South Korean food giant SPC Group said Sunday its coffeehouse-to-bakery brand Paris Baguette has ranked 25th among the best franchise brands evaluated by the US-based magazine Franchise Times. According to the Franchise Times Top 500, an annual ranking of the largest franchise brands by sales in the US, Paris Baguette's ranking jumped 13 spots from last year's 38th. Its ranking is the highest among Korean brands in the list this year. “Our 77 years of baking know-how, efficient bakery mana

South Korean retail-to-chemical giant Lotte Group said Thursday its overseas investment has exceeded 7 trillion won ($4.9 billion) this year. So far, the largest overseas project is Lotte Chemical’s Line Project, a $3.9 billion megasized petrochemicals production complex in Banten, Indonesia. It aims to produce 1 million metric tons of ethylene, 520,000 tons of propylene, 250,000 tons of polypropylene and other petrochemical products by 2025. The chemicals unit also plans to build its f

With fast-growing interest in eco-friendly lifestyles, South Korean food companies are expanding plant-based menu items and restaurants to cater to the growing global vegan population of some 180 million. Nongshim, the country’s leading instant noodle maker, said Thursday it has launched eight kinds of plant-based "cup rice" (rice bowl with toppings), and porridge, in partnership with vegan restaurant Doosoogobang. Instead of spicy meat, cup rice comes with toppings such as na

Global messaging app provider Line Corp. said Tuesday that Line Man Wongnai, its delivery platform operated in Thailand, has raised $265 million in a funding round led by Line Corp. and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC. Other investors in the Series B funding include BRV Capital Management, PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Co., Bualuang Ventures and Taiwan Mobile. With the new investment, Line Man Wongnai's value topped $1 billion, becoming Thailand's largest tech startup unicorn. The

Over the last few years, pandemic-triggered market volatility has provided great business opportunities for South Korean startups. But in the face of a deteriorating market outlook driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and inflation, only a handful of startups with strong business portfolios could keep their title as “the next unicorn” with a corporate value of some $1 billion or more. RSquare, a commercial real estate platform, said its sales had surged on-year by 61 percent to 1

Product collaborations with fashion brands continue to be popular in the local manufacturing industry, with a growing number of consumers looking to own unique items. Samsung Electronics, the country’s tech giant, said Friday it has launched a limited edition of Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5 series and Buds 2 designed by a local fashion brand Juun.J. The Juun.J edition Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes in two colors – graphite and phantom black -- with an all-black leather case, a shoulder

Germany’s top three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen – topped the list of the most recalled cars in South Korea over the past five years, a recent report showed Wednesday. According to the report based on data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, vehicles produced by the German big three made up 92.1 percent of the total recalled cars between January 2018 and August 2022. BMW was ranked first with 2,702 recalls over five years, with the numbe

Dairy product prices are likely to go up again as the price of locally produced milk is expected to increase as much as 500 won ($0.36) per liter, industry sources said Tuesday. Korea Dairy Committee, a private organization that oversees fair distribution of raw milk, carried out the first meeting between dairy farmers and dairy companies on Tuesday to negotiate the price of raw milk for this year. Even before the negotiation, the price of milk was widely expected to jump 300-500 won to 2,700-3,

South Korean households are feeling the inflation pinch as they brace for the annual kimchi-making season later this year. The average price for 10 kilograms of cabbages, the key ingredient for kimchi, surged on-year by 116.6 percent to 32,940 won ($23.7) as of Sept. 16, data from the state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. showed. The price of 20 kg of white radish, which are fermented in spicy sauce and other flavorful seasoning, skyrocketed by 146.1 percent to 28,460 won in the

With inflation showing no signs of abating, South Koreans are likely to suffer more financial burden from eating out after the Chuseok holiday, as even low-cost foods like gimbap see a surge in price. The average price of gimbap, one of the more budget-friendly meals, in Seoul surged 2.6 percent to surpass the 3,000 won ($2.2) mark as of August compared to a month earlier, according to data from the Korea Consumer Agency. Among restaurant meals, the price of pork belly increased the most, fro

