RUN TO THE SKY -- Runners take off at the 2017 Lotte World Tower International Sky Run, held at the Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul on Sunday. The race took runners from the first floor up to the observation deck on the 123rd floor, climbing 2,917 steps. It was hosted by the Vertical World Circuit, an organization under the International Skyrunning Federation. Proceeds from the race were donated to ChildFund Korea. (Yonhap)

Lotte‘s ousted vice chairman Shin Dong-joo is seeking to regain power at his family’s conglomerate as his younger brother, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, is caught in a web of legal troubles. Speaking to media in Tokyo on Friday, the elder Shin said that he will be asking Lotte Holdings to reinstate him as a member of the board at the regular shareholders‘ meeting scheduled for the end of June.Shin Dong-joo and Shin Dong-bin (Yonhap)“I am concerned about Lotte Group’s future and will contin

A major convenience store chain said Sunday that credit card use surpassed cash use at its outlets last year, indicating that Koreans are increasingly turning to non-cash methods of payment.According to convenience store chain CU, credit cards were used to pay for 55.1 percent of transactions last year, surpassing cash use for the first time. A 7-Eleven employee demonstrates how customers can receive change electronically. (Yonhap)CU said that credit card use rose to 57.3 percent of all transact

Lotte Liquor, a unit of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, said Thursday that it would launch a new lager beer at the end of May.Fitz Super Clear will contain 80 percent malt and an alcohol volume of 4.5 percent, according to Lotte. The name is a variation on the word “fit,” indicating it is a fitting beverage to enjoy with anyone and fits with a variety of foods. The logo for Fitz Super Clear (Lotte Liquor)Fitz uses the German Herkules hop to create a light, fresh taste, and uses original gravity, meanin

Capsule coffee brand Nescafe Dolce Gusto has launched a limited-edition single-origin Brazilian capsule, the company said Thursday.The Catuai do Brazil capsule contains Catuai Arabica, chosen by Dolce Gusto’s coffee creators out of the 50 kinds of Arabica beans grown by the South American company.  Catuai do Brazil capsules from Nescafe Dolce Gusto (Nescafe Dolce Gusto)“Delicately roasted Catuai beans unfold their subtle coffee aromas and surprising sweet floral notes for a stunning limited edit

Integrated resort Paradise City opened its doors Thursday, making available its casino, convention center and hotel to the public.“Paradise City was a challenge best suited for Paradise Group, a first mover in the tourism industry,” Paradise Group Chairman Chun Phil-lip said at the opening ceremony. “We will raise the stature of Korea through Paradise City, East Asia’s first integrated resort, and create a K-style destination for visitors from all over the world.” Paradise Group Chairman Chun Ph

Supermarket chain Homeplus is promising to bring fresh food to dinner tables in Korea with a new campaign called “Basis for Freshness,” according to the company Wednesday.The name of the campaign is a play on the Korean title of the popular math textbook “The Art of Mathematics,” promoting an image that Homeplus’ fresh food distribution process follows the best practices in terms of sourcing, packaging, delivery and display.Models promote Homeplus’ “Basis for Freshness” campaign (Homeplus)Since

 진행자: 원호정, Paul Kerry  1. 미국 부통령 마이크 펜스, 한미 FTA 재협상 시사 최근 방한한 마이크 펜스 미국 부통령이 주한미국상공회의소 행사에서 트럼프 행정부가 한미FTA를 재검토하고 개선하겠다고 밝혀 사실상 재협상이 가시화되었다는 우려가 나오고 있다. 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638 'Pence calls for reform of Korea-US FTA' [1] US Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday the Donald Trump administration is to “review and reform” the free trade pact with South Korea, citing growing trade deficit

Sweet and packing a caffeine punch, ready-to-drink coffee products lining shelves at convenience stores and supermarkets have become a popular and cheaper alternative to high-priced espresso.The quickly rising sales of these ready-to-drink products have even spurred traditional coffee brands including Starbucks and Caffe Bene to launch RTD offerings in convenience stores. According to convenience store chain 7-Eleven, sales of RTD coffees in both cup and can packaging in the first quarter rose b

Korean airports have seen an “alarming” drop in air traffic coming from China since mid-March, according to the Korea Airports Corporation on Tuesday.The decreased numbers have been most visible in places like Jeju International Airport, which serves the tourist-friendly island. In the first quarter of 2017, the airport posted a 24.1 percent drop in international passengers, following a five-year compound annual growth rate of 26.1 percent, according to the airports corporation. (Yonhap)Overall,

