AmorePacific’s flagship brand Laneige held a makeup show dubbed “Beauty Road” to promote its best-selling BB Cushion at the EmQuartier Shopping Mall on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 17. Starting from Thailand’s capital city, the Korean cosmetic brand will tour seven Asian cities, including Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Singapore, to host the pop-up event. (Laneige)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has urged young people to inherit the spirit of defending their country shown by fallen soldiers and war veterans as the North is set to mark the 62nd anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean war, the North's media said Sunday.The armistice that ended the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953, leaving South and North Korea technically in a state of war.The North has designated the date as "Victory Day."At the 4th National Conference of War Veterans held on Sa

Typhoon Halola is not likely to have a big impact on South Korea as it has eased some strength and changed its direction a little more eastward, the state weather agency said Sunday.As of 3 p.m. the typhoon was marching northeastwards from the ocean about 290 kilometers southeast of the country's southernmost Jeju Island at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).The KMA said Saturday that the Korean Peninsula is likely to come under the dire

Han Sung Motor, Mercedes-Benz’s largest dealer in Korea, took an initiative in customer marketing for high-end cars buyers, by hosting its first motor show at the “Sevit’’ floating island on the Hangang River on July 17-18.Visitors to the 1st motor show of Han Sung Motor are joining the auction event for a StarClass CLA 200 CDI car, held at the “Sevit’’ floating island on the Han River last Saturday. The StarClass is the brand name for used cars, recognized by Mercedes-Benz. (Han Sung Motor)“Cel

It is no secret that Kia Motors has a knack for pulling off spacious interiors, and its New K5 is a prime showcase of that ability.  The New K5 (Kia Motors)The moment I opened the door of the midsize sedan, I instantly noticed the lofty space in the back, large enough not only for tall adults but also luggage on the floor. The front seats were equally spacious, allowing plenty of legroom. The interior design was lean, modern and simple, accentuating the space. According to Kia, the wheelbase was

South Korea’s major retailers are holding massive events in a bid to rekindle sales and vitalize consumer sentiment, which was seriously hit by the outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome between late May and early July. Shoppers flock to grab bargains at a Black Shopping Day event held by Lotte Department Store at BEXCO in Haeundae, Busan, Friday. (Yonhap)Department stores and discount outlet chains are slashing prices of luxury and fashion items to clear out their inventory while duty

Baesangmyun Brewery, South Korea’s leading traditional liquor maker, is growing its brand with urban brew pubs producing freshly fermented makgeolli, Korean rice wine, every day. By rebuilding a mini-brewery -- Slow City Brewery & Pub -- just like those a century ago, the producer of a range of distilled and fermented Korean beverages seeks to revive the country’s home-brewed alcoholic beverage culture with a modern touch.  A chef prepares food for the daily lunch buffet at Slow City Brewery & P

The Federation of Korean Industries, South Korea‘s major business lobby group, proposed Wednesday a new set of principles for inter-Korean business exchange, calling for a paradigm shift toward a mutually beneficial economic relationship. “A new economy-centered paradigm should be developed in which both Seoul and Pyongyang could gain mutual interests, and it’s time to go beyond the conventional paradigm of ‘support and pressure,’” Park Chan-ho, a senior executive of the FKI said during a semina

Park Sam-kooKumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo has been appointed to lead a tourism promotion committee, the group said Tuesday. The Visit Korea Committee, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, elected Park as its new chairman during a board meeting in Seoul on Friday.“We expect that Park will contribute vastly to the development of the tourism industry with his expertise in the tourism sector and management skills he cultivated as a business leader,” a VKC official said. Foun

Heather Cho, the oldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, has asked a U.S. court to dismiss a lawsuit involving an onboard tantrum dubbed “nut rage” on Tuesday, saying the case should be handled by a court in Korea.  (Yonhap)“It is more appropriate to hold a plea in Korea as all parties related to the case are Korean nationals and investigations were also conducted in the country,” an attorney representing Cho said.  The motion comes months after a flight attendant who was harassed by

