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Ko Dong-hwan

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Companies

Korean trading cards rising assets for global collectors

Collectable trading cards are becoming increasingly profitable for Korean sellers as demand surges in the global market, with some cards selling for tens of thousands of dollars. According to global e-commerce platform eBay, Korean sellers of trading cards recorded double-digit year-on-year sales growth in the first quarter. Their overall sales on the platform ranked 10th by country in 2024 and spiked to sixth the following year. As of the first quarter, the figure rose to third. Korean sellers’ trading cards are largely categorized into intellectual property (IP) characters and sports. Their values are determined by their rarity and grade by third-party valuation. At the center of the Korean sellers’ market presence is Pokemon, a wildly popular franchise spanning games, anime, movies and trading cards introduced in 1996. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the animation’s trading cards have recently seen explosive demand, topping an IP chart with the 10 highest sales among Korean sellers on eBay. Behind the Korean sellers’ popularity is a rising global demand for trading

10h agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Korean trading cards rising assets for global collectors
Companies

Indonesian candy Kopiko steals scenes in K-dramas

Indonesian candy brand Kopiko is stealing scenes in Korean TV and online streaming series. For years, viewers have watched characters in shows popping the sweet into their mouths, with the label prominently displayed. It is not a coincidence: Macrocom, a Seoul-based importer, has paid for the candy's product placement in more than a dozen shows since 2021. It started with "Vincenzo" on tvN, continuing with "Castaway Diva" on the same network in 2023, "Connection" on SBS in 2024, and most recently, "Brave New World," which is currently airing on SBS and Netflix. Macrocom and the brand’s manufacturer PT Mayora Indah Tbk, a major consumer goods company in Indonesia, began targeting the Korean dramas as a way to promote Kopiko. Their strategy for TV producers to show characters eating them to relieve stress and remark on its deliciousness. Over the past four years of TV exposure, Kopiko has built up its brand recognition here, leading to a boost in sales. GS25, a major convenience store franchise brand, sold more than 200,000 packages in a month after it went on shelves in 2024 for 1,000

1d agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Indonesian candy Kopiko steals scenes in K-dramas
Companies

Public power generation firms' proposed merger sparks debate

A third-party analysis proposing that the government merge Korea's five state-run power generation companies to streamline structural inefficiency is prompting debates, with civic groups arguing Friday that the merger would still fail to incentivize generators to minimize costs and ultimately expand the use of renewable energy. A day earlier, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment revealed a study report conducted by Samil PwC on optimal scenarios that could improve the efficiency of five state-run power companies — Korea South-East Power, Korea Midland Power, Korea Western Power, Korea Southern Power and Korea East-West Power. The companies were originally a singular subsidiary under the country’s exclusive state-run power distributor Korea Electric Power Corp. They were all separated in 2001 as individual entities under the government’s power industry restructuring plan. The report said merging them back is “structurally most appropriate.” It noted that while the government is seeking to introduce renewable energy-based power facilities with an overall capacity of 1

1d agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Public power generation firms' proposed merger sparks debate
Companies

Almonty confirms molybdenum reserves in Gangwon Province

Almonty Korea Tungsten Corp. (AKTC) is on a fast track to producing molybdenum — an important earth mineral — in Gangwon Province at a scale the company says could be sustained for more than 60 years. AKTC said on Thursday it has confirmed the volume and quality of a molybdenum reserve at the Sangdong mine in Yeongwol County that it now operates. The discovery, according to the company, was “similar to what we had seen through a past sampling process.” The latest update comes as AKTC has accomplished 37 percent of drilling inside the mine for the estimation of scale and quality of molybdenum ores. The company has so far drilled 26 locations and the bored tunnels now altogether extend to 12 kilometers in length. AKTC said it will begin producing the mineral as soon as the estimation process is complete. The company added that it plans to accelerate its molybdenum production schedule beyond earlier timelines. “The early results from this campaign are highly encouraging. With approximately 37 percent of the program complete, the grades we are encountering are consistent with our h

2d agoBy Ko Dong-hwan
Almonty confirms molybdenum reserves in Gangwon Province
Companies

'Wide Cup' fuels World Cup fever among Korean fans

Major liquor company Oriental Brewery (OB) is ramping up fan engagement for this year’s FIFA World Cup with the launch of “Wide Cup,” a new football-themed promotional campaign. The event follows Cass becoming the only Korean alcoholic beverage brand selected as an official sponsor of the tournament. Cass has served as an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup since 2014, giving the brand a long-standing association with the world's biggest football event. Wide Cup participants compete to see how wide they can open their mouths while cheering for the Korean national football team during group-stage matches. The event takes place at designated restaurants and pubs in Seoul that serve Cass, where fans gather to watch the match together. The top six participants from each match are selected through artificial intelligence-based technology that automatically measures how wide their mouths are open based on photos taken at the venue. Winners receive cans of nonalcoholic Cass Zero equivalent to their measured mouth opening in millimeters. The first Wide Cup was held Friday during Korea's

Jun 17, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
'Wide Cup' fuels World Cup fever among Korean fans
Companies

