The Korea Times

Ceragem recliners earn recognition in medical journal for neuroergonomics

Ceragem, a health care company known for popularizing massage beds and chairs, has demonstrated its technological competence by earning recognition in the medical journal Frontiers for its work in neuroergonomics. Ceragem said Thursday that the journal recommended the company’s recent study involving its signature medical equipment lineup, the Master V Collection, confirming its therapeutic effects in helping users recover from back-related issues. Spearheaded by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study was jointly conducted by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the City College of New York and Ceragem Clinical, the company’s clinical research division. The study looked to verify the purported benefits of the recliners, which feature heating and customized massaging functions, through randomized controlled clinical trials. The results showed that the group using the Master V Collection experienced improvements in back pain, waist mobility and overall recovery despite a relatively short usage period. The study highlighted the home-care devices’ ability to adapt to different s

Jan 22, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Ceragem recliners earn recognition in medical journal for neuroergonomics

Companies

Fate of half million dogs unclear as dog meat ban nears

INCHEON — A declining number of dog meat farms in Korea, driven by government efforts to root out the centuries-old practice of dog meat consumption, has raised questions about what will happen to the dogs currently in the system between now and when the ban takes effect in February 2027. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed that at least 468,000 dogs are currently kept on farms in cages nationwide, or at some 5,900 related businesses, including slaughterhouses, distributors and restaurants. Following the ban, there are few clear plans about how the dogs will be cared for, raising the possibility of some being left to fend for themselves in the wild. State-run canine shelters across the country, often operated by local governments, are already at full capacity, according to Humane World for Animals Korea, a non-governmental organization dedicated to animal welfare. They say the country is far from prepared to provide a safe new life for the massive number of dogs expected to be freed. “The meat farm owners, facing the government ban, are willing to give

Jan 22, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Fate of half million dogs unclear as dog meat ban nears

Companies

Musinsa emerges as dark horse in race for Hoka distribution rights

Musinsa, Korea’s leading fashion platform, has officially entered the competition to secure domestic distribution rights for Hoka, the premium running shoe brand that has taken the local market by storm. While major fashion conglomerates have long been vying for a deal with Hoka’s parent company, Deckers Outdoor Corp., Musinsa’s entry as a “dark horse” is shifting industry attention. Experts are closely watching whether the platform can leverage its marketing and branding strengths to outmaneuver traditional retail giants. According to industry sources on Wednesday, Musinsa recently initiated talks with Deckers regarding a potential partnership. Although the platform showed little movement late last year, it has reportedly pivoted to actively pursue the brand after reassessing Hoka’s rapid growth potential in Korea. “Internal evaluations of Hoka’s brand recognition and symbolism are highly positive,” a Musinsa official said. “We are seriously considering ways to maintain and evolve the brand’s identity and philosophy in the Korean market.” Industry observers see t

Jan 22, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Musinsa emerges as dark horse in race for Hoka distribution rights

Companies

Gwangju becomes Korea's 1st test bed for self-driving cars

Gwangju Metropolitan City has been selected as the country’s first test bed for autonomous vehicles, the government announced Wednesday. The southwestern city expects the designation to accelerate the collection and analysis of large-scale data, laying the groundwork for the development of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for future vehicles. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Gwangju’s entire road network will be opened as testing sites for autonomous cars. The government said it chose Gwangju after determining that the city best met key criteria for the project, including a population of more than 1 million and a distinctive mix of urban and rural environments. The Lee Jae Myung administration’s New Government Economic Growth Strategy, announced in August, and the Measures to Strengthen Competitiveness in the Autonomous Vehicle Industry, unveiled in November, also identified the country’s southwestern region, led by Gwangju, as a national hub for the industry, according to an official from the automated driving policy divi

Jan 21, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Gwangju becomes Korea's 1st test bed for self-driving cars

Companies

PHOTO Oriental Brewery supports Team Korea

From left, judoka Kim Min-jong, modern pentathlete Jun Woong-tae and archer Kim Woo-jin pose at the “Cass 0.0” booth at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Oriental Brewery, best known for Cass, the country’s top-selling beer brand, held the event to encourage Korean national athletes ahead of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, set to open on Feb. 6. Cass is an official partner of the Winter Games and Cass 0.0 is a non-alcoholic beer. Courtesy of Oriental Brewery

Jan 21, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

[PHOTO] Oriental Brewery supports Team Korea

Companies

Olive Young to launch K-beauty zone at Sephora

Korea’s major beauty product retailer CJ Olive Young has sealed a new partnership with global beauty giant Sephora to expand its curated K-beauty offerings to broader overseas markets. The beauty retail arm of CJ Group said Wednesday that it signed the partnership earlier this month. As part of the deal, the Korean company — which operates 1,390 Olive Young stores nationwide — will launch a K-beauty zone across Sephora’s online platforms and offline stores in the United States, Canada and four Asian countries in the second half of this year. The expansion will later extend to Sephora outlets in the Middle East, Australia and the United Kingdom. Olive Young said the partnership will enable it to introduce Korean beauty products it curates to one of the world’s largest global beauty platforms. “K-beauty has grown rapidly thanks to numerous small and midsize Korean companies and their indie brands. However, that structure has also limited K-beauty’s expansion into major global retail chains, as there were clear structural barriers for smaller firms,” an Olive Young official

