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Articles by Jeong Dae-yeon
Coupang posts an operating loss for a third straight quarter despite record quarterly revenue···Kim Beom-seok “The deterioration in profitability is not a structural problem”
Coupang recorded operating losses for three consecutive quarters through the third quarter of this year. Revenue exceeded 14 trillion KRW, setting a new quarterly record, but profitability worsened as customer churn following the personal data leak and losses from the Incheon logistics center fire overlapped.
They changed everything from the water used to cook rice to in-store preparation··· A bold attempt by convenience stores dreaming of ‘replacing restaurants’
A visit to CU Jincheon Food Center Scan the barcode on the smart cooker Cooks frozen foods in the optimal way Reduces minerals in water to improve rice taste Expanding automation in ready-meal production, too Cooling for the smart cooker remains a challenge On the 28th, at BGF Food Jincheon Food Center in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong Province.
Discounts from salted shrimp to used cars··· The ‘Korea Grand Festival’ starts on the 29th
The government announced on the 27th that it will hold the ‘2nd Korea Grand Festival’ from the 29th through the 15th of next month. It is a nationwide consumption-promotion event that integrates the Companion Festival, K-Sale Festa, and discount events for agricultural·livestock·fishery products. Around 40,000 companies will participate.
“How long can K-beauty last” What answer did Amazon offer to this doubt?
“Can the success of K-beauty be sustainable?” “How long do you think K-beauty will last?” Yoon Sang-hyun, vice chairman of Kolmar Group, and Shin Hwa-sook, head of Amazon Global Selling Korea, said at ‘Amazon Beauty in Seoul 2026’, held on the 27th at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, that they have recently been asked such questions frequently by industry figures at home and abroad.
SME exports hit record highs for six consecutive quarters···‘K-beauty’ led the way
Amid a semiconductor boom that is propelling South Korea exports to unprecedented records, SMEs also renewed the third-quarter all-time high for export value this year. They have set record performances for the relevant quarter for six straight quarters since the second quarter of last year. As cosmetics broadened export regions and sales channels, they led the robust SME export performance.
693.41 million won vs 2.39 million won···Home price gap between top and bottom 20% by assets at 290 times, ‘record high’
The price gap of owner-occupied homes between the top and bottom 20% by assets reached 290 times, the highest since records began in 2017. According to the National Statistics Portal (KOSIS) of the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 26th, last year the average price of owner-occupied housing among first-quintile (bottom 20%) households was 2.39 million won. This was down 9.1% from a year earlier and was the lowest since 2017, when compilation began under the current basis.
Personal data of Korean Air customers leaked···overseas partner ‘Amadeus’ system breached
Customer booking reference numbers confirmed leaked “Secondary damage not confirmed” It has emerged that personal data, including booking reference numbers, of Korean Air customers was leaked via an overseas partner. On the 23rd, Korean Air said it was notified on the night of the 20th by its contractor, the global airline information technology (IT) systems operator ‘Amadeus IT Group’, of indications that personal information had been leaked via its systems.
‘Double-Star Chef’ Son Jong-won becomes an executive at Shinsegae Group
Chef Son Jong-won, familiar to the public from Netflix ‘Culinary Class Wars’ Season 2 and JTBC ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’, has now added the title ‘conglomerate executive’ to his resume. According to the 2027 regular executive appointments announced by Shinsegae Group on the 23rd, Chef Son was promoted to professional executive at Josun Hotels & Resorts. He was the only person to be promoted to professional executive in this round.
Korean Air and Asiana to waive refund fees for Paris tickets
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will waive fees when refunding tickets to Paris, France. The measure was announced proactively as local student protests demanding improvements to the educational environment have escalated into violent unrest, heightening consumer concerns. On the 21st, Korean Air posted a notice on its website titled ‘Waiver of change and refund fees for tickets arriving in Paris’.
Shinsegae to participate in JoongAng Ilbo acquisition with CJ
㈜Shinsegae will participate in the acquisition of JoongAng Ilbo together with CJ Group. It appears that the broader Samsung family is moving to acquire JoongAng Ilbo. According to industry sources on the 20th, ㈜Shinsegae will join the Daou Kiwoom·CJ consortium, which has been selected as the preferred bidder for the JoongAng Ilbo acquisition.
Daou Kiwoom·CJ Group, to acquire JoongAng Ilbo
A Daou Kiwoom Group and CJ Group consortium has been selected as the preferred bidder to acquire management control of JoongAng Ilbo. It has been about three months since JoongAng Ilbo entered a workout (corporate financial restructuring).
