The Korea Times

Woowa Brothers starts outdoor robot delivery service

Baedal Minjok's robots, developed by Woowa Brothers, stand in the front yard of Gwanggyo Alley Way, a multipurpose housing complex in Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 18. / Courtesy of Woowa BrothersBy Kim Jae-heunA service that allows delivery robots to move around outdoors between restaurants and apartments to deliver food has become a reality in Korea. Woowa Brothers, operator of the country's No. 1 food delivery service player Baedal Minjok (Baemin), said last month that the company has started a service using self-driving outdoor delivery robots - “Dilly Drive” - at the multipurpose housing complex Gwanggyo Alley Way in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. It is available for residents and visitors.The residents of the complex, who number 1,100, can choose an item from a menu and place orders with the restaurants and coffee shops in the apartment complex just by opening their Baemin application and scanning a QR code. Orders can also be made from outdoor tables at restaurants the same way.When an order is placed, the robot goes to the restaurant. A staff member then pl

Sep 3, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Companies

E-commerce firms struggles to cope with resurging COVID-19

By Kim Jae-heunThe e-commerce sector has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the COVID-19 pandemic. When people were advised to stay home and work or study from there, the volume of orders for groceries on online markets skyrocketed. While large companies, like Coupang and Market Kurly, rode the unexpected surge their resources have also been under strain from the increasing demand for their services.Demand looks set to increase even further, especially as another infection cluster has led the government to issue an order restricting operations of coffee franchises and restaurants in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon effective since Sunday. The government has issued marginally stricter social distancing measures of “Level 2.5” that include closure of sports facilities and bars. Despite the increase in demand for online shopping Coupang, Market Kurly and SSG.com are struggling to cope with it.The top online retailer Coupang has been falling short of fresh food stock. Most items in the online mall have been shown as “unavailable for purchase” since Aug.

Sep 2, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

E-commerce firms struggles to cope with resurging COVID-19

Companies

KFTC may punish BBQ for hiding paid promos

Popular YouTuber Tzuyang apologizes on her channel after admitting that she had deceived her viewers about sponsored content on Aug. 6. / Screen captured from Tzuyang's YouTube channelBy Kim Jae-heunThe country's top antitrust agency is considering taking action against Genesis BBQ over its alleged undisclosed payment to YouTubers.“Even if YouTubers make revisions to confess the products they introduced in their video are sponsored later, they can be subjected to penalties. Though, we will take into consideration that they made changes when deciding the level of penalty according to the law,” an official at the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) told The Korea Times, Monday. “We hope our new guideline can further prevent deceitful advertising cases and provide only true and honest information to the customers. We will keep monitoring YouTubers in the near future too,” the official added.The remarks came after YouTubers Bokyem and Yangpang, who have 40.3 million and 2.54 million subscribers to their channels, respectively, recently admitted that they had not id

Aug 31, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

KFTC may punish BBQ for hiding paid promos

Companies

Korea Shipbuilding wins $70 mil. product carrier order

Korea Shipbuilding Offshore Engineering said Friday it has received a $70 million order for two product carriers from shippers in Asia and Europe. / Korea times fileKorea Shipbuilding Offshore Engineering Co., South Korea's biggest shipbuilder, said Friday it has received a $70 million order for two product carriers from shippers in Asia and Europe. Korea Shipbuilding plans to deliver the two product carriers to unidentified shippers in Asia and Europe in the second half of 2021, the company said in a statement.The petrochemical product carriers will be built in the shipyards of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding in Vietnam, respectively, it said.Korea Shipbuilding has three shipbuilding affiliates ― Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. ― under its wing. Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding, formerly known as Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard, is a 65:35 joint venture set up between Korea Shipbuilding and Vietnam's Vinashin Group.With the product carrier deal taken into accoun

Aug 28, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Korea Shipbuilding wins $70 mil. product carrier order

Companies

Dior grows rapidly to threaten Chanel, Hermes here

By Kim Jae-heunArtistic Director of Dior Men Kim JonesFrench luxury goods company Dior is moving up to vie with the so-called “big three” luxury firms here, Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Last year, Dior had sales of 186.9 billion won and an operating profit of 44.2 billion won, a respective doubling and quadrupling from the previous year, data from the country's top financial regulator showed. Its two-year performance looks impressive compared to those of other fashion houses such as Salvatore Ferragamo and Yves Saint Laurent, whose sales only increased by 6 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively. The growth rate of Yves Saint Laurent's operating profit actually decreased by 25.4 percent from 2018. Dior's achievement here amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is attributed to its aggressive marketing utilizing K-pop musicians.It has selected K-pop singers Suzy and BLACKPINK's Jisoo as its brand muses in social media campaigns.Last year, Aritisic Director of Dior Men Kim Jones designed costumes for the world tour of K-pop band BTS.Appointed as the top designer of the Fr

Aug 28, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Dior grows rapidly to threaten Chanel, Hermes here

