coronavirus pandemic

Mergers & Acquisitions Acquisition loan rates dip to pre-pandemic levels in S.Korea

Interest rates on acquisition financing in South Korea are set to stabilize at the 5% level, rates last seen before COVID-19 swept the world, height...

Korean stock market S.Korean stocks log largest daily loss since pandemic

The South Korean stock market dropped more than 3% on Friday to breach the psychologically important barrier of 2,700 in almost two months, after we...

Travel & Leisure S.Korea sees foreign visitors 95% of pre-pandemic

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced on Friday that the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea in May was 1.42 million, an increa...

Retail Duty-free stores: Golden goose gone for Korean retailers

South Korea welcomed a record-high number of post-pandemic foreign tourist arrivals for a single quarter in the first three months of this year, but...

Webtoons South Korean webtoon makers in quandary after pandemic

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic a few years back, social distancing was the rule of life. People stayed at home, with many of them killing ti...

Travel & Leisure S.Korea sees record-high foreign visitors after pandemic

South Korea saw a record-high number of foreign tourists post-COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2024. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Spor...

Entertainment Korean theme parks recover to near pre-pandemic levels

Everland and Lotte World, South Korea’s two largest theme parks, posted their highest-ever profits in 2023, recovering from the COVID-19 pande...

Fashion Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior post weak profits in Korea post-pandemic

Global luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior saw worsening profitability of their South Korean operations last year after a few years of dece...

Travel & Leisure South Korea’s luxury hotels bask in return of tourists post-pandemic

South Korea’s luxury hotels are enjoying the return of tourists following years of COVID-19 restrictions, which significantly hurt their sales...

Retail S.Korea’s duty-free industry going downhill

The South Korean travel retail industry, once considered the country’s golden goose, is forced to streamline operations given no signs of a dr...

Travel & Leisure Number of foreign tourists visiting Korea surpasses 11 million in 2023

The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea last year exceeded 11 million, reaching 63% of the pre-COVID level, with over 1 million arrivals month...

Food & Beverage Whisky imports hit record high in S. Korea amid falling wine interest

Soaring highballs propelled whisky consumption to record heights in South Korea last year, while pandemic-driven interest in wine waned significantl...

Real estate Seoul office leasing turns lender’s market as vacancy rates at 2023 low

Office vacancy rates in South Korea’s capital city of Seoul fell to their lowest level this year last month as people returned to work follo...

Retail Shilla Duty Free ready to boost sales at Changi Airport

HDC Shilla Duty Free Ltd., the operator of The Shilla Duty Free Shop, said on Tuesday it has extended the contract to run cosmetics and perfume stor...

Travel & Leisure Overseas trips top pre-pandemic levels during Chuseok holiday

The number of South Koreans who spent this year’s six-day holiday of Chuseok abroad exceeded pre-pandemic levels, indicating a recovery in the...

Logistics Hyundai Glovis to raise car shipping rates amid vehicle carrier shortage

Hyundai Glovis Co., the logistics unit of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, plans to raise vehicle shipping rates considering the sharp rise ...

Airlines Eastar Jet resumes int'l flights after three and half years

South Korea's low-cost carrier Eastar Jet on Sunday said it resumed international flights for the first time in three and a half years starting with...

Logistics Hyundai Glovis to secure additional 12 car transport vessels by 2025

Hyundai Glovis Co., the logistics unit of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, plans to secure an additional 12 vehicle transport vessels by 202...

Bio & Pharma SK Bioscience buys 6.5 million Novavax shares for $83.4 million

SK Bioscience Co., the drug-making unit of South Korea’s SK Group, said on Wednesday it has signed a deal to buy 6.5 million shares in US vacc...

Fashion Korean swimwear Barrel posts profit in post-pandemic surfing boom

South Korea’s leading swimwear maker Barrel is stepping up its profitability after losses during COVID-19 as its new owner has saved costs thr...

Airlines Air travel from Korea roars back to everywhere, except China

Flight routes between South Korea and China, once Korean flag carriers’ most lucrative, have become their white elephant as passengers on the ...

Food & Beverage South Korea's whisky imports surge 50% to record high

South Korea's whisky imports surged by 50% in the first half of 2023, reaching an unprecedented peak, according to trade data the Korea Customs Serv...

Travel & Leisure Art luxury hotel reopened at Paradise City in Incheon

The casino complex Paradise City in Incheon on Saturday will reopen Hotel Art Paradiso at its integrated resort on Yeongjong Island. Closed in July ...

Retail Korean golf club, apparel markets face decline in post-pandemic era

South Korea’s golf equipment and apparel markets enjoyed a boom during COVID-19. But they are facing a downturn this year amid the growing pop...

Earnings S.Korean karaoke machine leader TJ Media enjoys post-pandemic boom

South Koreans’ love for singing is no secret, and with the lifting of social-distancing rules in the post-pandemic era their suppressed desire...

Travel & Leisure S.Korean's interest in Japan travel surpasses pre-No Japan levels

A survey result indicates an increased interest in travel to Japan compared to pre-No Japan boycott levels, while interest in travel to China has pl...

Business & Politics S.Korea's medical tourists rebound to 50% of pre-pandemic levels

South Korea's medical tourism industry, which experienced a severe setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has shown considerable recovery, with the n...

Airlines S.Korea's airlines boosting staff amid recovering demand for overseas travel

South Korea's airlines are opening their hiring doors wide open with the resumption of international flights amid demand for overseas travel recover...

Travel & Leisure Hopeful signs for full comeback of Korean resort operator Paradise

Paradise Co., a major South Korean resort and casino operator, is taking big steps towards a full comeback this year from the pandemic shock, with a...

Travel & Leisure Korean convention sector enjoys increase in events post-pandemic

Coex Convention & Exhibition Center, the largest event complex in Seoul, was crowded on Friday for a smart factory and plant automation fair.&ld...