S-OIL HONORS FIREFIGHTERS` SACRIFICE -- S-Oil deputy CEO Kim Dong-cheoul (left) delivers 210 million won ($177,000) in scholarships to the children of firefighters who died while on duty in a ceremony held at the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station in Seoul on Wednesday. Since 2006, S-Oil has delivered 2.8 billion won in scholarships to 978 students as part of its efforts to support the families of deceased firefighters in South Korea. (S-Oil)

Christine Cho (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)As a growing number of South Koreans look to healthier lifestyles and diets, Herald Corp.’s organic food developer Organica is looking to push the envelope in promoting health-conscious eating across the country.　Organica -- best known for its organic, vegetable-based detox juices -- has teamed up with coffee chain Starbucks to introduce its “Cleanse Salads” to Koreans seeking a refreshing and healthy accompaniment to their drinks.　“A cleansing, or de

　South Korea’s business community hailed a landmark agreement Tuesday reached between the two Koreas to resolve quickly escalating tensions, pledging to make expanded efforts to bolster economic cooperation with North Korea. 　Following days of high-level marathon negotiations, the two Koreas eased tensions Tuesday morning as Pyongyang expressed “regret” over a recent land mine blast that injured two South Korean soldiers at the border and lifted its “semi-war state” in exchange for Seoul’s promi

Korea University, in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, said Monday it will begin a business training program for 39 government officials from 23 developing states around the world in September.　The KU-KOICA program, first launched in 2007, aims to transfer South Korea’s economic and business expertise to policymakers in developing countries in regions including South and Central America, Asia and Africa.　This year’s program participants will take diverse master’s degre

Joining hands with global partners, South Korean pharmaceutical companies are increasing their presence in the global health care industry by stepping off their home turf and venturing to bigger markets.　Korean pharmaceutical companies, which are gaining recognition overseas for their new drug development capabilities, are partnering with a growing number of internationally renowned pharmaceutical giants to export their newly developed drugs with more success.　Earlier this month, Hanmi Pharmaceu

AMWAY PROMOTES HEALTHY LIVING – Amway Korea, the South Korean unit of U.S direct sales giant Amway, held a two-day health promotion program in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday and Wednesday in partnership with the Korea Association of Social Welfare Centers and Nawoo Health Institute. Attended by some 110 children and their families from 32 social welfare centers across the country, the program included educational sessions on health and nutrition, food therapy, cooking programs and fam

A number of global retail brands have opened up stores in the newly built Pangyo Hyundai Department Store in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, which held its grand opening Friday.　　Global apparel company Uniqlo, Switzerland-based coffee machine brand Nespresso, as well as Esteem -- a cafe which sells drinks from U.S. coffee brand Intelligentsia Coffee and France’s Palais de Thes -- are among some 900 shops housed inside the mega shopping mall.　Uniqlo is holding opening day promotions from Friday to S

Lotte.com, Lotte’s online retail presence, launched a new Chinese mobile shopping app Wednesday in an aim to offer optimized services to a growing number of online Chinese shoppers who purchase overseas merchandise. 　China.lotte.com is focused exclusively on customers in China, introducing new categories and services that go beyond those offered by Global.lotte.com.　The new app offers three special service categories including a product lineup consisting of the popular items among Chinese custom

LG Household & Health Care, a health care and beauty product company established by LG, has launched a set of new cleansing products that help cleanse and minimize pores.　The newly-launched On The Body Sparkling Pore Detox line includes a foam cleanser, a pore massaging gel, bubble cleansing foam and cleansing water.　The new products are all infused with all-natural carbonated water from Jejudo Island, known for its high mineral content and therapeutic properties that helps remove makeup and dir

Italian stationery brand Moleskin has released a set of limited edition notebooks inspired by Coca-Cola and jazz label Blue Note Records in South Korea.　The Coca-Cola notebooks, which come in four options, were launched in celebration of the global beverage brand’s 100th anniversary. The notebooks’ covers feature uniquely designed bottles and include Coca-Cola-themed stickers.　Created to mark the 75th anniversary of Blue Note, Moleskin’s Blue Note notebooks feature designs inspired by iconic jaz

