SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Starbucks is breaking from its long-standing emphasis on face-to-face interaction by introducing self-ordering kiosks in South Korea and Japan — the first such move by the global coffee chain in either country. Starbucks Korea announced on Monday that it will begin rolling out kiosks this week at a limited number [...]
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Major coffee chains and instant coffee producers in South Korea are raising prices amid an increase in raw material costs, according to industry data Friday. Angel-in-us Coffee, operated by Lotte GRS Co., said it will increase beverage prices by 200 to 300 won (US$0.15-0.22) Thursday. CJ Foodville Corp.’s bakery [...]
SEOUL, May 22 (Korea Bizwire) – A new government study has found that cheonggukjang, Korea’s traditional fermented soybean paste, contains the highest proportion of bioavailable isoflavones among processed soybean foods, highlighting its superior health benefits. According to research released Thursday by the Gyeonggi Institute of Health and Environment, cheonggukjang leads in the proportion of non-glycosylated (aglycone) [...]
SEOUL, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s leading food delivery app Baemin is teaming up with local streaming platform Tving to offer a bundled subscription service, in a move seen as a strategic response to growing competition from Coupang Eats, which operates its own streaming platform, Coupang Play. Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baemin, [...]
SEOUL, May 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Shares of Samyang Foods Inc., known for its globally popular Buldak spicy “ramyeon,” jumped nearly 20 percent after the company reported strong first-quarter earnings. On Friday, Samyang Foods jumped 19.07 percent to 1.18 million won (US$846), far outperforming the broader Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), which ended up [...]
JEJU, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — As food delivery fees and dining costs continue to climb, consumers in South Korea’s Jeju Province are turning in growing numbers to Meokkaebi, a government-backed public delivery app offering lower prices and incentives. According to provincial officials on Wednesday, monthly orders on Meokkaebi surged to 62,546 in April 2025, up 431% [...]
SEOUL, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of monthly visitors to a park along the inter-Korean border has more than doubled this year after the opening of a Starbucks store there late last year, officials said Tuesday. Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, just northwest of Seoul, saw an average of 32,379 monthly visitors from [...]
SEOUL, May 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Starbucks Korea has restricted customers from using the names of major presidential candidates as nicknames at its stores nationwide, citing the need to prevent political controversy and maintain neutrality during the sensitive election period. As of May 12, 2025, names such as Lee Jae-myung (Democratic Party), Kim Moon-soo (People [...]
SEOUL, May 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Pulmuone Co., a South Korean food company, unveiled a new management vision Monday aimed at transforming itself into a global sustainable food manufacturer. Pulmuone Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lee Woo-bong announced the initiative during a ceremony marking the company’s 41st anniversary at its headquarters in Seoul, focusing on the [...]
SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Starbucks Korea announced Sunday that it will extend operating hours at a majority of its stores to 10 p.m. by mid-May, restoring pre-pandemic hours as late-evening foot traffic and demand for decaffeinated beverages rise. The move marks a shift from the reduced schedules implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, [...]