South Korea's Nongshim brings Seoul to Tokyo's Harajuku district
SHUHEI YUZAWA
TOKYO -- Want to re-create the "Han River ramen" dining experience seen in South Korean TV dramas without heading to Seoul? Visitors to Tokyo's Harajuku district can now get a taste of Seoul -- minus the river, of course.
Nongshim, the South Korean food company known for its Shin Ramyun instant noodle brand, opened a Shin Ramyun Bunsik pop-up shop in June that will last for a year. "Bunsik" is Korean for "food made from flour" and commonly refers to inexpensive Korean dishes like ramen and tteokbokki simmered rice cakes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
35th anniversary of friendship partnership between Kanagawa Prefecture and Gyeonggi Province in South Korea
Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital city of South Korea, Seoul, has a population of approximately 13 million, making it the most populous local government in South Korea. It also serves as a central hub for politics and the economy. Kanagawa Prefecture has established a friendship partnership with Gyeonggi Province, promoting friendly relations across various fields, including the economy, culture and sports. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the friendship partnership between the two regions. In July, Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa visited Gyeonggi Province, where he attended the 35th anniversary commemorative ceremony held in Suwon, the provincial capital, and exchanged views with Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon. In addition, a Kanagawa–Gyeonggi Investment Cooperation Seminar was held at a hotel in Suwon, aiming to attract South Korean companies to Kanagawa. The event was attended by around 100 participants, primarily representatives from Korean companies. During the seminar, Governor Kuroiwa gave a presentation on Kanagawa's business environment, including the prefecture's investment promotion policy, 'Select Kanagawa Next." Following this, representatives from companies such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which has a base in Yokohama, shared case studies. A participant from a Korean company said, 'We had been considering establishing a subsidiary in Japan, and after hearing Governor Kuroiwa's presentation, we became interested in expanding into Kanagawa Prefecture. We would like to gather information on the incentives and support packages provided by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government and move forward with more details.' Japan and South Korea are geographically close to each other, and exchanges in many fields have been actively promoted. Holding such an event in this milestone year has further strengthened the friendly relationship between Kanagawa Prefecture and Gyeonggi Province. © Japan Today
Yomiuri Shimbun
12 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hitachi Mulls Selling Domestic Large Household Appliances Business; Company Continuing Restructuring Efforts
Hitachi, Ltd. is considering selling its domestic major household appliance business, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Monday. The move is seen as part of the company's restructuring efforts, which are aimed at concentrating resources around core infrastructure businesses, such as electric power and railways, and growth businesses, such as information technology services for companies. The home electronics maker Hitachi Global Life Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi, deals with refrigerators, washing machines and other major household appliances. The company reported sales of ¥367.6 billion in its financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025. In 2021, Hitachi established a joint venture with Turkey's Arcelik A.S. to target major home appliance markets overseas and transferred the business to it. While major household appliance businesses have the potential to enhance a company's brand strength, the market in Japan is expected to plateau due to the country's aging population and low birth rate. Hitachi is reportedly considering multiple companies as candidates to sell the business to, including a South Korean firm, but negotiations may prove challenging. Hitachi has sold subsidiaries and affiliated companies in the past, such as Hitachi Metals, Ltd. and Hitachi Transport System, Ltd. (present Logisteed, Ltd.) Last year, it announced its withdrawal from home air conditioner production, in line with its strategy of project selection and concentration.
Asahi Shimbun
20 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Korea, U.S. prepare for summit with details of trade deal unresolved
A car carrier transporting vehicles made by Kia Motors, which is part of South Korea's biggest automaker company Hyundai Motor, travels near Pyeongtaek port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on July 8. (REUTERS) SEOUL--As South Korea and the United States prepare for a summit of their leaders, topics left unresolved by a recent trade deal provide scope for more disputes between the key allies and trade partners, six former negotiators and experts said. President Donald Trump may use the summit with counterpart Lee Jae Myung to seek more concessions on defense costs and corporate investments, left out of the deal, while non-tariff barriers and currency could prove thorny issues, experts said. No official summit date has been disclosed, though Trump last week gave a timeframe of two weeks. The absence of a written agreement underpinning last week's talks could open the way for disputes, with some differences already emerging in the two sides' accounts of the deal. Key among these was Sunday's denial by a South Korean presidential adviser of U.S. claims that it would take 90% of the profit from project investments of $350 billion by South Korea, which also agreed to open up its domestic rice market. 'Even a binding deal like the FTA has been efficiently scrapped,' warned Choi Seok-young, a former chief negotiator for the Korea-U.S. free trade deal, signed in 2007. 'And this is just promise.' Last week's pact was scaled down from South Korea's previous plans for a package deal on trade, security and investment envisioned in the run-up to the summit between Trump and the newly-elected Lee. But Japan struck a deal with the United States sooner than expected, spurring South Korea into a scramble for a trade-focused pact, leaving issues of security and investment for the coming summit, presidential adviser Kim Yong-beom said. Uncertainty clouds plans for $350 billion in funds Trump has said South Korea would invest in the United States in projects 'owned and controlled by the United States' and selected by him, though he gave few details of the plan's structure or timing. The allies face challenges in ironing out details of the fund at upcoming working-level talks, South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol told reporters on Friday. 'People say the devil is in the details,' he added. In a social media post, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick gave an assurance of '90% of the profits going to the American people', while White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said part would go to the U.S. government to help repay debt. But Kim, the presidential adviser, said the two sides did not discuss profit distribution during talks, and South Korea expected the profit to be 'reinvested' in the United States. 'POLITICAL RHETORIC' The idea of the United States potentially taking most of the profit is 'hard to understand in a civilized country', he added, while dismissing as 'political rhetoric' Washington's claim that it would make all decisions about the fund. South Korea had added a safety mechanism to reduce financing risk, including U.S. commitments to buy products from the projects, under an 'offtake' clause and invest in commercially feasible projects, he said. Seoul officials have said $150 billion would go to the shipbuilding industry, with the rest earmarked for areas such as chips, batteries, critical minerals, biotechnology, nuclear power and other strategic industries. The specifics of the structure have not been determined, said Kim, adding that loans and guarantees make up a majority of the funds, with equity investments accounting for a small part. Leavitt said South Korea would provide 'historic market access to American goods like autos and rice,' echoing earlier comments by Trump. But South Korea said repeatedly there had been no agreement on the agriculture market, including beef and rice, despite strong pressure from Washington. Trump expressed keen interest in Korea's quarantine process for fruits and vegetables, Seoul said, improvements to which will figure in planned technical talks on non-tariff barriers that will also cover vehicle safety rules but gave no details. Other non-tariff barriers such as regulation of Big Tech could be hurdles. 'We cannot be relieved because we do not know when we will face pressure from tariffs or non-tariff measures again,' Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said last week on returning from Washington. Defense costs are expected to emerge as a key issue during the upcoming summit, with Trump having long said South Korea needed to pay more for the U.S. troop presence there. In addition to the $350 billion, Trump said South Korea agreed to invest a large sum of money in the United States, to be announced during the summit, which he said on July 30 would be held within two weeks. The allies are holding working level-talks on currency policy, put on the agenda at April's opening round of trade talks.