Innocean Worldwide, a South Korean marketing communications agency under Hyundai Motor Group, has partnered with U.S.-based private media agency giant Horizon Media to form new joint media agency Canvas Worldwide.　Set to officially launch in September 2015, the joint venture was established with starting capital of 11.4 billion won ($9.6 million). Innocean will hold a 51 percent stake, while Horizon will hold the remaining 49 percent.　Innocean said that Canvas Worldwide is expected to rack up $4

SK CHIEF VISITS SK HYNIX -- SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won (second from left) visits the SK hynix headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. The conglomerate is reportedly mulling plans to invest about 46 trillion won ($38 billion) over the next few years to expand the production facilities of its chip producing unit. (SK Group)

S-OIL AIDS DISABLED — S-Oil senior vice president Lee Chang-jae (left) delivers a customized study aid to a disabled student at the Gyeonggi Assistive Technology Research Assistance Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. The firm handed over equipment worth 100 million won ($92,800) to 42 low-income disabled students on the same day, continuing its efforts to help disabled youths since 2010. (S-Oil) 

SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won cheered on staffers by visiting the group’s provincial-based innovation centers Tuesday, in line with his stated promise to lend a hand in reviving the South Korean economy and support the government’s ongoing drive for a creative economy.　Chey made his way down to the two SK innovation centers in Daejeon and Sejong, located south of Seoul, in a bid to “express the group’s will to contribute to the country’s economic growth through the success of its creative econo

Green Cross, a South Korean biopharmaceuticals company, said Monday that it has opened its eighth blood center in San Antonio, Texas, aiming to strengthen its position in the U.S. market. The new blood center ― established by Green Cross America, which handles the firm’s U.S. operations ― is able to produce 60,000 liters of general and specialized blood plasma products.With the addition of the Texas center, GCAM’s eight centers are now able to supply up to 400,000 liters of blood plasma products

Pharvis Korea, a homegrown pharmaceutical company, will start developing a new treatment drug for respiratory diseases and asthma based on a therapeutic substance in development by researchers at Korea University and Dongguk University.The Ministry of ICT, Science and Future Planning said Sunday that the firm has purchased the technology and future development rights to the drug PVS02696 for 1 billion won ($840,000). Pharvis Korea signs a deal with researchers at Korea University and Dongguk Uni

SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, who was released from prison Friday through a presidential pardon, held key meetings at the group’s headquarters in downtown Seoul over the weekend in his efforts to normalize operations and lend a hand in reviving the Korean economy as promised, according to group officials Sunday.　Chey took the first steps toward resuming his chairman duties on Saturday, the day after his release, by meeting with SK SUPEX Council chairman Kim Chang-geun and key officials at SK’s

Seventy years has been more than enough for South Korea to pull itself up from postwar wrecks to become the world’s 13th-largest economy.Since its liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, the country’s gross domestic product surged by over 30,000 times and its per capita income by over 400 times -- a record which, to this day, stands unrivaled in the world’s economic history.This striking growth, dubbed “The Miracle on the Han,” is attributed to a number of reasons, including the competit

Along with the steel, automotive and shipbuilding sectors, the IT industry has served as a locomotive that has driven South Korea’s economy for decades.At the forefront of South Korea’s IT scene were electronics businesses run by conglomerates including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Daewoo Electronics (now Dongbu Daewoo Electronics owned by Dongbu Group).Having produced the nation’s first transistor radio in 1959, LG, then called Goldstar, was a pioneer in the domestic home appliance m

Celltrion, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, is making headway in a newly emerging category of medicine known as biosimilars -- lower-cost copies of brand-name biologic drugs that have lost patent protection, around the world.　The Korean drugmaker on Monday said it has gained approval from Australia to begin selling Remsima -- its biosimilar replication of the world’s third best-selling rheumatoid arthritis treatment drug Remicade. 　U.S.-based global pharmaceutical firm Hospira, Celltrio