Buoyed by vast popularity at home, major Korean bakery chains are wooing consumers overseas with premium offerings, hoping to capture a share in emerging markets for high-quality bakeries.Paris Baguette, a leading bakery chain here operated by food group SPC, and Tous Les Jours, operated by CJ Foodville, have been operating branches overseas focusing on the Chinese and American markets since 2004. Paris Baguette currently operates 311 overseas stores, with 231 in China, and Tous Les Jours has 38

South Korea’s three major telecom companies are expected to announce low fourth-quarter performances due to government-mandated reductions in plan rates but with less damage than initially feared, according to industry reports Thursday.According to tracking firm FnGuide, local analysts expected fourth-quarter revenues from the three major telecom companies to total nearly 13.5 trillion won ($12.6 billion), down approximately 0.1 percent from the fourth quarter of last year.  (123rf)Starting in m

A consumer group filing a civil suit against Apple on behalf of over 100 plaintiffs for damages related to a recent software update that slowed down older iPhone models said Thursday that they are also considering preparing a criminal case.“If we pursue a criminal case, the charges may include destruction of property caused by slowing down the phones, as well as fraud if (Apple) intentionally deceived users about the update,” said Yun Chul-min, a lawyer working with the consumer rights group Cit

A local consumer group said Wednesday that it plans to file a suit against Apple and Apple Korea on Thursday for compensation regarding a software update slowing down older iPhones to fix problems with their batteries.Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty claims that Apple violated consumer laws because the company did not disclose to consumers that an operating software update would potentially slow down their phones, taking away “an opportunity for consumers to choose.”CUCS is seeking appro

Sony is set to present its lineup of new products for 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as well as initiatives that use new technology, such as the entertainment robot aibo and automotive image sensors designed for self-driving cars, the company said.On display will be the new 4K organic light-emitting diode Bravia A8F series, which features the 4K HDR image processor X1 Extreme and brings a new design to the Bravia lineup. The prototype of the next-generation picture processor

Speculations continue to swirl over the release dates of the 2018 flagship phones from Samsung and LG, with Samsung expected to reveal its Galaxy S9 ahead of LG’s newest model.The Galaxy S9’s launch is widely expected to come at or just before this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, set to take place from Feb. 26 to March 1. The launch date would indicate a return to the S series’ original pattern of releases that was broken by the S8, which came at the end of March 2017 following a cris

KT has acquired South Korea’s first permit to operate a large self-driving bus, according to the company Monday.The permit allows KT to operate a 45-seater self-driving bus on expressways and ordinary roads, following a permit to operate a 25-seater bus acquired last September.  KT’s self-driving 45-seater bus (KT)KT said that the permit will give the firm an edge in future businesses involving the Cooperative Intelligent Transport System currently being developed for urban areas. KT’s 45-seater

Young mobile shoppers in their 20s and 30s are increasingly choosing to open their wallets for products and services that offer small, instant pleasures rather than self-improvement products, data showed this week.According to social commerce firm Tmon, sales over the past two months shifted from self-improvement products such as health supplements and exercise equipment associated with New Year‘s resolutions to items that offer entertainment.In particular, board games and remote-controlled elec

On the second day of the new year, shoppers bustled about one section of Kyobo Books’ Gwanghwamun branch. They were all shopping for planners, more familiarly called “diaries,” to help them set their plans for the year.“I usually don’t like writing things down with pen and paper, but there’s something about New Year’s resolutions that makes you want to write them down physically,” said Kim Yoon-jeong, a 22-year-old college student who was flipping through various planners. Consumers browse plane

Incheon Airport and Singapore Airlines are facing protest from a family after a passenger reportedly suffering from mental illness jumped from the fourth floor of Incheon Airport’s concourse while waiting for a transfer flight to Los Angeles in mid-December. The man’s family claims that Singapore Airlines, which operated his flight, and Incheon Airport Corporation should be held responsible, according to news reports.The 52-year-old American man, who was traveling in Thailand, decided to return

