Journalist
Cho Jae-hyung
grind@ajunews.com
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Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin Visits Vietnam, Urges Push Into New Businesses Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin chose Vietnam for his first overseas on-site management trip of the year, checking major operations and calling for expansion into new businesses while meeting local officials to discuss future growth. Lotte Group said on the 26th that Shin visited Hanoi from the 21st to the 24th and toured key sites including Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi and Lotte Center Hanoi. On the 23rd, he visited Lotte Mall West Lake, received briefings on the performance of major Lotte affiliates operating in Vietnam — including Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart and Lotte Hotel — and inspected the facilities. Lotte Mall West Lake, which officially opened in September 2023, is a large-scale mixed-use mall that brings together the group’s core capabilities. Cumulative visitors topped 30 million through last month, and cumulative sales reached 600 billion won as of the end of last year. The group expects it to enter the “1 trillion won sales club” within the year. After touring the site, Shin said Vietnam is a key country for the group’s global business and called the continued growth of its core businesses, including food and retail, “very encouraging.” He urged the company to further strengthen competitiveness in existing businesses while also focusing on new areas such as advanced urban development, eco-friendly materials and advanced logistics. Shin also visited a promotional zone at the mall for “Cau Thu Nhi,” a youth soccer entertainment program Lotte has co-produced with Vietnam’s state broadcaster VTV since 2011. The show, which focuses on discovering and developing young soccer talent, has been popular locally. Shin met Kim Sang-sik, head coach of Vietnam’s national soccer team, wished the team success and expressed support for developing prospects. During the trip, Shin also stepped up engagement with senior Vietnamese figures. On the 22nd, he held a series of meetings with Vu Dai Thang, chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, and To An Xo, a party secretary and aide to the state president, among others. Shin shared Lotte’s investment results over more than 30 years since entering Vietnam and said the group would pursue various urban development plans centered on its strengths to contribute to Hanoi’s development. Shin also attended official events tied to President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam, including a state banquet and a business forum. He previously led an economic delegation to Indonesia in April last year to seek expanded cooperation between companies in the two countries, and in March he took part in an economic delegation to the Philippines. 2026-04-26 09:57:20 -
Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin Eyes Faster Expansion in Vietnam During State Visit Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte Group, is traveling to Vietnam as part of an economic delegation accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on a trip to India and Vietnam, drawing attention to whether the group will accelerate its local expansion. Lotte has long positioned Vietnam as a key overseas base to overcome growth limits in its domestic retail business. Industry officials said April 22 that Shin is expected to strengthen ties with Vietnamese political and government figures and personally review the group’s priority projects. One focus is the Thu Thiem Eco Smart City project in Ho Chi Minh City, with investment of about 20.1 trillion dong (about 1.1296 trillion won). The project sits in the 2A functional zone, a core area of the Thu Thiem new urban district, on a 74,513-square-meter site. Lotte received a 50-year operating right in 2017 to build a financial center, mixed-use commercial facilities and housing, but the project was stalled for eight years due to a Vietnamese government audit and delays in land-price calculations. Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee was reported to have accepted part of Lotte’s request, approving an adjustment of the equity structure among affiliates and a transfer of up to 35% to a third party, signaling progress. Lotte’s strategy in Vietnam centers on building a “lifestyle platform” that combines department stores, hypermarkets and mixed-use shopping malls. The company is expected to push beyond expanding store networks toward building a broader platform ecosystem aimed at Vietnamese consumers’ daily lives. Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, which opened in July last year, spans about 354,000 square meters — roughly the size of 50 soccer fields — and includes global beauty brands such as Hermes and Chanel, along with an aquarium and KidZania. In less than a year, cumulative sales topped 300 billion won, with an average of 50,000 visitors a day and total visitors surpassing 25 million. Lotte Center Hanoi, marking its 10th anniversary this year, is also undergoing a full renovation to reinforce its landmark status. Retail and food-service affiliates are also supporting the broader push. Lotteria, which entered Vietnam in 1998, operates 260 stores with menus tailored to local tastes and has posted annual sales of more than 100 billion won each year since 2022, maintaining the top spot in the franchise sector. Lotte Mart, which runs 15 stores, reported operating profit up 24.3% last year from a year earlier. Lotte’s footprint in Vietnam is extending into logistics and culture. Hotel Lotte (three locations), Lotte Duty Free (three locations) and Lotte World (aquarium) have built out tourism infrastructure. Lotte Global Logistics plans to start operating its Dong Nai cold-chain center next month to upgrade supply chains. Lotte Cultureworks, which operates 44 cinemas, has introduced locally tailored premium theaters, and Lotte Ventures is active as Vietnam’s first foreign venture investment firm. A Lotte official said the group views Vietnam as a core growth market and plans to steadily expand existing businesses while continuing to seek new opportunities. 2026-04-22 15:48:20 -
