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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.

Java aroma to fill air at Seoul Int'l Cafe Show

The 24th Seoul International Cafe Show in November will introduce the latest global coffee trends, connect businesses across the industry and select top baristas to compete in an international competition in Panama next year. Held under the theme “One Cup, All Worlds,” the expo is scheduled to run from Nov. 19 to 22 at Coex in Seoul’s Gangnam District, and feature coffee alongside tea, bakery and dessert products. Billed as the world’s largest business platform for the coffee industry, the event aims to revitalize the global coffee sector and the broader food and beverage culture. Organizer Exporum said this year’s show will “propose new roads for those living in a world of uncertainty and new directions for the global coffee industry.” At the show, Coffee Alley will showcase curated roastery cafes from around the world, and the World Coffee Leaders Forum will bring together international industry influencers dubbed “designers in gastronomy.” The show will also host national qualifiers to select Korea’s representatives for the 2025 World Barista Championship in Panama

Aug 14, 2025By Ko Dong-hwan
Java aroma to fill air at Seoul Int'l Cafe Show

Why SK Innovation chose Hyundai EVs amid 'Buy America' campaign

SK Innovation's recent decision to replace its company cars with Hyundai Motor electric vehicles (EVs) was in contrast to expectations that SK Group affiliates would follow Chairman Chey Tae-won's recommendation to buy automobiles from General Motors or other U.S. carmakers to help counter trade pressure from the Donald Trump administration. The intermediate holding company overseeing SK Group’s petrochemical and energy businesses recently instructed all executives to choose between the IONIQ 9 and eG80 as their new company vehicles. Both Hyundai EVs are powered by batteries made by SK On, an SK Innovation affiliate. SK Innovation plans to begin replacing its fleet next month, aiming to complete the transition by the end of the year. “Amid the global economic slowdown and weak EV demand, the domestic EV industry has faced difficulties,” an SK Innovation official said. “We made this decision to boost EV adoption in Korea by ensuring all our executives use EVs.” In his capacity as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) chairman, Chey signed a memorandum of understandin

Aug 14, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
Why SK Innovation chose Hyundai EVs amid 'Buy America' campaign

Homeplus to close 15 stores, offer unpaid leave amid corporate rehabilitation

Homeplus, Korea's second largest discount supermarket chain, currently undergoing corporate rehabilitation, plans to gradually close 15 stores where lease negotiations have stalled, the company said Wednesday. The firm also plans to accept applications for unpaid leave from employees at its headquarters who wish to participate. “We are moving into an emergency survival management mode,” a Homeplus official said. “The business environment has not improved over the five months since entering the rehabilitation process. This step is necessary to address the situation amid mounting financial pressures.” The retail chain will proceed with the phased closure of 15 of its 68 leased stores where lease negotiations have not progressed. The affected stores include Siheung, Gayang, Ilsan, Gyesan, Ansan Gojan, Suwon Woncheon, Hwaseong Dongtan, Cheonan Sinbang, Munhwa, Jeonju Wansan, Dongchon, Jangrim, Busan Gamman, Ulsan Buk-gu and Ulsan Nam-gu branches. Homeplus has operated more than half of its stores — 68 out of 126 — as leased locations. Following the closure of the Bucheon Sangdong

Aug 13, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Homeplus to close 15 stores, offer unpaid leave amid corporate rehabilitation

Burger King penalized for forced sales of cleaning products, tomatoes

BKR, the operator of Burger King’s Korean business, was slapped with 300 million won ($220,000) fine for forcing its franchisees to purchase specific cleaning products and tomatoes from designated suppliers, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Wednesday. The company had ordered its franchisees to buy 15 types of cleaners and tomatoes from its headquarters-designated suppliers since 2013. BKR did not properly inform franchise owners that using “unapproved” items could result in penalties, according to the latest investigation from the antitrust watchdog. The cleaning products and tomatoes were introduced as “recommended” items that franchise owners could independently purchase from other suppliers as long as they met the firm’s internal standards. However, BKR ultimately forced them to use cleaning products from a specific U.S. brand and tomatoes from its internally approved domestic suppliers. The items were only available through BKR’s internal purchasing system, the investigation found. BKR conducted inspections to monitor whether each franchisee used the designated prod

Aug 13, 2025By Lee Min-hyung
Burger King penalized for forced sales of cleaning products, tomatoes

Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines to join force in cargo business

Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines will strengthen their partnership in cargo business, as part of bilateral efforts to meet increasing freight demand in Southeast Asia, the Korean flag carrier said Wednesday. Under the latest memorandum of understanding, both airlines will utilize Vietnam’s Long Thanh International Airport as a key base for cargo cooperation. The partnership was clinched Tuesday on the sidelines of the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum in Seoul. The location of the airport, currently under construction near Vietnam’s commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City, is considered to have strategic benefits. The region has geographical proximity with a number of other major Asian markets, such as Malaysia and Singapore. The two airlines also agreed to build a facility for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) at the airport. The MRO center will offer services such as aircraft maintenance, component repair and cabin renovation. Both airlines will also join forces to educate tech personnel to handle services at the facility. Korean Air has a competitive edge with decades-long experience in

