A lawmaker on Monday alleged that HomeTax, the government’s online tax payment system, is exposed to the threat of hacking and lacks adequate security. Currently, about 5.22 million Korean taxpayers, most of them business owners, are using the system due to benefits such as tax cuts. According to Re

Companies doing business here will face tougher rules on inter-subsidiary dealings from as early as the end of December, antitrust authorities said Sunday. The Fair Trade Commission on Sunday put a revision to the antitrust law on public notice with an aim to step up its vigilance on illegal inter-a

Korean retailers are launching promotions to target Chinese golden week, which starts Saturday. Industry sources expect that more than 2 million Chinese people will travel abroad during the seven-day holiday starting on Oct. 1, China’s national foundation day. With tens of thousands of Chinese touri

Korea Productivity Center releases 2011 National Brand Competitiveness Index ranking 176 brandsNew products and technologies have elevated the brand power of local companies over the past year, whileremaining the market leader has become much more difficult, Korea Productivity Center found in an ann

Following is the third in a series of interviews with world’s top designers and scholars who will participate in the Herald Design Forum in Seoul from Oct. 5 to Oct. 6. ― Ed.Richard Register is an American specialist in ecological city design and planning who created the term “ecocity” in the late 1

The Fair Trade Commission on Monday issued warnings against Lotte Engineering and Construction and LS Cable and System for unfair business practices with subcontractors. In January 2009, Lotte delayed writing a contract for six months even after its subcontracting company started construction work.

The Fair Trade Commission plans to investigate commission fees at the nation’s top three department stores next month, an official said Monday. The investigation is allegedly aimed at Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai department stores that have given favors to foreign luxury brands with lower fees, the

European fashion brands are enjoying increased demand here after a free trade pact between Korea and the EU took effect on July 1, industry sources said Friday.French brand Louis Vuitton logged 91.2 billion won ($82.6 million) between July 1 and Sept. 14, up 16.9 percent from 78 billion won a year e

Disputes are rising over compensation after an unprecedented power failure swept the nation on Thursday. Seoul and many other parts of Korea suffered serial power cuts after a sudden hike in electricity consumption. Unlike large companies with an independent power operating system, smaller businesse

Starbucks still is a major player in the Korean market even though local coffee houses are growing rapidly, its Asia Pacific chief Jinlong Wang said Thursday. “We don’t mind if (our competitors) can do better. But we will always offer something unique and different,” he told The Korea Herald. Such c

An office worker, surnamed Kim, has replaced his iPhone 15 times in the 20 days since he purchased it. Kim’s is not a rare case in Korea, where Apple, the California-based handset maker, has offered a very limited after-sales service policy. Despite frequent glitches and failures, it is difficult fo

The gender of heirs apparent can affect the business performance of local conglomerates, research found Sunday. Chaebul.com, a portal following the activities of larger companies, recently analyzed changes in business showings among the nation’s 20 biggest companies in which children of owners were

Incheon Airport expects opening to help attain goal of becoming No. 1 duty free stopLouis Vuitton on Saturday opened its first-ever airport store at Incheon International Airport in partnership with Shilla Duty Free.With the new opening of the 550-square-meter mega store, industry sources expected t

From fried chicken to bibimbap, Korean franchises lined up for overseas marketsThe first overseas store of Bulgogi Brothers, a local franchise specializing in Korean barbeque, opened Thursday within a hip shopping mall in Makati, the financial hub of the Philippines. For Zeus Yi, the company’s presi

Foreign luxury brands have seen their sales in Korea almost triple in recent years but they were stingy in giving back to society, research found Thursday. The Korea sales of the top 15 foreign high-end brands jumped from 1.42 trillion won ($1.32 billion) in 2005 to 3.87 trillion won last year, said

The nation’s customs agency on Thursday again put off raising the limit on the duty free allowance for travelers coming from overseas, citing economic uncertainties inside and outside of the country. Under the current law, Korean travelers are required to report their overseas purchases in excess of

A study found Wednesday that organic milk products cost up to three times more than standard milk products despite containing no fewer harmful substances or bacteria. Consumers Korea released its study on organic milk products of three major diary companies including Namyang Diary Products Co. and P

FTC antitrust investigators search company’s Seoul officeGoogle Inc. denied any alleged unfair business practices in Korea, the day after antitrust officials raided its Seoul offices on Tuesday. The Fair Trade Commission stormed Google’s office as part of its probe into an allegation that the global

The Fair Trade Commission said Tuesday that major retailers have agreed to lower the commission they charge traders who use their floor space from October.According to the antitrust regulator, FTC chairman Kim Dong-soo and 11 CEOs of department stores, discount chains and home-shopping channels reac

Amore Pacific Corp. on Monday held a ceremony marking the company’s 66th anniversary, renewing its long-term target to nurture “mega brands” with more than 500 billion won ($468 million) in annual sales. “We have succeeded in having brands whose annual sales exceed 100 billion won. And now is the ti