The number of online shoppers in South Korea saw a sharp increase in June, largely as the recent outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome drove people away from visiting large retail outlets.Online shopping volume reached roughly 4.43 trillion won ($3.78 billion) in June, up 26.6 percent over the same period last year, according to Statistics Korea on Monday.Online shopping sales took up 15.1 percent of the country’s total retail sales in June of this year, the highest recorded since off

SEOSAN, South Chungcheong Province -- SK Innovation, the energy holding unit of SK Group, is accelerating its drive to expand its electric automobile battery business by kicking its lithium-ion battery production into full gear.　The Korean firm’s newly-expanded battery plant in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, has more than doubled its annual production capacity from 300 to 700 megawatt-hours -- sufficient to power around 30,000 electric vehicles, the company said.Since the factory first open

South Korean coffee chain Caffe Bene has launched a number of new seasonal drinks and cakes to meet the public’s increasing demands for colorful, eye-catching products made with fresh fruits.The coffee chain has introduced seven types of new fruit juices as part of its so-called rainbow drinks lineup. The red-colored Cherry Shower mixes fresh cherries with carbonated water. The orange-colored Grapefruit Sunset combines grapefruit extract with orange juice.The yellow-colored mango juice is made w

World-renowned athletes have gathered in Gwangju for the 2015 Summer Universiade, the biennial university sports competition organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).As some 13,000 athletes from about 150 countries are competing for 272 gold medals in 21 sports disciplines at Universiade Gwangju 2015, a number of world champions are expected to take the lead in their respective sports.From artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, badminton and archery to basketball, di

Just a short stroll away from the bustling multicultural neighborhood of Seoul’s Itaewon lies the lesser-known, yet trend-setting street of Gyeongnidan-gil.A short walk from Noksapyeong Station, this stretch of road is filled with craft breweries, terrace cafes, unique restaurants and quaint shops steeped in culture and creativity. Located two blocks away from the main streets of this up-and-coming neighborhood is a narrow alley, nestled away in a residential district that is even further off th

When asked to describe “Korean curry,” most South Koreans will likely mention the well-known Ottogi Curry at some point, testifying to the role that the Korean food brand Ottogi has played in introducing and popularizing curry across the country.Though curry was introduced to Korea in the 1940s, the Indian dish was only popularized decades later, when Ottogi entered the Korean food industry by launching its powder-type curry product in 1969, betting that Korean consumers would likely enjoy curry

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry will hold its annual summer forum on Jejudo Island from July 22-25, inviting the CEOs of its member companies and their families to gain new insights from guest speakers from diverse industries.The four-day event will take place at The Shilla Jeju hotel and offer a diverse range of not just academic seminars, but also recreational programs, in line with this year’s theme of “Encounter between Insight and Healing”.A number of renowned figures from Korea

As South Korea continues to remain on high alert over the spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, the nation’s leading manufacturers, including Samsung, Hyundai and LG, have stepped up their efforts to curb the spread of the virus across their production sites.Companies from the automobile to semiconductors sectors have been taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of MERS, given that their business is heavily dependent on a close network of factory workers operating the production

Every day, Lee-seul, Byul and Dal-rae get dropped off at a kindergarten in Seoul by their mom. Throughout the day, they play with their friends under the supervision of their teacher, who instructs them on how to properly behave at home. When evening approaches soon after snack time, the three wrap up their day and head home. This may sound like a typical trio of youngsters, but unlike other kindergartners they are all schanuzers, which Kim Mee-hyun, 57, says are “basically like her children.” A

The state-run Korea Water Resources Corp., also known as K-water, is seeking to improve inter-Korean relations by pursuing various water resource development projects in the North. The K-water Research Committee for Korea Unification and the North Korea Water Society hosted a discussion Tuesday on plans to improve the North’s water infrastructure and cooperatively manage transnational rivers, with the goal of achieving a so-called “Water Detente” between the two Koreas.“As President Park Geun-hy

