South Koreans show a marked preference for Southeast Asian food when ordering in, according to data released Monday. Food-delivery company Delivery Hero Korea said the number of orders for Southeast Asian dishes showed a whopping 875 percent increase this year compared with last year. The company manages Yogiyo, one of the leading mobile applications for food-delivery service. (Yonhap)Among types of Southeast Asian cuisine, the Vietnamese dish bun cha enjoyed strong sales, as did fried spring ro

South Korea’s Lotte World Adventure is to launch a virtual reality ride that can hold 100 people to coincide with its 30th anniversary in late January next year, the company said Monday.The VR attraction, which the park says will be the largest in the world in terms of capacity, will be called “Across Dark” and take on a blockbuster cinematic VR format featuring a space adventure. It is a renewed version of its original ride Dynamic Theater. (Lotte World)For variation, visitors can choose betwee

Soaring concerns over ultrafine dust and the overall air quality in South Korea have brought immense changes to the way people now perceive things that were previously taken for granted.“I have worried about tap water contamination or noise coming from construction sites, but having to worry about the actual air that my children breathe is truly terrifying. There is nowhere to escape,” said Park Min-jeong, a mother of three living in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.That is why a 55-year-old woman, who

SK Telecom is venturing into the entertainment world by helping aspiring artists gain global attention using its new music platform.The telecom operator is hosting the first Stage & concert Thursday evening at the Modeci club in Sangsu-dong, Seoul. Aspiring artists including Choi Jung-yoon, So Soo-bin, Wetter and George are taking the stage. (SKT)The featured artists are singer-songwriters who write and produce their own songs and are not represented by any talent agency or record label. The eve

South Korean university students still show a marked preference for Samsung Electronics as a future employer, according to a poll released Wednesday.The survey, conducted by job search portal JobKorea, showed that 14 percent of respondents chose the tech giant out of 100 companies as the place they would most like to work. A total of 1,190 students attending four-year universities nationwide participated in the survey. Among them, 424 were men and 766 were women. Some 14 percent of college stude

The South Korean unit of Proctor and Gamble, a household and personal care goods company, has expanded its corporate social responsibility programs for environmental sustainability, the company said Sunday.The company has worked to reduce the use of plastic in its products. For instance, its toothbrush brand Oral-B has been promoting recycling. To raise environmental awareness, it held classes on oral care and a sustainable future for 15,353 students at 60 elementary schools from January to Augu

LG Electronics said Tuesday that it has opened a new research lab dedicated to food science and technology within its research and development center in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.LG’s food researchers will work at the 630-square-meter lab and study food preservation and processing, kimchi fermentation and related areas, the company said. An LG Electronics researcher looks through a temperature-controlled microscope at the company’s food science lab in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Provinc

During a meeting of economy-related ministers on Monday, the South Korean government set next year’s economic growth at between 2.6 and 2.7 percent, similar to the level for this year. Various economic institutions have placed South Korea’s economic growth estimate for 2019 at between 2.5 percent to 2.8 percent, amid sluggish investment, a slowing global economy and the US-China trade war.The Hyundai Research Institution and LG Economic Research Institute gave the lowest growth rate

The Gangwon provincial government’s Legoland project is finally back on track after a seven-year delay. The provincial legislature approved a plan on Dec. 14 to build Chuncheon Legoland by 2021. The new park will occupy 1.06 million square meters on Hajung Island in Chuncheon. It will be equipped with a theme park, resort and shopping facilities. The construction costs have been estimated at 300 billion won ($265 million). The prolonged delay stemmed from the discovery of cultural heritage

Nearly 38 percent of couples who have been married for five years or less had no children as of November last year, according to government data.Among 11.03 million married couples, 37.5 percent were childless, up 1.2 percentage points from the previous year, Statistics Korea said.Among dual-income couples, 43.3 percent had no children, while the figure was 32 percent for single-income couples.Of couples where the wives were economically active, 43.7 percent had no children, while the figure was

