Characterized by a Western sound, synchronized dance moves and a repetitive and addictive melody, and sung by well-crafted performers with a dedicated following, K-pop, or contemporary South Korean music, has become a defining aspect of modern Korean culture, gaining international recognition over the past decade. The government, media and entrepreneurs have taken a keen interest in K-pop, which...

Hibrand, a premium shopping outlet, located in the affluent Yangjae area of Seoul, is eager to change the tide in local shopping trends by attracting more people to outlet stores, a move that its CEO sees to be critical as the shopping center seeks the next level in business. “With the Korean economy entering a low-growth era, more high-end shoppers are migrating to premium outlets from departme...

Decoding human DNA and targeting mutant proteins used to be seen as the key to curing cancer and other chronic diseases. But the drugs that have come out of years of DNA research are still unable to prevent recalcitrant cancer cells from terminally spreading. A Korean biologist said ribonucleic acid, or RNA, one of three classes of biological macromolecules essential for life, will likely play ...

Very few South Korean low-to-mid-range accessory makers survived after the influx of cheaper Chinese products in the 2000s. They remained anonymous as outsourcers for the global market or nestled in online markets. JMarkers, the company behind the accessory brands accessory kitchen and Rustik, is a rare breed, building up its own brand and exporting products under its own brand. Established in 2...

South Korean architectural firm Heerim Architects & Planners is aiming to make its services available to more countries around the world, mostly to emerging regions where architectural know-how is in big demand. “Heerim hopes to become Asia’s No. 1 and the world’s fifth (largest)global architectural service provider by 2020,” Heerim’s chief executive Jeong Young-kyoon told The Korea Herald in an...

The allegedly rigid hierarchical culture in the cockpit has often been cited as a cause of poor communication between senior and junior pilots in Korea and other Asian countries. The story at Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific Airways, however, goes a bit differently as it says its pilots ― almost 80 percent of them being foreign nationals ― are one of its best-selling points, according to M...

Sports may seem like the least-digitalized activities humans have designed for themselves, as they mainly involve physical movement. But Nike, the world’s largest sporting goods maker, has refused to accept this concept. Instead, it has decided to begin a digitalization initiative for all aspects of its business ― everything from marketing to the product line-up. “Innovation is always at the co...

CJ CheilJedang, the nation’s top food maker, is spearheading the globalization of Korean cuisine by distributing its food products through global retail channels under its food brand Bibigo. “When the company set a goal of going global in the mid-2000s, what we needed the most was to develop a global brand to draw the attention of global consumers,” said Kim Chul-ha, CEO of CJ CheilJedang, a fla...

When people talk about Lee Kwang-soo, they usually describe him with a smirk on their face. He is tall, skinny and very funny. He is best known for his role on TV entertainment show “Running Man,” which earned him various nicknames: “Giraffe” for his 190 cm height, “Prince of Asia” for his mysterious popularity in Asia ― he says he doesn’t understand why ― and “Icon of Betrayal” for his sneaky h...

Opposition lawmaker Chun Soon-ok remembers her brother Chun Tae-il, a legendary labor activist, as the funniest man in the world. Her eldest brother, six years her senior, had a great sense of humor. He sometimes danced like a fool in front of the family, if anything to make them forget their hardships and hunger just for a moment. But Rep. Chun, as a little girl, never had imagined that her br...

The well-known “Ring the Bell” campaign was launched in India in 2008 to prevent domestic violence against women in the country. Participating in the project is rather simple: whenever you hear a neighbor being abused by her family members, you ring the doorbell and say something random, such as “What time is it?” “The point is to make them think that ‘We have heard you,’” said Begona Lasagabast...

Internet giant Google Inc., with its unceasing appetite for robotics, may be developing an operating system exclusively designed for robots, according to renowned robotics engineer Dennis Hong. He based his speculation on the recent string of robotic companies that Google has been purchasing, including U.S.-based Boston Robotics and Japan’s SCAHFT. In a similar vein, Google on Wednesday introduc...

Foreign beauty brands are feverishly seeking out Korean consumers as the country is fast growing into a test bed for the cosmetics industry. Kim Do-kyun, CEO of online cosmetics shopping mall SkinRx, is one man who saw a golden opportunity in this trend. “Cosmetic brands can be divided into three categories ― big global high-end beauty brands that occupy department stores, domestic brands distr...

When it comes to marketing in Asia, time is irrelevant, says Roberto Ascoli, division director of the British multinational company Imperial Tobacco Group. “We’re not here for one year or two years. We’re here for 20 years, 30 years, 50 years and so on. The progress has been initially slow, but we’re satisfied with what we have done. But we want to do more,” Ascoli said in an interview with The ...

This is the ninth installment in a series of interviews with chiefs of United Nations offices in Korea. ― Ed. The U.N. Development Program is looking to deepen its partnership with Korea to help others in need by harnessing the country’s green technologies and know-how in tackling corruption, chief of its Seoul office said. As the Seoul Policy Center is crafting its new three-year work plan, th...