Asiana Airlines, Korea’s second-largest air carrier, has won the airline division award for this year’s Mecenat Awards, the company said Tuesday.The Mecenat Award, given by the Korean Standards Association, is based on a two-month survey of 258 companies and consumers between the ages of 20 and 59 in Korea’s five largest cities. The survey includes 22 factors including business performance, human resource operations, creative management and leadership. Kim Soo-cheon, president of Asiana Airlines

Lotte Duty Free has teamed up with 11 major entertainment companies in Korea to work on connecting Hallyu content and tourism, the company said Tuesday. The companies include Hallyu heavyweights such as S.M. Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment. Under the agreement, Lotte Duty Free will incorporate Hallyu into its marketing by signing Korean stars as its spokesmodels, while the entertainment agencies will give support by providing models and content to the company. A promotiona

Korean retailers enjoyed a sales windfall on Friday, the unofficial Chinese holiday of Guanggun Jie, or Singles‘ Day, as Chinese consumers flocked to the internet in search of a deal.According to the Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant, Korea saw the third-largest volume of sales to China on Friday, following Japan and the United States. A sign shows the total gross merchandise volume for the Singles‘ Day Global Shopping Festival on Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. (Alibaba)Alibaba is b

A court appointed a pro bono organization as guardian of the 91-year-old Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, deeming him mentally unfit to carry out business operations.The Seoul Family Court said Wednesday that it appointed The Sun, a nonprofit affiliate of a law firm led by former Seoul High Court head Lee Tae-woon, as Shin’s guardian. Under a limited guardianship, The Sun will have the power to make certain decisions on behalf of Shin.The request for adult guardianship for Shin was filed last D

The wine industry is on the rise in Korea as consumers show an increasing preference for lighter, fruitier alternatives to the traditional strongholds of beer and soju. In response to the rising demand, companies in Korea are developing exclusive partnerships with wineries abroad to bring down prices and increase sales. The wine sampler at Mad for Garlic. (Mad for Garlic)“As we have more customers asking for wine, we wanted to find ways to bring them quality wines at lower prices,” a spokesman f

Low-cost carrier Jeju Air is focusing its energy this year on creating a foundation for strong, sustainable growth by expanding its fleet and flights, the Aekyung Group-owned airline said Friday.Last month, the airline added three new destinations to its portfolio including Sapporo in Japan, Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand. The addition of flights to Sapporo gives Jeju Air the largest number of Korea-Japan routes among low-cost carriers in both countries.A Jeju Air plane (Jeju

Consumer spending on tobacco has nearly reached former levels as the effect of the tobacco price hike wears off, with only low-income smokers continuing to reduce spending on cigarettes, data showed Thursday.According to numbers from Statistics Korea, the average household of two or more members spent 23,000 won each month on tobacco in the second quarter of this year. This marks a 10.9 percent increase from last year.The data showed a significant difference in cigarette spending between high-in

A music concert will be held at Lotte World Tower in Seoul to thank construction workers for their hard work on the tower, according to Lotte Corp. on Thursday.The “Concert Celebrating the Sweat and Passion of Lotte World Tower‘s Small Heroes,” which invited 1,800 people including construction workers, Lotte World Tower employees, Lotte World Mall employees and their families, will be held at the Lotte Concert Hall in the tower on Sept. 21.  Construction workers pose on-site at the Lotte World T

The government has postponed its decision on Google’s request to export map information from Korea to allow further review of the issues, the Transport Ministry announced Wednesday following a meeting of a pan-government review committee.The consideration period before the final decision will be extended another 60 days until Nov. 23. “After in-depth discussions about the effect of exporting map information on national security and the spatial information industry, it was agreed that the final d

Consumers who buy products directly from overseas sellers found prices to be about 30 percent lower than when buying from Korean sellers, according to data from a survey by the Korea Consumer Agency.The KCA survey asked 1,000 consumers who had bought products directly from overseas sellers in the past year. Four-fifths of respondents said they used direct shopping because of lower prices. According to the survey, the highest discounts achieved through direct shopping reached 36.5 percent for chi

