The Korea Times

'Distance learning has developed resilience for students'

Frederick T. Hill, head of school at Chadwick International, speaks during an interview held in his office in Songdo, Incheon, April 28. / Courtesy of Chadwick InternationalEducator speaks of proper function of online teachingBy Kim Jae-heunChadwick International is among the first schools in the country that started distance learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak that took hold here from late January. On Feb. 6, the 19th patient confirmed with the virus visited Songdo Hyundai Premium Outlet in Incheon, and all the schools in the city were ordered to close. Korean schools were on vacation at the time, so they were not pressed to immediately come up with online education strategies.However, the American international school had begun its second semester a month earlier and the school faculty had three days to gather materials and start online classes with students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.“We started off spending hours and hours creating videos and screencasts for students to access each day,” Frederick T. Hill, head of school at Chadwick International, said

Apr 29, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

'Distance learning has developed resilience for students'

Companies

Starbucks, new index of coronavirus confirmation status?

Starbucks Korea has put 1 meter to 1.5 meters distance between tables as part of its social distancing measures starting April 5. / Starbucks KoreaBy Kim Jae-heunOnce a second ranker on the world's list of most confirmed COVID-19 cases, Korea now seems to be successfully controlling the spread of the virus and has cured many to fall down to 23rd on the list of affected nations.When hundreds of infections were reported on a daily basis here in February, many restaurants and coffee shops closed, both voluntarily and against their will. Starbucks was one of them, voluntarily shutting down 39 shops in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province where the coronavirus hit Korea the hardest. But because Starbucks is a global coffee chain that operates over 31,250 stores around the world, it has become a new barometer for the virus situation in any given country by the operation of its stores.As the situation started to improve in Korea, Starbucks Korea decided to reopen its closed shops on March 22. Now all Starbucks locations in in Korea have reopened, except one in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province.

Apr 26, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Starbucks, new index of coronavirus confirmation status?

Companies

Sephora struggling to settle in Korean market

People shop at Sephora's first outlet in Parnas Mall in Seoul, in this 2019 file photo. / Korea Times file photoBy Kim Jae-heunSephora Korea CEO Kim Dong-juFrench multinational beauty store chain Sephora is struggling to find its niche in the Korean market.The Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH) subsidiary opened its very first store in Korea last October at the Parnas Mall in Seoul, and so far the assessment of industry insiders is that Sephora has yet to provide a differentiated service for customers at its offline stores. Son Sung-min, a researcher at REACH24H Korea, said that Sephora was already a well-known brand that helped Koreans to purchase products online that were unavailable here. When it opened its store in Korea though, it sold the same items that people could already buy using their phones.“Korean customers could not see the need to visit the offline shops. If Sephora wants to bring online customers to offline shops, they have to sell more exclusive items at offline stores,” Son said. Sephora Korea CEO Kim Dong-ju promised that the firm will concentrate on

Apr 24, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Sephora struggling to settle in Korean market

Politics

LG H&H records best-ever result of first quarter amid COVID-19 pandemic

By Kim Jae-heunLG Household & Health Care CEO Cha Suk-yongLG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) saw its best-ever performance in the first quarter this year amid concerns over an earnings shortfall it could face due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected its rivals including AmorePacific. The company recorded a 333.7 billion won ($269.7 million) operating profit between January and March, up 3.6 percent from the same period last year. Sales also increased 1.2 percent to 1.89 trillion won, and its net profit was 234.2 billion won, up 3.7 percent from 2019The unexpected results came from soaring sales in hygiene products for home and personal care. “We saw sharp increase in demand for hygiene products due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to social distancing nationwide,” an LG H&H official said. “Popular items included hand sanitizer gel, wet tissues, soaps and throwaway dishcloths.”The coronavirus did affect sales of many of LG H&H's beauty products except its luxury Sum37 and O Hui brands. Sales of the popular LosecSumma and The Firs

Apr 24, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

LG H&H records best-ever result of first quarter amid COVID-19 pandemic

Companies

Dongwha starts construction of MDF manufacturing plant in Hanoi

Dongwha Vietnam General Manager Kim Myung-sik, fifth from left, poses with other officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new production line in Hanoi, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Dongwha EnterpriseBy Kim Jae-heunKorea's top wood materials manufacturer Dongwha Enterprise began construction of its very first independent production facility in Vietnam. The plant, which is located in Thai Nguyen Province near the capital city of Hanoi, will mainly produce laminate flooring and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) that is used to make furniture. Dongwha Enterprise held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new facility on Wednesday and made an official announcement of the production line construction.A total 180 billion won has been invested in the plant which covers 50,000 square meters. The plant construction site will not only include production facilities but also dormitory and education facilities for workers and their families. Dongwha Enterprise expects to complete construction of the manufacturing plants for laminate flooring and MDF in April and August next year, respectively. The wood

Apr 23, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Dongwha starts construction of MDF manufacturing plant in Hanoi

Companies

Hyundai Mobis to aid dealers hit hard by COVID-19

An employee watches monitors at Hyundai Mobis' test site in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Hyundai MobisBy Kim Jae-heunHyundai Mobis has come up with support measures to help its dealers which have been struck hard by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.For the month of April, Hyundai Mobis will provide discounts on car parts for 1,134 dealers across the nation. This is expected to reduce costs by about 3 million won ($2,432) per shop.The car parts maker will also extend this month’s payment due date by three months at the dealers’ request. Many of them are short of cash due to a decrease in sales along with delays in payments from clients.In addition, the company’s employees have come up with a fundraiser to aid medical teams fighting COVID-19.Since March 26, Hyundai Mobis employees have raised about 75 million won ($60,861) to support medical staff fighting to overcome the virus nationwide. The company chipped in the same amount to raise 150 million won to donate to Medipeace, a nonprofit organization.The company said the money will be us

Apr 23, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Hyundai Mobis to aid dealers hit hard by COVID-19

Companies

eBay Korea still looking for buyers?

