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Kwak Yeon-soo

Korea Times Digital Content Reporter

Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.

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Companies

Department stores becoming 'experience zones'

Lotte Department Store's high-end artwork shop “Belle Musee” at Lotte Avenuel World Tower branch / Courtesy of Lotte Department StoreBy Kwak Yeon-sooMajor department stores Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai, are paying more attention to bolstering the customer experience and promoting more premium products to compete with online retailers, according to industry officials, Monday.Officials said they are hosting a series of exhibitions and focusing on premium brands to improve profitability and attract millennials who seek the latest trends. An intensifying price competition with e-commerce giants, such as Coupang, WeMakePrice and TMON, has also pushed department stores to rethink how they can freshen up the image they present to shoppers.Since June, Lotte Department Store has been running the special exhibition “Jurassic World” at Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport Branch which features animatronic dinosaurs. According to data provided by Lotte, the number of new customers who visited the Gimpo Airport Branch increased by 67.7 percent after it launched the exhibition. More th

Nov 24, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Department stores becoming 'experience zones'
Companies

Homeplus flustered by union's 18% wage hike demand

Homeplus headquarters in Gangseo-gu, southwestern Seoul / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooHomeplus CEO Im Il-soonHomeplus and its union are in talks about a new collective bargaining deal but are grappling with issues over pay and job security, according to industry officials Thursday.The discount store chain operator initiated talks with its union on a wage and collective bargaining agreement Nov. 14, which addresses increasing the company's minimum wage and enhancing the overall working environment. The Homeplus union has been demanding the company increase the minimum monthly wage to 2.09 million won ($1,776), up 18.5 percent from the current 1.76 million won. “Each year the company spends more than 120 billion won on dividends, but it has been reluctant in increasing the wages of workers,” the union said in a statement. “Not enough money is being spent on employees.”According to the Korean Mart Labor Union, Homeplus paid about 238.8 billion won to its workers in 2018, 237.9 billion won in 2017 and 213.2 billion won in 2016. The union also denounced the dis

Nov 21, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Homeplus flustered by union's 18% wage hike demand
Companies

'Making Starbucks planners takes whole year'

In this photo provided by Starbucks Coffee Korea, planner designers Park Young-ha, left, and Whang So-youn of the creative team pose for a photo with the 2020 planners. Courtesy of Starbucks Coffee KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith the Christmas and holiday season just around the corner, Starbucks Coffee Korea is sticking to the classics for its 2020 planners.Two designers ― Park Young-ha and Whang So-youn ― of the creative team at Starbucks Korea shared some stories and the passion that went into making these annual holiday treats.“The overall theme of the 2020 planner is Time, Journey, My Own,” Park said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “To commemorate Starbucks' 20th anniversary in Korea, we decided to stick to proven customer favorites, like bringing back the iconic Siren logo.”Whang said the team initiated planning for the 2020 collection right after launching the 2019 planners last year. “In 2019, we received a lot of feedback from our customers through diverse channels, including social media and my Starbucks review survey,” Whang recalle

Nov 21, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Making Starbucks planners takes whole year'
Companies

KAI participates in Thai defense exhibition

By Kwak Yeon-sooKAI's booth at Defense & Security 2019 held at Bangkok's IMPSCT Exhibition and Convention Center. / Courtesy of Korea Aerospace IndustriesKorea Aerospace Industries (KAI) showcased its advanced defense and security equipment at Defense & Security 2019 held in Bangkok, the company said Wednesday.At the four-day event held from Nov. 18 to 21, KAI displayed its KT-1 basic trainers, FA-50 light combat jets and Surion utility helicopters at its booth. The three products boast advanced technology and price competitiveness.Many high-ranking military officials, including Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, visited the KAI booth, as the exhibition took place concurrently with the 6th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting.“The government fully supports domestic defense companies that are making a foray into overseas markets,” Jeong said. He was briefed on pending export issues and difficulties the industry faces in seeking governmental-level support to solve them.The KAI also held a series of business meetings to seek new orders. The aerospace company discussed wa

Nov 20, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
KAI participates in Thai defense exhibition
Tech & Science