CJ makes a ‘surprise entry’ into the JoongAng Ilbo acquisition race···forms a consortium with Daou Kiwoom
CJ Group is entering the race to acquire JoongAng Ilbo by forming a consortium with Daou Kiwoom Group. As CJ Group, which did not participate in the preliminary bidding, joins hands with Daou Kiwoom Group, the dynamics of the acquisition race are expected to shift. According to the investment banking (IB) industry on the 16th, CJ Group plans to take part in the main bid for the sale of JoongAng Ilbo on the 19th by forming a consortium with Daou Kiwoom Group.
Koreans are ‘eoljug-a’···Even in midwinter, three out of five coffees are ‘iced’
The ‘eoljug-a (iced Americano even if freezing to death)’ tendency among Koreans has been confirmed by data. MegaMGC Coffee announced on the 12th that an analysis of about 400 million coffee orders from more than 4,000 stores last year found that even in the depths of midwinter, when the cold peaks, cold coffee maintained a sales share of over 60%.
Five months after the ‘Tank Day’ controversy··· Starbucks retakes No. 1, overtaking A Twosome Place
Starbucks has reclaimed the No. 1 spot among coffee brands by estimated credit and debit card spending, five months after the ‘Tank Day’ marketing controversy. According to Mobile Index data from AI tech company IGAWorks on the 11th, Starbucks' estimated credit and debit card spending last month was 121.08 billion won, up 4.3% from the previous month (116.12 billion won). A Twosome Place's spending last month was 110.5 billion won, down 6.4% from the previous month (117.99 billion won).
Coupang pays 5,000 won in Coupang Cash to customers whose orders were canceled due to access disruption
Coupang provided Coupang Cash as compensation to customers whose orders were canceled due to an access disruption that occurred early on the 9th. Starting at around 12:30 a.m. that day, access disruptions occurred on the Coupang, Coupang Eats, and Coupang Play apps and website. The screen displayed only the message ‘The network connection is not stable.
“No hangover the next day, because you wake up the day after next”···meme-rich ‘legendary liquor’ Captain Q returns after 11 years
Lotte Chilsung Beverage announced on the 8th that it will re-release the nostalgic mass-market spirit ‘Captain Q’ after 11 years. Launched in 1980, Captain Q is the first domestically produced rum-type spirit. With its low price, it led the popularization of Western-style spirits in Korea in the 1980s and 1990s. It became so popular that 10 million bottles were sold within a year of its launch. In the past, Captain Q lowered costs by adding rum concentrate and flavoring to neutral spirits.
‘Beer-triggered gout’ drinkers may have less to worry about··· A new ‘Kloud’ with purines reduced by 90% is out
Lotte Chilsung Beverage announced on the 6th that it has released a new beer, Kloud Purine Cutdown, with the content of ‘purine’ associated with gout reduced by 90%. Purine is a component that occurs naturally in foods and is known to affect the production of uric acid that causes gout.
On snack packaging for sale in Vietnam, ‘jjikmeok’ ‘daebak’··· why are they written in Korean rather than the local language?
The long-standing ‘rule’ of changing product names into the local language when launching domestically sold food products overseas is breaking down. As interest in Korean culture grows overseas, the opposite trend is spreading, emphasizing product names and expressions written in Hangul. Orion said on the 29th that it is strengthening ‘Hangul marketing,’ which leaves Korean script as-is on product packaging sold in overseas markets such as China, Vietnam, Russia, and India.
Starbucks card spending remains at 78% of the prior level even two months after ‘5·18 Tank Day’
The average daily card transaction amount for Starbucks Korea across major card issuers, which faced controversy over ‘5·18 Tank Day’ marketing, was tallied to have failed to recover to 80% of its previous level even about two months after the incident.
Seoul-resident newlywed homeowners fell 45% while those owning homes with an officially assessed value above 600 million KRW tripled
The number of newlywed couples who own a home and live in Seoul has fallen sharply, while the number of newlyweds owning relatively expensive homes has increased. Housing asset polarization is becoming pronounced from the very start of married life.
After the holidays, the food·retail sectors switch to ‘audit mode’···Top agenda items include Coupang, Homeplus, and delivery apps
Shortly after the Chuseok holidays end, the National Assembly’s audit of government agencies will begin. The retail·food industries are moving into full audit-prep mode as well.
