Low-cost carrier T’way Air said Friday it will fly two more international flights to nowhere later this month, flying over Fukuoka, Japan. Passengers for the flights scheduled to take off from Incheon Airport on Jan. 30 and 31 will enjoy special deals for shopping at Lotte Duty Free stores as well as coupons and souvenir goods such as a calendar and blanket, the company said. “You will be able to enjoy the feelings of traveling as well as shopping with this new flight and have a un

Mobility Jan. 15, 2021

The nation’s flagship air carrier Korean Air on Thursday filed documents to the Fair Trade Commission and antitrust authorities in eight other countries for a review of its planned takeover of the debt-laden Asiana Airlines. “We’ve had a business combination application submitted by Korean Air regarding the purchase of Asiana Airlines’ shares,” the FTC said in a statement. The airline also took the same steps in eight other countries including the United States,

Mobility Jan. 14, 2021

As people looked for ways to enhance their immune system amid the coronavirus pandemic, red ginseng is enjoying a surge in popularity both in Korea and elsewhere, according to Korea‘s leading red ginseng brand CheongKwanJang. “Since the coronavirus outbreak, consumption of red ginseng in Korea has risen for its immune-boosting and other health benefits,” one official at Korea Ginseng Corp. said on Wednesday. “Korean Red Ginseng Concentrated Extract, made of 100 percent

Consumer Jan. 13, 2021

South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to a new air corridor over the sea south of Jeju Island following safety concerns over the growing air traffic in one of the busiest airspaces in the world, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The new move, which is set to take effect in late March, will give Korea air traffic control over parts of the airspace previously controlled by air traffic authorities in Japan with dual airways set to be established in the section con

Mobility Jan. 12, 2021

Korean food overtook fried chicken as the second-most-popular delivery food last year, according to on-demand delivery platform Vroong on Monday. While burgers remained the most popular food ordered via Vroong in 2020 and fried chicken was pushed to third place, desserts swapped places with “bunsik” -- a category that includes popular street food items such as gimbap, tteokbokki and fish cakes. Mesh Korea, the company behind the food delivery app, attributed the greater popularit

Consumer Jan. 11, 2021

Hyundai Motor has sold over 2 million units of its signature sedan Grandeur, the company said Sunday. As of last year, the Grandeur sold a total of 2,000,573 units since the release of its first model in 1986, the automaker said. The sedan sold 145,463 units during last year alone, breaking its annual sales record and becoming the best-selling car in the country for the fourth consecutive year. The Grandeur was initially seen as a luxury car symbolizing success, but the sedan has more recen

Mobility Jan. 10, 2021

Korean Air on Thursday unveiled its redesigned official website and mobile app, enabling customers to access the cheapest tickets for any given date or destination. The “cart saving” feature will allow customers to save details when they decide to leave the website during the process of booking so that they can come back and continue the process later. The revamped mobile app dubbed “Korean Air My” has adopted a simpler design and made main services more accessible, the

Mobility Jan. 7, 2021

Shareholders of Korean Air Lines Co. agreed to change its corporate mandate to clear a hurdle for its takeover of Asiana Airlines, the airline said on Wednesday. In a meeting at its headquarters in Seoul, nearly 70 percent of stockholders who were present voted to pass an amendment of an article, drastically lifting the cap on total outstanding stocks from 250 million to 700 million. With the amendment, the company can push ahead with its plan to issue 173.6 million new shares to raise capita

Mobility Jan. 6, 2021

South Koreans’ spending on drinks and cigarettes reached a record high during the third quarter of last year, the Bank of Korea said Tuesday. Households spent 4.3 trillion won ($3.96 billion) on liquor and cigarettes between July and September – a 6.2 percent increase from the same period a year prior, data from the country’s central bank revealed. The figure marks the highest quarterly figure since records began at the central bank in 1970. The year-on-year jump is also th

Consumer Jan. 5, 2021

GS Group will focus on digital competency and environmentally-friendly management to discover new business projects, the chairman of the group Huh Tae-soo said on Monday. In a livestreamed New Year’s address from the company‘s headquarters in Seoul, Huh said his company will push for “new businesses in various fields” and urged employees to adjust their ways of working to adapt to change. While last year was a “period of change” marred by the uncertainty sur

Industry Jan. 4, 2021

Wine imports soared to a record high in Korea last year, apparently helped by more people drinking at home amid the pandemic, new government data revealed Monday. South Korea imported 38,969 tons of wine worth $239.2 million from January to November in 2020, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. Though data on the month of December has yet to be added, last year’s figure has already beat the previous record of $204 million for 2019. Wine imports have grown over the years and

Consumer Jan. 4, 2021

Retailers around the world including Target and Superdrug face pressure to cut ties with DHC as the Japanese cosmetics company refuses to apologize for its CEO’s racially discriminatory remarks against Koreans. Activists have launched a campaign to boycott DHC products after CEO Yoshiaki Yoshida’s use of the term “Chon” -- a racial slur for Koreans -- came to light earlier this month. “By selling DHC products, they are supporting the business of an openly racist c

Consumer Jan. 2, 2021

S.M. Entertainment’s livestreamed global music festival SM Town Live drew a record-breaking 35 million-plus viewers on New Year’s Day, the company said Saturday. Viewers in 186 countries streamed the concert, featuring the likes of Taeyeon, Taemin, Red Velvet, NCT 127, SuperM and aespa. Themed “culture humanity,” this year’s show was online only and free to watch on videostreaming platforms such as V Live, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. Taeyeon said she&r

K-pop Jan. 2, 2021

The Ministry of Health and Welfare took down a video it had posted on social media encouraging dancing to beat the coronavirus blues.  The video, uploaded New Year’s Day and deleted Saturday, drew criticism for being out of touch with the people as most of South Korea’s population lives in apartments. The ministry apologized in a statement on Facebook, saying the video -- promoting dancing as a way to cope with the pandemic -- failed to consider “multiple issues includin

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2021

Asiana Airlines named Jung Sung-kwon as the new CEO in a major executive reshuffle on Thursday. Jung, who previously served as the head of the airline’s China operations, will replace current CEO Han Chang-soo to lead the country‘s second-largest carrier. Born in 1963, Jung joined Asiana in 1988 and had taken on multiple roles including finance and human resources. In the shakeup, Ahn Byung-suk, Asiana Airline‘s management director, has been tapped to head Air Busan, its s

Mobility Dec. 31, 2020