Hanse Yes24 Group blood drive collects donor cards to aid children with cancer Hanse Yes24 Group has launched a relay blood donation campaign involving employees across its affiliates to mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Kim Gi-hong, a pioneer of South Korea’s blood donation movement. Industry officials said the “Life Sharing, Love Blood Donation Campaign” began April 16 at the group’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido. Employees from key affiliates, including Hanse Yes24 Holdings, Hanse Corporation, Color & Touch, Yes24, and Dong-A Publishing, volunteered to donate. Staff at Hanse Mobility in Daegu are scheduled to continue the campaign on May 20 and May 27. This year’s campaign is also aimed at providing direct support for children with cancer. Blood donor cards donated by employees will be delivered to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The group said it will also set aside 10,000 won per card through a “special matching grant” to provide additional support for patients’ treatment costs. The companywide relay was planned to honor the legacy of Dr. Kim, the late father of group founder and chairman Kim Dong-nyeong. Dr. Kim, a physician credited with laying the groundwork for laboratory medicine in South Korea, became head of the Korea Blood Donation Association in 1971. He introduced systems such as blood donation deposits and patient reimbursement, and worked to end the then-widespread practice of paid blood selling. Hanse Yes24 Group has held an annual companywide blood donation campaign since 2022. It also received a Blood Services Merit Award from the Korean Red Cross this year in recognition of its efforts. “Dr. Kim’s dedication to saving lives through blood research is now being carried forward as hope for children with cancer,” Hanse Yes24 Holdings Vice Chairman Kim Seok-hwan said. “We will continue to uphold his spirit of sharing life by helping stabilize the blood supply and strengthen the culture of blood donation.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:18:27 -
HiteJinro’s Premium Scotch ‘King Charles’ Rolls Out Nationwide at GS25 Convenience Stores HiteJinro’s British premium Scotch whisky brand ‘King Charles,’ which the company imports and distributes, is now available at neighborhood convenience stores. The company confirmed the product’s rollout to GS25 stores nationwide alongside a full package redesign, aiming to capture demand for what it calls “everyday premium whisky” through short-distance shopping channels. According to the liquor industry on the 21st, HiteJinro began selling ‘King Charles Blended Scotch Whisky’ this month at all GS25 locations nationwide. The move significantly expands distribution beyond liquor specialty shops to more than 10,000 convenience stores, widening consumer access. Timed with the convenience-store launch, the brand also refreshed its bottle design to reinforce its identity. To more clearly reflect the brand’s origin story honoring King Charles II—credited with leading a revival of British culture and the arts in the 17th century—the crown logo on the front label was changed to a more upscale, hand-drawn style. A silver-and-white Roman numeral “II” was applied consistently to the front and the cap, with gold accents added across the design. King Charles, for which HiteJinro has handled domestic distribution exclusively since November 2023, is made by blending selected premium malt spirits from Scotland’s Speyside and Highland regions with Lowland grain whisky in what the company describes as an optimal ratio. The product has also received international recognition, winning gold medals at the Global Scotch Whisky Masters in 2023 and 2025, and a gold badge at the International Spirits Challenge in 2024. “People who enjoy drinking at home and want to experience a premium blended whisky at a reasonable price will find it a top choice,” said Kwon Gwang-jo, HiteJinro’s premium area head.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 17:38:32 -
11st Launches 'Happy Family Week' Discounts for May Gift Shopping With high prices persisting, South Korean e-commerce platform 11st is rolling out a large-scale discount campaign aimed at shoppers feeling the pinch as they prepare gifts for May, a month marked by family holidays. 11st said Monday it will run its “Happy Family Week” promotion through May 8, offering special deals on gifts spanning all ages, from Children’s Day toys to Parents’ Day home appliances and budget-friendly health supplements. The event, held in collaboration with popular domestic and global brands, features price cuts, live-stream sales and exclusive free gifts, the company said. Among the headline deals, 11st will offer steep discounts on massage devices, a common gift for parents. On April 28, it will sell Bodyfriend’s healthcare robot “Legnum Robot” at a discount of more than 540,000 won off the list price. It will also bundle popular lines and official refurbished products from brands including “New Falcon” and “Da Vinci AI,” with discounts of up to 61%. For value-focused shoppers, 11st is also promoting health supplements priced in the 20,000- to 30,000-won range, including premium deer antler, black ginseng and black goat extract. Orders placed before midnight on weekdays will be delivered free the next day