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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Korea targets sanitary pad makers over pricing practices

Korea is initiating a regulatory push against major sanitary pad makers amid concerns over a possible oligopoly. They are suspected of engaging in unfair price-fixing practices by abusing their dominant market position. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is also investigating whether the companies set excessively high prices for their products. The FTC investigation follows President Lee Jae Myung’s order issued during a policy briefing by the antitrust authority last week, when he took issue with the “relatively expensive” prices of sanitary pads in Korea compared with those in other countries. According to a 2023 report published by the Korean Women’s Environmental Network, the average sanitary pad price in Korea was about 40 percent higher than their overseas counterparts. The organization compared the prices of 510 sanitary pad products from Korea with 69 others from 11 major developed countries, including the United States and Japan. Korean consumers largely echoed this sentiment, as many rely on products from the top three makers — Yuhan-Kimberly, LG Unicharm and Kleannara

Dec 26, 2025By Lee Min-hyung
Korea targets sanitary pad makers over pricing practices

Police analyze suspect's laptop in Coupang data leak probe

Police investigating the massive data leak at e-commerce giant Coupang are now intensifying their efforts to analyze a suspect's laptop submitted by the company earlier this week, police officials said Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's cyber investigation department is currently conducting a forensic examination of the contents of the laptop that Coupang voluntarily presented Sunday. The police are trying to verify whether the laptop was actually used by the suspect, whether it was used in the crime and whether there was any data tampering in the voluntary submission process. Coupang said Thursday it has identified a former employee as the suspect behind the data leak by using forensic evidence, adding that the individual confessed and provided a detailed account of how customer information was accessed. The company also said it has recovered all leaked personal information involving approximately 3,000 customers, and no data has been transferred to anyone outside the company. The police are reportedly reviewing whether there are any legal issues involving the company as it s

Dec 26, 2025By Yonhap
Police analyze suspect's laptop in Coupang data leak probe

SPC bakery brand opens 24-hour outlets with unmanned system

SPC Group, a major South Korean food and beverage company, said Friday its bakery brand Paris Baguette has opened 24-hour hybrid stores equipped with an unmanned operating system, marking the first such move in the local bakery industry. Paris Baguette's two hybrid outlets in Seoul operate with on-site staff during daytime hours and switch to an unmanned system late at night and in the early morning, enabling sales without time restrictions, SPC said in a press release. As is the case with unmanned convenience stores and side-dish outlets, customers can enter the store during unmanned hours through a credit card authentication process and make purchases by scanning product barcodes at kiosks. "Starting in 2026, we will steadily adopt the hybrid store model nationwide, focusing on urban areas with high late-night foot traffic," a company official said. Since 2004, SPC has expanded the Paris Baguette brand to 15 countries. The number of its overseas outlets has recently surpassed 700, while domestic stores total about 3,400. The group currently operates industrial bakeries in China and Mala

Dec 26, 2025By Yonhap
SPC bakery brand opens 24-hour outlets with unmanned system

Foreign carmakers seek sales growth through expanded service networks

Foreign carmakers are rapidly expanding their showrooms and service centers in Korea, as part of efforts to drive sales growth in more regions nationwide. Audi Korea, which achieved a major sales rebound this year, hopes to extend its winning streak next year by opening new service facilities for its customers. Last week, the carmaker opened its premium exhibition hall on the nation’s southern island of Jeju. The facility, which spans 280.5 square meters, is designed to boost its exchanges with customers by displaying new Audi models. Earlier this month, the carmaker also opened a showroom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, to absorb demand from customers in the nation’s northwestern region just outside the capital area. The facility boasts a land area of 276.9 square meters. Of particular note there is Audi Korea’s three-dimensional digital system, which allows customers to virtually experience diverse vehicle colors and options more vividly. BYD Korea is one of the nation’s fastest-growing imported carmakers in terms of service facility expansion. After the Chinese electric vehicle (E

Dec 26, 2025By Lee Min-hyung
Foreign carmakers seek sales growth through expanded service networks

ICT ministry calls Coupang data leak disclosure ‘unilateral’

The Ministry of Science and ICT pushed back on Thursday against Coupang’s announcement that a former employee suspected of leaking customer data saved information from only about 3,000 accounts, calling it a “unilateral claim.” In a statement, the ministry said it had strongly protested Coupang unilaterally disclosing matters currently under investigation by the joint public-private probe team to the public. Earlier in the day, Coupang said in a press release that it had identified the former employee responsible for the leak, adding that the individual confessed and provided a detailed account of how customer data was accessed. Coupang said the suspect used stolen security keys to access basic information from approximately 33 million customer accounts, but saved data from only about 3,000 of those accounts. In response, the ministry said the joint investigation team is closely examining the type, scale and circumstances of the data leak, stressing that Coupang’s claims have not been verified.

