Baby goods maker Borny Korea has recalled its line of products made with the Outlast material after receiving reports the material’s powder coating can cause rashes. On Wednesday, the company posted an official apology from its President Hong Seong-woo via its website.“We began selling the products without suspicion because the material had been certified as safe, passed through customs without problems and had passed all safety inspections in Korea for children’s products,” the statement read.O

Industry June 7, 2017

Top executives at SK Group are taking part in forums on the east and west coasts of the United States in the hope of scouting fresh talent, according to the company Tuesday.SK is hosting two forums called the “2017 SK Global Forum” in both areas, introducing its global accomplishments and future vision while recruiting new talent.  SK Supex Council’s energy and chemical committee President Kim Jun speaks at the 2017 SK Global Forum at The Westin Jersey City Newport Hotel in New Jersey, Saturday.

Industry June 6, 2017

Major conglomerates are moving in tandem to bring in family-friendly policies under the new administration led by President Moon Jae-in, aligning themselves with the work-life balance focus of the new government.Over the past month, companies such as CJ Group, SK Group and E-Land Group announced reforms to company regulations regarding issues such as maternity leave and after-hours work.These reforms coincide with the talking points emphasized by President Moon Jae-in ahead of the election in ea

Industry June 6, 2017

Asiana Airlines is offering business travelers on B747s the choice of flying in first-class seats for an additional fee, according to the airline Monday. (Asiana Airlines)The airline does not offer first-class cabins on flights other than New York, Los Angeles and Frankfurt routes, which utilize the A380. However, the B747s are fitted with 10 first-class seats that can be used by business travelers who choose to upgrade to royal business.The upgrade costs 50,000 won ($45) one-way for flights to

Industry June 5, 2017

A new amendment to the Customs Act has been proposed to increase transparency in the government’s licensing evaluations of duty-free operators.A group of 10 lawmakers led by Rep. Kim Min-ki of the ruling Democratic Party submitted a revision bill last week for the Customs Act to bring clarity to the screening process of duty-free applications.“The current law requires operators to be evaluated by a special committee to receive a duty-free license, but leaves the committee members’ composition an

Industry June 5, 2017

Dunhill maker British American Tobacco said Monday that it had completed construction on the second and third manufacturing plants at its factory in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. BAT's factory in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province (BAT)“The manufacturing facility has also been expanded to support the growth of BAT’s tobacco heating product, Glo and with the intention of South Korea becoming a key export hub for BAT in Asia,” the company said.With the new 200 billion won ($179 million) expa

Industry June 5, 2017

SHIPBUILDING PARTNERS -- Ka Sam-hyun (front row, right), head of the shipbuilding division at Hyundai Heavy Industries, signs an agreement with Andrey Shishkin, vice president at Rosneft at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. Hyundai Samho signed a technical support agreement with Russian shipyard Zvezda Shipbuilding to provide services such as technological expertise to Zvezda-Hyundai, a new 51:49 joint venture between the two companies. (Hyundai Samho)

Industry June 4, 2017

A consumer rights group has asked the Korea Communications Commission to investigate whether fake notifications on Facebook designed to lure users into downloading Facebook Messenger violates the law.Recently, users on online forums have been complaining about the use of fake message notifications by Facebook to encourage non-users to download Messenger. Facebook notifies users that they have received a message, but does not show the message unless they download Messenger.  Facebook (Yonhap)Once

Industry June 4, 2017

A consumer claimed Thursday that a frozen fly was found in an ice cream bar from Binggrae.“I was eating the ice cream when I discovered the fly frozen into the ice cream,” the consumer surnamed Park told The Korea Herald. He added that he had purchased the Melona ice cream bar at around 5 p.m. from a convenience store Wednesday. Melona bar with a frozen fly (provided by Park)When Park contacted the customer service center, a quality manager came to pick up the ice cream bar at about 2 p.m. Thurs

Industry June 1, 2017

CJ CheilJedang said Thursday that it has completed the acquisition of Russian frozen food company Ravioli, setting the foundation for a two-track strategy in the Russian market.The Korean company acquired a 100 percent stake in Ravioli for 30 billion won ($27 million). Ravioli, first established in 1994, is known for making Russian dumplings called pelmeni. Its revenues last year reached 45 billion won. Following the acquisition, Ravioli has been renamed CJ Raviollo Rus, according to CJ CheilJed

Industry June 1, 2017

Cigarette maker KT&G said Thursday that it had been awarded the labor minister’s award for workplace gender equality.Last year, the number of male employees using child care leave at KT&G saw a fourfold increase on-year. It also implemented an automatic child care leave system that allowed new mothers to take time off without complicated paperwork. Labor Minister Lee Ki-kwon (left) presents KT&G CEO Baek Bok-in with the minister’s award for workplace gender equality Wednesday. (KT&G)The company

Industry June 1, 2017

HDC Shilla Duty Free, a joint venture between Hyundai Development Company and Hotel Shilla, has named Hotel Shilla Vice President Kim Chung-hwan as a new co-head, according to the company Thursday.Shareholders and the executive board of the company named Kim to lead the firm alongside co-CEO Yang Chang-hoon.  Kim Chung-hwan, the new co-CEO of HDC Shilla Duty FreeKim joined Samsung C&T in 1983, and served in various management positions both in Korea and abroad. He joined Hotel Shilla in 2011 whe

Industry June 1, 2017

Duty-free stores that were newly licensed last year have asked the Korea Customs Service permission to push back their opening to next year, according to the Korea Duty Free Shops Association Thursday.Under current regulations, operators are required to open newly licensed duty-free outlets within one year, meaning that stores run by operators like Shinsegae and Hyundai Department Store would have had to open by this December.However, in the wake of the tension between Korea and China over the i

Industry June 1, 2017

Retail group Shinsegae has decided to pull its chain of discount supermarkets from China, according to the group’s vice chairman Wednesday.At a job fair held by Shinsegae Group at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin told reporters that Shinsegae’s E-mart chain will be exiting the Chinese market.This was the first time that a Shinsgae official confirmed industry rumors that the chain would close down its Chinese operations.  Shinsegae Group Vice Chair

Industry May 31, 2017

Korean Air said Wednesday that the airline’s B787-9 Dreamliners will begin servicing international flights Thursday, beginning with the Incheon-Toronto route.Until now, the new planes had been servicing domestic flights between Gimpo International Airport and Jeju International Airport. The Gimpo-Jeju route will now be flown with B777-300s.  Korean Air’s B787-9 (Korean Air)The airline is set to bring in three more B787-9s in July, with plans to use them in routes to Madrid and Beijing beginning

Industry May 31, 2017