Fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton has launched its official online store in Korea, 28 years after it first opened a brick-and-mortar store in Seoul. Louis VuittonShoppers in Korea -- including those living on Jeju Island -- can purchase and have their products delivered by shopping at www.louisvuitton.kr, which offers a full range of luxury products: leather goods, watches, luggage, gifting collection, handbags, perfumes, accessories and jewelry. The brand said it will add shoes and ready-to-wear

McDonald’s Korea said Monday that it will launch PyeongChang Korean Beef Signature Burger on Tuesday, offering 10,000 burgers just for one day.  McDonald’s KoreaBy using PyeongChang’s specialty Korean beef that goes well with white Cheddar cheese, the burger set will include golden fried potatoes. McDonald’s Korea said those who purchase the burger can enter into a draw to win two tickets to the Speed Skating final event. A lucky 150 people will be selected.By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)

South Korean e-commerce company WeMakePrice said Monday that it is working to accept cryptocurrencies like bitcoin as one of its payment options, marking the first attempt by a major online shopping platform amid the ongoing cryptocurrency frenzy here. WeMakePriceWeMakePrice said talks are underway with Bithumb, the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, to develop a system that can apply some 12 kinds of virtual currencies, such as bitcoin and ethereum, to WeMakePrice’s online payment servi

Hyundai Development Company’s Hyundai IPark Mall said Monday that it will open South Korea’s biggest indoor theme park at its Yongsan location on Feb. 10.Yongsan IPark Mall’s Popcon D Square (HDC IPark Mall)Together with Daewon Media -- the company behind Korean animation “Young Shim” and which holds licenses for works of Japan’s Studio Ghibli and Japanese manga series “Doraemon” and “One Piece” -- IPark Mall aims to build a place where an animation kingdom becomes reality.The animation theme pa

South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae, led by the group’s Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, said Friday it has attracted more than 1 trillion won ($940 million) from a foreign investment firm and a private equity firm in an aim to strengthen its e-commerce business.The company said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with BRV Capital Management, a consumer focused investment firm, and private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners for its new e-commerce unit.  Shinsegae Vice chairman Chung Yong

An American-style lager Budweiser will start attaching a 100 percent renewable electricity symbol on all Budweiser beers that are brewed with renewable electricity, making a show of commitment to its renewable energy targets. Budweiser (OB)According to ABInBev, Budweiser’s parent company, the symbol will appear on the label of every Budweiser brewed in the United States beginning in spring, the first country where the beer will be brewed using 100 percent renewable electricity. The company said

Buoyed by explosive growth and continuing popularity of home meal replacements, or ready-to-eat meals, in South Korea, more retailers are releasing a variety of HMR products.According to data from Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp., the local HMR market expanded 35 percent from 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in 2013 to 2.3 trillion won in 2016, marking double digit growth each year. As of last year, the market had continued its momentum to 3 trillion won. Shinsegae Department Store’s hom

Shoppers in South Korea in their 20s have become more prone to spending big on luxury items and services, emerging as a new consumption trend, according to industry data.Mobile commerce company Tmon says the sales pattern over the past three months showed that purchases among young shoppers of luxurious products and high-end services in fashion, food and travel categories have significantly surged. Young consumers enjoy a strawberry dessert buffet at a hotel in Seoul. TmonFrom Oct. 21 last year

Foreign travelers’ total purchases at South Korean duty-free stores hit a new record high last month, industry data showed Tuesday.  YonhapAccording to the data tallied by the Korea Duty Free Shops Association, foreign visitors spent a total of $939 million at local duty-free stores in December, up 28 percent on-year. The figure is up 0.1 percent from the previous high of $983 million, set in November.However, the number of foreigners who visited the shops fell on-year by 11.3 percent to 1.42 mi

Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo and Kim Da-sol / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeoWhen Samyang Foods released Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen in 2012, the company did not expect it would receive such explosive popularity from customers abroad -- especially in the YouTube community.“In the beginning, we developed the product targeting local spicy food lovers in the niche market,” Park Jung-seok, Samyang Foods’ marketing manager, told The Korea Herald. Buldak refers to grilled chicken marinated in super-spicy red chili pa

