Are you warm-toned or cool-toned? The current craze for South Koreans is to take personal color tests -- or consultations that provide recommendations for people's personal color types. The tests, largely held offline for accuracy, have professional analysts evaluate whether people fall under the category of "warm-tone" or "cool-tone," by scrutinizing their skin tone. According to the tests, warm-toned people generally have a yellow-base skin undertone, while cool-toned

LG Electronics debuted its new air-purifying electronic mask in Korea on Thursday, becoming the first company to get approval for the sale of the mask in the country. Approved by the Korea Conformity Laboratories for its filtration capabilities, the company said the LG PuriCare mask had removed 99.9 percent of the 0.01 micrometer-sized impurities within the mask, allowing a clean supply of air for its wearer. Ergonomically designed to be tailored to the human's face structure, the mask mini

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Tuesday released the results of its investigation into the nation's worst-ever server shutdown in October, calling for all stakeholders -- SK C&C, Kakao and Naver -- to come up with emergency response system. On Oct. 15, a fire broke out in the battery room on the third basement floor of the SK C&C Pangyo Data Center at Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province. The fire at the data center -- which hosts South Korean online platform giants' data servers -- ca

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday held meetings with a slew of business leaders here, during a state visit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties between South Korea and Vietnam. Jung Won-ju, vice chairman of Jungheung Group, the largest shareholder of Daewoo E&C, was among the business leaders the president met to share the Southeast Asian country’s business outlook and its will to support foreign businesses. “Daewoo E&C is carrying out diverse c

South Korean business moguls joined a banquet hosted by President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday to commemorate Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s state visit to Seoul. Following their summit talks earlier in the day, the two presidents held a state dinner, with a slew of business and political leaders in attendance. The list of the attending tycoons included: Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Jungheung Group Chai

Apparel prices surged by the largest margin in more than a decade last month, government data showed Monday. According to data from the Korean Statistical Information Service, in November, the consumer price index for clothing and shoes in the country put prices at 107.33 -- up 5.5 percent from the same month last year. CPI gauges the measure of the average change in prices for a fixed-market basket, or a fixed list of goods and services of constant quantity, purchased by South Korean consumers

Shares of Posco companies fluctuated Thursday after one of its two unions decided to leave the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, considered one of the most hard-line labor groups here, via ballot a day earlier. In a ballot held for three days, almost 70 percent of the Posco unionists voted in favor of the departure. The KMWU falls under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the nation’s largest and most powerful labor group. Following the news, Posco Steeleon, a steel plate producer,

Oriental Brewery's flagship beer brand Cass secured the top market share in the domestic beer market in October and seeks to continue its momentum via various promotions related to the World Cup, said the country's largest beer maker Wednesday. According to market research firm Nielsen Korea, Cass logged the largest market share in the off-trade market for the beer industry in October. Off-trade market refers to retail outlets such as hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and

Among imported beers, Chinese brands were imported the most to South Korea according to data on Tuesday -- successfully reclaiming the top position after weathering dwindling profitability for years due to a nationwide reluctance to use Chinese products during the pandemic. According to data from the Korea Customs Service, $31.16 million of Chinese beer was imported into the country in October -- the highest total for imported beer from one country for the month. The data shows a drastic recover

South Korean builder Daewoo E&C said on Tuesday its design prowess has been recognized again with a prestigious design award, continuing its winning streak through its brands, including their flagship apartment brand Prugio. The company said two of its entries won Bronze Prizes at the Good Design Award 2022 -- an esteemed design award ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which was held annually since 1985, under the Industrial Design Promotion Act. The awarded archi

SK Inc, the strategic investment arm of SK Group, said Thursday it invested in a food-tech startup specializing in cultured salmon, in a bid to diversify its investment portfolio in food business. The holding unit of the nation's third-largest conglomerate said it invested 10 billion won ($7 million) in Wildtype, a United States-based producer of cultured salmon. Cultured salmon is salmon that is cultivated in pilot labs with real animal cells, with mixture of nutrients, sugars, salts, amino aci

The production of the country's first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine was indefinitely suspended Tuesday, amid the slowdown in demand for vaccines tailored to combat SARS-CoV-2, the original strain of coronavirus. According to industry insiders, South Korean vaccine maker SK Bioscience suspended the production of finished SKYCovione products. However, despite the suspension of final products, the vaccine bulk -- the liquid base materials used as main ingredient of vaccines -- are still in produc

Business leaders and experts gathered Tuesday at the headquarters of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss the current bearings of South Korean retail industries and plans they should undertake going forward. Woo Tae-hee, executive vice chairman of the KCCI, said that according to a survey conducted by the KCCI, "worsening consumer confidence" was chosen by some 300 retail industries in the country as the top issue to tackle for the years ahead. "Consumer confidenc

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said on Monday it will be holding special promotions for products directly imported from overseas, in commemoration of global shopping event Black Friday. The event, which continues through Sunday, provides discounts and coupons for users who buy directly imported goods from Rocket Delivery, Coupang's 24-hour delivery service. Users of Rocket Jikgu, Coupang's overseas delivery service, will also benefit from the event. The promotions are joined b

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said Monday that local startups saw record-breaking growth in diverse sectors as they work to meet the needs of consumers amid the pandemic. According to the ministry, the number of startups whose sales exceeded 100 billion won ($73.8 million) was 739 companies as of end of 2021, a 16.7 percent increase from a year prior. Of the 739 startups, 569 logged 100 billion won in sales for two consecutive years. A total of 108 companies reached 100 billion won in sales

Incorporating corporate social responsibility-related strategies into a company's business yields greater profits for the company in the long run, as it realizes multifaceted achievements, according to the head of a CSR solution provider. CSR-related businesses score wins with diverse demographic, including companies' customers, stakeholders, the government and companies themselves, with their characteristic sustainability, said Lee Yoon-suk, founder and CEO of InnoCSR during an interv

The Ministry of Science on Friday suggested a slew of ideas such as tax reductions for over-the-top, or streaming, content producers to expand the South Korean content business and boost its global competitiveness. The government said the support will foster high-quality, exclusive content production on domestic platforms as well as emerging media businesses involving the metaverse and content creators. "We will turn the nation's content industry into an engine for the country's g

The unofficial "richest man in the world" and the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia's choice of lodging during his stay in South Korea is garnering attention with his extravagant decision to stay in a suite room that goes for 22 million won ($16,449) a night. According to industry insiders, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived at Seoul Air Base around midnight and spent the night at the Lotte Hotel Seoul, a luxury business hotel situated in central Seoul. The

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday said it has set a goal to collect a combined 31 billion won ($23.4 million) from the nation’s top 10 chaebol groups in an aim to support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo. According to the largest business lobby here, the “special membership fees” were decided based on discussions with the companies during a general assembly in September, with their asset value being the key criteria. Samsung Group has pledged to p

SK Geocentric, a chemical materials unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Tuesday it had secured loans worth 475 billion won ($358 million) from global banks, in recognition of the company's future plans for its environmental, social and governance initiatives. SK Geocentric held a signing ceremony for a three-year agreement for sustainability-linked loans with five global financial institutions: France's BNP Paribas, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Japan's M