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.
Novelis Asia President Sachin Satpute, sixth from right, poses with Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan, sixth from left, and other participants at the “CanCrushChallenge” event held at the Gocheok Skydome in Seoul, Saturday. Novelis is a global producer of rolled aluminum and a recycler of beverage cans. Courtesy of Novelis Korea
By Kwak Yeon-sooLee Jeong-heon, the dermatologist at Jryn Dermatology / Courtesy of Jryn DermatologyWhen it comes to aging, most people think of wrinkles or sagging skin. However, the majority of people experience a combination of wrinkles, loss of volume and hyperpigmentation as they age, according to dermatologist Lee Jeong-heon“As you age, fat cells begin to shrink and collagen stops being produced,” Lee said. “That's why you lose elasticity and volume over time.”She said facial harmony as well as the color and the texture of the skin affect the likelihood of exhibiting a youthful appearance.“Everybody wants a V-line face nowadays. Due to this rising trend, there are many types of non-surgical procedures to help create an oval-shaped face,” she said. According to Lee, dermal fillers can help replenish lost volume, smooth under-eye circles and lift sagging cheekbones.Once a filler brings back lost volume, she recommends facelift procedures to balance out the face.“Not all facelifts are the same. Different skin types and patients' desires ca
A “burnt” pizza that a customer received from Pizza Hut, July 21. / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooPizza Hut Korea is facing growing backlash from consumers after offering a belated refund for a pizza that arrived “burnt.” When the customer first filed a complaint demanding a refund, the company had initially said it wouldn't provide a full refund, adding the product was cooked properly.“I understand how frustrating this is. However, we will not be able to offer a full refund on this occasion because there was no problem in the production process,” a customer support employee wrote.However, after the customer posted about the unsatisfactory incident in an online community, the pizzeria changed its stance and apologized for the error. According to media reports, a Pizza Hut customer ordered a Mega Crunch Chicken pizza on July 21 and was surprised to see most of the slices were burnt.“Except for one or two slices of pizza, the rest was burnt,” the customer wrote on the online community, July 24. “I demanded a refund but the franchi
Models display Dos Copas wines, sold for 4,900 won ($4) each, at an E-mart outlet in Seoul, Thursday. The discount store chain operator said it will offer dozens of varieties of wine at substantial discounts. Yonhap
By Kwak Yeon-sooDiageo Korea will expand its presence in the highball market with the world's No. 1 Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker and the U.K.'s national whisky Bell's, the company said Wednesday. Due to the anti-Japan sentiment stemming from the recent trade dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, more and more Korean consumers are looking for Scotch whisky highballs instead of ones made with Japanese whisky.“Highballs originated in golf club bars in Scotland as golfers began to mix whisky with soda so that they could play golf without getting drunk,” a Diageo Korea official said. In its latest effort to promote whisky highballs, Diageo Korea has been going after large pubs and franchise bars.In April, it started sales of Johnnie Walker Red Label-based highball in 40 outlets of “Miss You,” a gallery-style bar franchise. Diageo is selling its Johnnie Walker highball in many other beer bar franchises including “Tudari,” which has 1,500 venues nationwide, “Cheers,” and “New York Night Market.”The Johnnie Walker Red Label is most
Aston Martin displayed its sports cars, including DBS Super Legera, Vantage and DB11 models, featuring Juventus' logo in front of the Seoul World Cup Stadium, July 26. Courtesy of Aston Martin KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooJeep, Aston Martin and Continental AG, which sponsored the friendly match between Juventus and the K League All-Stars team Friday, failed to get publicity from global football star Cristiano Ronaldo who caused public uproar for not playing in the game.Sponsors, which expected to hugely benefit from the match, are even concerned about losing brand value as football star Ronaldo had abruptly canceled attending a fan meeting event and stayed on the bench throughout the match, citing muscle fatigue. On Friday, about 63,000 fans gathered at Seoul World Cup Stadium to see Ronaldo, who had not visited Korea in 12 years. Although Team K League played a 3-3 draw with Juventus, most returned home disappointed after watching Ronaldo warm the bench for 90 minutes. The reputation of football star Ronaldo is not the only thing that took a major hit. The dismay resulted in many seeking le
Park Seong-joon, the dermatologist at Beauty M Clinic / Courtesy of Beauty M ClinicBy Kwak Yeon-sooAs more men and women opt for cosmetic enhancements, the perception of plastic surgery in Korea has improved in recent years. With the ongoing trend, conservative, or minimally invasive, facelifts are becoming more prevalent for those who want a more subtle anti-aging procedure.“Nowadays, patients don't want to look like they've had surgery,” said Park Seong-joon, a dermatologist. “They want a more natural-looking change.”He said that although patients want a smooth and youthful appearances, they fear that their faces will look too tight or too flat.“The procedure is open to patients of all ages, ranging from their 20s to 70s. But most of my patients are between their 30s and 50s, who are concerned about volume loss or wrinkles,” Park said.Conservative facelifts prevent deep creases in the skin by using surgical thread or high-intensity focused ultrasound treatments to lift sagging skin in specific areas of the face, such as the jawline, forehead and
Models display vegetables from Gangwon Province at an E-mart outlet in Seoul, Monday. The discount store chain operator said it will provide discounts of up to 33 percent on a wide variety of vegetables, including cucumbers, peppers and cabbages, until Aug. 7. Yonhap
Woowa Brothers CEO Kim Bong-jin, left, and Professor Dennis Hong at UCLA / Courtesy of Woowa BrothersBy Kwak Yeon-sooBaedal Minjok, Korea's leading mobile app for food delivery services, will join hands with UCLA's robotics research team to develop cooking robots, the company said Monday.Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, said it has agreed with Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) of UCLA to jointly develop robots that can cook at restaurants and homes. RoMeLa, which is led by Professor Dennis Hong of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is widely known as the mecca for robotics research focusing on the development of humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles. Under the project name “Yori,” Woowa Brothers will develop cooking robots that can perform various tasks, from placing orders and preparing meals, to bring an innovation to the dining culture. “We are excited to partner with RoMeLa, a recognized leader in robotics research,” a Woowa Brothers official said. “We share a vision of delivering innovative solutions to our customers.
SK Innovation's co-working office in Seoul / Courtesy of SK InnovationBy Kwak Yeon-sooSK Group has been leading the pack among large business groups when it comes to transforming the country's often “rigid” and “seniority-based” workplace culture. Korea's third-largest conglomerate under the leadership of Chairman Chey Tae-won has taken steps to make work schedules more flexible and create a more “horizontal” office environment in a bid to promote employee happiness and contribute more to local communities.In SK's latest attempt, it plans to abolish bureaucratic job titles among its executives starting Aug. 1, as part of its efforts to foster a more horizontal corporate culture and encourage competency-based reward systems. The drastic shift in the organizational structure comes as the company hopes to remain agile by disposing of the nation's top-down office culture.Chairman Chey is widely known to put an emphasis on “happiness,” urging each affiliate to establish a team dedicated to crafting and executing happiness strategies.Under th