Lee Eun-ji, 28, recently started to take golf lessons. For long, she had thought golf was sports for people her parents’ age, but this year, it came to her as a nice outdoor activity to enjoy, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Frankly, I thought golf would be boring because it looked like a quiet sport. But with COVID-19 keeping me at home, I looked for different outdoor activities and landed at golf,” Lee, an office worker in Seoul told The Korea Herald. Similar to L

South Korea’s annual nationwide shopping festival Korea Sale FESTA kicked off Sunday with over 1,600 companies, the largest scale to date. The two-week festival takes place until Nov. 15 this year with the support of the central governments and the 17 metropolitan and provincial authorities, though many parts of the event will go online. During an online opening ceremony on Saturday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said this year’s event would “contribute greatly to the recover

South Korean liquor maker HiteJinro has released a new low-alcohol sour candy-flavored soju. The latest addition is a collaboration with Korean confectionery company Orion’s popular sour candy Aisher. Similar to the snack, the flavor has been described as “super sour.” The Aisher soju marks the fourth in the liquor maker’s fruity flavored soju series, following grapefruit, green grape and plum favors. The company said the new flavor reflects a recent trend among young

E-commerce retailer eBay Korea‘s online Korean goods shopping site Gmarket Global store will launch a sales campaign for a wide range of South Korean products including Korean food, Korean cosmetics and K-pop items starting Sunday, according to the firm. The campaign will continue until Oct. 12 in connection with eBay Korea’s Big Smile Day shopping event, which will see the prices of some of South Korean products on the platform slashed by up to 70 percent. Some of the latest album

SPC Group said Thursday it has opened a new Baskin Robbins outlet, designed in the traditional Korean style Hanok building. Located in Jongno, central Seoul, the Baskin Robbins Samcheong Madang is Baskin Robins’ 10th concept store, inspired by the idea of harmonizing the traditional and the modern, the group explained. The ice cream parlor has been constructed using traditional tiles, wooden pillars and with a surrounding fence to give it the look of a traditional hanok building, the

Coupang, an e-commerce giant, issued a statement Tuesday claiming that facts surrounding the death of a contract worker were being distorted. Denying claims that the short-term worker had died of overwork, Coupang said it will take strong actions against those who spread distortions. On Oct. 12, the short-term contract worker, who worked at Coupang’s Daegu Logistics Center, was found dead after returning home at around 6 a.m. Over this, there have been claims that the worker died of ov

Logistics firm Hanjin Express said Monday it would stop nighttime delivery shifts starting November, after one of its couriers died apparently from overwork. It is the first time a local logistic company has abolished night shifts. To prevent overwork and control the workload, Hanjin said it will increase both the number of delivery vehicles and delivery workers during holiday periods and times when there is more demand. “As delivery packages are concentrated on Tuesdays and Wednesda

South Korean food maker Nongshim said Monday it has released a new corn-flavored snack, called “Oksusu kkang.” It marks the first new addition to the company’s signature “kkang” series in 47 years after “Goguma kkang,” its beloved sweet potato flavored snack. Taking the shape of a corn on the cob, the new crackers have been described as sweet and nutty with a crunchy texture. Nongshim said that the “kkang” crackers have stood the test of t

Audio equipment has topped the overseas online shopping list among South Korean shoppers who recently purchased electronics. In tandem with such a rise, the number of complaints over the shopping experience has grown, a survey showed Friday. The Korea Consumer Agency said that its survey revealed audio equipment such as wireless earphones, headphones and speakers was the most popular electronics category to be ordered online from another country. PCs and PC peripherals came second. The survey

Consumer goods company LG Household & Health Care posted 2.7 trillion won ($2.38 billion) in quarterly revenue, its best-ever earnings for the third-quarter period. While its revenue was up 5.4 percent compared to the same time last year, the company also posted a net profit of 231.7 billion won, up 6.7 percent from a year ago and an operating profit of 327.6 billion won, up 5.1 percent, according to its regulatory filing Thursday. Despite uncertainties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic,

McDonald’s Korea said Thursday it has replaced all the oil used in cooking its food with sunflower oil, a first in the quick service restaurant industry. The burger chain said it introduced sunflower oil to all of its burger outlets, as it is a healthier ingredient that is lower in trans fats than the vegetable oils the company was using before. The move comes as part of the plan the company announced earlier this month to promote sustainable growth for society and the environment. Sunf

Nongshim, a South Korean food company, said Thursday it kicked off its annual fostering program to select and support food tech startups dubbed Nongshim Techup+. This year’s theme is “new lifestyle in the post-COVID-19 era,” and Nongshim is looking for food tech startups that present creative products or services in areas such as non-contact business, healthcare and all other economic activities done at home, the company explained. Nongshim said it will evaluate applicants

Korea Ginseng Corp. said on Thursday that global sales of its red ginseng products have increased amid growing interest in strengthening the immune system following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the company, CheongKwanJang, its red ginseng brand, saw online sales increase 41 percent year-on-year during the first six months this year in China, thanks in part to its online flagship stores on platforms such as Tmall and JD.com. Online sales in the US and Japan also grew after the products b

Oriental Brewery has released a series of goods for beer brands OB Lager, Stella Artois and Budweiser to drive up sales, as interest in drinking-related items grows amid the current pandemic. The brewing company launched an online store dedicated to goods inspired by its long-running mascot Lala Bear last month, including a glass set, a coaster set and a tube-type ice bucket. Stella, a Belgian beer sold by OB, has released a camphor cutting board that can also be used as a plate, while Budweis

Pulmuone said on Monday it has launched “Kimchi Relish,” a new type of kimchi that “reinterprets” the spicy Korean side dish, in South Korea and the US. Made with plant-based ingredients including tomatoes and Sriracha sauce, the chopped vegan kimchi comes in two flavors, Mild and Spicy, and is recommended to be had with dishes such as pasta, salads, and tacos. Pulmuone said the new product is expected to appeal to millennial and gen-Z consumers, among which there is a