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
Visitors browse exhibits at Seoul Food 2026 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Korea’s largest food exhibition opened for a four-day run, bringing together global buyers and food companies amid growing worldwide demand for Korean cuisine. Courtesy of Seoul Food
![[PHOTO] Korea's largest food expo kicks off](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has secured new partnership deals with Korean tech giants to expand the global supply chains for his firm's artificial intelligence (AI) chips and graphics processing units since arriving in Seoul Friday. But beyond the U.S. firm's business meetings, Huang's latest visit to Seoul has once again shone a spotlight on Korean food and alcohol brands that appeared alongside him, creating major windfalls for their operators. The biggest beneficiary was Genesis BBQ. The leading fried chicken franchise won Huang's favor at both a restaurant and a baseball stadium, where he met Korean business leaders and forged new ties. On Friday, after a dinner with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin near western Seoul's Hongik University, Huang and the conglomerate chiefs visited a nearby Genesis BBQ restaurant for a second round. According to Genesis BBQ, the visit was not planned in advance but was an impromptu stop during a bar-hopping outing. They ordered the Golden Olive Chicken, the brand's signature dish. Genesis BBQ con
The first person Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met in Seoul on Friday was Korea’s League of Legends superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. Huang met the esports legend at a PC cafe run by Faker’s esports team, T1, in the Hongdae area of Mapo District at around 3 p.m. The meeting included Faker and the team’s four other players and took place less than two hours after Huang landed in Seoul. “This is the birthplace of esports,” Huang said while meeting T1 at the cafe. He added that Korea has been in his heart for a long time and said he is a big fan the team. “When I first came to Korea, there was Starcraft. It was the first spectator sport for esports,” Huang said. He added that Korean esports players opted to use optimal graphics processing units (GPU) and chose GeForce, Nvidia’s brand of globally popular graphics cards. Huang asked Faker whether he and his team uses GeForce. They said they use RTX 4070, and Huang replied, “That’s an antique.” Later Huang and Faker exchanged gifts, with the former presenting an RTX 5090 GPU sporting his autograph, while Faker presented a j
Project Beaver, a proposal involving manufacturing and user infrastructure for long-haul hydrogen trucks in Canada, has emerged as Korea's secret weapon to woo the Canadian government ahead of its announcement of a winning bidder for its submarine contract later this month. The project will be the latest addition to a bundle of economic benefits for Canada as part of the bid proposed by Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and the Korean government. If the Canadian government approves the project, worth roughly 60 trillion won ($43.5 billion), the North American country will be able to build a nationwide hydrogen truck ecosystem which will begin building in as early as 2030. During his visit to Canada last week to facilitate bilateral economic ties, Korea's presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik proposed the project to the Canadian government. He mentioned the project in partnership with Hyundai Motor Group during an interview on Wednesday with CTV, a local broadcaster in Canada. The project, named after the rodent that inhabits Canadian waterways, involves an investment of more
Paradise Hotel Busan has been selected as the official hotel partner for BTS the City ARIRANG Busan, unveiling a series of immersive experiences and accommodation packages tied to BTS's upcoming Busan concert, scheduled for June 12 and 13. The BTS-themed urban entertainment project transforms an entire city into a cultural destination by incorporating the group's music and storytelling into its urban spaces. As part of the initiative, Paradise Hotel Busan will convert key areas of the property into BTS-themed experience zones. From June 8 to 21, the hotel's Ocean Pool Rooftop will feature installations inspired by "Swim," the title track from BTS's fifth studio album, ARIRANG. The rooftop will include a dedicated photo zone overlooking Haeundae Beach, an arch-shaped installation featuring ARIRANG-themed elements and branded decorations throughout the poolside bar area. The hotel's outdoor ARIRANG Garden will host themed installations from June 8 to 14, including a symbolic gateway inspired by visuals from the new album and a photo wall. Large-scale graphic wraps on the hotel's glass ext
