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Ko Dong-hwan

Korea Times Business Reporter

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Companies

Coupang posts biggest quarterly loss in 4 years

E-commerce giant Coupang reported its largest quarterly loss in more than four years, with CEO Bom Kim, also known as Kim Bom-suk, attributing the setback largely to a $1.16 billion customer restitution package following last year’s major data breach. The New York Stock Exchange-listed company posted an operating loss of $242 million for the period, a $373 million decline from a year earlier and its largest loss since the fourth quarter of 2021. Kim, who founded Coupang in 2010, said during a conference call that customer vouchers were one of two “distinct factors” pressuring profitability this quarter. “I want to describe them separately because they behave very differently going forward,” he said. “The first is the customer vouchers we issued in response to the incident. These are one-time in nature. The bulk of the impact is contained to Q1, with a modest tail into the first part of Q2.” Kim admitted in the call that the first three months of the year were “the low point in our product commerce revenue growth rate.” He added that although the company is working to rec

May 6, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Coupang posts biggest quarterly loss in 4 years
Companies

HD Hyundai’s eco-friendly circuit breaker for Sweden passes final hurdle

HD Hyundai Electric has passed a final hurdle to export its eco-friendly circuit breakers to Sweden, cementing its product lineups in a European market known for environmental strictness. The Korean industrial electric equipment developer said Sunday it completed testing its 145 kilovolt (kV) SF6-free circuit breaker on Thursday with its client from Sweden present. SF6, or sulfur hexafluoride, has a global warming potential 23,500 times that of carbon dioxide. In 2024, the European Union tightened regulations on fluorinated greenhouse gases, or F-gases, increasing legal restrictions on artificial gases such as refrigerants (HFCs), semiconductor cleaning solvents (PFCs) and insulating gas (SF6). According to the Korean company, the bloc plans to ban SF6 in circuit breakers with capacities of 145kV or higher starting in 2032. HD Hyundai Electric said the EU regulations are expected to increase demands for high-voltage circuit breakers with zero SF6. Following its final test, the Korean firm’s SF6-free circuit breaker will be supplied to a substation run by a Swedish utility company. HD Hy

May 3, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
HD Hyundai’s eco-friendly circuit breaker for Sweden passes final hurdle
Companies

APR named among Time's 100 most influential companies

Korean beauty-tech firm APR has made it to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2026 list, becoming the first Korean beauty company ever to make the list and the only Korean firm included this year. Time placed the company in the “Titans” category alongside global heavyweights such as Alphabet, Nvidia, Meta and SpaceX, APR said Sunday. The U.S. magazine compiles the annual list based on recommendations from global correspondents, editors and industry experts, evaluating companies on influence, innovation and leadership. The category refers to the largest and most dominant firms shaping the global economy. Describing APR as a global K-beauty phenomenon, the magazine said the company’s rapid international rise — particularly in the United States — has been driven by its Medicube brand, known for innovative skincare products and beauty devices that dominate social media platforms such as TikTok. The magazine noted that Medicube became the top-selling beauty brand on Amazon during the retailer’s 2025 Prime Day event and has since expanded into more than 1,400 Ulta B

May 3, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
APR named among Time's 100 most influential companies
Business

Dongseo Trail set to open, drawing global spotlight as 'Korea’s Santiago' pilgrimage

The Dongseo (East-West) Trail, set to open to the public early next year, stretches across the country’s central region from Anmyeon Island in Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, to Mangyangjeong Pavilion in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province. Spanning 849 kilometers, it is the country’s first coast-to-coast hiking route designed for long-distance backpacking, requiring weeks or even months to complete. Experts at the 2026 Korea Trail Conference in Seoul, Wednesday, compared the trail to the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a global attraction for soul-searching trail hikers. The Jeju Olle Trail, which circles Jeju Island, has already played a key role in boosting Korea’s global tourism appeal, maintaining steady popularity since its launch in 2007. In addition to the Jeju Olle Trail and other hiking routes across the nation’s coastal and mountainous regions, the Dongseo Trail is highly anticipated to further empower the country’s tourism assets. Since 2023, investment has been directed to 225 townships across five cities and 21 counties. “Outdoor manias worldwide are p

May 3, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Dongseo Trail set to open, drawing global spotlight as 'Korea’s Santiago' pilgrimage
Companies

CEO repositions BNCERA for global markets at Aesthetic Medicine Congress

BNCERA Aesthetic Medicine Congress 2026 in Incheon was a flashpoint for BNCERA CEO Jaha Zoda and his aesthetic medicine products company. More than 200 physicians, distributors and other industry professionals from 23 countries gathered at Paradise City Hotel from Monday to Friday to hear about the company’s latest breakthroughs. The event began a day after the company hosted an opening ceremony for its first Korean manufacturing plant in the city’s Namdong District, establishing a pipeline for the company’s product lineup under its Tesoro Pro signature brand including fillers, fat dissolvers and skin boosters. The congress gave a preview of BNCERA’s next-generation hyaluronic acid filler platform that is now in development. The new ATHEVA lineup is scheduled for market launch next year. Zoda said the platform’s technological strengths speak for themselves, citing controlled formulation, refined purity, predictable injection behavior and indication-oriented design, while dismissing the superlatives often used in filler marketing. “We kept asking one question during its develo

Apr 30, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
CEO repositions BNCERA for global markets at Aesthetic Medicine Congress
Companies

