Korea International Trade Association Chairman Koo Ja-yeol (right), who doubles as LS Group's chairman, shakes hands with Joe Wilson, the US representative for South Carolina, after their meeting on ways to boost economic cooperation in supply chains between the two countries at the Trade Tower in Seoul, Wednesday. During the meeting, Koo gifted Rep. Wilson a name card engraved with the Korean name Cho Il-seon, which sounds similar to his English name and has the meaning of the "front

Piles of apples are displayed at a large supermarket chain store in Seoul on Wednesday. Ahead of the Lunar New Year’s holiday season next month, grocery prices have soared more than 20 percent compared to a year ago, according to price tracker Korea Price Information on Wednesday. The average price of three apples at a traditional market was 15,000 won ($11.20), a 42.86 percent surge from the same period last year. (Yonhap)

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that its flagship brand experience store, dubbed “Samsung BKC,” has opened at Jio World Plaza Mall in Mumbai, India. The 732-square-meter site is the first of its kind in India where visitors can experience and purchase Samsung’s latest devices. Samsung said preorders for the new Galaxy S24 series exceeded 250,000 units in three days in India -- a record for the flagship smartphone there. (Samsung Electronics)

KB Kookmin Bank CEO Lee Jae-keun (right) and Korea Securities Finance Corporation CEO Yoon Chang-ho pose for a photo at the bank's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on Monday after signing an agreement to seek mutual growth with small and medium-sized enterprises. Under the agreement, KB Kookmin Bank will provide both financial and non-financial support to the SMEs, including reductions of loan interests and business consulting. (KB Kookmin Bank)

Citibank Korea CEO Yoo Myung-soon (11th from left, second row) and employees pose with some 65 students joining the 18th Citi-Kyung Hee University NGO Internship in Seoul on Friday. Since the internship’s launch in 2006, Citibank employees and student interns together have taken part in diverse activities to give back to society. This year, they made art supply kits consisting of brushes, paint and recycled canvases made from waste paper and cardboard to be used for art classes at local ch

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, known as the “gapjin” year in the 60-year sexagenary cycle, the upcoming Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival presents a stunning, dragon-themed snow sculpture. As a popular motif in Korean art and myth, dragons symbolize power and are considered to be sacred gods that prevent misfortune and disaster. Snow sculptures aside, the Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival features exciting works of art from snow carving contests for university students, an igloo

A shopper browses the milk at a supermarket in Seoul on Thursday. According to Statistics Korea, milk prices saw a 9.9 percent jump in 2023, the steepest surge in 14 years since the global financial crisis in 2009. The upward trend in milk prices also led to price hikes in other dairy products, including yogurt (12.5 percent) and cheese (19.5 percent). (Yonhap)

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin pays tribute to the group's late founder and honorary Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho, during a memorial service held at the retail giant's headquarters in southern Seoul on Thursday. The self-made entrepreneur passed away at the age of 97 on Jan. 19, 2020. (Lotte Group)

General Motors Korea’s Chevrolet Trailblazer, the carmaker’s popular compact sport utility vehicle, claimed the top spot on the list of the most exported cars of 2023, selling 214,048 units in overseas markets, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on Thursday. Other top exporters included the Hyundai Kona SUV (212,489 units), the Hyundai Avante compact (206,371 units) and the Chevrolet Trax (181,950 units). (GM Korea)

Apple Korea on Thursday said that Apple Hongdae, the iPhone maker's seventh retail store in Korea and 100th store globally, will start operation at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Located near the bustling Hongdae subway station in western Seoul, the new store will have some 100 staff to assist customers as they explore the latest Apple products in multiple languages, including Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

KEB Hana Bank CEO Lee Seung-lyul (right) and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun pose for a photo after the lender was named an Excellent Institution for Promotion of Coexistence and Cooperation in 2023 by the financial regulator on Wednesday. The award was given in recognition of the bank's efforts to help resolve the country's low fertility rate by launching a savings product that provides preferential interest rates for parents and pregnant women. (KEB Hana Bank)

S-Oil CEO Anwar A. Al-Hejazi (fifth from right, second row) and maritime officers of the Korea Coast Guard during a ceremony honoring their heroic actions at a Seoul hotel on Wednesday. Eight maritime officers will be recognized this year and offered a combined 90 million won ($67,000) in cash prizes. (S-Oil)

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday that it has won nine Good Design awards this year. Eight cars, including Hyundai’s N Vision 74 sports car, Kia’s EV9 and the Genesis X Convertible, won transportation awards, while Kia’s next-generation infotainment system, called Ki, won an interactive media award. The N Vision 74, inspired by the Pony Coupe Concept, the nation’s first sports car unveiled in 1974, has won all four major design awards, including from iF, the Industrial D

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (fifth from left, back row) poses for a photo after a meeting with 15 Tech Experts of the Year, an in-house recognition of engineers who have worked at the company for more than two decades, at the company's Seocho office in southern Seoul on Tuesday. Samsung introduced the system in 2019 to foster master-level tech experts. (Samsung Electronics)

Standard Chartered Bank Korea CEO Park Jong-bok (third from left) attends a dumpling-making event to celebrate the new year at the bank’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday. As part of the bank’s “Diversity & Inclusion” drive, the event invited multicultural families and employees to share Korea’s traditional culture. The bank has been cooperating with the Jongnogu district office to bring the local community closer together. (Standard Chartered Bank Korea)