Young South Koreans tend to stick to a beer brand when dining out, a survey showed Monday.According to a survey of 1,000 people in their 20s by research company IDINCU, nearly 80 percent of the respondents said they regularly order a specific beer when eating out. While 20.5 percent said they drank whatever beer that the wait staff brought for them, 79.5 percent said they ordered a specific brand. (OB)The results showed that 54.5 percent chose Cass from Oriental Brewery, a South Korean brewery o

CE-commerce platform Cafe24 said Friday that it has partnered with major Japanese payment platform SoftBank Payment Service.“Cafe24 will continue to expand partnerships with key global companies that possess technical expertise in order to provide optimized local services in various countries,” said Cafe24 CEO Lee Jae-suk.Cafe24 signed a memorandum of understanding with SoftBank Payment Service to share business know-how and boost the global e-commerce market, the company said. Under the agreeme

Mercedes-Benz’s electric vehicle sub-brand EQ has made Korean debut on Friday, by displaying its plug-in hybrid SUV at the new terminal of Incheon International Airport. Mercedes-BenzThe 2018 GLC 350e 4Matic SUV is the first plug-in hybrid from EQ to enter Korea. The name EQ signifies “Electric Intelligence” and is derived from the Mercedes-Benz’s brand values of “emotion and intelligence,” the company said. “What EQ aims for is the smart mobility, the vision which we wanted to share with public

After nine years of construction, South Korea’s main gateway airport finally opened its sleek new terminal this week. Incheon Airport’s second terminal cost approximately 5 trillion won ($4.7 billion) to build. Armed with smart technologies, its impressive new features are evident from the moment passengers step into the new terminal. Shilla Duty FreeBy using the Incheon Airport mobile application, passengers can find their way around and locate check-in kiosks and restaurants with the help of a

South Korea started the new year as the world's 59th placed football team in the FIFA rankings. According to the January men's rankings table released by FIFA on Thursday, South Korea moved up one spot to No. 59 with 569 points. South Korea were the world's 37th-ranked team one year ago. The Taeguk Warriors, having qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, had the fourth highest position among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members. Iran fell two spots to No. 34, but remained the top-ranked Asi

With the latest announcement of a merger with the media arm of the group, CJ O Shopping, South Korea’s largest home shopping company by revenue, is expected to make a foray into media-converged commerce and wider overseas markets. CJ O ShoppingCJ O Shopping on Wednesday announced it will merge with CJ E&M, with the finalization slated for Aug. 1 after the plan earns approval at a general meeting of shareholders in June. CJ O Shopping is CJ Group’s home shopping network and has top sales in the i

E-commerce company Coupang has launched OneTouch Payment, the first Korean mobile checkout system that allows online payment with a single touch, the company said Thursday. Coupang’s OneTouch Payment     CoupangOnline payment options mostly require an additional authentication step, such as a password, fingerprint or security card. However, Coupang’s OneTouch Payment will allow users to simply click the “Pay” button to check out on its mobile app, the company explained.OneTouch Payment is availa

(Photo courtesy of SPC)The sixth Shake Shack store in Korea has opened at Incheon Airport’s new terminal. It is the largest among five other branches of the burger chain at airports worldwide. Shake Shack stores in Korea are operated exclusively by SPC Group. The new branch is located on the first basement level of Incheon Airport’s Terminal 2, slated to open Thursday. It will offer a variety of new items including Egg N’ Cheese, Shack Blended Coffee and a dessert called Fly Me to the Shack.Offi

Incheon Airport officially opens its second terminal Thursday, marking its first large-scale expansion in 17 years armed with smart technologies.  A view of Incheon Airport’s Terminal 2 from the control tower. YonhapPassengers at Terminal 2 will be able to complete the whole check-in process in 30 minutes via a host of smart technologies, such as automated check-in services and a face-recognition system, according to Incheon Airport. In addition, larger waiting areas in the departure and arrival

The government eased a key anti-corruption law’s limits on the value of certain gifts Wednesday, saying it hoped the change would bolster agricultural sales.“The effectuation of the revision to the enforcement ordinance of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act is expected to bring great and positive change to agricultural and fishery industries, especially with the New Year’s holiday less than a month away,” said Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Young-rok during a press brie