Demand for fur products is rising among shoppers from their 20s to 40s, as prices fall to more accessible levels and designs become trendier, sales data showed Monday.According to Shinsegae Department Store, the proportion of fur sales for shoppers between the ages of 20 and 49 has risen every year since 2014. Last year, fur sales to consumers in their 40s marked 29.8 percent, surpassing sales to consumers in their 50s for the first time. The Trendy Fur Fair at Shinsegae Department Store is prom

Food manufacturer Nongshim is hoping to double the amount of its ramen products it supplies to foreign carriers by 2020, the firm said Monday.“Nongshim will work to provide customized in-flight food for each country, and expand its in-flight offerings beyond Shin Ramyun, taking into account each region’s cultural, religious and market characteristics,” the company said. Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun served in-flight (Nongshim)This year marks the 20th anniversary of Nongshim providing its trademark Shin

Step into the lobby of Heyground and it‘s like falling through a rabbit hole.The building’s sleek tile floors, stylish neon signs and hoodied entrepreneurs zooming around on electric scooters seem worlds apart from the surrounding industrial sights of Seongsu-dong in eastern Seoul.“We call it the scrap metal view,” joked Jeong Da-hyun, a manager at impact ecosystem builder Root Impact, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window from the seventh floor. “It’s got its own charm.”The Heyground building

SPC Group has launched a new fine casual pizza restaurant called Pizza Up, according to the group Friday.Pizza Up is the third fine casual dining line launched by SPC following hamburger chain Shake Shack and salad bar Pig in the Garden.Pizza Up (SPC)The restaurant, located near Hongik University Station, specializes in customized pizzas that diners can put together by choosing from roughly 60 toppings.Huh Jae-young of street lifestyle brand Stereo Vinyls, who worked with SPC to design the inter

Asiana Airlines will operate its Incheon-Hawaii route every day from Sunday, an increase from five flights a week, the airline said Friday.Over 680,000 people have flown on the Incheon-Hawaii Asiana route since 2011. (Asiana Airlines)To promote the increased frequencies, Asiana is offering a 7 percent discount coupon to passengers who book the Incheon-Hawaii route via the airline‘s website or mobile app through Nov. 30.By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)

Global credit rating firm Moody‘s upgraded its outlook on steel company Posco’s Baa2 rating from stable to positive, according to the firm Friday.“The rating actions mainly reflect our expectation that Posco‘s financial profile will continue to improve over the next 1-2 years, underpinned by an increase in earnings and debt reductions,” Gloria Tsuen, a Moody’s vice president and senior analyst, said through a statement.The ratings firm said that profits from Posco‘s construction business was exp

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Thursday announced that it would be designating heat-not-burn tobacco products as harmful substances that cannot be sold to minors. IQOS from Philip Morris (Philip Morris International)Under current regulations, restrictions on sales to minors apply only to e-cigarettes that are used to inhale nicotine-laced liquid. There are no restrictions on heat-not-burn systems that use electronic devices to heat tobacco sticks and produce vapor.Once the new rul

An affiliate of LG Household & Health Care has acquired a production facility in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, from RB Korea, the two companies confirmed Thursday.The facility, which was previously used by RB Korea to produce household products such as detergents and dehumidifiers, was shut down on Sept. 30 after RB Korea’s market share fell drastically due to the fallout from the humidifier sanitizer incident that has been linked to over 100 deaths.The facility has been acquired by Haitai HTB,

Asiana Airlines held a commencement ceremony Wednesday for its 2017 program helping underprivileged women in Vietnam find employment, according to the company Thursday.Together with the Korea International Cooperation Agency and nonprofit organization Good People, Asiana Airlines has been running the “Vietnam -- Beautiful Classroom” program since 2015. To date, the program has produced roughly 350 graduates.This year, 110 women completed the course.Asiana Airlines Executive Vice President of Cor

The chief executive of South Korea’s cosmetics powerhouse Amorepacific was named the 20th best-performing CEO in the world, the company said Wednesday.Amorepacific Chairman Suh Kyung-bae ranked 20th globally and second in Asia on a list of 100 best-performing CEOs released annually by Harvard Business Review and INSEAD.  Amorepacific Chairman Suh Kyung-bae (Amorepacific)The evaluations were based on Amorepacific’s performance from June 29, 2006, when Amorepacific was set up as a separate entity

