Fried chicken has found a firm place in present-day Korean cuisine, despite being commonly considered a creation from the United States. Among other things, it is a staple as a midnight snack for Koreans and the food of choice at baseball stadiums, for get-togethers along the river and for those entertaining guests at home. Despite the saturated market, the fried chicken industry remains strong and is still growing, with technology allowing for efficient deliveries and continuously evolving rec

Summer came early this year, with temperatures already surpassing 30 degrees Celsius by mid-May in Seoul. The hot weather has prompted activewear companies to roll out daily wear made with fabrics that dry fast and keep wearers cool, boosting sales in an otherwise slow season for fashion. “The release of (cooling fabrics) was definitely moved up this year,” said a spokesman from Kolon Industries, which makes the sportswear brand Kolon Sports. “Last year, most of those products came out in the fi

The E-Land Group is considering selling one of its womenswear brands in the face of heavy debt and falling credit ratings, the group said Tuesday.The brand up for sale is Teenie Weenie, a womenswear brand affiliated with E-Land International Fashion Shanghai Co., owned by the group‘s Chinese arm. The brand broke into the Chinese market in 2004, and became the first Korean brand in China to reach 500 billion won ($419.5 million) in annual sales last year.Since Teenie Weenie is a major part of E-L

Experts from all over the world gathered in Seoul for the 20th International Taurine Meeting on Tuesday for a conference focusing on the health effects of taurine on the brain, Dong-A Pharmaceutical said Tuesday.Cosponsored by Dong-A Pharmaceutical and the Seoul Metropolitan Government and hosted by the Korean Taurine Society, the four-day conference is a forum for sharing the latest research results about taurine. Seoul is hosting the conference for the first time in the event’s 40-year history

Illegal sites selling smuggled duty-free cigarettes at low prices have been steadily rising as the excise tax increase last year nearly doubled domestic tobacco prices.The Tobacco Business Act outlaws any online transactions of cigarette products, as well as sales by unregistered retailers. These illegal sites operate their informal stores through blogs and other noncommercial channels.Prices on the smuggled cigarettes can be as low as 2,900 won ($2.50) per pack, significantly lower than the 4,5

Whisky manufacturer Golden Blue has released Korea‘s first blended white whisky.Called “Phantom the White,” the white whisky was developed by Golden Blue over 3 1/2 years. It was blended by English blender Norman Mathison using a 100 percent Scottish whisky base.Models pose with Golden Blue‘s “Phantom the White.” (Golden Blue)The blended whisky is put through a compound filtering process to remove the brown color and leave a clear spirit, according to the company.Golden Blue said that unlike oth

Herald Corp.’s organic food developer Organica has released a new cookbook featuring 40 vegan and raw food recipes penned by its head chef Christine Cho. “When I came (to Organica) last June, we started the blog Christine’s Vegan Kitchen. The recipes started to grow, and we thought we wanted to share them in a book form,” Cho told The Korea Herald in an interview on Wednesday. According to Cho, “Organica Vegan Kitchen” is a guide for Koreans who want to pursue a healthy vegan diet, but do not kn

Shinsegae opened its Seoul duty-free outlet in the heart of the tourist district Myeong-dong on Wednesday, ahead of Doosan’s outlet set to open Friday.Located on the eighth to 12th floors of the Shinsegae Department Store, the sprawling duty-free store opened with about 600 brands including luxury brands like Gucci, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta.  Shinsegae DF CEO Sung Yong-mok speaks to reporters at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The company has yet to bring

Kolon Industries, KT and Nokia on Wednesday signed a memorandum of agreement in Seoul on codeveloping Internet of things-related fashion products and services incorporating 5G communications technology. The partnership will later expand into construction and home IoT products, officials said. From left: Kolon Industries Business Strategy Division Chief Oh Won-sun, KT Executive Vice President Kim Hyoung-wook, Nokia Market Unit Korea Head Andrew Cope, Kolon Industries Operation TARDIS Executive Vi

Incheon International Airport Corp. and Korea Airports Corp. are looking to export their know-how in creating Korean-style airports to other countries this year, according to the Transport Ministry on Tuesday.The two companies will be bidding for build-operate-transfer projects in the Philippines, Vietnam, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia. Incheon International Airport (Yonhap)If they are successful, the corporations will be responsible for building airports and operating them for 20 to 30 years before

