Duty-free operators are restarting marketing efforts that target Chinese consumers, as thawing relations between the two countries point to the possibility of recovering sales.On Thursday, HDC Shilla Duty Free and Shinsegae Duty Free announced they had signed agreements with Chinese agencies to expand marketing to China. HDC Shilla Duty Free opened a studio in its IPark store for Chinese internet celebrities, known as Wang Hong, to create specialized content for the Chinese.  The Wang Hong studi

Korea’s flagship air carrier is set to bring in Korea’s first CS300 jet from Canadian maker Bombardier, the company said Wednesday. A Korean Air CS300 jet from Bombardier (Korean Air)Outfitted with 127 seats, the CS300 will arrive at Gimpo Airport on Christmas Day. A second CS300 will arrive on New Year’s Day, with both planes starting revenue flights on domestic routes on Jan. 16. The Bombardier jet is widely reputed for its fuel efficiency, up to 20 percent better than comparable planes, with

 진행자: 원호정, Paul Kerry1. 북한, 외화벌이로 암호화폐 시장 공략?비트코인과 같은 암호화폐의 안정성이 연일 화제가 되는 가운데, 국정원이  지난 4월부터 계속된 해킹 공격이 북한의 소행이었다는 증거를 확보하면서  불안감이 커지고 있다. 전문가들은 북한이 암호화폐를 국제 제재를 피해  외화벌이를 할 수 있는 수단으로 주목하고 있다고 경고합니다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638 Cash-strapped North Korea turning more to cryptocurrency* cash-strapped: 현금이 없는* cryptocurrency: 암호화폐[1] North Korea may be turning its cyberwarfare to the growing 

The largest Starbucks branch in Seoul, named “The Jongno branch,” is set to open Wednesday at Jongno Tower in Seoul. The 1,100-square-meter store is divided into six zones including a lounge zone and open stage and offers exclusive premium services such as Teavana products made with the Siphon brewing method to enhance flavor. Customers can enjoy over 100 beverages and 60 types of food at The Jongno branch. (Starbucks Korea)

Cigarette maker KT&G is expected to see record high exports in 2017 as it pushes ahead in foreign markets in pursuit of becoming one of the top four global tobacco companies by 2025.As of the end of the third quarter, KT&G had seen 802.5 billion won ($737.2 million) in cigarette sales abroad, with overseas sales making up 36 percent of the company‘s total earnings. Industry analysts are expecting overseas sales to break 1 trillion won for the first time this year. A consumer buys Esse cigarettes

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with the CEOs of small but aspiring brands that are taking Korean fashion and beauty overseas through online shopping malls. This is the third installment. -- Ed.Kwak Chang-hun is a force of energy, the type of man that seems to speak with his whole body.“You want an Americano? Let me make you an Americano. I just bought this machine,” he said as he bustled towards an espresso machine sitting behind the counter at bag brand Alice Martha‘s off

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia -- The quiet city of Yogyakarta on Java, Indonesia, is flanked on both sides by two ancient temples paying homage to two different faiths.To the west is Borobudur Temple, a massive stone structure that soars up into the sky surrounded on all sides by lush jungle greenery. Built in the ninth century, Borodubur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world -- but it was a well-kept secret after being mysteriously abandoned. It lay quietly preserved by a tomb of volcanic ash unt

Core 5G network technologies developed by wireless carriers SK Telecom and KT have been selected as Korean standards by the Telecommunications Technology Association, according to the two companies Thursday.On Wednesday, the TTA chose SK Telecom‘s 5G fronthaul technology and KT’s 5G network slice orchestration as its standards at an annual congress held in Seoul.SK Telecom‘s fronthaul technology, which connects 5G central units with distributed units, is an open-interface system that standardize

Lotte Liquor, the alcoholic beverage arm of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, said Thursday that it had created a strawberry-flavored drink exclusively for export.Sunhari Strawberry is the latest in the company‘s Chum Churum Sunhari line, which adds fruit flavoring to soju.  Sunhari Strawberry from Lotte Liquor (Lotte Liquor)According to Lotte Liquor, the 12 percent ABV Sunhari line has been popular among consumers abroad who have trouble drinking straight soju. Exports of Sunhari have quadrupled since t