‘Bukang-i’ draws crowds, “Everyone is holding ‘ooo’”··· At convenience stores around Busan North Port, sales of ‘Jaws Bar·Gorae Bap’ surge
In Dong-gu, Busan, CU sales up 28%·21% from the previous week Sales of Pinkfong ‘Baby Shark’ items also up 33.3% ↑ Related sales at stores nationwide also up over 10%↑, benefiting from the shark effect Since a shark appeared at the North Port Waterside Park at Busan Port in Dong-gu, Busan, sales of products related to ‘shark’ and ‘whale’ at nearby convenience stores have increased significantly.
Coupang to provide 50,000 KRW per person·100,000 KRW per household to residents affected by the Incheon logistics center fire
Coupang has announced a support package totaling 4.5 billion KRW for local residents affected by the Incheon logistics center fire in July. Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) said on the 20th that it will provide a 50,000 KRW living support payment per person and a 100,000 KRW recovery support payment per household to residents of Seoknam 1-dong in Seohae-gu, Incheon, and parts of Sinhyeon-dong near the logistics center where the fire occurred.
Starbucks to offer a ‘1+1 coupon’ when you gift a mobile gift certificate via KakaoTalk
Starbucks Korea announced on the 17th that, for Chuseok, it will run through the 27th a promotion that gives a ‘handcrafted beverage 1+1 coupon (Tall size)’ when you gift a Starbucks mobile gift certificate on ‘KakaoTalk Gift’. After gifting a Starbucks mobile gift certificate (voucher and e-card voucher) on KakaoTalk, you can participate by tapping Apply on the event page and submitting your contact information. Each person may participate up to three times.
Coupang rejects ‘100,000 won per person’ compensation over data leak
Rejection of the settlement proposal concerning 50 consumers Civil groups state, “A class action law must be enacted” Coupang refused to accept the settlement proposal by the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission of the Korea Consumer Agency, which called for compensation of 100,000 won per consumer affected by a personal information leak late last year.
“Recipients of the National Scholarship Earn Higher Starting Salaries Than Non-recipients”
A study found that students who received the National Scholarship while enrolled in college earned higher salaries at their first job after graduation. According to academia on the 9th, a paper titled ‘An Analysis of the Impact of National Scholarship Receipt on Early Labor Market Outcomes and Social Mobility’ published in the Korean Association of Public Finance’s journal ‘Public Finance Studies’ last month contained these findings.
Lotte Super re-enters quick commerce after 3 years and 7 months··· “Customer demand for instant delivery has changed significantly”
Lotte Super is re-entering the ‘quick commerce’ market, in which delivery is completed within one hour from order to fulfillment. It comes about three years and seven months after the company halted quick commerce, citing ‘lack of profitability’. With offline sales at corporate supermarkets (SSMs) remaining sluggish, competitors are using stores as online delivery hubs to rapidly grow quick commerce revenue.
Take it and apply it: ‘pharmacy-style K-beauty’ is taking off… Musinsa also enters
Musinsa Beauty·Onnuri Pharmacy partnership Hongdae location opens on the 11th… collaboration on product assortment Focus on people in their 20s and 30s and on foreign tourists The market for ‘pharmacy beauty’ (pharmacy-style beauty), in which customers receive skin consultations from a pharmacist and are recommended functional cosmetics and ‘inner beauty’ (health functional foods for beauty purposes) tailored to them and then make purchases, is growing, centered on areas frequented by...
Yogiyo “The top in-stadium order this year is not chicken, but the mulhoe & yukhoe set”
The popularity of ‘chimaek (chicken and beer)’, the quintessential ballpark combo, has waned, while yukhoe and mulhoe have emerged as new stadium favorites. As ballparks transform from simple venues for watching games into comprehensive experiential spaces that blend food and cheering culture, signs of change are appearing in food culture as well.
‘Yeouido Fireworks Festival’ crowds drive nearby Emart24 sales up tenfold
As more than 500,000 people flocked to the Seoul International Fireworks Festival held on the evening of the 5th in the Yeouido Hangang Park area of Seoul, nearby convenience stores posted more than 10 times their usual sales. Convenience-store chain Emart24 said on the 6th that sales at stores near Yeouido, where the fireworks festival took place, rose about 950% compared to Saturday the 29th of last month, a week earlier.
Olive Young, surpasses 1 trillion won in foreign-customer sales in eight months ··· Gangwon up 105%
Foreign-customer sales at CJ Olive Young domestic offline stores from January to August this year exceeded 1 trillion won. That pace is three months faster than last year. Notably, the growth rate of foreign-customer sales at stores in tourist areas outside the capital region far outpaced that of the capital region. Olive Young announced on the 31st that, as of August this year, cumulative foreign spending at its domestic offline stores surpassed 1 trillion won.
