The Pakistani Embassy marked the 76th anniversary of the nation’s constitution as well as growing commerce with Korea at a reception last week. 　The National Day on March 23 celebrates the adoption of a resolution in 1940 that later created an independent homeland for the Muslims of India. 　“Under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, our forefathers gave invaluable sacrifices that eventually led to the creation of Pakistan on Aug. 14, 1947,” Pakis

The Tunisian Embassy last week celebrated the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence from France and the start of an institutional democracy following the 2011 Jasmine Revolution. “On 20th March 1956, our country retrieved freedom and sovereignty and set up the foundation of a modern republican state,” Tunisian Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nafti said in a speech at a reception at Lotte Hotel on March 21. “The January 2011 Revolution ushered in a new era of hope for a better future, where digni

The revenue earned from rice farming in Korea fell 6.1 percent on-year despite lowered production costs and increased yields in 2015, data from Statistics Korea showed Friday.Production costs for paddy rice fell 4.1 percent from 721,000 won ($616) to 692,000 won per 1,000 square meters in 2015, due to reduced spending on labor and equipment. Despite this, the yield rose from 520 kilograms to 542 kilograms per 1,000 square meters. However, rice farmers saw their total revenue decline because of a

Space has become a new theme powering ticket sales in Korean theaters of late, thanks to the growing interest in science as well as evolving visual technology.The past three years at the Korean box office have seen a string of successful Hollywood movies set in space. Alfonso Cuaron‘s “Gravity” set the spark in October 2013, followed by the blockbuster hit “Interstellar” by Christopher Nolan in November 2014, and “The Martian” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” just two months apart in late 2015

In Korea, the “cup food” phenomenon has long been a big part of the fast-paced lifestyle here, but it has lately been growing popular abroad too. “Cup food” is a Korean term referring to one-dish meals that are usually sold in a small container – including paper boxes and cartons -- to allow customers to eat on the go. It originated from the many carts that line the streets of Seoul, offering quick bites and simple meals in paper cups. The “Cupban” line from CJ CheilJdang (CJ CheilJedang)One loc

Shinsegae Group announced Wednesday that a shopping complex -- the first to open under its new Starfield brand -- will open in September in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province.Named personally by Shinsegae Group vice chairman Chung Yong-jin, Starfield represents Shinsegae’s vision for creating a “shopping theme park“ that offers both shopping and other forms entertainment to visitors.  Plans for Starfield First Hanam (Shinsegae)“Customers no longer focus only on buying what they need,” vice chairman Chung

Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo led sales in the fast fashion industry in Korea last fiscal year, followed by the home-grown brand Daiz of discount retailer E-mart.According to Uniqlo’s disclosure provided by the Financial Supervisory Service, the brand saw sales of 1.12 trillion won ($957 million) in the fiscal year beginning September 2014, breaking the coveted 1-trillion-won mark just 10 years after entering the Korean market in 2005.Following Uniqlo was E-mart’s private brand Daiz, which saw s

Singapore Airlines has appointed Seah Chee Chian as the new general manager for its Korean branch, the airline announced Monday.After joining Singapore Airlines in 2008 as a technical services engineer, Chian rose through the ranks as a direct sales executive and regional marketing manager for Southeast Asia. His most recent post was manager of Singapore Airlines‘ Southern Indian business, a post he served for two years starting in 2014. Seah Chee Chian (Singapore Airlines)At his previous positi

Asiana Airlines has introduced a new menu filled with modern reinterpretations of traditional Korean palace foods, the company said Sunday.The menu includes items such as steamed beef ribs, marinated grilled beef slices called neobiani and seasoned spring greens. It will be available for flyers in the airline’s First Class Lounge at Incheon International Airport. Models pose with Asiana Airlines’ new Korean food menu, available in the Asiana First Class Lounge at Incheon International Airport. (

The chairman of American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. visited the headquarters of Samsung BioLogics and Samsung Bioepis on Wednesday, fueling speculations on whether Eli Lilly and Samsung are mulling a potential partnership.Industry watchers speculate that due to the timing of the visit, Eli Lilly may be considering partnering with the two Samsung biologic companies. Eli Lilly is currently preparing to launch Basaglar, a biosimilar replication of Sanofi’s blockbuster diabetes drug Lantus