Korea, ASEAN to cooperate on smart city development

Busan citizens are learning about AR sliding screens and futuristic city concepts at a Smart City zone located inside a Busan Metropolitan Government building, in this July 16 file photo. Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe government will host the Korea-ASEAN Smart City Fair 2019 in Busan next week, with an aim of building cooperation in developing sustainable smart cities, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday.A smart city is a city that incorporates information and communication technologies to enhance the quality and performance of city services in order to reduce resource consumption and overall costs, the land ministry explained.The fair, which is scheduled to take place from Nov. 25 to 27, will invite government and industry officials from 21 countries, including all 10 ASEAN member states. Under the theme “Smart Cities, Connecting Korea-ASEAN,” the fair will feature a special exhibition, conference sessions and business meetings. As for the exhibition, each ASEAN member nation will set up a national pavilion, alongside the Korea Pavilio

Nov 20, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korea, ASEAN to cooperate on smart city development
Companies

Ediya's 3,000th coffee shop

Ediya Coffee Chairman Moon Chang-ki, sixth from left, joins a ribbon-cutting ceremony with other coffee franchise officials at the opening event of its 3,000th location in Daejeon, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ediya Coffee

Nov 20, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Ediya's 3,000th coffee shop
Companies

Photojournalist wins 6th KCCI photo contest

“Sometime” by Ji Ho-young, grand prize winner of the 6th KCCI photo contest / Courtesy of KCCIBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) announced the winners of its sixth photo contest, Wednesday.It selected Ji Ho-young, a photojournalist, as the grand prize winner, along with 74 other award recipients. Ji's photo of a foreign worker wearing a thick mask and gloves at a plastics recycling plant here won him the award.“I wanted to highlight the fact that foreign workers play an important role in the Korean economy,” Ji said. The KCCI plans to hold an award ceremony Nov. 28 where Ji will receive 30 million won in prize money from KCCI Chairman Park Yong-maan. Four second-place winners will get 5 million won each and 3 million won will be given to each of the 10 third-place winners.The photos will be on display at the KCCI headquarters building in downtown Seoul from Nov. 28 to Dec. 8. Visit kcciphoto.korcham.net to see the photos online.“We received 5,500 submissions this year. We are glad that so many people showed interest in our

Nov 20, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Photojournalist wins 6th KCCI photo contest
Companies

'Hyundai, Kia will become smart mobility provider'

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice President Chung Euisun, right, and Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp pose for a photo during an event held at Kia Motor's Georgia plant, Monday. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor GroupBy Kwak Yeon-sooHyundai Motor Group will become one of the world's top “smart mobility” service providers by offering flying suits, flying cars and other revolutionary devices, the head of Korea's largest carmaker said Tuesday.While celebrating Kia Motors' accumulated production of 3 million vehicles at its Georgia plant over the past 10 years, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun said the company and its larger affiliate Hyundai Motor will become trailblazers in “future mobility.”“We will offer the world's best smart mobility services, expanding our horizons beyond vehicle production,” Chung said. “In the future, we will manufacture not only cars but also personal air vehicles and robots, and offer all related services.”Kia began operating the plant in Georgia, its third overseas factory at the time, in 2009 f

Nov 19, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Hyundai, Kia will become smart mobility provider'
Companies

Estee Lauder betting big on K-beauty boom

By Kwak Yeon-sooHave & Be CEO Lee Chin-wookThe Estee Lauder Companies has acquired Have & Be, the parent company of Dr. Jart+, as foreign cosmetic giants jostle for a slice of one of the world's most innovative beauty markets, according to industry officials Tuesday.In December 2015, the U.S. cosmetics company purchased one third of Have & Be's stakes. Through the latest deal, it acquired the remaining two thirds.Both sides declined to disclose the exact amount but it is estimated to be around 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion), according to the officials.They said the successful acquisition is attributed to the brand's high-performing skincare products and devoted following among millennials in Asia and the U.S.“Dr. Jart+ is widely known for fusing dermatological science and innovation in its skincare collections such as Cicapair and Ceramidin,” said an official from a local cosmetics company. “It also developed a product that restores a healthy skin microbiome that became a new skincare trend this year. If supported by Estee Lauder's retail channels, Dr.

Nov 19, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Estee Lauder betting big on K-beauty boom
Companies

'SUV of the Year'

Kia Motors chief designer Peter Schreier, left, and Kia Motors America President Michael Cole pose for a photo after Kia Telluride won the 2020 MotorTrend SUV of the Year at the MotorTrend headquarters in California, Monday (local time). Yonhap

Nov 19, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
'SUV of the Year'
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