Edward Lee, Faker named global ambassadors for K-food

Celebrity chef Edward Lee and the country's League of Legends superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok have become Korea's official global ambassadors for K-foods, the government said Wednesday, as it seeks to expand exports and raise the profile of Korean cuisine overseas. The two are among seven newly appointed ambassadors tasked with promoting Korean food in key overseas markets, including the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Wednesday that Lee, a Korean American fine dining guru, will be at the forefront of promoting Korean gastronomy across the United States and Canada. Showcasing his cooking using Korean food products and ingredients at local and international food shows in North America will be a basic manual for the chef hailing from Louisville, Kentucky. Faker, six-time world champion and 10-time winner of domestic leagues for the multiplayer online battle arena game, will be K-food's face across Chinese-speaking markets worldwide. He will promote Korean food through esports events in the regions. The appointments were dec

Jun 17, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Edward Lee, Faker named global ambassadors for K-food
Companies

Kumho Petrochemical invests in migratory bird conservation

Major chemical conglomerate Kumho Petrochemical Group is expanding its environmental stewardship efforts through a habitat restoration project for migratory birds in Korea's southwestern coastal region. The group said Tuesday that five affiliates — Kumho Petrochemical, Kumho P&B Chemicals, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals, Kumho Polychem and Kumho T&L — are participating in the initiative in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The project involves paddy fields surrounding Yeosu Gasari Ecology Park, a key habitat for migratory birds. Kumho plans to invest 260 million won ($172,000) over the next three years in partnership with Thanks Carbon, a provider of corporate environmental project solutions. Under the project, the company will transform idle paddy fields into seasonal wetlands that can provide food and shelter for migratory birds during the winter months, when farming activities are suspended. Wetlands created on fallow farmland are widely recognized as an effective ecological restoration method because they support biodiversity while enhancing soil carbon storage capacity, helping mitigate cli

Jun 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Kumho Petrochemical invests in migratory bird conservation
Companies

FitFlop expands in key Korean market

British premium footwear brand FitFlop is stepping up its expansion in Korea, a market it sees as a key growth driver. Operating through 5,500 stores and 2,000 retail partners across 88 countries, the company is now focusing on raising its profile in Korea. Central to that strategy is a new partnership with Samsung C&T Fashion, the fashion arm of Samsung C&T. Korea has emerged as a key market for FitFlop globally, according to FitFlop Chief Commercial Officer David Schuttenkopf. In an interview with The Korea Times, he highlighted the distinct preferences of Korean consumers compared with those in other markets and explained how the company is tailoring its products to meet their specific footwear needs. "Korea is super important. It is at the intersection of fashion, innovation and culture," said Schuttenkopf at FitFlop's newest pop-up store in Seoul's trendy Seongsu area on June 10. A day before its public opening, the store hosted K-pop stars Nayeon of TWICE and YoungK of Day6, who were invited by Samsung — not to mention hundreds of fans outside. "Korean consumers are amongst the

Jun 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
FitFlop expands in key Korean market
Companies

Shinsegae chairman to receive history lesson over 'Tank Day' fiasco

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin will sit for a “history lesson” after the conglomerate’s Starbucks Korea rattled the country last month with its controversial “Tank Day” tumbler marketing campaign, which caused an outcry among the public and victims of the bloody crackdowns on key pro-democracy uprisings against a military junta in the 1980s. Shinsegae said on Monday that Chung will sit for a lecture on June 24, together with presidents of the group's nearly 50 subsidiaries. The lesson will be in two parts, covering historical consciousness and social sensitivity, delivered by professors from Sungkyunkwan University’s departments of history and sociology. Executives of Emart, which runs Starbucks Korea operator SCK Company, will hear the same lectures on Wednesday. Shop managers and store employees of more than 2,110 Starbucks cafes in Korea will hear it on June 22. To accommodate the class simultaneously for the cafe employees nationwide who number roughly 23,000 in overall, the company will close all Starbucks locations at 3 p.m. and play a recorded video of the le

Jun 15, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Shinsegae chairman to receive history lesson over 'Tank Day' fiasco
Tech & Science

Clothing humanoid robots new mission for Hansae

A surprising scene unfolded in front of press at the Korea Federation of Textile Industries’ office in Seoul’s Gangnam District on June 8. A humanoid robot walked from behind the curtain to the center of stage to face the audience, drawing mild wows. The robot, about a meter tall and only a thick horizontal line where a human would have eyes, was dressed in a black sleeveless jacket and baggy pants. Its very presence was enough to keep the crowd’s attention. Soon, the hook from G-Dragon's “Power” reverberated across the stage and the robot, courtesy of Galaxy Corp., an entertainment-tech company that has a partnership with the K-pop superstar, began dancing to the upbeat tune. Its metallic feet tapped on the floor and its clothing fluttered with every jerky motion. The show lasted for about a minute and the robot walked off stage. The performance was part of a bold message from Hansae regarding its latest mission — developing clothes for robots as well as humans. Hansae group’s businesses range from fashion retail to e-commerce bookstore, concert ticketing and automobile p

Jun 13, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Clothing humanoid robots new mission for Hansae
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