Samsung C&T proposed Wednesday a construction plan in which all its affiliates participate to create a “landmark” apartment complex in Banpo, Seoul, as part of an all-out effort as it seeks to win the contract in the area designated for redevelopment. Reconstruction bids are currently being accepted for the new Banpo 15-apartment unit in Gangnam, and Samsung C&T, Daelim Industrial and Hoban Construction are competing. The result is due to be announced Thursday. Sansumg C

Amorepacific Group, a leading cosmetics company here, announced a plan on Wednesday to use less plastic to safeguard health and the environment. Wednesday was Earth Day. The company’s “less plastic” campaign consists of three actions: to reduce the use of plastic packaging for its products, to recycle more of its plastic packaging and to increase the use of upcycled materials to produce its products. “We will continue to stand up front in creating a happier, more beau

Samyang Foods, an instant noodle manufacturer here, is expected to see the highest sales in the company’s history in the first quarter of this year, with sales of instant noodles showing notable growth amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the industry on Wednesday, Samyang Foods’ total sales in the first quarter is expected to see an increase of 30 percent from a year earlier, with its exports recording over 75 billion won ($60.8 million) in the first quarter. That figure is mo

Orion, a South Korean confectionery company, said Tuesday it recorded sales of 208.3 billion won ($168 million) in March, an increase of 41 percent on-year. The sales of snack products in its biggest markets, South Korea, China and Vietnam, also grew 82 percent on-year for the month, the company added. “Newly released snacks have gained popularity and our snack portfolio, which originally revolved around pie products, is becoming more diverse,” Orion said. In March, South Korea

Korean food company SPC Group said Tuesday that its affiliate SPC Samlip has acquired the exclusive contract for operations in Korea of Eggslut, a popular egg sandwich franchise in California, as well as the license for Singapore. The company said it will introduce the first Eggslut store in Korea at Coex Mall in Seoul in June. US brand Eggslut is famous for its egg sandwiches made with a warm brioche bun, scrambled eggs and sriracha mayo sauce. “We are pleased to show Korean guests t

Samsung C&T’s fashion unit said Monday its business casual brand for the handicapped, Heartist will roll out a new line of clothes in collaboration with its other brand Beanpole, to celebrate the first anniversary of Heartist. Heartist, which was launched in April 2019, is the first fashion brand for the handicapped, introduced by a conglomerate here. Under the concept of “Fashion for All Abilities,” the brand presents business casual products specially designed for thos

GS Engineering and Construction said Monday that it had won a 550 billion won ($451 million) contract to build railway lines in Singapore in cooperation with the Korea Railroad Research Institute. The company obtained the order from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority for its Integrated Train Testing Center project, a railway testing facility. It is a design-build contract, under which GS E&C will lead the whole project, the company said. GS E&C said it would build three track

HiteJinro, a South Korean liquor maker, said Monday two of its premium soju products won Gold awards in the Monde Selection 2020 for the second consecutive year. According to the company, its Ilpoom Jinro 1924, a 100-percent distilled soju, and limited edition Ilpoom Jinro 19 years were chosen for the top Gold award. Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products since 1961. It is run by International Institute for Quality Selections based in

Nongshim said Monday it is launching a ready-made instant Chapaguri cup noodle, which has garnered global popularity after being prominently featured in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite.” Chapaguri -- translated as “ram-don” in English subtitles in the movie -- is a mixture of Nongshim’s Chapaghetti black bean instant noodles and soup-based Neoguri ramen. The new Chapaguri product will be in the form of instant cup noodles, and it will be released in Korea firs

Posco International said Sunday it has sent 100 virus test kits that can run 10,000 tests to Myanmar, as part of its relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the company, it has successfully delivered the test kits developed by Korean firm BioSewoom to Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Sports. The cost of 170 million won ($140,000) was shared by Posco International and its consortium partner companies -- Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, Oil and Natural Gas Corp., Gas Autho

Although the COVID-19 crisis has dampened overall consumer sentiment, sales of home appliances remain strong, according to industry sources Sunday. With people spending more time at home to practice social distancing, home appliance sales are booming. The government’s subsidy program to support purchases of energy-efficient home appliances is also contributing to the sales growth. According to Lotte Himart, 10 home appliances categorized as energy-efficient saw combined sales go up b

Yoo Seo-kyung turns 56 this year, but she doesn’t mind getting older. Yoo is excited about the year ahead as she just got into graduate school and now has a chance to delve more deeply into her handicraft hobby. Several years ago, Yoo retired from the private math academy she ran for 10 years. Running the place had become more difficult as she found herself facing an ever-widening generation gap with her teenage students. After retirement, Yoo took an interest in the craft of “ji

With online shopping booming amid the COVID-19 pandemic, elderly parents are also taking part in the shopping culture with the help of their children, data showed Thursday. According to Auction, an ecommerce platform operated by eBay, over 89 percent of 2,564 customers aged 20-49 surveyed, have shopped online for their parents. The survey was conducted from March 28 to April 4. For reasons to shop on behalf of their parents, 35 percent of the respondents said it was because their parents we

South Korea’s traditional superfood red ginseng is gaining prominence during the COVID-19 outbreak as a favorite gift item by government leaders as a token of thanks. In February, President Moon Jae-in presented Korea Ginseng Corp.’s red ginseng products to 500 public servants working at Incheon International Airport’s quarantine station and at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to encourage them to keep up the good work. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun als

Ever heard of the lipstick effect? Some say lipstick acts as the barometer of an economy -- lipstick sales go up when consumer sentiment weakens during economic recessions as people tend to treat themselves with lower-cost indulgences. When the US economy slumped in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks, lipstick sales increased by about 11 percent in the second half of the year compared to the first half. This led Estee Lauder Chairman Leonard Lauder to coin the term “lipstick index.” &