The future of athletic wear in Korea hinges on the female consumer, according to the general manager of Puma Korea.“The female consumers are spending more money than the men. They’re very trend savvy, and I think that the current athleisure trend is one that has performance and fashion meeting each other,” said Rasmus Holm, Puma Korea’s GM, in an interview with The Korea Herald. Puma Korea CEO Rasmus Holm at Puma’s showroom in Dongjak-gu, Seoul (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)According to Danish

Fuel surcharges applied to international flights will go back to zero in May, according to airlines Monday.Fuel surcharges, which are decided according to the monthly average of benchmark Singapore kerosene, had been added to international flight prices for the first time in February after a 17-month stretch of zero surcharges due to low oil prices. (Yonhap)From March 16 to April 15, the average price was $1.48 cents per gallon, falling below the $1.50 threshold for fuel surcharges.Meanwhile, fu

Full-service carriers in Korea said that an incident like the recent forced removal of a man from a United Airlines flight would never happen here.Both Korean Air and Asiana Airlines told The Korea Herald that there were no concerns about the possibility of forcing passengers off of flights in Korea because of the protocol for handling overbooked situations. (Korean Air/Asiana Airlines)Overbooking flights, a common practice among airlines to maximize seating on planes, became a particular point

Incheon International Airport Corp. said Thursday that the fashion and accessories duty-free area in its upcoming second terminal may go to a single bidder without competition.“It is too early to say what will happen, but if we fail to receive two bids on DF3 in our second tender, we may grant the rights to a single bidder,” said a spokesman for Incheon Airport.(Yonhap)The area, called DF3, failed to receive any bids from duty-free operators in a first tender that ended in early April. It is cur

Kumho Asiana said Wednesday that Chairman Park Sam-koo will not buy back a controlling stake in Kumho Tire from creditors if they do not provide a definitive answer on the conditions of the sale.“If Kumho Asiana does not receive an answer from Korea Development Bank by April 17, it will not exercise its right of first refusal on the sale of Kumho Tire,” the group said in a statement. Park Sam-koo, Chairman of Kumho Asiana Group (Kumho Asiana)The Kumho Tire creditors’ association, led by Korea De

Newly licensed duty-free operators in Korea have the option of delaying their opening dates in the face of uncertainty surrounding sales, according to the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday.“To increase the predictability of the duty-free market, the KCS will pursue the postponement of opening dates for new duty-free operators, extend deadlines for paying license fees and allow fees to be paid in installments,” the KCS said through a statement.The duty-free industry is reeling from falling sales

Leading Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker said Wednesday that it had released a new 200-milliliter bottle for its Black Label line.The release follows the brand’s offering a small-bottle version of its Johnnie Walker Red line last October. The light package design aims to appeal to consumers who drink alone at home, according to the company. Models pose with the new 200-milliliter bottles of Johnnie Walker Black. (Diageo Korea)The bottle comes with lemon syrup and a recipe for the Johnnie Lemon

KAL Hotel Network named Cho Hyun-min and David Pacey the new dual representative directors at a shareholders meeting Tuesday, according to Hanjin Group.The two directors will replace former representative director Kim Jae-ho, who resigned at the end of last year.David Pacey (left) and Cho Hyun-min (Hanjin Group)KAL Hotel Network, which runs the Grand Hyatt Incheon, Jeju KAL Hotel and Seogwipo KAL Hotel, is a subsidiary of Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Hanjin Group, which also runs Korean Ai

Korean whiskey brand Golden Blue said Tuesday that all of its entries to the 2017 Monde Selection were given quality awards for the third consecutive year.The Monde Selection is an annual quality evaluation event that takes place in Brussels, Belgium. For the spirits and liquor selection, a jury of 100 spirits specialists evaluates products over five months and doles out quality awards to outstanding products.This year, the Golden Blue Diamond and Golden Blue Sappirus were awarded the Gold Quali

Lotte Group said Tuesday that it has named former Constitutional Court Justice Min Hyeong-ki to head its newly created compliance committee. Min Hyeong-ki, the head of Lotte Group’s compliance committee (Lotte Group)Min graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Law and began his career as a judge in 1976. He served as a justice of the Korean Constitutional Court from 2006 to 2012.Min’s appointment completes the reorganization of Lotte Group in accordance with Chairman Shin Dong-bin’s