Pizza Hut Korea on Monday denied reports of its possible sale, saying that recent restructuring efforts were aimed at improving competitiveness. Rumors began circulating that Pizza Hut Korea would be sold by the US-based franchise giant Yum Brands to a third party, when the Korean corporation began changing its company-owned stores to franchised stores last year. “Yum Brands and (Pizza Hut Korea) are not considering a sale to a third company, and will pursue continued growth in the Korean franch

Hoegaarden Rosee is now available in 250-milliliter bottles and on tap. Since its release in August las year, the raspberry flavored beer has proven to be a hit with female beer drinkers. The pink-tinted drink was originally released in a 750-milliliter champagne bottle aimed at female drinkers who were looking for something sweet and light.The Hoegaarden Rosee line. From left: the 750-milliliter bottle, the 250-milliliter bottle, and draft beer. (Oriental Brewery Company)With just 3 percent alc

The proportion of Korean consumers who seek luxury fashion brands when buying directly from overseas sellers has dropped significantly over the past two years, according to a survey by the national consumer agency released Monday.The survey by the Korea Consumer Agency was conducted on 1,000 consumers who shopped directly from overseas sellers in the past year. It asked questions similar to a 2014 survey about consumers’ preferences and habits when buying products directly from abroad.In 2014, 4

German-born luxury brand MCM Worldwide, run by Sungjoo Group in Korea, was awarded the trendsetter prize at the 20th Accessories Council Excellence Awards, the brand announced Friday.According to the company, the brand was given the trendsetter award for its bold designs and innovative style. MCM is best known for its patterned designs on backpacks and handbags. Logos from the Accessories Council and MCM (MCM)The awards given at the ceremony change year by year depending on that year‘s events in

Competition for customers at Seoul’s various casual premium restaurants is fierce, with restaurants opened up by owner-executives of Korea‘s largest corporations aggressively seeking to set trends and gain international clout. The battle features some formidable names, including CJ’s Lee Jay-hyun and Shinsegae’s Chung Yong-jin.CJ Group’s restaurant operator CJ Foodville is undoubtedly the oldest and best established in casual dining. Its buffet and steak house VIPS has long become a household na

French bag and travel trunk brand Moynat, owned by the Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy group, is launching its first store in Korea on Aug. 26, according to the brand Thursday.The store will be on the first floor of the Shilla Hotel in Seoul. Moynat Gallery Shilla (Moynat Korea)This will be the brand’s fourth boutique in Asia, following stores in Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The Moynat Gallery Shilla boutique will feature men’s and women’s lines as well as exclusive designs created for the Seoul br

Lotte Group’s beleaguered retail company Lotte Shopping paid a salary of 800 million won ($723,800) to Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho for the first half of 2016, despite his absence from company operations, according to a report disclosed by the company Wednesday.This is the same amount of salary paid to the founder last year. Shin, who is currently undergoing court proceedings to determine whether he should be appointed an adult guardian due to mental incompetency, has not been involved in Lotte’s

Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said Thursday that Korea will firmly stand against trade protectionism by further seeking economic partnerships with other economies despite growing uncertainties, while urging again the National Assembly to approve its extra spending proposal.In a meeting to review its external economic conditions, the finance minister said that the issue of protectionism is rising amid uncertainties on Brexit and becoming a major topic in the US presidential race.About 10 industrial

Hanwha‘s retail arm Hanwha Galleria Timeworld jumped into the Seoul duty-free business with its first outlet in Seoul at the end of last year, hoping to find a new engine for growth.As one of five duty-free store operators newly licensed last year, Hanwha was tasked with finding a competitive edge against more established operators such as Lotte and Hotel Shilla.After Lotte’s duty-free outlet in the Lotte World Mall near amusement park Lotte World lost its license, Hanwha saw an opportunity to m

With temperatures in Seoul hitting record highs this summer and the Rio Olympics keeping people up late at night, consumers have turned to food delivery services and all-night convenience stores to keep their stomachs full without having to cook at home, data showed Wednesday.Popular food delivery mobile phone applications such as Baedal Minjok, whose name translates to Delivery Nation in English, saw orders significantly rise at the end of July.  Models pose with late-night snack options from 7