Next to Incheon’s historic Chinatown stands the Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village, where characters from classic tales of Korea and the West are brought to life.  Stirring the innocence of childhood, the village is decorated to depict scenes of popular tales ranging from “Alice in Wonderland” and “Wizard of Oz” to “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Heungbu and Nolbu” -- a traditional Korean folk tale of a rich brother and a poor brother. Vis

Consumers are increasingly concerned by the vast COVID-19 infections linked to major e-commerce logistics centers in South Korea on Thursday, with authorities scurrying to track and contain the spread, while companies received mixed views for their contrasting countermeasures. Since an employee working at Coupang’s logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, was first confirmed to have contracted the virus Saturday, related cases stood at 82 as of 2 p.m. Thursday. Coupang shut down

INCHEON -- BMW Korea unveiled revamped models of the 5 and 6 series sedans on Wednesday, holding the first world premiere event in the country as a foreign carmaker, which was also BMW Group’s first official event since the COVID-19 pandemic. The carmaker displayed three new versions of the 5 Series and the 6 Series Gran Turismo: BMW New 523d, BMW New 530e and BMW New 640i xDrive. The 5 Series will be presented with a lineup of six gasoline and diesel engine types, including 4-cylinde

Supply of new apartments across the country will increase by about 22 percent to 148,239 in the second half of this year compared to the first, according to real estate app company Jikbang. The figure amounts to 55 percent of the total supply of new houses this year, and is 7 percent more than that of last year, the company said. By region, 80,712 houses will be available in 85 apartment complexes in the metropolitan areas of Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, up 30 percent from the first half

E-commerce platform giant Coupang said Tuesday it has closed its Bucheon logistics center in Gyeonggi Province and conducted disinfection of the facility after at least 10 COVID-19 cases are confirmed to be linked with its employees there. According to the company, it will take additional fumigation measures at the center and also check on around 3,700 employees, which includes workers at the center and also those who visited the center from May 12 to Monday. “We sterilize the products

Starbucks Korea said Tuesday that it has expanded the number of Reserve stores selling Teavana drinks to 52 from 13 amid the growing popularity of tea. According to the coffee chain, sales of tea drinks have grown about 20 percent annually since it launched Teavana here in 2016. Its flagship Honey Ruby Grapefruit Black Tea, rolled out in 2016, is now its third-most-frequently ordered drink, after Americano and caffe latte, among customers in their 20s, Starbucks Korea said. Sales of green te

Since merging with Hyundai Asset Management Co. in 2014, Hyundai Engineering has grown into a global construction firm logging a stable surplus. According to the company, its accumulated overseas contracts amounted to $31.3 billion in the six years as of 2019, which is 1.5 times more than the figure over 16 years before the merger. Hyundai Engineering, originally a firm specialized in EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) overseas plant construction, merged with Hyundai Amco, which

Philip Morris Korea said Monday it would hold a four-week promotion event to introduce limited edition goods to celebrate the third anniversary of the launch of Iqos, the flagship heat-not-burn product, in South Korea. During the event, PMI Korea said it will introduce two limited editions of device covers. The first edition, “Sun Rose,” represents the colors of roses, and the second edition “Twilight” draws the color of the sky in spring, the tobacco company explaine

South Korean food company Pulmuone said Friday it has completed the construction of Pulmuone Institute of Technology, the first research and development center that has received certification from the US-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. According to the company, its new institute received a “Gold” level in LEED, which is one of the widely used green building rating system. Built in the designated biotechnology zone, in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, the R&a

Tmon, an e-commerce platform in South Korea, promised Friday to turn profit this year as it marks its 10th anniversary. With the goal of going public, the firm’s Chief Executive Officer Lee Jin-won revealed his ambition to lead the e-commerce market. “Tmon is a company that has been labeled the most as ‘the industry’s first,’ in Korea’s e-commerce market. We started as the country’s first social-commerce (provider), and now created the title ‘