Kim kyung-hee, a housewife in her 60s, who hated the idea of laying out store-bought meals on a “jesa” table, which is usually placed with homemade food to honor ancestors, is considering buying one or two packaged meals this year for the Chuseok holiday. “With rising inflation, it is just too expensive to buy all the food ingredients from markets. But mostly, I don’t want to burden my son and daughter-in-law, asking them to help in the kitchen,” Kim said. &ldquo

Tensions grew sharply among retail, transport and manufacturing sectors on Monday on fears of the possible disruptions that Typhoon Hinnamnor could cause to their businesses, which are already suffering from a weak local currency and persistent economic uncertainty. The country’s three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- set up emergency centers to monitor hurricane damage and tackle possible power outrage problems. The three companies mobilized emergency power gener

South Korean retail giant Lotte Group said Sunday it will build an eco-friendly smart city complex and smart logistics center in Vietnam, as part of its expansion plan to cement a strong foothold in Southeast Asia. Under the $900 million Thu Tiem Eco Smart City project, the company plans to construct a 60-story building, with another five floors underground, comprising a shopping mall, cinema, office space, hotel, residences and apartments in Ho Chi Minh City. For the residential area, a big

South Korea’s two most influential business leaders -- Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won -- are set to take a rather public role in promoting the country’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. According to local reports quoting a source at the presidential office, Lee and Chey will be named presidential envoys for Korea’s World Expo bid and that they are set to visit the UK and Japan, respectively, in their new roles. Lee

Piggybacking on SPC Samlip’s Pokemon Bread craze, South Korean food companies are using animated characters on their product packaging to appeal to customers with a desire to collect nostalgic items. Convenience store chain 7-Eleven said Wednesday it has sold more than 250,000 rolls of its recently launched Digimon Bread in a week. The pastry comes with a sticker of one of 182 characters from the Japanese anime television series “Digimon Adventure” -- a key rival of the Poke

Hyundai Engineering ＆ Construction said Wednesday it has opened a model house to initiate sales of its Hillstate Wonju Restige apartment. Located in Wonju, Gangwon Province, the apartment complex consists of 976 households, ranging in size from 84 square meters to 136 square meters. After receiving applicants between Sept. 5 and 7, the company will announce the selected residents on Sep. 15. The move-in date is scheduled for some time in January 2025. Hyundai E＆C said since the apartment com

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said Tuesday it will take legal action against People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a local NGO, for spreading false information on the company’s audit report. The NGO said in a statement that Coupang is illegally aiding its subsidiary called CPLB by receiving only 2.55 percent commission while demanding around 31.2 percent commission to other sellers. The 31.2 percent includes advertising fee and standard brokerage fee, it claimed.

South Korean tobacco company KT&G said Monday it plans to build a new eco-friendly tobacco packaging factory in the central administrative hub of Sejong City. Under the 180 billion won ($133.5 million) project, the factory will be constructed at Sejong Mirae Industrial Estate, a government-developed area for local manufacturing companies, by 2025. KT&G said the factory will produce tobacco packaging such as cigarette papers and boxes, based on a cutting-edge logistics automation syste

South Korean Minister of Trade Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang said Monday the US Inflation Reduction Act that bans tax benefits for electric vehicles built outside of North America is highly likely to breach the US-Korea FTA and WTO rules. Asked whether the act violated the US-Korea FTA or WTO rules during a parliamentary committee meeting on trade and industry, Lee said, “It is highly likely to be violating those rules and we will bring a complaint at the WTO if necessary.” T

A wind of change is blowing in South Korea’s rigid top-down workplace culture as a growing number of local companies, from fledgling startups to traditional manufacturing firms, feel the need to improve the quality of work environments in to attract and retain talent. To name a few changes: simpler decision-making processes, no more forced overtime work until late night or and more openness to outspoken opinions. 　 It’s a trend that Khanzada Temur Khan, director of the people &