Tech & Science

DJI launches new premium smartphone stabilizer

DJI's new premium smartphone stabilizer DJI OM 4. / Courtesy of DJIBy Kim Jae-heun DJI, the world leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, unveiled the premium smartphone stabilizer DJI OM 4, Thursday. The rebranded successor to DJI's popular Osmo Mobile line, the DJI OM 4 features a highly functional quick-snap magnetic phone attachment system, intuitive operation, upgraded motors, new creative capture modes and a portable folding design. As mobile phone cameras become more advanced, the DJI OM 4 optimizes their technology by helping anyone easily create smoother, higher-quality and more visually appealing images and videos.The new stabilizer uses high-quality materials, robust motors and the absolute latest in 3-axis stabilizer technology to offer an effortless way of capturing compelling content with just a few taps of the finger. The DJI OM 4's folding design makes it portable and convenient to take everywhere and the perfect companion for all of life's adventures, whether on road trips, video conferencing with friends far away or summertime grilling in the backy

Aug 27, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

DJI launches new premium smartphone stabilizer

Companies

Luxury brands hike prices to make up for losses

People shop at Chanel boutique at Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on May 13. Korea times fileBy Kim Jae-heunIn March, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early stages, U.S. consulting firm Bain & Company said in its report “Luxury Study 2020 Spring Update” that the industry will likely face a global sales decrease of 20 percent to 35 percent this year. However, the results are showing just the opposite in China, the most important market for luxury firms, and in Korea, a test bed of the Asian market.Despite COVID-19 concerns, people have been forming long lines in front of luxury stores even after high-end fashion brands announced price hikes for their products. When a rumor surfaced that French fashion house Chanel was going to increase prices, people flocked to its boutiques, waiting in long lines before department stores opened to get a chance to buy Chanel handbags and shoes before the price hike. In China, another French luxury brand, Hermes, set a sales record of $2.7 million in a single day on April 11. The craze for luxury goods is ongo

Aug 25, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Luxury brands hike prices to make up for losses

Companies

Burberry, Chanel, Vuitton pursuing 'gamification'

 By Kim Jae-heunThe game and luxury goods industries don't seem to have much in common. But global fashion houses have chosen games as their future marketing strategy to attract young customers and those in the Chinese market. Last June, British luxury brand Burberry launched an online game called “B Surf.” This is the third time the fashion house has introduced a multiplayer game where the characters appear in Burberry outfits. Other luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Hermes also have their own mobile application games, which are easy to play and free to download. Chanel opened pop-up stores in cosmopolitan cities like Hong Kong and Seoul to invite customers to play its game and experience its luxury items. Games have enabled luxury firms to connect to the younger generations who will be their future customers. According to U.S. marketing company PMX Agency, those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s will take over 45 percent of the global luxury market by 2025. They are used to forming a community in the game platforms and communicate well there wi

Aug 25, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Burberry, Chanel, Vuitton pursuing 'gamification'

Companies

Woowa Brothers focusing on CSR as FTC reviews M&A

Baedal Minjok's scooters are parked outside of Woowa Brothers' facility in Seoul. / Courtesy of Woowa BrothersBy Kim Jae-heunWoowa Brothers, operator of the country's No.1 food delivery firm Baedal Minjok (Baemin), has recently been focusing on corporate social responsibility activities in order to get on the government's good side. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is currently reviewing whether or not to approve a $4 billion won acquisition deal between Woowa Brothers and Delivery Hero.Because Woowa Brothers has been embroiled in number of scandals, which have had a negative effect on the merger review, it wants to improve its public reputation. Its latest effort was revealed Thursday, when Baemin said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Road Traffic Authority to promote safe-driving by deliverymen when they ride scooters to make deliveries. There has been an increasing number of scooter accidents following soaring demand for food delivery, and Woowa Brothers has hopes of curbing these. Last Wednesday, it sent daily necessities, food and beverages to victims o

Aug 25, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Woowa Brothers focusing on CSR as FTC reviews M&A

Companies

Retailers strengthen quarantine efforts at warehouses

A Coupang deliveryman takes products into an apartment complex in Seoul using a trolley, Aug. 15. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Jae-heunLocal online retailers are paying close attention to the resurgence of COVID-19, as newly confirmed cases are putting their logistic centers at risk of being shut down for several days.The country's largest e-commerce firm Coupang reopened its warehouse in Incheon, Monday, five days after a janitor there was confirmed to have been infected. Another worker, who took the same company bus to commute to the logistics center, tested positive the next day but Coupang said no more cases have been confirmed.Last Saturday, Coupang also shuttered another warehouse in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, after a married couple working part-time were found to have contracted the virus. The facility remains closed for disinfection. The e-commerce giant said it has strengthened its disinfection countermeasures as its existing social distancing measures are already set at the highest level. “We are already going far beyond the orders from the quarantine authorities. To star

Aug 24, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Kim Jae-heun

Read more

Woowa Brothers starts outdoor robot delivery service

E-commerce firms struggles to cope with resurging COVID-19

KFTC may punish BBQ for hiding paid promos

Korea Shipbuilding wins $70 mil. product carrier order

Dior grows rapidly to threaten Chanel, Hermes here

DJI launches new premium smartphone stabilizer

Luxury brands hike prices to make up for losses

Burberry, Chanel, Vuitton pursuing 'gamification'

Woowa Brothers focusing on CSR as FTC reviews M&A

Retailers strengthen quarantine efforts at warehouses

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