For English speakers, mastering Korean can sometimes feel like an impossible feat to achieve without taking classes at schools and academies -- as the language's vastly different word order and characteristically diverse colloquial language render it as one of the hardest languages to study. However, a Korean language educator says attaining fluency in the Korean language can be facilitated with help from diverse online platforms. Sun Hyun-woo, CEO of Talk To Me In Korean or TTMIK -- one of

Hello Hangeul Jan. 29, 2023

Ana Perez, a graduate student living in New York, was ecstatic when she got her first “golden owl” in Korean on the popular language education app Duolingo. The golden owl is a trophy given to users who complete a certain set of skills in the language of their choice. "As there are so many levels here, that took me about four months to get. I feel proud of myself, or jarang seu reo weo," said Perez, adding the word for "proud" in Korean to emphasize her language s

Hello Hangeul Jan. 29, 2023

Lotte Duty Free said Wednesday it clinched a 10-year contract to become the new operator of Melbourne Airport duty-free shops, in a bid to make further inroads into the Oceania market. According to the South Korean duty-free goods retailer, starting June 1, Lotte will offer a duty-free experience in the Australian terminal’s existing 3,600 square meter duty-free space, as well as the airport’s online e-commerce platform. The South Korean retailer became the preferred bidder for the O

Consumer Jan. 25, 2023

US fried chicken fast food chain Popeyes is reporting strong sales after its return to the South Korean market. According to Silla Group, the operator of Korean Popeyes outlets, more than 5,000 customers visited its Gangnam branch during the first three days of the chain's relaunch, which took place on Dec. 16. In addition, as of Tuesday, more than 50,000 chicken sandwiches -- the chain's newly launched flagship menu -- were sold during the month after the store's first opening. T

Consumer Jan. 24, 2023

South Korea's top steelmaker Posco said Thursday it completed the restoration of its typhoon-hit steel manufacturing plants in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. According to Posco, all of its 17 steel manufacturing plants, which are responsible for more than one-third of Posco’s some 13.5 million metric tons of steel products produced annually, will go into full operation starting Friday. Posco attributed its quick recovery from the storm to its some 1.4 million employees' combi

Industry Jan. 19, 2023

Hazardous substances were detected in Korean food company Nongshim's flagship ramen products to Taiwan, according to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration Thursday. Nongshim's exports of Shin Ramyun Black Tofu & Kimchi cup noodles to Taiwan failed to pass the country's customs inspection, the TFDA said. According to the TFDA, 0.075 milligram per kilogram of ethylene oxide, or EO, had been found in soup packets of each instant cup noodle product. EO, which is largely used for

Consumer Jan. 19, 2023

Fashion and cosmetics retailer Shinsegae International said Tuesday it appointed a luxury fashion expert William Kim as its new CEO, in a bid to strengthen the company's luxury fashion business and sharpen the company's digital edge. Kim's previous career includes having served as a chief financial officer at Gucci, where he worked in teams with partners including Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and a number of luxury timepiece brands including Bedat & Co. According to Shi

Consumer Jan. 17, 2023

South Korea's high-tech industries such as nuclear power plant operators, mobility, aerospace, materials and parts and biotechnologies are expected to benefit heavily from United Arab Emirates' 30 billion dollars’ worth of investment, according to industry insiders Monday. According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday held a meeting, during which the two leaders signed total

Industry Jan. 16, 2023

South Korean internet giant Naver on Friday unveiled a slew of new projects aimed at giving Poshmark, the US reselling platform it acquired early this month, a technological edge and returning it to profit. Naver took over Poschmark for $1.31 billion on Jan. 6, in its largest-ever deal. As their first collaboration, called "Posh Lens," Naver will be providing Poshmark with the internet firm's visual search technology to allow users to be able to find products they want by taking p

Consumer Jan. 15, 2023

In continued efforts to expedite its foray into the global consumer-to-consumer, or C2C, market, e-commerce platform Naver recently became the largest shareholder of Spanish secondhand marketplace Wallapop with an investment worth 75 million euros ($80.7 million), according to industry sources Thursday. Following Naver's investment worth 115 million euros made in last February to acquire 10 percent of Wallapop's stocks, with the additional investment, Naver now stands as the largest sh

Consumer Jan. 12, 2023

South Korean sportswear brand Fila Holdings said Tuesday it has become the first Korean fashion company to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, an accredited benchmark of a company’s commitment to environment, social and governance matters. Fila Holdings attributed its DJSI listing to its continuing efforts for sustainable management, from using recycled materials in its products to building a transparent supply chain system. The company has been expanding the proportion of

Industry Jan. 11, 2023

One of South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang's new year's resolutions appears to be to make an active foray into the global market. The food conglomerate recently said it is slated to accelerate its expansion of "K-Food Global Territory" by making inroads into previously unexplored markets. "We will make a fully fledged entry into countries that we have not tapped yet and achieve growth with seven global strategic products," said Choi Eun-seok, CEO of CJ CheilJedan

Consumer Jan. 9, 2023

Sales of red ginseng health supplement brand CheongKwanJang held the largest market share in the global ginseng market for 10 years in a row, Korea Ginseng Corp. said Sunday. According a report published by market research firm Euromonitor International, the global ginseng retail market was valued at about 3.13 trillion won ($2.5 billion) last year. Among them, sales of CheongKwanJang, a brand under KGC, logged 1.31 trillion won with a 41.9 percent market share. It is the 10th year in a row that

Industry Jan. 8, 2023

With a new semester starting in two months, South Korean school uniform makers are currently busy reproducing a slew of checkered-pattern school uniforms. "Tens of millions of won have gone to waste," said an official from Hyungji Elite, a school uniform brand, who wished to be unnamed. The hasty disposal and reproduction of school uniforms follows an agreement reached last year between UK fashion juggernaut Burberry and the Korean School-uniform Industry Association, a business lobb

Consumer Jan. 5, 2023

SK Ecoplant said Thursday it struck up a partnership with world-class builder China State Construction Engineering Corp. in a bid to ramp up their joint efforts for further attracting overseas renewable energy projects. Under a memorandum of understanding, the construction unit under SK Group and CSCEC said they will be working together to target unexplored renewable energy markets overseas. For the partnership, SK Ecoplant will attract project financing loans and provide green hydrogen and rene

Industry Jan. 5, 2023