Employees at eBay Korea pose for a picture in this 2016 file photo. / Korea Times file photo By Kim Jae-heunDespite the company's best-ever turnover in the first quarter of this year, there are still rumors that eBay Korea will be put to market for sale.The company has been suffering from the rumor since last year when it became a limited liability company to free itself from filing an otherwise mandatory public report. Unlike a stock company, a limited liability company does not have to publically reveal its earnings or dividends paid so it can strategically control its sale price. The company has obviously denied the rumor, calling it a groundless allegation. However, the company revealed last year's revenue, which it had no obligation to do. An industry source said this can be seen as an act of expressing self-confidence and to respond to criticism that its estimated valuation of 5 trillion won is too high. In 2019, eBay Korea recorded 1.09 trillion won sales from

Apr 22, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Companies

SPC to open first Korean Eggslut store in June

Eggslut's signature dish / Courtesy of SPC SamlipBy Kim Jae-heun SPC Group, operator of American fast food chain Shake Shack in Korea, said Tuesday it will open the first Korean Eggslut store at the Starfield COEX Mall in Seoul in June. The food and confectionery giant said it has acquired exclusive rights to operate the restaurant here and in Singapore. Eggslut, founded by Alvin Cailan, is a fast food store in Los Angeles popular for its egg sandwich, consisting of a brioche bun, coddled egg, sriracha mayo sauce and pureed potatoes. Eggslut's first store at the Grand Central Market is among the top places to visit for tourists to Los Angeles. In 2014, the fast food store was named one of the top 10 new U.S. restaurants by Bon Appetit magazine. Eggslut stores have become successful in and outside the U.S., with outlets opening in England, Japan and Kuwait. In Korea, SPC Group's subsidiary SPC Samlip will manage the franchise business. In 2016, SPC Group brought Shake Shack to Korea. With Eggslut opening in June, it wants to expand its influence in the casual dining market. Eggslut co

Apr 22, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

SPC to open first Korean Eggslut store in June

Companies

'No exit' in China

By Kim Jae-heunAmorePacific CEO Suh Kyung-baeWhile some big-name foreign companies that are active in China are considering reducing their business operations there due to the ongoing pandemic, South Korea's beauty giant AmorePacific plans to continue its investments in China with Beijing offering administrative and financial assistance. AmorePacific said it has not changed its plans to continue the improvement of its manufacturing plant in Jiading District in the affluent Chinese city of Shanghai. The cosmetics giant will continue to produce smart beauty devices including Skin Light Therapy II there. That means Amore has no plans to relocate production abroad due to the pandemic. "The Chinese market is important for us. Our revenue coming from China accounts for about 20 percent in total sales and this does not include money earned from the duty free sector. When we factor in sales from duty free shops, where our main customers are Chinese, our revenue coming from China could rise as high as 40 percent," an AmorePacific official said."We are currently operating one plant in Chi

Apr 21, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Companies

Review of Delivery Hero-Woowa Brothers' deal to take longer time: KFTC

Korea Fair Trade Commission Chairperson Joh Sung-wook speaks during the confirmation hearing prior to her appointment in the current position at the National Assembly in this 2019 file photo. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keunBy Kim Jae-heunThe result of the Korea Fair Trade Commission's (KFTC) review of Delivery Hero's $4 billion deal to acquire Woowa Brothers could take as long as a year. “We have 120 days to review the merger and if we think we have not looked through enough data, we can request more time. I think we will need more time for this deal. It will take longer,” a KFTC official said. Delivery Hero applied for a merger review from the antitrust regulator on Dec. 31, last year. Considering the 120-day deadline the KFTC's decision was expected on April 28.Previously, the government took a little over four months to review and approve the merger of eBay Korea and G-Market.However, the KFTC official said Delivery Hero and Woowa Brother's M&A deal needs a more comprehensive review as it could potentially limit healthy competition in the online food delivery se

Apr 20, 2020By Kim Jae-heun

Kim Jae-heun

Read more

'Distance learning has developed resilience for students'

Starbucks, new index of coronavirus confirmation status?

Sephora struggling to settle in Korean market

LG H&H records best-ever result of first quarter amid COVID-19 pandemic

Dongwha starts construction of MDF manufacturing plant in Hanoi

Hyundai Mobis to aid dealers hit hard by COVID-19

eBay Korea still looking for buyers?

SPC to open first Korean Eggslut store in June

'No exit' in China

Review of Delivery Hero-Woowa Brothers' deal to take longer time: KFTC

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