Posco said Thursday it has become the first South Korean steelmaker to join the Responsible Minerals Initiative. The RMI, which was founded by members of Responsible Business Alliance and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative in 2008, is a global consultative group of companies from a range of industries, addressing responsible mineral sourcing in supply chains. About 380 companies, including Apple, Tesla and Samsung Electronics, are members of the initiative. Posco said it will be able to

British grocery e-commerce service provider Ocado Solutions is in talks with major grocery retailers in South Korea to present its advanced automation system, according to its chief executive. Recognizing how Korea has well-developed online consumer habits, it is an exciting market to introduce the Ocado Smart Platform specialized in grocery business, CEO Luke Jensen told The Korea Herald in an exclusive interview. “We are discussing with various players in the (Korean) market, to deter

Cafe24, a South Korean e-commerce solutions company, said Wednesday it has joined Facebook’s new initiative, “Shops,” as a partner. Facebook announced the launch of Shops on Tuesday to allow small businesses to set up a single online store for customers to access on both its platform and Instagram. Cafe24, which provides solutions to create online stores and related services, such as marketing, and logistics, will be working with Facebook in the social media’s new ini

Among the 33 large business groups in South Korea, Hanwha recorded the highest rate in hiring permanent workers, data from industry tracker Infobigs showed. According to the data analyzing company reports of 33 business groups listed in the stock market in the first quarter, Hanwha Group has 21,064 permanent workers, up 36.68 percent on-year. Hanwha’s defense solutions arm Hanwha Systems was newly listed on the main bourse Kospi in November 2019. Excluding the firm, Hanwha Group’s

Tmon, an e-commerce platform here, said Monday it would deliver 29.1 million won ($23,625) raised from donations to a teenager suffering from a rare skin disease. To mark this year’s Children’s Day – on May 5 -- Tmon said it partnered with Miral Welfare Foundation, a local nongovernmental organization, to start a social donation campaign on its platform for a teenage patient named Park Jun-seo. The 15-year-old patient has been suffering from an unidentified skin disease, in w

SK Engineering and Construction said Monday it has won a construction deal worth $7.55 million for a mega-sized Propane Dehydrogenation plant in Saudi Arabia. According to the South Korean construction company, the project is ordered by the joint venture of its energy arm SK gas and Saudi Arabian Advanced Global Investment Company. SK E&C will be in charge of Front End Engineering Design for the PDH plant and utility and off-site facilities, the company said. PDH is a process to produce

Posco, South Korea’s largest steelmaker said Monday it will expand support for young adults who leave child shelters when they turn 18, to stand on their own feet. Posco’s charity group Posco 1% Foundation has been running “Do Dream” program since 2018, which provides financial aid to the young adults to assist them to build a foundation for self-support. In the past two years, the company said 40 people have benefited from the program. Starting from this year, Posco

There is no doubt that chicken is one of the most-favored meats around the world, but the favorite parts of the meat may vary across cultures. In South Korea, white chicken breast is often less in demand the softer and juicier dark meat of thighs and wings. But in recent years, chicken breast has been experiencing a heyday here, as more people are looking for a healthier protein choice with less fat. Along with increased attention on wellness, the growing dumbbell economy here has also shed

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led to a change in the home appliance consumption trends, with increased popularity of electronics helping household chores and less demand for grooming and beauty-related products, according to the retail industry Sunday. According to Homeplus, a South Korean discount chain, the sales of dishwashers and dish dryers jumped by 36 times in March and April compared to a year earlier. On the list of best-selling products by sales, those machines soared

  Namyang Dairy Products, one of South Korea’s major dairy companies, is again at the center of controversy for allegedly paying professional trolls to disparage a rival company online. After several similar incidents over the past few years, many people have chosen to boycott the firm. Namyang Dairy Chairman Hong Won-sik and six others, including Namyang employees and representatives of a contracted PR agency, are currently being investigated by police and potentially face charg