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Ko Dong-hwan

Korea Times Business Reporter

Covering the food & beverage industry, beauty, fashion, retail markets, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and related people and entities worldwide

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Companies

PHOTO Glendronach celebrates 200th anniversary

A bottle of Glendronach 1968 is displayed at a suite in Josun Palace Gangnam Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. It is bottle No. 3 of a limited release of 200 bottles worldwide marking the 200th anniversary of the founding of The Glendronach distillery in the Scottish Highlands. Founded by James Allardice in 1826, the distillery launched the 56-year-old Glendronach 1968 and Boynsmill House Edition as part of its bicentenary celebrations. Brown-Forman Korea, which has been distributing The Glendronach here since 2018, imported three bottles of Glendronach 1968. Courtesy of Brown-Forman Korea

7h agoBy Ko Dong-hwanphoto
[PHOTO] Glendronach celebrates 200th anniversary
Companies

BAT Rothmans' glo HYPER pro+ focuses on easy use

BAT Rothmans has launched glo HYPER pro+, a heated-tobacco device designed to streamline user experience, from heating and operation to maintenance. The product was officially released on Aug. 18, marking the company’s first new product launch in about two years since the release of glo HYPER pro in 2024. BAT Rothmans said the new device reflects a growing trend in which consumer electronics makers increasingly compete not only on performance but also on how easy and intuitive their products are to use. The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2024 Household Appliance and Electronics Study identified ease of operation, initial setup and menu navigation as key elements of customer experience for computers and televisions. A similar focus was reflected in developing glo HYPER pro+, with the company seeking to reduce inconvenience for adult smokers throughout the device’s use cycle. One of the most noticeable changes is the heating time. The device uses QuickStart technology to reduce ramp-up time to 10 seconds, which the company said is twice as fast as the standard mode of its prev

11h agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
BAT Rothmans' glo HYPER pro+ focuses on easy use
Companies

Paik's Dabang accelerates global push with Taiwan franchise deal

Theborn Korea is stepping up the overseas expansion of its coffee brand Paik’s Dabang, signing a 10-year master franchise agreement to enter Taiwan after opening its first stores in Japan earlier this year. The company said Tuesday that it signed the agreement on Aug. 29 with a local partner in Taiwan at a ceremony attended by CEO Paik Jong-won and representatives of the Taiwanese company. Theborn Korea declined to identify the partner, citing contractual conditions. Under the agreement, the Taiwanese partner plans to open 10 outlets in the first year and expand the network to more than 150 stores by the fifth year. Theborn Korea said it is conducting market research in Taiwan to develop an operating strategy, with the first store targeted to open in the first half of next year. The master franchise agreement follows Paik’s Dabang’s entry into Japan, where the brand opened two directly operated stores in Tokyo’s Shimbashi and Kanda districts in August. The company said the Japanese outlets have sold an average of more than 1,000 drinks per weekday, attributing the strong performan

1d agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Paik's Dabang accelerates global push with Taiwan franchise deal
Tech & Science

Insect industry opens new Chuncheon factory

Korea’s first hub under a national insect industry development initiative opened Tuesday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, creating a new resource for protein-based feed, health supplements, agricultural waste treatment and job creation. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said a completion ceremony for the Gangwon-Chuncheon Insect Industry Hub Complex was held the same day. The facility is jointly operated by the provincial and city governments and was built with a total investment of 20 billion won ($15 million), split equally between the central and local governments. Construction of the complex began in 2023. Built on a 23,815-square-meter site, the facility includes a smart factory farm that performs the complex’s core operations, 33 rental smart farms that supply breeding insects to the factory farm and a building for facility maintenance and support. At the smart factory farm, AI and robots monitor insect growth in real time and automate temperature, humidity and feeding controls. Equipped with automatic cleaning systems and industrial dryers, the farm can produ

1d agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Insect industry opens new Chuncheon factory
Companies

Musinsa launches Pharmacy Beauty

Musinsa Beauty will introduce a new retail format combining beauty products and pharmacy services through a partnership with Onnuri Pharmacy, as consumers show growing interest in high-performance cosmetics and inner beauty products. The Pharmacy Beauty service will debut at Musinsa Beauty Hongdae, which is set to open near Hongdae in Seoul’s western Mapo District on Friday. The initiative combines pharmacists’ expertise with beauty retail, offering personalized product recommendations focused on functional cosmetics and inner beauty products. Musinsa Beauty Hongdae spans four floors, while Onnuri Pharmacy will occupy the entire basement level. The two companies signed a partnership last month to collaborate in the pharmacy beauty sector. Onnuri Pharmacy is one of Korea’s largest pharmacy-chain brands, with more than 2,200 affiliated pharmacies nationwide. Onnuri H&C, which operates the brand, offers pharmacy-exclusive cosmetics and functional health supplements based on pharmacists’ professional expertise. The partnership reflects a broader shift in the beauty market, with consu

2d agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Musinsa launches Pharmacy Beauty
Companies

