Coway Life Solution is partnering with integrated home care provider Wellcare Station to expand care services for customers with dementia and long-term care needs.

Coway Life Solution said Sept. 9 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Wellcare Station to support home care services for senior customers who need care and their families.

Wellcare Station is an integrated home care provider where doctors, nurses and care workers collaborate to provide home nursing and home care services. It also offers in-home care services including hospital accompaniment and support for using South Korea’s long-term care family leave program.

Under the agreement, Coway Life Solution customers with family members who require continuous care due to dementia or other conditions can receive support for long-term care services.

The service covers checking eligibility for the long-term care family leave program, connecting customers with care workers and coordinating schedules. For customers without a long-term care grade, it also handles related administrative procedures, including preparing documents needed to apply for a grade and filing applications with the National Health Insurance Service.

Wellcare Station will operate a dedicated service channel for Coway Life Solution customers. Customers using home care services will also receive priority assignment of care workers on their preferred dates.

Coway Life Solution is also expanding dementia care and caregiving support for senior customers. In partnership with digital healthcare company Silvia Health, it provides cognitive function assessments and personalized cognitive training. It also has partnerships with caregiving and long-term care providers Caring and Caredoc.

“We will help Coway Life Solution customers access long-term care-related services more conveniently,” Wellcare Station CEO Kook Kyung-min said.

Coway is expanding its food waste processor lineup from grinding-type models to microbial systems.

Coway said Sept. 8 that it will accept advance consultation reservations through Sept. 29 for its Zero Food Waste Processor Microbial Type, scheduled for launch later this month.

The new product uses microorganisms inside the unit to continuously break down and reduce food waste. Users can add waste whenever it is generated, while the remaining byproducts need to be removed once every one to three months.

The product is designed for immediate use after installation without a separate microorganism cultivation period. It uses a high-capacity activated carbon filter and patent-pending microorganisms extracted from traditional Korean fermented sauces. The system removes 99% of eight types of odors and harmful gases generated during food waste processing.

The unit is 24 centimeters wide and can process up to 0.7 kilograms of food waste per day. It is available in three colors: Porcelain White, Dark Gray and Mild Pink.

Customers can choose between in-home maintenance visits by Coway’s Cody service staff or self-maintenance. Rental customers will receive one additional supply of the microbial agent during the rental period.

Customers who make an advance consultation reservation and sign up for a new rental will receive an additional 50% discount on rental fees for two months.

The Zero Food Waste Processor Microbial Type is eligible for government subsidies for food waste reduction equipment. Customers purchasing the product outright may receive partial reimbursement of the purchase cost, depending on the criteria set by their local government.

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Coway said on Aug. 10 that it will offer rental fee discounts for new customers of selected products, including wall-mounted air conditioners, Zero Food Waste Disposers and Therasol U, through Aug. 26.

New customers renting Coway's wall-mounted air conditioner can receive a 50% discount on rental fees for up to 18 months. The product features four-way airflow control, power cooling, dehumidification, fan and sleep modes, as well as automatic drying and self-cleaning functions.

Customers who rent the 2-liter or 3-liter versions of the Zero Food Waste Disposer with grinder technology can receive a 50% rental fee discount for up to four months. The product includes a 150-degree heating system, four-blade grinding mechanism, activated carbon filter and UV-C sterilization function. Coway also provides one complimentary replacement of the drying container during the rental period.

Therasol U, a home-use medical device for urinary incontinence treatment, is available with a 50% rental fee discount for up to 12 months. The product has received approval from South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and uses low-frequency electrical stimulation to induce contraction and relaxation of pelvic floor muscles and surrounding muscle groups.

KT&G posted record first-half revenue, driven by strong growth in its overseas tobacco business, and raised its earnings outlook for the full year.

The company said on Aug. 6 that second-quarter revenue reached 1.70 trillion won, while operating profit increased to 414.5 billion won. Compared with the same period a year earlier, revenue rose 9.9% and operating profit grew 18.5%.

KT&G also revised its full-year guidance upward. The company raised its projected annual revenue growth rate to 5–7% from a previous forecast of 3–5%, while expected operating profit growth was increased to 10–13% from 6–8%.

The tobacco business remained the primary earnings driver, generating revenue of 1.22 trillion won and operating profit of 382.5 billion won during the quarter.

Revenue from overseas cigarette operations rose 18.9% year over year to 557.7 billion won. Operating profit from the business increased 45.6%, supported by higher sales volumes and improved selling prices.

In South Korea, KT&G maintained a cigarette market share of 67.9% during the first half.

The next-generation product (NGP) business also continued to expand. NGP revenue increased 23.8% from a year earlier to 242.7 billion won, driven by strong sales of the lil AIBLE 3.0 heated tobacco device. The company's domestic NGP market share reached 48.2%.

KGC, KT&G's health functional food subsidiary, reported operating profit of 10.0 billion won, up 61.3% from the previous year, supported by higher domestic sales.

KT&G also announced enhanced shareholder returns. Its board of directors approved an interim dividend of 2,000 won per share, up from 1,400 won a year earlier.

The company said it will proceed with previously announced plans to repurchase and retire treasury shares during the second half of the year. It also plans to unveil a new mid- to long-term shareholder return policy, including additional dividend measures, in the fourth quarter.

Coway’s wheelchair basketball team, the Coway Blue Wheels, won the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor’s Cup International Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.

Coway said on July 23 that the Blue Wheels captured the title at the 13th Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor’s Cup International Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, held at Jeju Halla Gymnasium from July 17 to 20. The team remained undefeated from the preliminary round through the final.

The tournament featured seven teams from South Korea and overseas, including the Coway Blue Wheels, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province team, the Chuncheon Tigers, and teams from Japan.

The Blue Wheels defeated Suwon Mugunghwa Electronics 65-38 and Daegu Metropolitan City Hall 97-60 in the preliminary round to finish first in their group and advance to the final. They then beat the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province team 65-59 in the championship game. Kim Ho-yong and Kwak Jun-sung each scored 20 points, while Kim Sang-yeol added 13.

Kwak Jun-sung was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), while Head Coach Kim Young-moo received the Best Coach Award.

The Blue Wheels also won the Asia-Oceania Club Exchange Tournament in 2024. This year, the team has claimed titles at the Holt National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, the Korea Post President’s Cup Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, and the Jeju international tournament.

“Our players maintained their focus until the end, which enabled us to win the championship,” Head Coach Kim Young-moo said. “We will continue striving for strong results in the remaining tournaments this season.”

The Coway Blue Wheels were established in 2022. They are the only corporate-operated wheelchair basketball team among South Korea’s professional wheelchair basketball clubs. During the off-season, the team organizes wheelchair basketball experience programs and school sports club competitions.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new light-based technology that can rapidly gather thousands of bacteria into a tiny area, making them much easier to detect. The breakthrough could help doctors diagnose infections earlier and may also support environmental monitoring and other forms of biological testing. The research team, led by Professor Takuya Iida from […]

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