SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – Rising exchange rates could push South Korea’s already elevated food prices even higher next year, experts warn, as the country’s heavy reliance on imported food ingredients makes it particularly vulnerable to currency fluctuations. The won has weakened significantly against the dollar in recent weeks, with the exchange rate breaking through 1,400 [...]
ANDONG, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – North Gyeongsang Province announced on December 8 that it will conduct special enforcement measures across its 22 cities and counties, focusing on seafood origin labeling verification and illegal fishing activities in the East Sea, with particular attention to snow crabs. This initiative comes in response to growing concerns about potential mislabeling [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s tourism and retail industries are on edge following the recent declaration and lifting of martial law, as travel warnings from major countries raise concerns about a potential decline in foreign visitors. While the Korea Tourism Organization reported no significant cancellations as of December 5, signs of apprehension [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – CJ OnStyle, a major South Korean online retailer, has identified “newmiliar” as the defining consumer trend of 2024, describing a preference for products that combine familiarity with innovative twists. The term “newmiliar,” a portmanteau of “new” and “familiar,” emerged from the company’s analysis of sales data across its most popular [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s duty-free sector is grappling with declining performance as foreign tourists increasingly favor road shops and specialty stores, such as health and beauty retailer Olive Young, over traditional duty-free outlets. This trend was highlighted at the “2025 Retail Industry Outlook Seminar” held by the Korea Chamber of Commerce [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – Amid years of declining traditional retail sales, warehouse clubs are emerging as bright spots in South Korea’s brick-and-mortar retail landscape. E-mart’s Traders and Costco Korea are bucking the trend of offline retail struggles and inflation-driven consumer caution, primarily through their bulk-sale, low-price business model. According to data from E-mart released [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Despite persistent inflation, South Korea’s fragrance market is booming, with niche luxury perfumes gaining prominence. International brands like Jo Malone, Diptyque, and Byredo are leading the charge, capturing significant consumer interest and driving growth in the high-end cosmetics sector. According to industry data, niche perfume sales through Shinsegae International’s [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Spending on clothing and footwear in South Korea has dropped to its lowest share of consumer expenditures, as domestic demand remains weak and unseasonably warm weather curbs the need for fall apparel. Data from Statistics Korea shows that in the third quarter of 2024, average monthly consumer spending per [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – With Alex Wong, a former Coupang executive, emerging as a key figure in the Trump administration’s North Korea policy, attention is turning to the multinational workforce at South Korea’s e-commerce giant, where foreign employees now exceed 1,000 and include more than 250 full-time interpreters and translators. Foreign nationals make up [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — One in three South Korean consumers has experienced issues while shopping online, a government survey showed Friday, underscoring the need for improved consumer protection from e-commerce operators. The survey, conducted on 2,000 local consumers, showed that 29.4 percent of the people shopping on local e-commerce platforms and 28.3 percent [...]