via its “Shooting Delivery” service, it said. Other discounted items include anti-aging cosmetics such as Sulwhasoo, luxury accessories including Louis Vuitton, and seasonal staples such as carnations and cash envelopes. For Children’s Day, 11st is partnering with Lego. It will host a Lego-themed live broadcast at noon on April 22, followed by a “Lego One-Day Big Deal” on April 23 offering up to 30% off selected sets, including Lego Harry Potter, City, Duplo and Super Mario Game Boy series products. The company is also issuing a daily first-come, first-served 4,000-won cart coupon for customers who spend at least 50,000 won in the toy category through the end of this month. During the event period running through April 26, the top spender on participating Lego items will receive a free gift valued at 250,000 won: a “Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car.” “We will target the April-May gift market with ample inventory and benefits so customers can prepare gifts economically even amid high prices,” said Ko Kwang-il, head of 11st’s sales group. 2026-04-21 15:46:43 -
Lotte Chilsung Marks 20 Years of Chum Churum Soju With Original 2006 Design Lotte Chilsung Beverage is rolling out a commemorative version of its Chum Churum soju to mark the brand’s 20th anniversary, reviving the original design used at its 2006 launch as it seeks to strengthen its position in the market. The company said Tuesday the refreshed packaging applies the early label to reinforce the brand’s heritage and to revisit the meaning of “first,” reflected in the product name. The updated label restores early visual elements such as a young bird and sprout. It also depicts the brand’s key ingredient — bedrock water from the slopes near Daegwallyeong — as a water droplet, underscoring its “smooth soju” identity. A neck label reading “20th ANNIVERSARY” has been added, and the front highlights the 16-degree alcohol mark. Lotte Chilsung Beverage lowered the alcohol content in July last year to 16 degrees from 16.5, a 0.5-degree cut, citing growing consumer demand for smoother soju. The company said it was the first change since a 2021 reduction. The product uses 100% bedrock water, adds rice-distilled spirits and blends in allulose, a natural sweetener. The company also pointed to strong results from hands-on marketing aimed at promoting its “100% bedrock water” message. The Chum Churum Brand Experience Center at its Gangneung plant has drawn more than 35,000 cumulative visitors since opening in April 2023, a company official said, with activities such as making personalized glasses and mixing soju cocktails gaining popularity through word of mouth. “Going forward, we will continue active marketing to promote the differentiated smoothness made with 100% bedrock water from Daegwallyeong,” a Lotte Chilsung Beverage official said. 2026-04-21 15:45:08 -
CU Stores Hit by Delivery Strike as Kimbap, Lunch Boxes Vanish and Sales Slide “Dozens of customers ask for kimbap or lunch boxes every day. When the shelves are empty, they don’t buy anything else and just leave. Why do only franchise owners have to bleed because headquarters and drivers are fighting?” A CU convenience store near a middle school in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, was quieter than usual on Monday afternoon. Students who came looking for triangle kimbap turned away empty-handed, and the store owner sighed as he spoke. CU franchisees say they are facing mounting losses as a strike and blockades by the Cargo Truckers Solidarity CU branch, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, have effectively halted deliveries of ready-to-eat foods, a key sales driver. The dispute has also raised broader concerns in the convenience store industry after a fatal accident involving a replacement truck during a rally near a logistics center. Industry officials said the KCTU held a rally Monday in front of BGF Retail’s headquarters in Seoul’s Gangnam district, blaming the company and the government and vowing an all-out fight. The truckers’ union has been on an all-out strike since April 5, demanding better treatment for delivery drivers and blocking major logistics centers. From April 17, it also blocked a plant in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, that produces 150,000 ready-to-eat items a day. The disruption has hit more than 3,000 CU stores nationwide. BGF Retail began operating an alternative logistics system and resumed ready-to-eat deliveries to some stores in the Seoul metropolitan area from Monday morning, but many outlets are still struggling with shortages, the industry said. On Sunday, during a rally in front of CU’s Jinju logistics center, union members trying to stop trucks from leaving collided with a cargo truck, leaving one person dead and two injured. A BGF Retail official said the company offered “deep condolences” and was working to resolve the situation. BGF Retail has said it has no reason to negotiate directly because delivery drivers sign individual contracts with outside transport companies. The union, citing the revised so-called Yellow Envelope Act, is demanding direct talks with BGF Retail as the principal company it says effectively controls the work. Franchise owners say they are bearing the brunt. Ready-to-eat foods draw customers and drive add-on purchases, they said. The CU Franchise Owners Association said some stores have seen daily sales fall an average of 20% to 30% due to out-of-stocks, amounting to losses of 500,000 to 600,000 won per store each day. Kim Mi-yeon, head of the CU Franchise Owners Association, said “about 30% of store sales have already disappeared” because of shortages and delayed deliveries. “Where in the Yellow Envelope Act does it say unrelated small business owners can be harmed?” she said. Kim has been holding a one-person protest in front of the National Assembly calling for the strike to end. Industry watchers said they are closely monitoring the risk of a prolonged dispute and a domino effect. If CU, the market leader, recognizes employer responsibility and enters direct talks, it could ripple through logistics networks across other convenience stores, supermarkets and e-commerce, an industry official said. “The moment BGF backs down, strikes could spread like wildfire, so the entire sector is holding its breath,” the official said. 2026-04-21 15:38:02 -
