Coupang boasted the highest customer satisfaction rate among e-commerce platforms providing early morning delivery, according to a new survey by the Korea Consumer Agency. The e-commerce giant, famous for its subscription-based Rocket Delivery service, had a score of 3.81 and was followed by SSG.com, another online marketplace owned by Shinsegae Group, and grocery delivery firm Market Kurly, whose scores were 3.76 and 3.72, respectively, the agency said Wednesday. The online survey asked a sam

Consumer Feb. 24, 2021

Incheon International Airport Corp. said Wednesday that air travel could see a “reverse L-shaped recovery” as early as the second half of this year as the vaccine rollout speeds up in South Korea. In the most ideal scenario, IIAC said, the annual number of passengers could reach some 16.5 million, a 76.5 percent drop from 2019, but the overall pace of the recovery would remain slow and the number of passengers could be as low as 5 million by its most conservative estimate. That woul

Mobility Feb. 24, 2021

Incheon Airport will roll out speedy coronavirus tests from next month, cutting down the process from seven hours to two or four hours. The new loop-mediated isothermal amplification -- or LAMP-type -- rapid PCR tests, which have been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, can take as little as two hours to show the result and have been recommended for passengers with no symptoms traveling abroad, the Incheon International Airport Corp. said Tuesday. Negative results from rapid PCR

Mobility Feb. 23, 2021

South Korean confectionery maker Orion Corp., famous for the nation’s beloved Choco Pie snack, said Tuesday that it has completed the construction of a production plant in the state of Rajasthan, India, accelerating their efforts to branch out into the world’s second most populous country. 　 The new manufacturing site marks the company’s 10th factory built abroad, following five in China, two in Vietnam and two in Russia. The move will help cut down logistics costs as items,

Consumer Feb. 23, 2021

Asiana Airlines said on Monday it has converted two of its Airbus A350-900 passenger aircrafts to cargo planes as it seeks to expand its freight business. The move will give the airline an additional 23 tons of space to carry cargo per plane, bringing its air cargo fleet to a total of four. Two other passenger planes were converted last year. In a statement, the airline boasted last year’s record breaking sales from its cargo business reached 2.14 trillion won ($1.9 billion), up 64 perce

Mobility Feb. 22, 2021

The government is poised to further extend the period when airlines can suspend flights without losing their air traffic rights for the routes, as the pandemic continues to affect the aviation industry. According to sources close to the matter, the new extension is currently being “positively considered,” as the current extension comes to an end next month. “Given the prolonged pandemic, the measure is being positively considered to help support airlines,” one Transport

Mobility Feb. 21, 2021

South Korea’s troubled low-cost carrier Eastar Jet, which filed for court receivership last month, could be back in the sky as soon as June amid increased chances of a deal. According to industry sources, the number of potential buyers -- including a private equity fund and a construction company -- has risen from four to six or seven, with the acquisition process set to be finalized by late May. Earlier this month, the Seoul Bankruptcy Court allowed the airline to initiate corporate reh

Mobility Feb. 18, 2021

Kim Bong-jin, the founder and CEO of Woowa Brothers -- the company behind South Korea’s top food delivery app, Baemin -- has pledged to donate more than half of his assets through the Giving Pledge -- a philanthropic campaign launched by billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. “My wife Sul Bo-mi and I hereby pledge that we will return more than half of our wealth to society during our lifetime. Our lovely children, Hanna and Jua have agreed with our decision,” Kim said Thu

Consumer Feb. 18, 2021

Scotch whisky brand Royal Salute is holding a pop-up art exhibition at Seoul Auction‘s Gangnam Branch that continues until Tuesday. The show features contemporary artwork inspired by the whisky brand from five artists including Kim Sun-woo, qwaya, 275c and Adrian Seo and Sung Nak-jin. Alongside the artwork, a range of Royal Salute whiskys, including this year’s latest lineup and limited editions, are also on display -- including the 29-year-old Pedro Ximénez edition. Entry

Consumer Feb. 17, 2021

Newly-launched South Korean low-cost carriers Air Premia and Aero K have been given an extended time frame by the Transport Ministry to begin the operation of their service amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the two airlines can fly their first flights by the end of this year in order to retain their operating license, pushing back the date from early March to December. The move, approved by an advisory co

Mobility Feb. 17, 2021

Shoppers in South Korea spent some 2.4 trillion won on fast-growing e-commerce giant Coupang and its food delivery app Coupang Eats last month, according to data released from industry tracker WiseApp on Wednesday. The latest data showed some 20 million people spent a total of 2.4 trillion won during the month of January, with each spending a total of 144,000 won per month on average on both apps. The data is based on credit card and debit card transactions and bank transfers of South Koreans

Consumer Feb. 17, 2021

Signet Partners, Shinsegae Group’s corporate venture capital firm, announced Tuesday that it had made an investment in the Singapore-based ride-hailing and food delivery app Grab. Explaining the decision, the firm said the app attracts millions of users every day, while noting the growth of mobile platforms in the Southeast Asian region. It did not disclose the amount of its investment. “We will continue to discover and invest in promising startups at home and abroad as well as c

Industry Feb. 16, 2021

BAT Korea reaffirmed its plan to reach a wider audience with potentially-reduced risk products on Tuesday as it cited the success of recent digital marketing efforts to promote e-cigarettes. “Sales promotions for Glo Pro last month took place both online and in-store and it was especially well received online and we managed to sell out the stock we prepared quicker than expected,” said Yu Jung-min, head of offline activation at BAT Korea during an online press event. “Diversi

Consumer Feb. 16, 2021

Brand X Corp., a company behind fitness wear brand Xexymix, reported a whopping 113 percent on-year increase in sales last year, thanks to the popularity of leggings during the coronavirus pandemic. The social commerce startup posted a revenue of 139.8 billion won ($126.8 million) in 2020, while racking up 8.4 billion won in operating profit and 7.2 billion won in net profit, the company said in a tentative earnings report released on Monday. The firm’s full-year sales marked a two-fold i

Consumer Feb. 15, 2021

In November the South Korean unit of German personal care giant Beiersdorf, the company behind brands such as Nivea and Eucerin, launched skin care brand Chaul. Its first lineup is inspired by the tea that grows in the southern part of the country -- in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang Province. Chaul, the first Beiersdorf brand to be exclusively developed and launched in Asia, was created in Korea with plans to branch out into other markets as the company recognizes the country’s famous K

Consumer Feb. 11, 2021