Aug 13, 2025By Lee Min-hyung
Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines to join force in cargo business

Samsung Display virtually wins lawsuit against Chinese rival BOE Technology

Samsung Display has virtually won a U.S. lawsuit against BOE Technology Group, with Washington's trade watchdog imposing a near 15-year import ban on the Chinese rival's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, sources said Wednesday. According to the sources, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) made a preliminary ruling to ban imports of BOE's OLED panels for 14 years and eight months under a "limited exclusion order," which came around two years after Samsung Display filed the lawsuit in October 2023. While the final verdict is set to be delivered in November, industry watchers said the preliminary ruling is unlikely to be overturned as it acknowledged BOE has infringed Samsung Display's trade secrets. The ITC said last month Samsung Display has proven that BOE has infringed at least one of its protectable trade secrets, noting that the Chinese player has "injured and threatens to substantially injure a domestic industry" in the U.S. Industry watchers, however, said the ruling will not lead to a significant drop in BOE's market share in the OLED sector, as finished product

Aug 13, 2025By Yonhap
Samsung Display virtually wins lawsuit against Chinese rival BOE Technology

Will Trump join Lee's visit to Hanwha's US shipyard?

Attention is focused on whether the upcoming summit between the leaders of Korea and the United States will lead to their first-ever visit to Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia. The speculation arose as the two countries' tariff deal from last month has been in part attributed to Seoul's proposal to invest $150 billion into the so-called "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again" (MASGA) project, which aims to revitalize U.S. shipyards with Korean investment. During his forthcoming 48-hour trip to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 25 (local time), President Lee Jae Myung is expected to tour the shipyard, which was acquired last year by the Korean conglomerate. When asked Tuesday about Lee’s potential visit to the shipyard, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters "it would be possible," though she declined to provide more details on the itinerary. The major question is whether Trump will accompany Lee to the shipyard. Although Trump has frequently expressed his willingness to cooperate with Korean shipbuilders and those of other allied nations to rebu

Aug 13, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
Will Trump join Lee's visit to Hanwha's US shipyard?

Starbucks funds acquisition of independence fighter's calligraphy

Starbucks Korea has provided funding to the country’s state-run heritage trust to help acquire a calligraphy piece by Kim Koo, a renowned Korean independence activist from the Japanese colonial era, the company said Wednesday. The donation to the National Trust for Cultural Heritage was made to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, which falls on Friday. The funding supported the agency under the Korea Heritage Service in purchasing the calligraphy, which was written by Kim Koo, who led a patriotic movement for Korean independence from Japanese occupation while in Shanghai during World War II. Kim Ji-young, environmental, social and governance team leader at Starbucks Korea, and a representative from the agency attended a handover ceremony for the acquired calligraphy at Deoksu Palace in Seoul on Monday. The calligraphy is four Chinese characters that read “bung jeong man ri.” It means an imaginary bird, bung, flying over 4,000 kilometers. The imagery, according to the company, symbolizes Kim Koo’s hope for Korea’s independence from Japan — an aspiration that on

Aug 13, 2025By Ko Dong-hwan
Starbucks funds acquisition of independence fighter's calligraphy

Samsung launches 'KPop Demon Hunters' theme on Galaxy smartphone

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it has launched a theme package for Galaxy smartphones, allowing users to customize their devices with characters from Netflix's global hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters." Galaxy smartphone users can download the theme for free from the Galaxy Store for a limited time and customize their phone screens and icons with popular characters from the animation, including Rumi, Zoey and Jinu, according to Samsung Electronics. "The set features one special theme package spotlighting the in-universe K-pop groups Huntrix, along with ten character-based wallpapers," the company said. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, a U.S. film studio, the Netflix original film tells the story of a girl group who protect the human world from evil spirits. Reflecting its global popularity, "Golden," a track from the film, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart on Monday. "The company will continue to explore creative partnerships to deliver engaging and personalized user experience that resonates with global audiences," the company said.

Aug 13, 2025By Yonhap
Samsung launches 'KPop Demon Hunters' theme on Galaxy smartphone

Samsung to collaborate with KT for ad-supported streaming content

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it has joined hands with an entertainment arm of Korea's No. 2 mobile carrier KT to enhance its streaming platform on smart televisions. Under the plan, KT Studio Genie will provide its content to Samsung TV Plus, a free ad-supported streaming TV platform installed on the tech giant's smart televisions. "As part of the agreement, select Genie TV Originals will be made available to international audiences on Samsung TV Plus, effectively expanding the reach of these programs to a broader audience outside of Korea," the company said. Major titles to be offered through the platform include a thrilling drama, "Lies Hidden in My Garden," a comedy, "New Recruit," and "Dear Hyeri," a romantic drama, according to Samsung. "Our partnership with KT Studio Genie reflects Samsung TV Plus' ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional content and new viewing formats to global audiences," said Kim Yong-su, executive vice president of Samsung's visual display business. "We are proud to help bring the richness of Korean storytelling to more viewers worldwide, free, easy t

Aug 13, 2025By Yonhap
Samsung to collaborate with KT for ad-supported streaming content
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