“Kidults·Subculture converge across 600 pyeong”···AK Plaza opens ‘POPTOPIA’
The AK Plaza Suwon branch is officially unveiling the intellectual property (IP) content-specialized space ‘Poptopia (POPTOPIA)’. AK Plaza announced on the 27th that it has built a permanent IP content-specialized space on the 5th floor of the Suwon branch, covering about 600 pyeong, tailored to the needs of local customers.
Pet supplies market, ‘premium’ is the dominant trend
New product launches from Pulmuone Amio·Duman and others Companies in the food·household goods sectors are betting on differentiated premium products in the ever-growing pet supplies market. Pulmuone said on the 25th that its pet food brand ‘Pulmuone Amio’ has released two varieties of ‘Healthy Soft Brown Rice Snack’ for dogs aged 7 or older (60g·5,900 won): Brown Rice Stick·Brown Rice Treat.
tvN ‘Street Restaurant Fighter’ chefs’ menus now available at Incheon Airport
Jeong Ho-Young·Song Hoon: ‘Emperor Hwangtae Hangover Soup’ Lee Seong-Hoon: two varieties of ‘Grilled Cheese Sandwich’ Kim Hoon·Kim Jong-In: ‘Meat-Packed Perilla Oil Kimchi Stew’ Sold at the Terminal 2 food court ‘Gourmet Bridge’ Travelers can now taste menus by celebrity chefs featured on the tvN variety show <Street Restaurant Fighter> at Incheon International Airport.
Simmons signs MOU with POSCO·Kiswire···“Need for stable management of material supply·quality”
Simmons belatedly disclosed that it established a three-party cooperation system with POSCO·Kiswire in January to ensure stable supply and quality control of core mattress materials. The three companies are also discussing the direction of next-generation spring material development. On the 21st, at the ‘Simmons Factoryum’ in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Simmons held a press briefing and announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in January with POSCO·Kiswire.
“Dujjonku,” once sold out even amid opening-hour queues, now sees foot traffic plunge···Imports of ingredients and more have dropped by over 90% in half a year
Statistics confirm that the popularity of “Dujjonku (Dubai chewy cookie),” which had even triggered shortages from late last year to early this year, has clearly waned within half a year. On the 23rd, Rep.
People in their 20s go to convenience stores for character merchandise, those in their 60s for groceries
There is a strong tendency for people in their 20s to visit convenience stores to buy intellectual property (IP) merchandise or exclusive new products, while those in their 60s tend to visit to purchase ingredients and daily necessities. On the 20th, Lotte Members published the ‘L.POINT Trend Report’, which analyzes offline, close-to-home consumption behavior.
‘The Plaza’ in front of Seoul City Hall to return in 2029 as an ultra-luxury hotel… operations to be suspended on September 30
Full-scale remodeling to mark the 50th anniversary of opening A customer appreciation ‘Suite Event’ will also be held The hotel ‘The Plaza’ located in front of Seoul City Hall will undergo a full-scale remodeling to mark its 50th anniversary. After suspending operations on the 30th of next month, it will reopen in 2029 with a new look. Hanwha Hotels & Resorts announced on the 19th that it will remodel The Plaza to strengthen competitiveness and improve customer convenience.
Starbucks offers 30% off nine summer beverages from 2∼6 p.m. through the 21st
Starbucks Korea announced on the 18th that it is running the ‘Summer Happy Hour’ through the 21st, offering a 30% discount on nine popular summer beverages from 2∼6 p.m. Eligible drinks are ‘Red Bean Matcha Coco Frappuccino’ ‘Grapefruit Mango Coco Frappuccino’ ‘Pineapple Blue Coco Frappuccino’ ‘Sea Salt Caramel Cold Brew’ ‘Coco Cold Brew’ ‘Sea Salt Foam Black Tea’ ‘Watermelon Juice Blended’ ‘Apricot Joyful Medley Shaken Tea’, ‘Pink Peach Coconut Refresher’.
CJ “Achieve 12 trillion won in annual North American sales by 2028···Bring K-lifestyle into the daily lives of Americans”
CJ Group, which is concentrating company-wide capabilities on expanding the North American market, set a goal of achieving 12 trillion won in annual North American sales in 2028. The plan is to increase sales to 1.5 times the 8 trillion won recorded last year within three years. However, CJ did not disclose specific sales targets for each affiliate.
“I started with BTS, but now I buy Korean products for their quality”···Evolving overseas fans of Korea
“My interest in Korea began with BTS, but now I buy Korean products because I like the products themselves.” On the 15th (local time), Aris (32), a Mexican American we met in front of the LA Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, answered this way when asked why she keeps purchasing Korean cosmetics. Living in Palm Springs, California, about a two-hour drive away, she came here with her mother to attend ‘KCON’, hosted by CJ ENM.
