SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — In a move to ease burdensome regulations, the South Korean government has approved guidelines allowing bakeries to provide complimentary birthday candles with cake purchases, addressing a peculiar regulatory oversight that had technically criminalized the common practice. Until now, birthday candles were classified as “household chemical products,” making their distribution — [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean dairy companies are finding new growth opportunities through baby formula exports, particularly in Southeast Asia, where shipments have tripled over the past decade. According to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), baby formula exports to the 10 ASEAN member countries reached a record high [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment announced on February 18 that all 198 home baking utensils tested in a recent safety inspection passed heavy metal contamination standards. The investigation covered 14 categories of baking tools, including bread molds, cooking paper, and various baking molds commonly sold in [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Once a popular and low-barrier entry point for entrepreneurs, South Korea’s café industry is now facing an intense survival challenge due to market oversaturation, rising costs, and regulatory pressures. Despite the industry’s rapid expansion, data shows an alarming rate of closures. According to Statistics Korea, as of 2022, the number [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly half of South Korean restaurant owners have raised their menu prices to offset mounting delivery app commission fees, which they cite as their biggest business burden, according to a new survey released on February 14. The Consumer Network for Public Interest surveyed 502 restaurant owners and found that delivery [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — TGI Fridays is set to exit the South Korean market, with its local operator, MFG Korea, announcing plans to close all remaining locations in the country. The company will shut down stores gradually as their lease agreements expire, prioritizing its focus on the Mad for Garlic restaurant brand. Currently, TGI [...]
SEJONG, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea saw sharp price increases in food items last year, with fruits and vegetables making up the majority of the top 10 most inflation-affected goods, according to data from Statistics Korea. Among 458 consumer price index items, Asian pears recorded the steepest price hike, soaring 71.9% in 2024 due [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Starbucks Korea is planning to add at least 100 outlets this year after recently opening the 2,003rd store in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, an industry source said Thursday. The Seattle-based coffee giant introduced its first store in front of Ewha Womans University in Seoul in 1999 in partnership with local [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports of traditional rice cakes reached a fresh high in 2024, data showed Wednesday, driven by the growing popularity of Korean food around the globe. Outbound shipments of rice cakes reached US$91.4 million in 2024, up 17.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s coffee imports reached a record high of nearly 2 trillion won ($1.38 billion USD) in 2024, reflecting an 11% increase from the previous year, according to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. The country imported 215,838 tons of coffee, including green beans, roasted beans, concentrates, [...]