Asiana Airlines, South Korea's second-largest airline, said Monday it has halted the sales of seats next to emergency exits following a recent incident in which a passenger opened an emergency exit door before landing. Currently, the air carrier operates two types of A320-200 aircraft, the same model that took flight during the door-opening incident, with 174 and 195 passenger seats, respectively. Sales of the two seats 26A and 30A in each aircraft will be discontinued indefinitely. An Asia

Mobility May 29, 2023

Hundreds of Korean travelers who traveled to Northern Mariana Islands including Guam and Saipan are left stranded on the islands as of Thursday, with Super Typhoon Mawar lashing the territory with strongest downpour of wind and rain the region has seen in decades. According to Hana Tour, a Korean travel agency, approximately 230 travelers failed to take the return flight home on Tuesday due to the storm. "We heard from the local sources in Guam that Guam's airports will be closed until

Mobility May 25, 2023

Korean food makers have won in legal fights against Chinese counterfeiters in a series of lawsuits filed in China, according to the Korea Food Industry Association on Thursday. Of the total seven cases raised, the Chinese court recently ruled in favor of Korean firms in five cases at the first trial stage. Following the rulings, the Chinese companies in question are now required to pay compensation worth 250,000 yuan ($35,353) to CJ CheilJedang, 350,000 yuan to Samyang Food, and 200,000 yuan to

Industry May 25, 2023

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday the European Union has decided to ease import regulations for Korean ramen products, 18 months after a mishap with a carcinogen in ramen imports sent to Europe. According to the ministry, the EU will be easing the inspection of ethylene oxide in imported Korean ramen products starting in July. EO, which is majorly used as a fumigant and sterilizing agent, is classified by the World Health Organization as a potential carcinogen. The EU strengt

Industry May 24, 2023

South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang said Monday that it recently completed the construction of the world's largest pizza production plant in the US state of Kansas, in a bid to ramp up its competitiveness in the all-important market. According to CJ CheilJedang, the company recently added 40,000 square meters to its frozen pizza production facility in Salina, Kansas. With the expansion, the plant now stands on 90,000 square meters of land, marking it the largest frozen pizza production p

Industry May 22, 2023

Regarding the news that the US government might officially interfere with South Korean national carrier Korean Air's merger with its smaller domestic rival, Korean Air said that the US authorities have not told them of any official decisions, Friday. According to the US news website Politico, the US Justice Department is considering a lawsuit against the Korean Air on the basis that the company's business integration with Asiana Airlines could result in a monopolization that could prev

Mobility May 19, 2023

Riding on a wave of momentum for the soaring popularity of South Korean food among global consumers, "K-food" institutional food service businesses are gaining traction at overseas cafeterias. Ourhome, a Korean food catering giant, says it has been steadily increasing the proportion of its global sales since starting its first overseas business on 2010 -- with its on-site food catering service performances in cafeterias abroad largely buoyed by its decision to organize nearly half of

Industry May 18, 2023

SK Ecoplant, a construction and energy arm of SK Group, on Wednesday signed an agreement to participate in a $4.5 billion green hydrogen commercialization project headed by Canada, amid the Canadian prime minister's three-day state visit to Korea celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Canada. SK Ecoplant struck up a partnership with Canadian renewable energy company World Energy GH2 to participate in the first phase of the Nujio’qonik project

Industry May 17, 2023

South Korean food giant Nongshim saw its profits nearly double in the first quarter, primarily led by its booming business in the US, the company's earnings report said Tuesday. According to Nongshim's regulatory filing, the company's sales and operating profits during the January to March period were tallied at 860.4 billion won ($643 million) and 63.8 billion won, respectively, on a consolidated basis. Compared to the same period last year, Nongshim's sales have increased b

Industry May 16, 2023

Thailand's largest conglomerate as well as a state-owned oil and energy company PTT called for investments from South Korean companies, in a bid to forge potential partnerships and scale up its businesses ranging from EVs to semiconductors, during a session organized by the Thai Embassy held in Seoul on Monday. During the session, the chief officer of PTT Buranin Rattanasombat said that PTT will function as an optimal partner for Korea. The group has forayed into a number of key industries

Industry May 16, 2023

South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang said Monday it will start selling Korean street food products in major overseas markets, such as North America and Europe, riding a wave of momentum from the booming "K-food" business. The conglomerate will launch six "strategy" Korean street food products in the overseas market under its brand Bibigo. The new products include tteokbokki, Korean-style hot dogs, gimbap, fried seaweed rolls, bungeoppang (fish-shaped waffle filled with red

Consumer May 15, 2023

South Korean food giant Pulmuone said Sunday it is planning on expanding the production line of its Asian noodle products in the United States by the end of this year, following its burgeoning Asian noodle business there. According to Pulmuone, the company said its sales of Asian noodles in the US were tallied at $72.2 million last year, seeing an on-year growth of 65 percent. Over the course of the last three years, the company's Asian noodle products in the US had seen a 119 percent growt

Industry May 14, 2023

Kim Dong-sun, head of strategic management at Hanwha Galleria and the youngest son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, is ramping up efforts to amplify his presence as a succession scheme at the nation’s seventh-largest conglomerate is taking shape centering on the chairman’s three sons. While his elder brothers -- Dong-kwan, president of Hanwha Solutions; and Dong-won, president of Hanwha Life Insurance -- are taking over the group’s key defense and energy and financial b

Industry May 14, 2023

Starbucks Korea is putting off its summer promotional event for 2023 in order to carry out tougher product inspection in the aftermath of the massive recall of a promotional product that contained toxic, carcinogenic chemicals last year. The seasonal promotional event, called the “e-frequency” reward program, has been taking place biannually in South Korea, offering limited-edition goods to its loyal customers since 2013. The coffee chain typically announces the launch of the summer

Industry May 11, 2023

South Korea’s e-commerce giant Coupang said Wednesday it clocked in record quarterly earnings despite a general slowdown in the retail market, continuing its winning streak for three consecutive quarters since turning to black for the first time in 2022. In its first-quarter earnings call, the US-listed company said it logged record quarterly sales of $5.8 billion in the first three months of this year, seeing on-year growth of 13 percent. Operating profits and net income were tallied at $

Industry May 10, 2023