Shinsegae signs deal with US AI startup to build huge data center in South Korea SEOUL, March 17 (AJP) - Shinsegae said Tuesday it has agreed to build a mega data center for artificial intelligence (AI) in South Korea in partnership with a U.S. AI company. The retail giant's chairman Chung Yong-jin met Reflection AI CEO Misha Laskin in San Francisco last Sunday and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a strategic partnership to build the 250-megawatt data center. The AI startup's co-founder Laskin, along with Ioannis Antonoglou - a key developer of AlphaGo - both previously worked at Google DeepMind. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick also joined their meeting and pledged to "actively support" the project's successful progress, according to Shinsegae. The partnership between the two companies is expected to become the first project under the American AI Exports Program, launched in 2025 under an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to promote "the export of full-stack American AI technology packages to allies and partners worldwide." Once completed, it would also be the largest data center built or planned in the country, according to Shinsegae. Shinsegae said it plans to make AI its core future business, accelerating efforts to apply it across shopping, logistics, and payment. Graphics processing units (GPUs) for the data center will be supplied by Nvidia through Reflection AI, which raised US$2 billion from investors including Nvidia in October last year after being valued at US$8 billion. "AI will wholly transform every field, making it impossible to survive without it," Chung said, adding that the data center will "serve as a foundation for Shinsegae's future growth and help foster South Korea's broader AI ecosystem." Touting South Korea as a global IT powerhouse and a strong U.S. ally, Laskin said the partnership with Shinsegae will establish AI infrastructure that South Korea can develop on its own. Shinsegae said the project under the MOU will proceed swiftly in phases, with the two companies planning to establish a joint venture within this year. 2026-03-17 10:30:09 -
'The Man Who Lives With the King' Tops 10 Million Moviegoers in South Korea The film 'The Man Who Lives With the King' has surpassed 10 million admissions. Distributor Showbox said the movie’s cumulative audience topped 10 million as of 6:30 p.m. on its 31st day in theaters. It is the 34th domestic release in South Korea to reach the milestone. The achievement comes as overall theater attendance has fallen sharply. It is the first domestic release in two years to draw 10 million moviegoers. The period drama follows the deposed King Danjong, Yi Hong-wi (Park Ji-hoon), during his final days in exile in Gwangcheonggol, Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, where he mixes with local residents. The story centers on village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin), tasked with protecting and monitoring the exile, as he forms a bond with Yi that transcends status and age. The film reached 1 million admissions on its fifth day, 2 million on its 12th, and 3 million on Lunar New Year’s Day on Feb. 17, its 14th day in release. It passed 4 million the next day. On March 1, it drew about 817,000 viewers in a single day, its biggest daily total since opening, and went on to exceed 10 million in 31 days. It is the fourth period film to reach 10 million admissions, following 'The King and the Clown' (2005), 'Masquerade' (2012) and 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents' (2014). * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-06 18:51:19 -
Coupang expresses regret amid US House probe SEOUL, February 24 (AJP) - Coupang has expressed "regret" that a dispute over alleged unfair treatment in South Korea prompted a U.S. House investigation. In a statement on Monday, "We regret the circumstances in Congressional deposition, and we remain committed to seeking a constructive resolution," said Robert Porter, Coupang's chief global affairs officer. "More broadly, Coupang hopes to be able to serve as a bridge between the United States and Korea, helping improve the bilateral economic relationship, strengthen the security alliance, and accelerate trade and investment that benefits both countries," he added. The statement came a few hours after Harold Rogers, Coupang's interim chief in South Korea, appeared for a closed-door session before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., where he reportedly testified for about seven hours. His appearance followed an order earlier this month from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to testify about whether South Korea is "targeting" the Seattle-based company with discriminatory actions, as part of a broader investigation into alleged unfair treatment of American businesses here. Coupang is under police investigation in South Korea over multiple allegations and suspected offenses related to a massive data leak detected last November, which is now believed to have affected about 33.67 million users and exposed their sensitive personal information, far more than the roughly 3,000 users initially reported. 2026-02-24 11:03:57