Dec 25, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo
ICT ministry calls Coupang data leak disclosure ‘unilateral’

Coupang says former employee saved data from only 3,000 customers, no external leak

E-commerce giant Coupang Inc. said Thursday it has recovered all leaked personal information involving approximately 3,000 customers, adding that no data has been transferred to anyone outside the company. In a press release, Coupang said it has identified a former employee responsible for the data leak by using forensic evidence, adding that the individual confessed and provided a detailed account of how customer information was accessed. The suspect used stolen security keys to access basic customer information from approximately 33 million accounts, the company said. However, data from only about 3,000 accounts was actually saved and later deleted by the suspect. An internal investigation found no evidence that any customer data was shared with or transmitted to third parties, the company said, adding it has also secured all devices used to access and store customer information, including a hard drive. The accessed information included customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses and other details, according to the company. Coupang stressed that there was no breach o

Dec 25, 2025By Yonhap
Coupang says former employee saved data from only 3,000 customers, no external leak

Hanwha seeks to build nuclear sub in Philadelphia for US Navy

Hanwha Group has expressed its intent to build nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy at its shipyard in Philadelphia, calling the facility the ideal location to accelerate the ongoing construction of Virginia-class submarines. During a press conference Monday (local time) at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the Korean conglomerate said workforce reinforcement, productivity improvement, facility investment and technology transfer are underway to prepare for U.S. Navy submarine construction. The press conference came just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned Hanwha as the company that would work with the U.S. Navy to build new frigates. He described Hanwha as “a good company,” referring to its planned $5 billion expansion at the shipyard, which it bought for $100 million a year ago. "The U.S. government's commitment to nuclear-powered submarine capability, its own and of the allies is very strong," Hanwha Group Chief Strategy Officer Alex Wong, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser, said at the press conference. "We stand ready to fulfill the ability to build those

Dec 25, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
Hanwha seeks to build nuclear sub in Philadelphia for US Navy

US politicians mobilize to shield Coupang

Coupang's significant spending on lobbying politicians in the United States has apparently paid off, with Republicans criticizing the Korean government's ongoing investigation into the Seattle-headquartered e-commerce firm. They denounced Korea's probe into Coupang as an attempt to favor China, while remaining silent on the company's massive data breach of the personal information of 33.7 million users, allegedly by a former employee who is a Chinese national. Amid growing suspicion that Coupang has been trying to turn the matter into a diplomatic feud, Seoul is now keeping a close watch on the company's suspected connections with U.S. government officials and lawmakers. Robert O'Brien, who served as national security adviser during the first Donald Trump administration, said Tuesday (local time) that the National Assembly's aggressive targeting of Coupang will set the stage for further discriminatory measures by the Korean Fair Trade Commission and broader regulatory barriers toward U.S. firms. "Trump has worked hard to rebalance the trade relationship with Korea, and it would be very u

Dec 25, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
US politicians mobilize to shield Coupang

Presidential office to hold emergency meeting on Coupang data leak

The presidential office was set to hold an emergency meeting with relevant government officials later Thursday to discuss a recent data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang, informed sources said. "There is widespread understanding within the government about the seriousness of the breach," a source said, asking not to be identified. "Given the gravity of the issue, the meeting will take place even on the holiday." Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, was set to chair the meeting, which will also be attended by Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, Personal Information Protection Commission Chair Song Kyung-hee, Korea Media Communications Commission Chair Kim Jong-cheol and Fair Trade Commission Chair Ju Biung-ghi. Officials from investigative agencies, such as the National Police Agency, are also expected to attend, according to the source. Notably, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and officials from the National Security Office are said to be attending the meeting, indicating they may look into Coupang's lobbying activities in the United States. Other sources close to the issue not

Dec 25, 2025By Yonhap
Presidential office to hold emergency meeting on Coupang data leak

KakaoTalk gifting service used nearly 200 mil. times this year

KakaoTalk's gifting service was used nearly 200 million times this year, Kakao Corp. said Thursday. Data from the company showed approximately 189 million gifts were sent through Dec. 17, translating to an average of 540,000 gifts per day. The service offers 640,000 types of gifts from some 8,700 brands. The most popular item was a Starbucks gift certificate, followed by certificates from leading food delivery application Baemin, discount retailer Emart and beauty chain Olive Young. One notable trend was users buying gifts for themselves. Popular items in that category included luxury cosmetic brands Dior and Prada, as well as British home appliance maker Dyson, which ranked No. 1, 6 and 3, respectively. Beauty gift certificates ranked first on "Wish Lists," showing users favor practical gifts that let recipients choose based on personal tastes. The gifting service was most heavily used on Nov. 11, widely known here as Pepero Day, the same as last year, followed by Valentine's Day and Teachers' Day. The company said data reveals a trend toward respecting individual preferences, with "practi

Dec 25, 2025By Yonhap
KakaoTalk gifting service used nearly 200 mil. times this year
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