Environmental center takes circular economy education on road

The Korea Environmental Education Center said it launched an outreach program on Aug. 25 to teach communities about the principles of the circular economy and resource circulation. The program, jointly developed by the Korea Environmental Education Center and Novelis Korea, explains how commonly used materials, including plastic, glass bottles, paper cartons and aluminum cans, are collected, processed and recycled. In particular, the program introduces the “Can-to-Can” aluminum recycling model, which turns used cans into new ones through a closed-loop system. The lessons help participants understand how resources can remain in circulation rather than being discarded after a single use. Through November, instructors from the center will conduct at least 30 on-site classes at public institutions, lifelong learning centers and civic organizations in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon and Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The sessions will explain the principles of the circular economy and closed-loop recycling while encouraging participants to adopt resource-saving practices in their d

Sep 4, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Environmental center takes circular economy education on road
Companies

Samyang Foods' Tangle pasta brand gains ground in US, Europe

Samyang Foods, buoyed by the global success of its Buldak spicy noodle brand, is expanding its presence in North America and Europe with Tangle, a protein pasta brand positioned as a healthier alternative to instant noodles. The company said Tangle’s global sales in the first half of the year rose 102 percent from a year earlier. In the United States, sales surged 475 percent, reflecting growing demand among local consumers for protein-focused convenience foods, it said. Tangle has entered major U.S. retail chains, including Walmart, Target, Albertsons, Kroger, Aldi and Five Below. The brand has also expanded its online distribution through Amazon and TikTok Shop. Its lineup — Mushroom Cream, Garlic Oil, Garlic Shrimp, Bulgogi Alfredo and Basil Tomato — combines classic pasta flavors with Korean elements, appealing to a broad range of tastes. Samyang Foods is accelerating its push into mainstream U.S. retail channels in the second half of the year. Walmart is set to expand Tangle sales to more than 1,600 stores nationwide, while Target plans to carry the products at more than 1,000

Sep 4, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Samyang Foods' Tangle pasta brand gains ground in US, Europe
Companies

K-food shifts focus to US hypermarkets, Chinese 'punk wellness' trend

The government has reset its strategy in order to accomplish this year’s K-food exports goal of $16 billion, setting specific goals for different export markets. With exports having reached $8.25 billion as of the end of July, and instant noodles alone accounting for $1 billion of the total, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on Thursday that the second half of the year is “the last opportunity to determine whether the goal is accomplished or not.” Planned measures range from expanding exports and catering to the needs of overseas markets to providing financial support for Korean exporters and responding swiftly to non-tariff barriers in export markets. Plans were finalized at the third meeting of a private-public Korean food export committee meeting in Seoul, which was joined by officials from eight ministries, representatives of major companies including CJ, Samyang Foods, Daesang and Nongshim, and officials from agencies related to agriculture, fresh produce exports and tourism promotion. The updated export measures have been recalibrated to be region-spec

Sep 3, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
K-food shifts focus to US hypermarkets, Chinese 'punk wellness' trend
Companies

Court rejects LG chief's adoptive mother's petition to end adoption

A Seoul family court on Thursday dismissed a petition by Kim Young-sik, widow of LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo and adoptive mother of LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, seeking to dissolve their adoptive relationship. The Seoul Family Court rejected Kim’s petition for judicial dissolution of the adoption. The court did not disclose its detailed reasoning during the hearing. Kim filed the petition in November 2024 while she was involved in a separate inheritance dispute with Koo Kwang-mo over assets left by her late husband. Koo Kwang-mo is the biological son of Koo Bon-neung, chairman of Heesung Group and younger brother of Koo Bon-moo. Koo Bon-moo adopted his nephew at age 26 in 2004 after losing his only son in an accident, a move widely viewed as paving the way for the succession of LG Group, which has traditionally followed a firstborn-son succession principle. After Koo Bon-moo’s death in 2018, Koo Kwang-mo inherited most of his adoptive father’s shares in LG Group and became the conglomerate’s largest shareholder. The inheritance dispute began in 2023, when Kim and her two daug

Sep 3, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Court rejects LG chief's adoptive mother's petition to end adoption
Companies

Busan becomes Olive Young's beauty hub outside Seoul

CJ Olive Young is stepping up efforts to establish Busan as a global K-beauty hub, opening a large-scale town store and a design-focused outlet. The country’s largest beauty retailer said Wednesday that it relocated and expanded Olive Young Nampo Town in Nampo-dong, Busan’s Jung District, on Friday, making it the largest town-format store outside the capital region. It also opened Olive Young Millak The Market in Millak-dong, Busan’s Suyeong District, on Sunday. The expansion reflects a sharp rise in foreign visitors to Busan. The city welcomed 3.1 million international tourists last year, the largest number among cities outside the capital region. During the first half of this year, the number rose 44 percent from previous year to 2.4 million. Cruise tourism has been a major driver of the increase. The number of cruise passengers visiting Busan is projected to nearly quadruple to 990,000 this year from 257,000 in 2025. Olive Young Millak The Market store is located in a waterfront commercial district stretching from Gwangalli Beach to Millak-dong, which includes Olive Young’s Gw

Sep 2, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Busan becomes Olive Young's beauty hub outside Seoul
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