Oriental Brewery (OB), Korea’s leading brewer, became the only Korean beer manufacturer recognized at the 2026 International Taste Awards, with five of its beer brands receiving the Superior Taste Award from the Belgium-based International Taste Institute (ITI), the company said Thursday. Founded in Brussels in 2005, the ITI is one of the world's most recognized food and beverage quality assessment organizations. Each year, an international jury composed of Michelin-starred chefs and professional sommeliers evaluates products through blind tastings based on five criteria — first impression, appearance, aroma, taste and texture, and aftertaste. More than 250 judges participated in this year's competition. Products receiving an average score of at least 70 points out of 100 are awarded the Superior Taste Award. Scores between 70 and 80 earn one star, 80 to 90 receive two stars, and products scoring above 90 are granted the highest distinction of three stars. OB said it was the only Korean beer manufacturer to receive awards at this year’s competition, following a similar achievement
Progressive candidates dominated the education superintendent races, which were part of Wednesday's local elections, tilting the balance of power among the country's education chiefs in their favor. In Seoul, incumbent superintendent Jung Geun-sik was reelected in a crowded race among eight candidates, along with other progressive incumbents in Incheon and Busan. Busan winner Kim Seok-jun secured a fourth consecutive term, claiming a record tenure in the country. Gyeonggi Province saw progressive candidate Ahn Min-seok swoop in to take office. Progressives now hold 10 of 16 superintendent positions for the next four years. Conservatives won races in six constituencies including conservative strongholds Daegu, North and South Gyeongsang Provinces, as well as Sejong, Daejeon and North Chungcheong. Daegu winner Kang Eun-hee has become the city’s first female superintendent, clinching her third consecutive term. Sejong winner Kang Mi-ae also became the city’s first female education chief. The overall outcome has shifted the country’s demography of education chiefs toward progressives,
SEONGNAM, Gyeonggi Province — Tteokbokki, a rice cake dish simmered in sweet and spicy pepper paste, was at first notorious for its chewy texture that confused non-Koreans. Some disgruntled consumers complained, wondering how they were supposed to eat something with that consistency. That was the reality for what many Koreans consider a comfort food and one of the most representative street foods here. Tteokbokki raises the question: If it is so deeply rooted in Korean society, how does it fare abroad? Kim Kwan-hoon, chief marketing officer at Dareun which operates tteokbokki franchise restaurant brand Dookki here and outside Korea, understood the challenge. His answer was to add grandeur to the food, camouflaging the mouthfeel with culinary tricks and presenting an enjoyable dining experience. “Tteokbokki has been my comfort food since I was a kid. But to foreigners, serving it as street food is a no-no. Nine out of 10 Westerners found rice cakes very difficult to eat, unsure when to stop chewing and swallow. To get to them, it should instead be a proper meal in an upscale restaura
CJ Olive Young will open its second Olive Young store in the United States in Los Angeles this month, following the opening of its first U.S. store in Pasadena last week, which drew a strong customer response. The beauty retail chain company said on Monday that the second store will be in the Westfield Century City shopping mall. The venue, according to the company, is a key commercial sector in the city that attracts a high volume of professional workers, high-income consumers and tourists from worldwide. The company said that while the Pasadena store targets specific consumer groups interested in Korean culture and experience-oriented shopping, the second store will expand the target consumer groups to premium-seekers and broader ethnic groups. The company cited market research firm Circana’s report saying K-beauty accounts for 6 percent of the overall mass beauty market in the U.S., excluding luxury brands. It said this local market share reflects K-beauty “has a vast potential to grow further.” The CJ Group affiliate aims to expand Olive Young's offline coverage across the west
Major online food-ordering platform Baedal Minjok’s operator Woowa Brothers will include foreign-issued cards as a payment method for users of Apple Pay, increasing convenience for foreign customers. The company said Sunday that VISA, Mastercard, JCB and Amex will become payment options for Apple Pay on the platform starting Tuesday. The upgraded feature is the first in the country’s food-ordering platform industry, according to the company. The platform, also known as Baemin, has so far allowed only domestic payment cards for Apple Pay. Apple Pay users with payment cards issued outside Korea had to punch in the cards’ numbers and go through an identity verification process every time they used the platform, experiencing time-consuming hassles. Woowa Brothers said the latest system upgrade will allow foreigners here to experience the country’s food delivery culture more conveniently. The payment method expansion comes as Woowa Brothers this year saw a spike in sales from foreign customers. In the first quarter, the number of delivery requests using foreign-issued payment cards ju