Eight low-cost carriers in the Asia-Pacific region including Korea‘s Jeju Air formed a new alliance to expand their route networks Monday, but the group excludes some major players.According to a statement, Value Alliance is the largest budget carrier alliance in the world, including Jeju Air, Cebu Pacific Air (Philippines), Nok Airlines (Thailand), Scoot (Singapore), Tiger Airways Singapore, Tiger Airways Australia and Vanilla Air (Japan). Chief executives from the eight airlines of the Value A

Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho, 95, was admitted to Seoul National University Hospital on Monday for a mental competency evaluation, the results of which will play a pivotal role in his sons’ battle over control of the Lotte corporate empire.The evaluation is a part of the ongoing suit brought by Shin’s younger sister Shin Jung-sook last December, which claimed that Shin Kyuk-ho’s deteriorating mental state required him to have a legal guardian. Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho heads to Seoul National Uni

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will be operating planes bearing the “Visit Korea Year” emblem as part of the Visit Korea Committee’s efforts to attract tourists. Korean Air will be operating B777-300ER and B747-8i planes with the logo, while Asiana Airlines will be operating A321, A330, and B777 planes with the mark through to 2018. (Korean Air, Asiana Airlines)

INCHEON -- Incheon International Airport saw a significant increase in international passengers from January to April this year compared to the same period in 2015, but fewer transfer flyers, the airport said Thursday.In the first four months of 2016 over 18.2 million passengers flew internationally through Incheon International Airport, up from 16.5 million last year.  Incheon International Airport (Yonhap)Despite the increased number of flights and flyers, the number of transfer passengers dro

University students take part in Diageo Korea’s “Cool Drinker Campus Campaign” at Konkuk University in Seoul on Wednesday. The responsible drinking campaign will take place on 20 campuses throughout the university festival season to encourage students to develop responsible drinking habits. The campaign has been held every year since 2007. (Diageo)

Tobacco leaf farmers in Korea are railing against the introduction of foreign cigarette brands into stores on military bases, raising concerns that their entry would curb the sales of Korean-grown tobacco leaves.Last month, the Defense Ministry announced that two foreign cigarette brands would be sold on military bases here for the first time, breaking KT&G’s monopoly in the military market. The chosen brands were Marlboro Gold Original and Mevius LSS Wind Blue.The growers’ concern is that growi

Transport Minister Kang Ho-in speaks at the opening ceremony for the ICAO Aviation Training and TRAINAIR PLUS Global Symposium and fifth Conference on International Air Transport Cooperation. The international conference takes place from Wednesday to Friday at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul. (Transport Ministry)

Kumho Petrochemical Co. has taken issue with Asiana Airlines’ recent sale of its stake in Kumho Terminal to Kumho & Company by requesting related documents on Monday.Industry watchers see the move as an attack on Park Sam-koo, chairman of Asiana Airlines’ parent company Kumho Asiana Group, by his brother Park Chan-koo, who heads Kumho Petrochemical. Kumho Petrochemical chairman Park Chan-koo (left) and Park Sam-koo, chairman of Asiana Airlines’ parent company Kumho Asiana Group (Yonhap)As the se

Increasing concerns about air pollution and its impact on the human body have led to a sharp increase in consumer demand for oxygen and air purification products, data showed Monday.According to data released by online open market Gmarket, sales of air-related products have risen by nearly 2.5 times since three years ago. (123RF)Products that showed particularly notable growth were canned oxygen, whose sales rose by 76 percent over three years, and oxygen concentrators, whose sales increased fiv

McDonald’s releases Reese’s McFlurryMcDonald’s has added a limited-edition Reese’s McFlurry to its menu.The ice cream dessert is a collaboration between the fast-food chain and Reese’s, a brand under the Hershey Co.Reese’s trademark peanut butter and milk chocolate flavor combines with vanilla ice cream in the McFlurry, McDonald’s said.Priced at 2,700 won ($2.30), the Reese’s McFlurry will be sold at McDonald’s until June 23.GGIO2 offers up Zero Gravity Air JacketIn preparation for the summer he