Lee Jae-hyun watches KCON LA with his sister Lee Mi-kyung and daughter Lee Kyung-hoo···CJ “The U.S. is a region of life-or-death importance”
CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun visited the site of the Korean culture festival ‘KCON’ held in Los Angeles (LA), California, from the 14th to the 16th (local time), going on both the first and second days. It was a return to the United States less than three months after he came in late May to review business operations. The move is seen as signaling his intent to personally oversee North American business and cultural content.
In LA, an event supporting overseas expansion for SMEs, promoted by RESCENE, will be held
An event to support overseas expansion for domestic SMEs, held in conjunction with KCON, a global Korean Wave festival, will take place in Los Angeles (LA), United States. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Foundation for Large and Small Enterprises and Agricultural and Fisheries Cooperation (Win-Win Cooperation Foundation) announced on the 11th that they will hold ‘K-Collection with KCON LA 2026’ (K-Collection) at the LA Convention Center from the 14∼16.
Once again this year, Liberation Day is the ‘Courier Day Off’ ··· Coupang will not join
Coupang·SSG.com·Kurly will continue in-house delivery during the holiday CJ Logistics and other major domestic parcel carriers will again suspend parcel operations for part of the Liberation Day holiday this year. Some companies, including Coupang, will proceed with deliveries as usual. CJ Logistics announced on the 10th that it has designated the 14~15th as the ‘Courier Day Off’, during which about 20,000 of its parcel couriers will take a simultaneous break.
Yun Dong-ju ‘By Starlight’, Ahn Jung-geun ‘Forever in the Heart’, Yu Gwan-sun ‘The Shout of That Day’ engraved···Monami Liberation Day limited edition
Proceeds to support merit honorees Monami, the ‘national ballpoint pen company’, has released a limited edition ballpoint pen set embodying the spirit of independence activists ahead of Liberation Day. Monami announced on the 10th that it will release the ‘BP153 Liberation 81st Anniversary Edition’, produced based on its flagship ballpoint pen, the ‘BP153’. It plans to donate all sales proceeds in full as a contribution to support the descendants of independence patriots.
Four new Potato Chips flavors, you have to visit all four convenience store chains to try them~
Nongshim is releasing four limited-edition varieties of its popular snack ‘Potato Chips’. CU·GS25·7-Eleven·Emart24 will each offer a different new flavor, so you can also enjoy the fun of a ‘stamp challenge’ by visiting them all. Nongshim announced on the 10th that it is launching four ‘Dining Series’ Potato Chips created in collaboration with the four convenience store chains, capturing the tastes and aromas of various dishes in potato chips.
Samlip to raise prices of about 50 bread products by an average of around 9% starting in September
Samlip announced on the 9th that, starting September 1, it will raise the prices of about 50 bread products by an average of around 9%. It is the first price increase in about a year and six months since February last year. Based on convenience store retail prices, prices are expected to rise by around 200 won depending on the product. ‘Jeongtong Boreumdal’ will be raised 11.1%, from 1,800 won to 2,000 won.
‘Industry No. 1’ and ‘No. 1 in AI exposure’ were different···As AI searches rise, companies scramble to respond
As more consumers look for information from generative artificial intelligence (AI) before purchasing products, on the 6th the first domestic results quantifying how often specific brands are exposed in AI were released. The results showed that an industry ranking was not the only factor determining exposure frequency in AI. Even with the same question, the brands most frequently surfaced differed by AI.
‘Operations suspended’ Homeplus will reopen on the 13th···KRW 200 billion in emergency funds deposited today, temporary opening on the 7th
On the 5th, KRW 200 billion in DIP funds urgently injected Preparing to reopen 67 stores nationwide Plans to downsize stores and operate mainly with private-label (PB) products KRW 200 billion in debtor-in-possession (DIP) emergency operating funds will be deposited into Homeplus, which is undergoing corporate rehabilitation, on the 5th. Homeplus plans a temporary opening on the 7th, followed by an official reopening on the 13th.
‘Record sales·record loss’ logged simultaneously by Coupang; what is the outlook for second-half results?
Coupang Inc., the parent company of Coupang's Korean unit, posted an operating loss exceeding 800 billion KRW in the second quarter of this year. It was the largest quarterly figure since its 2021 listing on the New York Stock Exchange. For the first half as a whole, it recorded a loss exceeding 1 trillion KRW for the first time.
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