SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Chu Seung-yup and his three friends, all in their early 20s, looked triumphant when they successfully finished an escape room game at a CGV movie theater in Seoul, late October. The game was what attracted them to the cinema. The four friends came to Seoul on Oct. 21 from [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Woongjin Co. said Monday that its consortium has signed an agreement with a local private equity firm to acquire Coway Co. for 1.68 trillion won (US$1.48 billion) while the Woongjin chairman vowed to make the top water purification maker the business group’s key growth engine. Under the deal, Woongjin [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Incheon International Airport Corp. said Sunday it started detailed research on the country’s first arrival duty-free shop, which will tentatively open in May. The move came as the government decided in September to allow duty-free shops at arrival terminals in a bid to reduce discomfort experienced by tourists and [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — For the first time in South Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to adopt a system in which dynamic QR codes are used to easily pay taxi fares. The city’s plan for a QR code payment standard for taxis will be compatible with various payment methods. Starting in January [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Starbucks Coffee Korea Co. is adding 300 more ‘cashless shops’ in addition to the 103 stores currently in operation, starting on Monday. Cashless stores recommend that customers use a means of payment other than cash. The company noted that adding 300 more cashless stores would amount to one-third of [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Koreans back the planned launch of Kakao Corp.’s carpool service, which sparked angry protests from the taxi industry, a survey showed Monday. In a survey conducted by Realmeter with 500 adults across the country Friday, 56 percent of the respondents said they agree with [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The upcoming launch of a carpooling service by Internet giant Kakao has sparked taxi drivers to consider taking drastic measures, including a strike, as the conflict continues to escalate. The carpooling service currently permitted by the government is validated by a clause in the transportation law that allows exceptions [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The Michelin Guide on Thursday announced its selection of 26 restaurants in Seoul with unique cuisine and quality, including two new two-star eateries. Two restaurants — fine dining Korean restaurant Gaon and La Yeon, a traditional Korean cuisine restaurant at Hotel Shilla — maintained three-star ratings for a third [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Approximately 1 out of 10 franchised stores selling coffee and beverages shut down last year due to sluggish sales and other factors. Experts cite heightened competition within the saturated franchise market as the main issue, resulting in a wider polarization between successful and unsuccessful franchise business outlets. According to [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — WeWork, a leading provider of shared workspaces, plans to open a new office in Busan, South Korea early next year. Matthew Shampine, director of WeWork Asia-Pacific, met with Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don on Tuesday to discuss the opening of the company’s Busan office and the creation of jobs for [...]