Facing an increasingly competitive market, companies are ratcheting up their efforts to better meet consumer expectations, with artificial intelligence, eco-friendliness and customer needs expected to be the key trends in major industries like information and communications technologies, cars and retail, according to an analysis by state-run Korea Productivity Center. Last year, the nation’s three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- made efforts to innovate products and servi

More households in South Korea are buying processed food online, with about 80 percent of such families having bought food items at least once a month on average last year.According to the survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea Rural Economic Institute, 16.4 percent of the households bought processed food from online platforms at least once a week, compared to 6.7 percent in 2018. Some 43.3 percent purchased at least once in two weeks, compared to 24.3 per

Consumers tend to stick to regimens when making purchases. Once satisfied, they remain loyal to a certain product or service, although they might stray from time to time.Consumer loyalty is based on, or goes on to create, brand power, which is representative of the quality, credibility and reputation of the product and ultimately the company. Once a certain brand is continually preferred and consumed, the company seizes a dominant position in the market.Brand equity is the commercial value of co

Apartment prices in Seoul showed the steepest rise in December since the government’s real estate policy announced on Sep.13, 2018, which led to rising prices in other cities nationwide. According to data by Korea Appraisal Board, apartment prices in Seoul soared 1.24 percent in December compared to the previous month. It marked the biggest on-month growth in 15 months since September 2018. Across the country, apartment prices rose 0.51 percent, showing the highest growth in four years.(kh

진행자: 윤민식, Kevin Lee Selzer1. All eyes on Pyongyang as Kim opens key party meeting아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638가시요약: 김정은 조선노동당 전원회의 진행에 따라 이목이 집중되고 있다.[1] Kim has been urging Trump to roll out a new initiative after the Hanoi summit broke down in Feb.* roll out: (새로운 것을) 발표하다, 출시하다* 계획 * break down: 결렬되다, 실패하다[2] North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chaired the first part of a key ruling party meet

호주의 한 가정집에서 뱀이 식기 세척기에서 발견돼 화제가 되고 있다. 약 2시간 동안 도는 세척기 안에서 꿈틀거리는 무언가를 발견한 부부가 문을 열어봤더니 뱀이 스르르 지나가고 있었다고 전했다.부부는 뱀이 “외부 배수관을 통해서 들어온 것 같다.”라고 말했다.이 뱀은 주로 호주 동부에서 서식하는 세계에서 가장 위험한 독사이기도 하다. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Credit card/ Lotte CardFor customers driving long distances, Lotte Card, a major credit card company in the nation, has launched the I’m DRIVING card that offers discounts at gas stations across the country and other auto-related benefits.Two types of the new credit card are offered -- DC One and DC All. For the DC One type, customers can choose one of four oil retail brands -- SK Energy, GS Caltex, Hyundai Oilbank and S-Oil -- or choose either weekdays or weekends as an option, to get a d

Celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, Lotte Duty Free is preparing for art and cultural marketing activities in collaboration with artists and beauty brands. The leading duty-free shop recently unveiled an art collaboration with British artist Steve Wilson, who made his fame by working with international brands, such as Hermes, Karl Lagerfeld and Nike. He is also a pop artist recognized for extending the boundaries of contemporary art by crossing borders of art, typography and graphic desi

A handful of large companies in South Korea continued to dominate the country’s exports and imports, according to data released by the Korea Customs Service and Statistics Korea.As per the export data, 805 large companies -- just 0.8 percent of total exporting firms -- accounted for 66.6 percent in 2018, an on-year increase of 0.3 percentage point.The value of imports by 1,092 large businesses increased by 0.2 percentage point to reach $323 billion, having a 61 percent share of all imports

Jeon Soon-ok (center), chairperson of the ruling Democratic Party’s special committee on small businesses, and representatives of microbusinesses hold a press conference at the National Assembly on Monday opposing the sell-off of South Korea’s top food delivery application. Debate ensued after an announcement earlier this month that Germany-based online delivery service provider Delivery Hero would acquire an 87 percent stake in Woowa Brothers, the operator of delivery app Baeda