One of the most grueling parts of travel is the long-haul flight, where prolonged changes in air pressure and constricted movement can lead to discomfort. According to Korean Air’s medical team, there are easy ways to alleviate common symptoms associated with long flights. Flight attendants pose near a Korean Air plane in Incheon International Airport. (Korean Air)When flights take off or land, the change in air pressure can cause discomfort in the ears that can be eased by swallowing. Young chi

As Shinsegae Property, the real estate development company owned by Shinsegae Group, prepares to sign a contract to take over operations of Coex Mall and CALT Mall in southern Seoul, questions remain about the future profitability of the project.Shinsegae Property was named the preferred bidder to oversee operations of the malls’ 327 stores for the next 10 years through a master lease. It was the only bidder for the contract after Hyundai Department Store and Aekyung Group dropped out, most like

An Asiana Airlines plane was hit by lightning in Turkish airspace shortly before landing at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Saturday, according to the airline Tuesday.Although the body of the A330 was charred by the lightning, there was no significant damage and no casualties. The plane landed safely at Ataturk to undergo inspection.The plane, which had taken off from Incheon International Airport for flight OZ551, had been originally scheduled to return to Incheon that afternoon.The inspection o

The dawn of Internet of Things technology has sparked a fierce war between Korea’s three major telecom carriers as they seek to become the dominant network provider for IoT-based services.While improvements in information and communications technology have advanced communication between people through objects, the Internet of Things seeks to facilitate communication between objects themselves.According to a July report by the Hyundai Research Institute, the Korean IoT market is expected to grow

This is the third installment of a series of articles on companies in Korea striving to enter the world’s luxury market. -- Ed.CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province -- A middle-aged woman sits in a quiet room, porcelain napkin ring in one hand and a set of tweezers delicately holding a Swarovski crystal in the other. She carefully glues the crystal down, the first of dozens that will decorate the ring.She is one of just eight employees who are trusted to the task of decorating napkin rings, tea s

Prosecutors raided additional offices of Lotte Group’s policy headquarters Thursday in order to gain evidence regarding alleged tax evasion by group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, officials said Friday.Shin is now suspected of evading roughly 600 billion won ($540 million) of gift taxes while transferring assets to his common-law wife Seo Mi-kyung and their daughter Shin Yoo-mi.  Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho (Yonhap)Prosecutors have collected preliminary evidence from a law firm that counseled Shin d

Samba dancers pose in front of Hyundai Department Store’s Sinchon branch in Seoul on Friday as part of the Samba Carnival Parade commemorating the Rio Summer Games. Hyundai Department Store will be showcasing the parade at 14 different branches through Aug. 21. (Yonhap)

Prosecutors raided additional offices of Lotte Group’s policy headquarters Thursday in order to gain evidence regarding alleged tax evasion by Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho, prosecutors said Friday.Shin is now suspected of evading roughly 600 billion won ($540 million) of gift taxes while transferring assets to his common-law wife Seo Mi-kyung and their daughter Shin Yoo-mi.  Shin Kyuk-hoProsecutors have collected preliminary evidence from a law firm that counseled Shin during the 2005 transfer, wh

The flat tire on an a Korean Air flight that landed in Jeju Airport on July 29 was likely caused by a foreign object rather than a problem with the tire or plane itself, according to the Transport Ministry on Thursday.A B737 carrying 147 passengers on Korean Air flight KE718 flew from Narita Airport in Japan to Jeju Airport, where it suffered a flat tire after landing.An analysis of the destroyed nose tire showed that the tire had been damaged by a foreign object, but it was not clear whether th

Lotte Corp. on Wednesday refuted mounting claims that its Lotte World Tower, the nation‘s highest building, will not be able to open within the year as initially planned.“Although it is true that Lotte Group as a whole is currently facing some issues, Lotte Corp. is not under investigation. There will be no problem in completing the tower within the year,” a company spokesman told The Korea Herald.The Lotte World Tower under construction (Yonhap)According to the spokesman, the 123-story tower is

