Water purifier company Chungho Nice said that sales of its iced coffee machine in the first five months of the year more than tripled from a year prior. The Espre Caffe, which comes in four models, including a countertop version and a large, standing model, is a combination of an ice-dispensing water purifier and a capsule coffee machine that can be used at both home and the office. The taste and aroma of Italian roasted coffee made with clean water filtered through membrane filters as well as

Retail sales in South Korea rose 10.1 percent on-year in May on the back of growing demand for fashion-related items and other services amid the government's relaxation of COVID-19 curbs and the growth in people's outdoor activities, the industry ministry said Tuesday. The combined sales of 25 major offline and online retailers reached 14.45 trillion won ($11.24 billion) last month, up from 13.1 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Indus

Hyundai Heavy Industries obtained an order worth $573 million on Monday to make six 2,400-metric-ton Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Philippine Department of National Defense. The Philippine Navy OPVs will be built at Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan shipyard until 2028. The vessel is to be equipped with a 76-millimeter main gun, two 30-mm secondary guns, a helideck capable of operating a helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicles. The OPV was designed by incorporating the Philippine Navy&r

South Korea’s top business leaders assembled for the wedding of Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun’s eldest daughter at a small church in Seoul on Monday. The VIP list included Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong and his daughter, Lee Won-ju. The Samsung chief and his daughter, in a $2,000 Versace sleeveless mini dress and a pair of Gianvito Rossi Portofino sandals, grabbed attention as they made a rare appearance together. The 19-year-old reportedly traveled from the US to atte

State-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp. said Monday that it would raise the electricity rate by 5 won (0.4 cent) per kWh, the maximum level it can raise, starting July in response to rising fuel costs and record losses.  Following the rate hike, both electricity and gas rates will be increased from next month, imposing heavier burdens on businesses and households already being concerned of steep inflation. Under the new pricing system, a household with four members will see an increa

Woori Bank, one of the five largest lenders in South Korea, is under investigation over suspicious money transfers totaling 800 billion won ($623 million) as one of the bank employees is standing a separate trial on charges that he stole 61 billion won in the largest bank theft local lenders have seen. A Woori branch in Seoul had sent the money overseas in the last year in what the bank and authorities suspect to be fraudulent remittances that could involve money laundering, given the transacti

A 2.4 trillion won ($1.86 billion) seawater desalination project in Oman overseen by GS Engineering & Construction subsidiary GS Inima has kicked off, officials said Monday. GS Engineering & Construction has signed financing documents for GS Inima’s project to build a Barka 5 Independent Water Plant in Oman, a deal reached with Oman Power & Water Procurement Co. in 2020, the company said. Of the $130 million that will be needed for building the plant, GS E&C will be procu

South Korean food giant Pulmuone said Monday it has sponsored a documentary production with the Culinary Institute of America, one of the world’s most prestigious culinary schools, to promote Korean food to a global audience. In partnership with Pulmuone, the CIA plans to document Korea’s plant-based recipes and food culture. The documentary will be used for educational purposes for chefs, CIA students and food and cafeteria service providers in the US. Starting with Korea, the CI

Leading total energy solution provider Hanwha Q Cells is accelerating efforts to bring solar energy into households in South Korea, with its Q.Home initiative that will allow people to produce, store and manage solar energy. The product is already being sold in Europe, where demand is high. The company, which entered the solar energy business in 2010 and has since provided energy storage systems and energy management systems, is known for producing quality photovoltaic systems, or solar power s

The second edition of South Korean furniture and home appliance brand Coway’s Icon Water Purifier is garnering attention with its innovative characteristics. Launched June 2, the product features artificial intelligence technology that autonomously diagnoses the operation status of the water purifier, according to the company. In addition, the user can use its mobile app to not only analyze the condition of the product, but also control it remotely. It has obtained the AI+ artificial i

The IB Korea, a beer and liquor importer, recently participated in the Air House Festival, a music fair held in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, for three days starting June 10. At the event, the IB Korea met with young customers in their 20s, introducing its newly launched cocktail products, Uptown Margarita and Uptown Pina Colada. The two new products are brands from Texas-based distillery and winery Southern Champion. The Uptown Margarita is an agave wine-based cocktail, while the Uptown Pina

Linus, an application development service provider, has successfully carried out 40 projects for companies across various areas, including analysis of nutrients, multilingual education and luggage delivery. As a startup established in 2019, Linus is a system integration company that creates apps for both Android and iOS, sets up servers and web services and develops machine-learning models and prediction platforms. According to Linus, the startup gets involved in the initial planning stages of

Starbucks Korea has been bolstering its efforts in creating equal job opportunities and giving back to society. The coffee chain, with over 20,000 employees across over 1,600 locations nationwide, has been recognized by the government for providing equal employment opportunities to disadvantaged groups. The Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities chose Starbucks Korea as an “excellent case” of having incorporated the disabled into its workforce. As of June 2022, Sta

Powerful-X Recovery Cream is the nation’s No. 1 sports cream, offered by Powerful-X, a local sports beauty and health care company. Since its launch in 2014, sales exceeded 30 billion won ($23.2 million) in 2017 and its success led to the maker’s stock debut on Konex, a securities exchange for small and medium-sized firms, in the same year. The firm attributed the cream’s huge success to its steady quality improvement over the time. The firm applied its own “Flex-So

The engineering and construction division of Samsung C&T Corporation is aggressively entering the eco-friendly energy businesses such as small modular reactors, or SMRs, green hydrogen and ammonia. The Engineering & Construction Division of Samsung C&T recently invested $70 million in NuScale Power, an American SMR company, laying a stepping stone for its SMR business overseas. SMRs are safer compared to conventional nuclear reactors, emits nearly zero carbon, and guarantees a stab