JEJU, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s best-known bottled water, Jeju Samdasoo, takes an average of 31 years to form as rainwater on Hallasan mountain slowly filters through layers of volcanic rock, according to new research published this week. The Jeju Province Development Corporation, which produces and sells Samdasoo, said Wednesday that a peer-reviewed study [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Ford Motor Co. has canceled a 9.6 trillion-won (US$7.4 billion) battery supply contract with LG Energy Solution, a rare rupture in one of the world’s largest EV supply chains that is heightening alarm over the sector’s deepening slowdown. LG Energy Solution disclosed Wednesday that Ford had terminated the agreement, which [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A long-running management dispute at Korea Zinc intensified this week as rival shareholder groups clashed over the company’s plan to build a massive smelter in Tennessee, a project estimated to be one of its largest overseas investments. On Wednesday, Youngpoong Group and private-equity firm MBK Partners—major shareholders aligned against [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The United Nations Command (UNC) on Wednesday sharply reiterated that it holds exclusive authority over civilian and military access to the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), citing the terms of the 1953 armistice. The unusually direct statement came as South Korea’s National Assembly advances legislation that would allow [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Most South Korean parents say the trait they most hope to cultivate in their young children is simply becoming “a healthy person,” with honesty ranking as the top core value, according to new research released Wednesday. The survey, conducted by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education and [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign visitors to South Korea are increasingly favoring “value-for-money” shopping aligned with personal tastes, signaling a shift away from the high-end, big-ticket purchases that once dominated tourist consumption, according to new data released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). An analysis of foreign credit card transactions from 2018 through September [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Most South Koreans want to remain in their homes or local communities as they age or face illness, but many say the country’s local care systems are not prepared to support that preference, according to a new nationwide survey released Tuesday. The survey of 1,500 adults, conducted earlier this month [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Korean children and teenagers are embracing makeup as part of their everyday culture, driven by social media trends, easy access to inexpensive cosmetics and a loosening of school restrictions. The shift has sparked concern among parents and educators who worry about the deepening pressures [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A new survey shows that nearly two-thirds of South Koreans fear a rise in phishing attempts following the massive personal data breach reported by e-commerce giant Coupang, underscoring widening public anxiety over digital security. According to a poll released Tuesday by Stealth Solution, a global cybersecurity firm, 66.9 percent of [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s national space agency said Tuesday it is exploring the use of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket to launch the country’s first Mars payload as early as 2030, part of a broader strategy to accelerate its participation in international deep-space exploration. At a briefing in Seoul, the Korea Aerospace Administration [...]