Complaints filed against low-cost carriers greatly outnumbered those against full-service carriers, data showed Wednesday.According to data submitted by the Korea Consumer Agency to a lawmaker Wednesday, the agency took corrective measures for a total of 337 complaints filed against airlines last year, with just 136 of them related to full-service carriers Asiana Airlines and Korean Air.Between October 2015 and March 2016, 60.3 percent of the 446 complaints filed in relation to airline services

Sales of duty-free products nearly doubled last year’s levels due to the recovering tourism industry and continued high spending by Chinese tourists, data showed Monday.According to data from Statistics Korea and the Korea Customs Service, duty-free sales this June were 94.1 percent higher than June last year.  Tourists shop at Lotte Duty Free in Sogong-dong, Seoul. (Yonhap)“The numbers may be a bit misleading, because sales were so low last year because of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome s

Korean Air made the largest number of in-flight meals in its history on Saturday, the company said Monday.On Saturday, Korean Air produced 84,936 meals, breaking its record of 77,339 meals on Aug. 1 last year. This shows that a record number of passengers has been flying out of Korea.  Korean Air flight attendants pose with in-flight Korean cuisine meals. (Korean Air)In-flight meals are produced at facilities in Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport. Korean Air provides m

Incheon International Airport Corp. has signed a final agreement with Inspire Integrated Resort to begin construction on a resort complex on Yeongjongdo Island by 2020, according to the airport corporation and the Transport Ministry on Monday.Under the agreement, Inspire will invest $5 billion on developing 2.67 square kilometers of land. An artist’s impression of the planned Inspire Integrated Resort (Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Transport)The first step will be to build the resort with

Household goods manufacturer Oxy Reckitt-Benckiser announced Sunday that it would provide up to 350 million won ($315,000) in compensation each to Korean victims of its lethal humidifier sanitizers. “The compensation package took into consideration the delay in preparing a proper response, and the severity of the issue (of the humidifier sanitizers’ danger),” the company said in a statement via its website. The company said it would begin taking applications for compensation Monday.Under the fin

Incheon International Airport served its 500 millionth passenger Sunday, setting a new record for the largest number of daily passengers. According to Incheon International Airport Corp., the 500 millionth passenger, Kim Yong-geun, arrived at Incheon from Bangkok on Asiana Airlines flight OZ7423 at 10 a.m. He was greeted by a water salute from fire trucks and presented with a golden key by Incheon International Airport CEO Chung Il-young at a special ceremony. Incheon International Airport Corp.

Gimpo International Airport is coming under fire for continued safety concerns linked to its ongoing remodeling project after consecutive fires and flooding.The latest incident broke out Friday at approximately 6:30 a.m., when water leaked from the ceiling near the convenience store on the first floor and restrooms on the second floor, according to Korea Airports Corp., which operates the Gimpo airport.“The water came into the waiting area when heavy rains flooded the canopy in the remodeling si

The explosive popularity of Nintendo and Niantic’s augmented reality game “Pokemon Go” has set off a boom in Korea, with companies, the government and consumers thinking about how the combination of reality and digital imagination can change everyday life.For now, the primary focus is on games and entertainment as augmented reality is largely perceived as an advanced version of virtual reality. Virtual reality, which completely changes how users perceive their surroundings rather than adding com

Vietnam Airlines, the largest carrier in Vietnam, was ranked as a four-star airline by British airline rating organization Skytrax, the airline said Thursday.Vietnam Airlines held an event on Tuesday at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul to commemorate the event. Airline officials met with Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Pham Huu Chi and the press to discuss Vietnam Airlines’ efforts to improve consumer service and airline safety. Employees of Vietnam Airlines pose with Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Pham

Flight passengers in Korea hit an all-time high in the first half of 2016, totaling nearly 50 million, according to Transport Ministry data on Wednesday.Korea saw 49.8 million people traveling by air in the first half of the year, up 14.5 percent from last year and marking a record high. About 35 million of those passengers flew internationally.The number was up 44.5 percent on-year for the month of June thanks to the travel industry’s recovery from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome shock las