E-Mart expands Mongolia footprint with seventh store

E-Mart opened its seventh store in Mongolia on Thursday at UG Arena in Ulaanbaatar. It plans to open an eighth store at Ulaanbaatar Department Store in November and expand its No Brand specialty store network to seven locations by year-end, further growing its presence in the Mongolian retail market. The 3,272-square-meter store is E-Mart's third mid-sized outlet in Mongolia since its market entry in 2016. Located on the first floor of UG Arena, it targets nearby residents and office workers as

Oct. 29, 2026

Shinsegae expands Busan foothold with Lotte deal

Shinsegae Department Store is acquiring rival Lotte Department Store's Centum City branch in Busan, seeking to consolidate its dominance in the city's retail market and transform the district into a major shopping, tourism and entertainment destination. The retailer plans to integrate the Lotte property with its existing Shinsegae Centum City complex to create a sprawling commercial hub dubbed "Shinsegae Town." Opened in 2009, Shinsegae Centum City has become one of Korea's most successful depar

Oct. 29, 2026

Homeplus stores face power cuts over unpaid bills

Six Homeplus stores have received notices warning of possible electricity cutoffs over unpaid utility bills, as the troubled retailer faces mounting financial pressure. According to industry sources Tuesday, Homeplus stores in Pocheon, Goyang, Namyangju and Paju are scheduled to face disconnections between Oct. 27 and 30. Another store in Songdo, Incheon, is expected to face a cutoff in November. Under Korea Electric Power Corp.’s supply terms, the utility issues a cutoff notice when electricity

Oct. 27, 2026

Hana Bank teams up with Banyan Tree Seoul to woo wealthy clients

Hana Bank has partnered with Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul to expand its wealth management offerings beyond financial services, targeting ultra-high-net-worth clients with exclusive lifestyle and family programs. The bank signed a memorandum of understanding Monday with Able Hyundai Hotel & Resort, which operates Banyan Tree Seoul, to jointly develop services spanning dining, arts, culture and wellness. The signing ceremony was attended by Hana Bank President Lee Ho-sung and Able Hyundai Hotel &

Oct. 27, 2026

Samsung Wallet taps Tencent to expand payments in China

Samsung Electronics is introducing QR code payments in China through Samsung Wallet Money, allowing Korean users to use WeChat Pay without setting up a separate payment service. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with Tencent and Woori Bank at Tencent's headquarters in Shenzhen, China, on Monday. The signing ceremony was attended by Chai Won-cheol, vice president and head of Samsung Electronics' Digital Wallet Team under its Mobile eXperience Business; Daniel Hong, vice president o

Oct. 27, 2026

'Because it's Apple': What drives Korea's first iPhone Duo buyers

"I ordered Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 with my wife, but returned mine unopened when I heard Apple was releasing a foldable." Kim, a Seoul-based game company employee in his mid-40s, was among the first customers collecting Apple's 3.29 million won ($2,300) iPhone Duo at Apple Myeongdong on Friday. His wife kept her Samsung phone. "I seriously considered switching to Android because of the Fold8," he said. But giving up his Apple Watch, AirPods and familiar iPhone software was too much of a barrier

Oct. 23, 2026

Korea targets 1,000 overseas restaurants in K-food quality push

South Korea is stepping up efforts to improve the quality of Korean restaurants overseas, aiming to certify 1,000 establishments within five years as global interest in Korean cuisine continues to grow. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced plans to overhaul its overseas restaurant designation system, strengthen culinary training and help restaurants secure Korean ingredients and skilled workers. Awareness of Korean food overseas rose to 68.6 percent in 2025 from 60 perce

Oct. 20, 2026

Chrome widens lead over Naver in mobile usage

Google Chrome has widened its lead over Naver in South Korea's mobile search and browser market, ranking first in usage time for the fifth consecutive month. Chrome logged 260 million hours of usage in September, outpacing Naver's 240 million hours, according to mobile app analytics firm Wiseapp Retail. Chrome has held the top spot since it first overtook Naver in May. Samsung Internet ranked third with 130 million hours. Together, the three apps accounted for 630 million hours, or about 80 perc

Oct. 14, 2026

APR's Medicube sets sales records across US, Europe

APR said Wednesday that its beauty brand Medicube posted record daily sales across participating markets during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, with US sales up about 85 percent from the previous year. The Oct. 6-7 shopping event marked Medicube's debut in five European markets — the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France — alongside its established US presence. Medicube topped Amazon's overall search rankings in several markets, including the US, UK, Italy and Spain. The brand had previously claime

Oct. 14, 2026

Galaxy S27 prices could rise more than planned after S26 price increase

Samsung Electronics may raise prices for next year's Galaxy S27 series more than it had initially planned, according to a Korean technology leaker, as the company has just increased prices for its current Galaxy S26 lineup in Korea only seven months after launch amid sharply higher memory costs. Lanzuk, a Naver-based leaker, said Wednesday that Samsung had already set an initial price structure for the S27 lineup but was now preparing higher starting prices because of rising DRAM and NAND flash

Oct. 2, 2026

Samsung appliance subscriptions near W1tr as corporate push begins

Samsung Electronics is expanding its appliance subscriptions business to corporate customers, as the company says revenue from the segment is nearing 1 trillion won ($740 million), broadening a service that has so far focused mainly on consumers. The company said Monday it will offer subscriptions to public institutions and businesses including hotels, hospitals and financial companies. Corporate customers can spread out the upfront cost of buying appliances and receive up to six years of free a

Sept. 28, 2026

Foreign cards to work on Seoul buses from 2027

Foreign visitors will be able to pay for rides on Seoul buses by tapping the contactless credit or debit cards they use at home, without buying or topping up a local transit card. Tmoney said Thursday it plans to introduce the service on Seoul city buses in 2027, followed by buses in Incheon and airport bus services. System development and testing are scheduled to run through the end of 2026. The service will use an open-loop payment system based on EMV, the global standard used for contactless

Sept. 18, 2026

What's up with Koreans waiting hours for Chipotle?

At lunchtime in southern Seoul's Gangnam, the line for a burrito bowl stretched down the block. Nearly a week after Chipotle opened its first Asian location in Seoul on Sept. 2, customers were still being told to expect waits of up to two or three hours. On Sunday, some 150 people were counted in line by 11 a.m., stretching more than 50 meters. For some of those waiting, however, the food was only part of the point. "We've got to keep up with what's trending," said university student Kim Min-ju,

Sept. 10, 2026

[Graphic News] Gimbap prices rise faster than other dining-out staples

Gimbap prices are rising faster than dining out as the costs of rice, eggs and seaweed continue to climb. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the average price of a roll of gimbap in Seoul reached 3,838 won ($2.77) in June, up 5.9 percent from a year earlier. It marked the sharpest increase among the eight popular dishes surveyed, followed by samgyeopsal at 4.3 percent, kalguksu at 3.6 percent, and naengmyeon and samgyetang at 2.8 percent each. The increase was driven largely by higher ingre

Sept. 9, 2026

From lab coats to limelight: Grabity puts its researchers at the fore

The scientists behind Grabity, the hair-loss shampoo brand that has gained traction in South Korea and overseas with its polyphenol-based technology, have stepped out of their labs and into an unusual second job: modeling for their own products. On buses and product packaging, researchers Yang Han-yeol, Kim Eun-u and Ju Helen pose alongside Lee Hae-shin, a KAIST distinguished professor of chemistry and the founder of Polyphenol Factory, the startup behind Grabity. "We are not professional models

Sept. 7, 2026