South Korea‘s largest retailers are looking to incorporate digital technology into their shopping experiences, inject storytelling elements into their content and expand overseas in 2018.In his New Year’s address, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin stressed the importance of adopting a “digital transformation” in processes across the entire group. In the retail sector, Lotte has already begun adopting artificial intelligence to its shopping experiences in partnership with IBM. Last month, Lotte

As the dust settles on a year riddled with back-to-back controversies involving the safety of everyday products such as eggs and sanitary pads, the South Korean government has announced a series of measures to begin 2018 with a more regulated and safe consumer market. In 2017, consumers and manufacturers alike underwent a series of crises as revelations of toxins being included in common household goods continued to surface.　 The biggest shock came in August, when it was discovered that eggs bei

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday announced its main policy changes regarding consumer safety for the upcoming year including stricter regulations regarding ingredient labeling.The policy changes included those addressing major consumer safety crises in 2017 involving traces of pesticides found in eggs, as well as volatile organic compounds found in menstrual care products.The ministry will expand the categories of products that will be required to label all ingredients to includ

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with the CEOs of small but aspiring brands that are taking Korean fashion and beauty overseas through online retailers. This is the fourth and final installment. -- Ed.In Korea, there‘s no marketing quite like star marketing.That was the idea that Lee Ju-min, CEO of silver jewelry brand Haesoo.L, seized upon when he launched his brand.“I can say with some confidence that we provide most of the earrings worn by actresses on Korean dramas,” Lee

LG Electronics said Tuesday that it is updating the operating system on its premium smartphone V30 to the Android 8.0 Oreo system, becoming the first Korean manufacturer to upgrade to Oreo.Since Nov. 27, LG has been running a LG OS Preview program allowing V30 users to try the Oreo OS on their devices and provide feedback on how existing apps could be optimized for the new system. LG V30 upgrades to Android 8.0 Oreo (LG Electronics)The latest OS from Android includes features that boost speed an

Tile floors gleam and sunlight streams in overhead through the glass-paneled ceiling at the second passenger terminal of Incheon Airport, which is in the last stages of preparation to open to the public on Jan. 18.The terminal represents the culmination of a nine-year project worth 5 trillion won ($4.63 billion).The first thing that catches the eye is the ceiling, about 5 meters taller than that of the first terminal. The high ceiling is one of the ways in which the second terminal has tried to

Lotte Group chief Shin Dong-bin heaved a sigh of relief Friday as he was given a suspended sentence by a local court on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, keeping in place his leadership over the nation’s largest retail giant. The court, however, sentenced his father and group founder Shin Kyuk-ho to four years in prison. He was not taken into custody because of his failing health. From left: Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho and former Vice Chairman Shin D

E-commerce firm Coupang said Friday that it held a three-day Customer Service Hackathon to come up with ways to improve its customer experience. Participants of the fourth Coupang CS Hackathon (Coupang)Now in its fourth year, the Customer Service Hackathon brings together Coupang’s customer service representatives with system developers to realize front-line representatives’ ideas for improving the Coupang experience.This year’s contest drew some 100 ideas, with 23 of them developed into usable

For Koreans, Christmas comes with its own set of spending rituals.It is no surprise that the beloved holiday is accompanied by quasi-mandatory consumption patterns, in a country where specific dates, like Nov. 11, are automatically equated with buying particular products.The most notable Christmas product is Christmas cakes. Although the original tradition overseas is to bake Christmas cakes at home, in Korea consumers head to bakeries for their Christmas treats.According to bakery chain Paris B

The spirits market is showing a notable rise in sales in the low-ABV category this holiday season, as South Koreans increasingly celebrate with lighter drinks and smaller gatherings.Since last year, Korea has seen a surge in demand for liquor with low alcohol by volume. Whiskey companies have also been releasing options for consumers who shy away from heavy drinks. A DRINKiQ session at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in February raises awareness about responsible drinking (Diageo)Targeting