The Transport Ministry on Wednesday announced a new set of guidelines for low-cost carriers, urging them to allocate seats in order of flights canceled due to natural disasters.So far, passengers of all delayed or canceled flights were given boarding tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of the time of their original flight. Kwon Yong-bok, head of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (center) poses with representatives from airlines after an MOU

GUINNESS ON ST. PATRICK‘S -- Irish Ambassador to Korea Aingeal O’Donoghue (left) and Irish deputy ambassador David Murphy pose at a Guinness promotional event at the Namsan Grand Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick‘s Day holiday. (Diageo)

Nearly 40 percent of tobacco manufacturer KT&G’s sales abroad last year were in relatively new markets such as the U.S., Africa, South America and Asia-Pacific, according to the company Wednesday.KT&G said that of the 46.5 billion cigarettes sold abroad in 2015, 39.6 percent (18.4 billion cigarettes) were sold in these markets. A customer buys a pack of KT&G’s TIME cigarettes at a store in the U.S. (KT&G)These markets’ share of sales has increased 2.5 times since 2010.The most notable surge was

Incheon International Airport was named the world’s best duty-free shopping site for the sixth consecutive year by an American travel magazine, the airport said Tuesday.The American edition of the travel magazine Business Traveler chose Incheon airport as the “Airport With Best Duty-Free Shopping” in December, as part of its annual Best in Business Travel Awards.The airport has won the same title from the Asia-Pacific edition and Chinese edition of the magazine for five and three consecutive yea

The head of Korea’s main international airport has been appointed to the Asia-Pacific Regional Board of the Airports Council International, the airport said Tuesday.Chung Il-young, the CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp., will take part in creating policy at ACI as a representative of Asian-Pacific airlines for three years.  Chung Il-young (Incheon International Airport)He was appointed to his post on March 13.Chung Il-young has been the CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp. since Fe

Asiana Airlines received approval from the Transport Ministry to oversee flight training for cabin crew, according to the carrier Tuesday.The certification, attained on March 8, allows Asiana to provide safety training for cabin crew for other airlines, both from Korea and abroad.  Cabin crew receive instructions in emergency care at Asiana Airlines’ training facilities in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. (Asiana Airlines)“We hope for this to be an opportunity for Asiana to spread its specialized know-how in

Incheon Airport aims to become the fifth-largest airport in the world, able to handle 66 million international passengers a year by 2020, the airport’s new CEO said Monday.To reach that goal, Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Chung Il-young vowed to upgrade its infrastructure, service facilities, human resources and airline network.  Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Chung Il-young (Won Ho-jung/The Korea Herald)“Our facilities have grown old, and must be restored and maintained. The

Growing fears about the spread of the Zika virus has led to more than 1,000 people canceling their international flights in February, according to Korean airliners Thursday.They said a total of 1,376 pregnant women and their families canceled flights from six airlines -- Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Eastar and T’way Airlines -- flying to countries where Zika virus infections broke out. In this file photo from Feb. 12, passengers are checked for fever as they enter Incheon Inte

KT&G, Korea’s largest tobacco manufacturer, has opened a cultural facility at Myongi Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as part of its social contribution project, according to officials on Wednesday.The company has donated 150 million won ($124,000) for the hospital to hold musical performances for patients and their families.  Kim Jin-han (fourth from left), head of the social contribution office at KT&G, and Kim Hyoung-soo (sixth from left), superintendent of Myongji Hospital, at the ribb

Asiana and Korean Air -- held a joint sit-in protest in front of Korean Air’s Seoul headquarters on Tuesday to demand pay increases at the firm. The rally was held a day after Korean Air announced it would resume pay negotiations with the union.The two sides have been locking horns over pay for months. With the two sides having failed to reach an agreement, the Korean Air pilots’ union has been protesting since Feb. 19.The pilots asked for a 37 percent raise, while Korean Air offered 1.9 percent