Analysts on Monday raised their target prices on shares of high-profile bid winners who will operate duty-free stores in downtown Seoul, citing that the retail giants secured a new growth engine amid sluggish domestic demand and rising competition.The upgrades in the target prices of the retail firms reflects expectations that the new stores will give a boost to the world‘s largest duty-free market, accounting for 13 percent of global revenues from duty-free shops in 2014. “The urban duty-free b

South Korea’s tourism and retail industries are pulling out all stops to bring back tourists as the Middle East respiratory syndrome death toll remains flat with no new cases recently.(Yonhap)In order to revive the markets hit hardest by the MERS outbreak, the tourism, aviation and retail industries are working together to win back Chinese and Japanese tourists by holding events and inviting foreign tourism officials to ease worries and revive interest in Korean tourism.South Korea’s second larg

Unionized workers at Homeplus, owned by the U.K.’s Tesco, Thursday urged the company to ensure a transparent takeover for the nation’s second-largest supermarket chain and guarantee that the sell-off will not result in job losses. “Tesco is pushing a secretive acquisition deal with foreign private equity firms, which sparks concerns on possible massive restructuring and job losses,” a union member said during a press conference held at the headquarters of Homeplus in Seoul. The move comes after

Asiana Airlines’ plan to set up its second low-budget carrier within this year is unlikely to be realized as the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak has dealt a blow to South Korea’s second-largest carrier, industry sources said Tuesday.  A customer waits for her tickets at Asiana Airlines Inc. booth at Kimpo Airport in Seoul, South Korea. (Bloomberg)“It seems hard for the new budget airline to be established by the end of this year as it’s behind schedule in applying for the transportatio

Major South Koreans retailers are making final pushes to win licenses to run duty-free shops in downtown Seoul ahead of the announcement of winners this week.The retail groups, which are on the hunt for the rare duty-free licenses, are making last-minute pitches on their plans for envisioned stores, including local development and inducement of Chinese tourists in a bid to obtain high scores for the bidding evaluation. The Korea Customs Service is scheduled to announce the two winners Friday, ba

Since Ban Ki-moon was first named new secretary-general of the United Nations in 2006, South Korea has waited for another Korean global leader to be named. Nine years later, the president of Busan Port Authority, Lim Ki-tack, has been elected to head the United Nations maritime body. Lim Ki-tack (Yonhap)The 58-year-old veteran is the first South Korean to take the secretary-general position of the International Maritime Organization, the U.N. agency responsible for the safety and security of shi

Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo (right) poses with violinist Lim Ji-young, the winner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. The chairman pledged to offer free business class flight tickets on Asiana Airlines to Lim for a year in a bid to support the talented young musician.(Kumho Asiana)

Asiana Airlines has launched a new service to Rome in a bid to expand its footprint in Europe, the South Korean carrier said Tuesday. "The new Incheon-Rome service will strengthen its European network by providing a wider variety of flight schedules, destinations and itineraries, which in turn will raise Asiana’s competitiveness,” Asiana CEO Kim Soo-cheon said.Asiana Airlines CEO Kim Soo-cheon (sixth from left) poses with Tiziana Di Molfetta (seventh from left), councilor at the Italian Embassy

CJ Foodville opened an outlet of its Korean dining franchise restaurant Bibigo in Wangjing, north of Beijing, in a bid to tap deeper into the Chinese market, the company said Monday. Customers dine at the Bibigo restaurant at Wangjing SOHO in Wangjing, north of Beijing, China. (CJ Foodville)The newly launched Bibigo store is the sixth restaurant in Beijing. The store is nestled at Wangjing SOHO, which consists of three mixed-use office and commercial buildings.“We expect that Bibigo’s brand awar

More than 50 passengers have filed a class action suit for compensation against South Korea’s No. 2 carrier Asiana Airlines over a crash landing in San Francisco, which killed three in 2013.  (AP)Korean law firm Barun Law LLC filed the complaint on June 26 in the Seoul Central District Court on behalf of 53 plaintiffs -- 27 Korean, 25 Chinese and one Indian national who resides in Korea -- aboard Flight 214, which clipped a sea wall and slammed into a runway at the U.S. airport on July 6, 2013.“