South Korea’s largest steelmaker Posco plans to donate 10 billion won ($8.88 million) to assist underprivileged families, provide medical services and support the improvement of community housing by the end of the year, the company said Monday.Posco Group will donate 8 billion won while seven affiliates of Posco will contribute 2 billion won to the Community Chest of Korea. Posco Chairman Choi Jung-woo (Posco)Posco has been carrying out various outreach programs under the management philosophy o

South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Sunday that it has fined Volvo's local unit 20 million won($17,800) for not adhering to the country's technical data request guidelines when dealing with its subcontractors. An excavator made by Volvo Group (Yonhap)The Fair Trade Commission said that besides the fine, Volvo Group Korea, which produces and sells excavators and various types of construction equipment here, has been instructed to change its practices in regards to asking for blueprints for comp

A US casino resort complex equipped with a Paramount theme park will be built near Incheon Airport by 2022, airport officials said Sunday.Incheon International Airport Corp. will develop the Inspire Integrated Entertainment Resort at its international business zone, under an agreement signed Thursday with US casino resort operator Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment Partners and film producer and distributer Paramount Pictures Corp. From left: Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe and the Mohe

The consumer price index in November reached 104.73, up 2.0 percent from a year ago, according to data released by Statistics Korea.Prices of agricultural goods rose 14.4 percent on-year, while livestock product prices dropped 1.5 percent. Due to reduced fuel surcharges, prices of industrial goods dropped. But as the impact from last year’s cut in gas prices diminished, overall consumer prices continued to increase within the 2 percent range in November for the second consecutive month, th

The unemployment rate among elderly and middle-aged workers between 55 and 64 years old in Korea reached 2.9 percent in the second quarter of this year, up 0.4 percentage points from a year ago. This was higher than the rate of 2.7 percent in the US in the same period, according to data released by Statistics Korea and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.In the third quarter, the rate inched up further to 3 percent, while the US recorded 2.9 percent.Korea’s worsening

South Korean distiller Hite Jinro said Tuesday it has started selling its low-alcohol drink Isul Tok Tok at a major convenience store chain in Thailand, expanding distribution of the product in the country. The carbonated drink is being sold at Thailand’s Lotus Express, which has 1,500 stores nationwide.  With the latest launch, Hite Jinro products are now being sold at a total of 4,200 stores across Thailand, the company said.Hite Jinro said sales of soju in the Southeast Asian count

Heavy traffic is expected on Saturday in major parts of central Seoul, with around 20,000 protesters set to take part in various rallies in the city, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday. A coalition of progressive civic groups is set to hold a major demonstration in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, starting at noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, with 10,000 people expected to attend. This is the largest protest against the government since President Moon Jae-in’s inauguration in May 2

South Korea may once again push for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Seoul in December.According to reports citing unnamed goverment sources, President Moon Jae-in may raise the issue with US President Donald Trump during their meeting in Buenos Aires, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.If Seoul gets Washington’s understanding on Kim’s visit, Moon will attempt to persuade Kim to visit Seoul this year, the report said. (Yonhap)According to related reports, Seoul and Pyongyang had agreed

Fine dust will linger across the nation Friday even after yellow dust from China is swept out. Daily temperatures will reach around 10 degrees Celsius. Bad fine dust levels are expected for Gyeonggi Province, Daejeon, Sejong, North Chungcheong Province, Jeolla Province, Gyeongsang Province and Jeju City, whereas other areas will record “average” levels. (Yonhap)According to the National Institute of Environment Research, high concentrations of fine dust due to stalled atmospheric conditions are

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will crack down on taxis that refuse passengers, starting Saturday.The city said Thursday that it will deploy 60 police officers and 174 city bylaw officers to 26 high-traffic areas to crack down on taxis that refuse passengers. CCTV footage will also be used.  Seoul is to enforce a "three-strikes" system for cab drivers who refuse passengers, starting saturday. (Yonhap)Seoul said it would strictly enforce a “three-strikes” system for drivers who refuse passenge