BNCERA launches Incheon plant, spurs beauty medicine market

INCHEON — Aesthetic medical product developer BNCERA opened its first manufacturing plant in Korea in Incheon Tuesday, accelerating its production capacity for its key lineups of fillers, skin boosters and more. Nestled in Namdong District of the western port city, the plant was built as a strategic base, allowing the company to respond to growing global demand. Designed and built in accordance with GMP principles, the facility supports strict quality control, process stability and product safety, while BNCERA continues the relevant GMP suitability recognition procedures, supporting BNCERA’s goal of establishing a stable supply system and strengthening quality competitiveness in line with international standards. Key BNCERA executives including Chairman Rahmat Bozorov, co-founders Fred Bozorov, Andrew Parviz and Jaha Zoda, as well as representatives from Namdong District Office and Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, participated in the ceremony. More than a hundred executives and officials from BNCERA's partner companies here also attended the event. Park Joo-bong, chairman o

Apr 30, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
BNCERA launches Incheon plant, spurs beauty medicine market
Companies

Kolmar becomes 1st cosmetics ODM named large biz group

Kolmar Group has been designated as a large business group by the Fair Trade Commission, becoming the first cosmetics original development manufacturing (ODM) company to join the category. The milestone comes 36 years after founder Yoon Dong-han launched the company in 1990 with just four employees. As of the end of last year, Kolmar Group’s total assets reached 5.24 trillion won ($3.8 billion), surpassing the 5 trillion won threshold required for the designation as a large business group. By affiliate, Kolmar Korea held assets worth 1.53 trillion won, followed by HK inno.N with 2.1 trillion won, Kolmar Holdings with 546.1 billion won and Kolmar BNH with 520.6 billion won. The group has diversified from cosmetics into pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and functional health foods, while expanding globally to drive growth. Kolmar Korea posted record-breaking results last year, logging 2.72 trillion won in consolidated sales and 239.6 billion won in operating profit, both up by double digits from a year earlier. HK inno.N joined the “1 trillion won club” with revenue of 1.1 trillion won, s

Apr 29, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Kolmar becomes 1st cosmetics ODM named large biz group
Companies

Hyundai Glovis introduces world’s largest car carrier

Hyundai Glovis has deployed the ultra-large pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) Glovis Leader, capable of transporting 10,800 vehicles, into finished-vehicle maritime shipping, the company said Wednesday. The vessel measures 230 meters in length and 40 meters in width, with a gross tonnage of 102,590 tons. Its loading space is equivalent to about 28 football fields. Hyundai Glovis is the first global car carrier operator to introduce a PCTC with capacity exceeding 10,000 vehicles. The Glovis Leader is equipped with a liquefied natural gas dual-fuel propulsion engine and an alternative maritime power (AMP) system, enabling it to comply with tightening global environmental regulations, including the emissions trading scheme of the European Union. The AMP system allows the vessel to use shore electricity while docked, reducing air pollutant emissions by eliminating onboard fuel-based power generation. Hyundai Glovis plans to deploy the Glovis Leader across its global shipping routes. By 2030, the company aims to expand its PCTC fleet to 128 vessels and transport 5 million vehicles annually

Apr 29, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Hyundai Glovis introduces world’s largest car carrier
Companies

Ambassadors' spouses experience Korea's traditional liquor

Spouses of diplomatic ambassadors in Korea experienced a curated selection of the country’s traditional alcoholic beverages paired with Korean cuisine in a government-hosted event Wednesday aimed at promoting Korea’s gastronomic culture. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said the dignitaries gathered at Korea House in Seoul, run by the Korea Heritage Agency, for the event, which was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The invitation follows the government’s designation of its embassies in 30 countries as official outposts for promoting Korean food and traditional liquor. Thirty-six Korean traditional alcoholic beverages — ranging from makgeolli (fermented rice wine) to yakju (refined rice wine), fruit wine and soju (distilled rice wine) — were served. Authorities said the selection of "K-Sool," referring to Korean liquor, was handpicked by a special committee based on each product’s recipe, history and philosophy. The government added that it has finalized the nomenclature for the four alcohol categories and will begin promoting them worldwi

Apr 29, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Ambassadors' spouses experience Korea's traditional liquor
Companies

Shinsegae goes all out to capitalize on holiday weeks in China, Japan

Shinsegae Group is going all out to capitalize on holiday periods in China and Japan that run through next week, rolling out promotional events targeting customers visiting from neighboring countries. Japan’s Golden Week and China’s Labor Day holiday week coincide with Korea’s Labor Day on Friday and Children’s Day on Tuesday, prompting major retailers here to brace for a “super week” expected to bring a surge of visitors and spending. Shinsegae Group’s retail subsidiaries spanning fashion, beauty, lifestyle and duty-free stores have revamped layouts and launched discount events to boost the shopping mood. The conglomerate aims to focus on the holiday period as a way to sustain the recent rise in spending by foreign customers. In the first quarter, Shinsegae Department Store saw sales to foreign shoppers surge, with women’s fashion jumping 99.6 percent from the previous quarter. Men’s fashion rose 121 percent and the beauty segment increased 91.2 percent. Fashion and beauty have become the group’s keywords for its latest promotional bonanza. Shinsegae International’

Apr 29, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Shinsegae goes all out to capitalize on holiday weeks in China, Japan
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