway to Korea, Incheon airport will establish a rigo

Mobility March 8, 2020

Asiana Airlines said it will suspend all flights to Japan until the end of this month, the first in 30 years since it started services amid Japan’s new entry restrictions against South Koreans. The airliner, which had downsized its Japanese routes to eight routes, six cities, said it will stop flying to Japan starting Monday through March. 31 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak shock. This is the first time the airliner has halted every routes to Japan since it initiated flight

Industry March 6, 2020

Starbucks Korea’s remote services have spiked as customers try to minimize direct contact and staying time inside its cafes. The company said Thursday its on-the-go ordering service Siren Order, available on its app, surpassed 8 million orders in the January-February period, a 25 percent increase on year. Meanwhile, the coffee chain saw a 32 percent jump in drive thru users in the same period, 40 percent of them using My DT Pass service on the app. The automatic charging service allow

Industry March 5, 2020

S-Oil said Thursday its chief executive has donated 500 million won ($421,440) to a local disaster relief organization to help people hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Hussain Al-Qahtani, who was appointed as the company’s new CEO last June, made the donation to Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association. “As Koreans are facing difficult times due to the virus spread, S-Oil has decided to share the pain and participate in the national efforts to overcome the crisis,” he sa

Industry March 5, 2020

South Korea’s 5-trillion-won ($4.2 billion) plastic surgery industry is bleeding Chinese demand amidst the worsening coronavirus outbreak. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute said that Chinese patients are canceling plastic surgeries while the Ministry of Health and Welfare is recommending hospitals to delay their medical services to foreigners after February to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. “After monitoring whether major hospitals and plastic surgery clinics are foll

Industry March 4, 2020

Online shopping for daily necessities and food has soared amid the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, but larger retailers face a limit: Sunday trading rules. Since 2012, the Distribution Industry Development Act has banned large stores trading for at least two days a month for the sake of fostering traditional markets and small shops. Usually, the closures come on the second and fourth Sundays of every month. “On off-days, customers are left with fewer options as the ban restricts

Industry March 2, 2020

An internet cafe in South Korea goes by many names, but there is one unwritten rule that can’t change. PC room, PC bang or whatever they are called, fees must stay around 1,000 won ($0.85) per hour. “Long ago, when people played StarCraft, they were willing to pay 2,000 won per hour,” said Kwon Young-mi from the marketing team of Sante PC, the No. 2 PC room franchise with 147 outlets in Korea. “However, as franchised and large-scale PC rooms came in, competition g

Industry Feb. 28, 2020

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has created a new demand for global shared workspace provider WeWork in Korea, despite initial fears the outbreak would spook potential customers. WeWork, which currently operates 19 locations in Korea, told The Korea Herald on Thursday that Korean companies mindful of the COVID-19 epidemic are reaching out to WeWork for an alternative workspace. “Companies of all sizes and industries in the region -- members and nonmembers - have been reaching

Industry Feb. 27, 2020

Personal mobility startups remain mostly unaffected by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak for the time being, according to industry sources. Electric scooter-sharing service Kickgoing operator Olulo, with more than 440,000 members, said Wednesday that its personal mobility business has not been greatly affected by the massive COVID-19 crisis. “Olulo’s service wasn’t much affected as it is a personal mobility service. Rather, it was the weather that had a bigger influence,&r

Mobility Feb. 27, 2020

BMW Korea has introduced two new gasoline-powered crossovers with revamped features, the New X3 and the New X4. The Korean unit of the German automaker said Wednesday that the New X3 xDrive20i and the New X4 xDrive20i models are equipped with advanced features including a panoramic glass roof and a Driving Assistant Plus function that allows semi-automated driving. The New X3 is the first in the X series to come in a single trim “Luxury Line.” The midsized sport activity vehicle

Mobility Feb. 26, 2020

Hyundai Motor is set to introduce two hydrogen-powered trucks in South Korea by 2023 and add 10 more in the following year in collaboration with a local port authority, the automaker said Sunday. The carmaker said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority on Friday to lay the foundation for hydrogen mobility and to vitalize the hydrogen economy at Gwangyang Port in South Jeolla Province. The region is home to petrochemical complexes that produce hydrogen as

Mobility Feb. 16, 2020

Korean solar panel maker Hanwha Q Cells has provided a solar power system to one of the top-tier football league Bundesliga clubs in Germany. The company said Thursday that it has installed solar power solutions with a maximum output capacity of 102.3 kilowatt-peak for RB Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena stadium and the club’s training center Red Bull Academy. The company’s Q.Peak Duo solar modules and Q.Flat roof mounting system were used. For the stadium, a solar power solutio

Industry Feb. 13, 2020