Jan 21, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Olive Young to launch K-beauty zone at Sephora

Companies

AliExpress Korea conducts safety checks on seasonal overseas direct-purchase items

E-commerce platform AliExpress Korea has examined 298 product categories in collaboration with the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) to assess the safety of overseas direct-purchase items that are particularly popular among Korean consumers during the winter season. The safety checks follow a memorandum of understanding signed between AliExpress and KOIMA in September 2024, under which the two sides agreed to jointly conduct regular inspections of products shipped from China to Korea. AliExpress said the initiative goes beyond its legal obligations in Korea and reflects the company’s voluntary, preventive approach to product safety management. Under the agreement, AliExpress works with seven Korean testing and certification institutions — including the Korea Testing and Research Institute (KTR), Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Korea Testing Certification (KTC) and the Korea Apparel Testing and Research Institute (KATRI) — to carry out monthly inspections of selected products. Items that fail to meet safety standards are immediately removed from sale and barred from re-regi

Jan 20, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

AliExpress Korea conducts safety checks on seasonal overseas direct-purchase items

Companies

Jipyeong Brewery expects record 2025 sales with steady popularity of makgeolli

Major Korean makgeolli maker Jipyeong Brewery said Friday it expects record sales in 2025, cementing its position in the country’s traditional fermented rice alcoholic beverage market. The company said it expects to extend its streak of record annual revenue to a 16th consecutive year, a run that began after it posted 200 million won ($135,740) in sales in 2010. The company noted that the financial result is meaningful as it came amid a protracted slowdown in Korean liquor industries. Jipyeong in 2024 posted 46.9 billion won in sales and 3.7 billion won in operating profit. Alongside its rising revenue, the company has maintained operating profit in the range of 3.6 billion won to 7 billion won over the past five years, indicating relatively stable profitability. Jipyeong said the consistent sales growth over 16 years proves the company did not rely on any popular hit product or trend. It said the performance rather was due to the firm’s structural competitiveness across ingredients, quality and logistics. It also attributed its steady growth to its expansion into overseas markets. J

Jan 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Jipyeong Brewery expects record 2025 sales with steady popularity of makgeolli

Companies

Coupang voucher draws mixed response after rollout

Coupang’s compensation vouchers for customers following a data breach that affected 33.7 million users went into effect on Thursday, drawing mixed reviews. The vouchers, which can be used across Coupang’s multiple shopping platforms, have pleased some customers with discount bargains. Others, however, have criticized the move as a sales tactic rather than proper compensation and said they would continue their boycott of the e-commerce giant. The voucher package, totaling 50,000 won ($34) per each customer, was distributed to Coupang's paid membership users, regular users and former customers who have closed their accounts. The package consists of 5,000 won in coupons for Coupang's e-commerce platform, 5,000 won for food delivery service Coupang Eats, 20,000 won for Coupang travel products and 20,000 won for R.LUX luxury beauty and fashion items. This invited criticism, because the two 20,000 won vouchers can only be used on its less popular platforms, with just 5,000 won offered for Coupang and Coupang Eats. Unlike initial criticisms, some reviews by shoppers who used the compensatio

Jan 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Coupang voucher draws mixed response after rollout

Companies

‘Culinary Class Wars’ expected to open up wallets amid spending fear for foods

The second season of hit cooking competition show “Culinary Class Wars" on Netflix is stoking consumption at restaurants and retailers, as consumers are frequenting the restaurants of chefs featured in the program and buying products they developed in collaboration with major firms. The trend is on the rise as the 13-episode show, which premiered on Dec. 16, has posted more than 10.2 million accumulated views in its first two weeks and is set to release its season finale on Tuesday. Market analysts say the show has proven to be a rare media phenomenon in which fandom generated by a global streaming platform translates into viral consumption patterns in local markets. According to a poll conducted last week, a majority of respondents said they had felt the impact of the popular show in their everyday lives. The response came from 62 percent of 2,600 adults aged 19 to 59 who participated in a survey conducted by data consulting firm PMI on Wednesday and Thursday. An even larger share of viewers — 73 percent — said they were willing to visit restaurants run by chefs featured on the p

Jan 12, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

Ko Dong-hwan

Read more

Ceragem recliners earn recognition in medical journal for neuroergonomics

Fate of half million dogs unclear as dog meat ban nears

Musinsa emerges as dark horse in race for Hoka distribution rights

Gwangju becomes Korea's 1st test bed for self-driving cars

PHOTO Oriental Brewery supports Team Korea

Olive Young to launch K-beauty zone at Sephora

AliExpress Korea conducts safety checks on seasonal overseas direct-purchase items

Jipyeong Brewery expects record 2025 sales with steady popularity of makgeolli

Coupang voucher draws mixed response after rollout

‘Culinary Class Wars’ expected to open up wallets amid spending fear for foods

Top 5 stories