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Authorities Open Foreign-Exchange Investigation Into Coupang

Authorities Open Foreign-Exchange Investigation Into Coupang

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Customs authorities on Monday launched an investigation into Coupang Inc.’s domestic unit to examine foreign exchange transactions with its U.S.-based headquarters, government sources said. The Korea Customs Service dispatched an investigative team to the e-commerce giant’s office in Seoul earlier in the day, the sources said. The probe will [...]

‘Chicken Republic’ Reaches a Turning Point With 30,000 Franchise Stores Nationwide

‘Chicken Republic’ Reaches a Turning Point With 30,000 Franchise Stores Nationwide

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Korea Bizwire) —  South Korea’s fried chicken industry has crossed a symbolic threshold, with the number of franchise outlets nationwide surpassing 30,000 for the first time, even as signs of market saturation intensify and growth prospects dim at home. According to the National Data Policy Agency’s 2024 Franchise Statistics released on December [...]

Coupang Founder Again Skips Parliamentary Hearing as Data Breach Backlash Deepens

Coupang Founder Again Skips Parliamentary Hearing as Data Breach Backlash Deepens

SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Kim Bom-seok, the founder and board chairman of Coupang Inc., has again drawn criticism in South Korea after notifying lawmakers that he will not attend a joint parliamentary hearing scheduled for Dec. 30–31 over a recent mass data breach at the company. Kim, who holds roughly 70 percent of the [...]

Coupang Rejects Rights Panel Call to Expand Hiring of Foreign Delivery Workers

Coupang Rejects Rights Panel Call to Expand Hiring of Foreign Delivery Workers

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission said on Friday that Coupang, the country’s largest e-commerce platform, has refused to comply with its recommendation to broaden the hiring of foreign delivery workers, adding to scrutiny already facing the company over a recent personal data leak. The commission said it decided [...]

Celltrion and Samsung Bioepis Take Divergent Paths in the Global Biosimilar Race

Celltrion and Samsung Bioepis Take Divergent Paths in the Global Biosimilar Race

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s two leading biosimilar makers, Celltrion and Samsung Bioepis, are converging in global scale but diverging sharply in how they produce and sell their medicines, according to a new industry analysis released this week. A report by Korea Ratings said the contrasting strategies have become a defining feature of [...]

Coupang Took About 10% of Supplier Transactions in Fees and Incentives, Regulator Says

Coupang Took About 10% of Supplier Transactions in Fees and Incentives, Regulator Says

SEJONG, Dec. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission said on Thursday that major online platforms and retailers have sharply increased the financial burdens placed on suppliers, with Coupang emerging as one of the largest recipients of supplier-funded promotional payments. According to a government survey of 40 major retailers across eight distribution sectors, Coupang [...]

Korea Relaxes Waste Import Insurance Requirements to Boost Recycling

Korea Relaxes Waste Import Insurance Requirements to Boost Recycling

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) —  South Korea will exempt a wider range of low-risk recyclable materials from mandatory import insurance requirements, a move aimed at securing recycling inputs and accelerating the country’s transition to a circular economy, the government said Monday. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that it will revise enforcement [...]

China Overtakes Korea and Japan in Most Manufacturing Sectors, Study Finds

China Overtakes Korea and Japan in Most Manufacturing Sectors, Study Finds

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — China has surpassed South Korea and Japan in four of the five major manufacturing industries that anchor global trade, underscoring a structural shift in East Asia’s industrial balance and intensifying pressure on Seoul to move beyond volume-driven exports, a new report shows. According to a study released Tuesday by the [...]