S-Oil, South Korea’s third-largest oil refiner, has revived its spring recruitment program for the first time in seven years, as it seeks to increase its workforce in lieu of a new refinery complex set to open in Ulsan.The expanded recruitment comes as “S-Oil seeks new talents ahead of the opening of its Onsan refinery scheduled to open by 2018,” according to industry sources. The factory, for which S-Oil invested 5 trillion won ($4.45 billion), will convert heavy fuel oil ― lower in quality tha

As public fears over the oubreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome continue to grow, South Korea’s largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Group, has launched new emergency measures to curb the spread of the virus among its employees.The group announced Monday that it has drawn up step-by-step guidelines to follow in the case of a MERS-related emergency and mandated all its subsidiaries to carry out daily checkups and take preventive measures.Moreover, the group has distributed masks, hand sanitizers

Foreign-owned shares surpass majority stakes held by group owners at roughly 17 percent of South Korea’s top 10 conglomerates, market data showed Sunday, signaling the significant level of influence outsiders can exert over management at major Korean companies.Foreign shareholders hold more stakes than the conglomerate owners themselves at 16 out of 97 subsidiaries established under the 10 conglomerates, according to data released by Chaebul.com. That marks around 17 percent of the country’s lea

If one were to randomly walk into a bakery in just about any urban neighborhood in Seoul, there is a high likelihood that it is either a Paris Baguette or a Tous Les Jours. Neither is French. They are Korean brands, respectively run by SPC Group, the market’s undisputed leader, and CJ Foodville, a unit of local conglomerate CJ Group. Armed with a systematic production and distribution system, big-budget marketing campaigns and a wide product range, the franchise bakeries have rapidly expanded to

Inspired by the South Korean government’s initiative to foster a “creative economy,” the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry is seeking to recognize innovative Korean and German operations here with the inaugural KGCCI Innovation Awards.“We wish to provide a forum for a broad variety of innovative companies located in Korea, both Korean and German, to advertise their unique and innovative potentials,” KGCCI secretary-general and executive director Barbara Zollmann told The Korea Heral

The Senegalese president asked South Korean companies to actively invest and take part in the large-scale development projects pushed forward by the West African country.“We hope that Korean firms, which possess great advanced technologies, will actively partake in the energy development projects that Senegal is currently pursuing,” President Macky Sall said while delivering a speech to the Korean business community at a luncheon organized by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul o

“Would you like some more wine or champagne? How are you enjoying your dish?” Such are typical questions that any polite server working at a restaurant at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul would ask a guest.At the hotel Wednesday however, it was not a waitress or waiter but foreign executives who were making such remarks while personally serving their employees, friends and families at this year’s CEO Servers’ Night ― an annual fundraising event hosted by the Partners for the Future Foundation, the char

The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry named Kim Young-jin, chairman and CEO of Handok Pharmaceuticals, as its new chairman of the board Wednesday.“The KGCCI is grateful for chairman Kim’s commitment and is looking forward to further promoting economic exchange and cooperation between Korea and Germany under his leadership,” KGCCI secretary general and executive director Barbara Zollmann said in a statement.Kim, 58, is also the chairman of the Korean-German society. He holds degrees

The South Korean government launched a new creative economy innovation center in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Tuesday, in a bid to nurture new businesses in the nation’s agricultural sector, drive up growth in the biomass chemicals industry and expand tourism.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning joined hands with GS Group to open the 2,978-square-meter Jeonnam Creative Economy Innovation Center in the southern coastal city. GS Caltex, the group’s energy business arm, remodeled its t

KeyEast Entertainment ― the South Korean entertainment agency led by Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon ― has entered the bid to open a new duty-free store in downtown Seoul, joining at least eight other firms competing for a single operating license to be granted to one small- or middle-sized enterprise. The agency said Sunday that it has formed a consortium with City Plus Co. ― a Korean duty-free shop operator with stores in Incheon and Cheongju International Airports ― and eight other local and China-