Spirits maker Diageo said Tuesday that it is hoping to expand its presence in the low-alcohol whisky market with the introduction of its new product, W Signature 12.“(W Signature 12) will allow us to solidify our position in the low-alcohol spirits market following on the heels of our 17-year product,” said Cho Kil-soo, the CEO of Diageo Korea, at a press conference held at the British Embassy in Seoul.“I believe that W Signature 12 will become a product that will represent a safe, smart choice

Following the passage of a tax hike bill on heat-not-burn tobacco products at a parliamentary committee, South Korean consumers are bracing for a price hike to begin as early as next month.On Friday, the strategy and finance committee of the National Assembly passed a proposal to raise individual consumption taxes on HNB products to 90 percent of the same tax levied on conventional cigarettes. If the bill passes the floor next month, each 20-stick pack of HNB sticks will be taxed to the tune of

Shinsegae‘s private soju brand Pureunbam has entered the Mongolian market, according to the company Monday.On Sunday, the first shipment of Pureunbam soju was sent from Incheon to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The products are expected to hit shelves at E-mart’s two branches in Ulaanbaatar in mid-November. Poster for Pureunbam soju (Shinsegae)The first shipment includes 19,200 bottles of the low-alcohol “Short Night” and 4,800 bottles of the stronger “Long Night.”According to Shinsegae, the decision to

Budget carriers Jeju Air and T’way Air have made moves toward creating affiliate companies tasked with the airlines’ ground handling operations, according to the two airlines Monday.Jeju Air announced that it had signed a deal to buy Dongbo Airport, a company specializing in airline operations and ground handling services. Dongbo had been providing ground handling operations for T’way Air.Dongbo will begin servicing Jeju Air as early as this year.“As Jeju Air’s fleet and flights continue to expa

Poland‘s flagship carrier celebrated the one-year anniversary of its Incheon-Warsaw direct route Thursday, with hopes to further increase the frequency of the flight and promote Central European destinations in the Korean market.“It is a very important route, not only from the tourist perspective but also because it provides business connectivity,” said LOT’s chief executive Rafal Milczarski during an interview with The Korea Herald. The Incheon-Warsaw flights serviced by LOT began on Oct. 18 la

Cosmetics researchers from all over the world will gather in Seoul to discuss convergence and creativity in cosmetic science starting Monday.The 24th Conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists is set to take place from Monday to Wednesday at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas under the theme of “Cosmetic Science: Beauty, Convergence and Creativity.”This is the second time that the conference, which began in 1960, will take place in Seoul.Researchers study c

A department store chain in South Korea said its customers aged 70 and over led a significant growth in sales, indicating a rising trend of older generations picking up the offline retail business.According to department store AK Plaza on Thursday, senior citizens in their 70s showed an average of 15 percent annual growth in sales over the past three years, the largest in any age group.(123rf)“Department stores attract senior citizens in their 70s looking for a place to socialize, and many of th

Incheon Airport has been named the best airport in the world for the 12th consecutive year by an international airport council, the airport announced Thursday.It is the first airport to win for best airport worldwide at the Airport Service Quality Awards hosted by Airports Council International for 12 straight years. The annual awards are based on interviews with airport visitors who rank the services of each airport.  Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Chung Il-young (right) receives the a

E-commerce firm Coupang said Thursday it has opened a new store focused on grooming products for men.The store offers over 77,000 products, including shaving, skin care and hair products as well as supplements for weight loss and protein.“As more men care about their appearance, demands of male customers are steadily growing for grooming and workout products,” said a Coupang representative.Promotional image for Coupang's men's grooming store (Coupang)The brands offered include popular brands alr

Finger paint from many different brands sold in South Korea have been found to contain toxins, according to a study by the Korea Consumer Agency.Out of twenty brands tested, half showed toxic levels of preservatives, acidity and microorganisms. The study utilized safety standards for children‘s toys that are scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 1 next year.Six brands were found to have unacceptably high levels of chloromethylisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone, commonly referred to as CMIT