Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Among young South Koreans, civic rights activist and Democratic presidential nominee Jesse Jackson’s 1988 campaign T-shirts and French fashion brand Balenciaga’s Bernie Sanders-inspired caps are some of the hottest fashion items at the moment. “What size is…
Amorepacific Group, the L’Oreal of Korea, is ramping up its presence in the Australian and New Zealand markets, as demand for Korean beauty products remains unabated. Over the last several months, the company has set up a head office in Melbourne under the…
The Hyundai Motor Group will expand the use of wearable robots at its facilities as it works to make robotics a major source of revenue, the company said Monday. Since September, Korea’s largest automaker has been testing the Hyundai Chairless Exoskeleton…
Nine companies have agreed to develop apps for Kakao’s new Klaytn blockchain system. The public platform was developed by Ground X, Kakao’s blockchain subsidiary. It was offered on Oct. 8 on a test basis, or testnet. Kakao, Korea’s largest messenger app…
Lotte Group announced Tuesday a major investment plan to spend 50 trillion won ($43.9 billion) and hire 70,000 workers over the next five years. “The plan comes in order to normalize management activities, obtain a competitive edge for future growth and…
South Korean duty free sales in the first nine months of 2018 have exceeded total sales for 2017. Sales hit an all-time high of US$12.9 billion between January and September, according to Korea Duty Free Shops Association. That figure exceeds the US$12.8…
South Korea’s once burgeoning franchised coffee shop market has reached saturation point – and the fallout has become extreme. According to a report, one in 10 South Korea coffee shops closed their doors last year – the equivalent of more than 1000 stores.…
Following the introduction of QR-code payment in more than 71,000 taxis in Seoul, all taxis in Seoul will accept Alipay beginning in January 2019. Alipay, the world’s largest online and mobile payment platform, operated by Ant Financial Services Group, can be…
BMW is recalling about 1.6 million diesel cars to fix a potential fire hazard in their engines, expanding repairs from just under half a million vehicles in Europe and Asia. The voluntary service action follows a BMW investigation that found coolant could…
Korean companies operating in China are less optimistic about business conditions in the fourth quarter of this year, as the Chinese economy is cooling amid a trade spat with the United States, a survey showed Sunday. According to the Korea Institute for…
Electric commerce or e-commerce is the activity of buying and selling online. Typical e-commerce transaction includes purchase of online books, music purchase and purchase and sales of many other items. Three known major areas of e-commerce include online…
Samsung SDS said on Sunday it signed a partnership with two Dutch entities, ABN AMRO and the Port of Rotterdam, to use blockchain technologies for logistics. The IT solutions and logistics arm of Samsung will link its Nexledger blockchain product with ABN…
Technology-related subsidiaries of LG hosted a fair on Monday in which 20 local start-ups presented their cutting-edge developments in areas such as autopilot technologies, artificial intelligence and big data. The small firms are seeking partnerships with…
A GM Korea shareholders’ meeting Friday decided to spin off its R&D and design department, reigniting conflict with its labor union and the state-owned Korea Development Bank (KDB), the automaker’s second-largest stakeholder. “The plan to establish a…
SK Group is reevaluating its business models in a bid to ensure that all of its affiliates create social value along with economic value. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won and the heads of all SK affiliates discussed ways to renew their business models so that doing…
KT’s Kids’ Land will soon be available on the move, as the mobile carrier tries to take on YouTube Kids by moving its popular child-friendly content service to smartphones. Kids’ Land, which launched in May on KT’s internet-protocol TVs, is now used by 3.6…
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