Premium natural food company Organica said Wednesday that it was expanding distribution of its Clean Food line to all Emart24 stores nationwide. Organica has been offering Clean Food Meal Boxes, premium sandwiches and cleanse salads at 33 select Emart24 stores since August, bringing healthful food options to convenience store shoppers.Starting Wednesday, those products are supplied to 2,600 Emart24 stores nationwide -- just five months after their launch.According to Emart24, the test run of Org

JEJU ISLAND -- AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of the AirAsia group, on Wednesday celebrated the launch of its direct route between Jeju Island and Kuala Lumpur, operating four times weekly.“We see great potential for two-way crossflows of traffic between Kuala Lumpur, Jeju and beyond through our connectivities,” said AirAsia X Chairwoman Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz at a press conference held at Lotte City Hotel on Jeju Island.AirAsia X already operates routes to Kuala Lumpur flying out of Incheon and Bus

Social commerce platform WeMakePrice announced that it has set the launch of an open market-style “seller market” for Friday, becoming the last of the so-called Big Three in social commerce to turn to open market operations for growth.The “seller market” will combine elements of open markets, which simply connect sellers with buyers, and social commerce, which offers products selected by merchandise buyers at low prices to achieve large sales volumes.“This is not a simple transition to open mark

Johnnie Walker has introduced special limited-edition Christmas packaging for the holiday season, Diageo Korea said Monday.The limited-edition packaging comes in four types, corresponding to the label and volume. The Johnnie Walker Red 700-milliliter bottle includes a light-emitting diode lamp and lamp shade so the bottle can be reused as a mood lamp, while the 200-milliliter package includes a carbonated beverage to be used for cocktails. Christmas edition of Johnnie Walker Red 700-milliliter b

LG Electronics’ cleaning robot received a presidential award at the 2017 Good Design Selection Awards, the company announced Monday.The robot is fitted with capabilities of household cleaning robots as well as self-driving technology and the ability to avoid obstacles. The robot’s database contains a map of airport spaces that need cleaning, which is used by the robot to determine the most effective routes for cleaning. LG Electronics’ airport cleaning robot (LG)It is currently being used at Inc

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with CEOs of small but aspiring brands that are taking Korean fashion and beauty overseas through online retailers. This is the second installment. -- Ed.The first flagship store for eyewear brand Projekt Produkt blends naturally into the upscale Apgujeong district in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The angular gray concrete building is plated with glass windows along its bottom floor, where Projekt Produkt’s sleek, colorful offerings sit on glass stands

South Korean content creators show potential for global growth particularly in gaming, K-pop and beauty-related content, through which they would be able to stabilize income from platforms, according to the head executive of Collab Asia Friday.“By bringing in more viewers from abroad, Korean creators can increase their stable income through YouTube,” Eugene Choi said in a group interview Friday. Choi visited Korea as part of the CKL Live Talk, a two-day forum for content start-ups hosted by the

LG Electronics will be releasing a new limited-edition LG Signature Edition smartphone at the end of the month, according to the company on Thursday.The LG Signature Edition phone is the first smartphone in the LG Signature Edition line, which has released home electronics in the past. Just 300 phones will be available for sale, only in Korea. The LG Signature Edition smartphone (LG)The smartphone boasts 6 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of internal memory, and comes with Bang & Olufsen wired

Airlines operating routes between Korea and the US are changing flight paths to avoid areas that may be exposed to missile launches from North Korea.The first airline recently to take such a safety precaution was Singapore Airlines, which confirmed a flight path for its route between Incheon Airport and Los Angeles was changed after North Korea‘s missile launch on July 27 earlier this year.  (Singapore Airlines)Korean carrier Asiana Airlines also changed flight paths on some of its routes betwee

Cigarette maker KT&G said Thursday it donated a food truck to the city-run soup kitchen Warm Chaeumteo, and that KT&G employees will be volunteering at soup kitchens over the next two years.According to the company, KT&G will donate 500 servings of food each week to soup kitchens, including Warm Chaeumteo and the House of Sungmo Lady in Daejeon, and volunteering at the facilities once a month over the next two years. KT&G CEO Baek Bok-in (right) serves food at Warm Chaeumteo in Seoul Thursday. (

British American Tobacco Korea’s production plant in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, reached $200 million in exports in 2017, according to the company Wednesday.The $200 million mark was reached just one year after reaching $100 million in 2016 thanks to the construction of two new plants at the factory this June. In total, the Sacheon Factory exported $208 million’s worth of products to 15 countries between July 2016 and June 2017.The factory currently has a capacity of 40 billion tobacco s