Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok team up in 'Whenever Possible'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Aging population to drive down Korea's housing prices from 2040: experts
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Asiana Airlines Q1 income posts W32.5b
Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea’s No. 2 air carrier, said Friday its earnings plunged in the first quarter of 2012 from a year earlier, mainly due to soaring fuel prices.Net income stood at 32.5 billion won ($27.9 million) in the January-March period, down 94.7 percent from the 61.82 billion won recorded a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing.Sales rose 7.6 percent on-year to 1.35 trillion won last quarter, while operating profit dropped 52.7 percent on-year to 35.48 billion won.A
May 19, 2012
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Households’ monthly income grows 6.9%
South Korean households’ monthly income grew 6.9 percent on-year in the first quarter of this year thanks to improved employment conditions, a government report showed Friday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, households’ monthly income averaged 4.12 million won ($3,540) in the January-March period, compared with 3.85 million won a year earlier. Inflation-adjusted household income gained 3.8 percent from a year earlier, an improvement from a 3.2 percent increase in the fourth quarter o
May 19, 2012
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Kia Motors vows to become premium brand by 2017
Kia Motors has vowed to cultivate its brand power to near that of European and Japanese automakers within five years, following a similar vision its affiliate Hyundai Motor unveiled in April.Kia disclosed the goal to become a premium auto brand during the 2012 gathering of Kia dealership owners worldwide at a hotel in Vancouver May 14-17.Kia Motors vice chairman Lee Hyung-keun told participants that the company has set a vehicle sales target of 2.21 million units in the overseas market in 2012,
May 18, 2012
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Hyundai, Kia struggle against hybrid rivals
Korean carmakers plan to roll out new K5, Sonata hybridsHyundai Motor and Kia Motors have yet to clarify their stance on whether to develop Genesis or K9 hybrid vehicles, though global carmakers are in heated competition to launch eco-friendly models of large-sized sedans.The players manufacturing hybrids for the luxury and premium-luxury segments include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus.Spokespeople for Hyundai Motor Group declined to comment on the possibility that Hyundai-Kia would follow s
May 17, 2012
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Hyundai expands tie-ups with Nordic countries
Starting Norwegian firm, automaker to sign MOUs on green carsHyundai Motor is expanding its business collaboration with Scandinavian countries to boost the carmaker’s supply of environmentally friendly vehicles.Following a pact between Hyundai and the governments of the four countries ― Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland ― in January 2011, the automaker signed a memorandum of understanding with a Norwegian firm on green car supply in Seoul on Tuesday.Under the MOU, Hyundai and Norway-based larg
May 15, 2012
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More foreign CEOs in car market
More non-Korean chiefs arrive in Korea as import auto market heats upAs Korea’s import car market grows, global automakers are increasingly opting for foreign chief executives for their Korean units.When the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association was established 17 years ago, the import car sector had only one foreign CEO.Of the 16 member firms of KAIDA, seven now have foreign CEOs. They are Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Chrysler, Jaguar/Land Rover, Stuttgart Sports Cars (or Porsche Kor
May 15, 2012
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Korea Auto Parts Park opens in Detroit
Korea Auto Parts Park in Detroit was launched Monday to help Korean firms settle in the U.S. city.The opening ceremony was organized by Korea’s Commerce Ministry and the state-run Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency.KAPP provides offices with presentation devices and conference rooms. “It takes a long time for small and medium auto part companies to win business contracts from global carmakers. That is when the local offices are needed,” KOTRA’s vice president Oh Sung-keun said. “KAPP will g
May 14, 2012
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Futuristic cars to hit Busan Motor Show
Four models to be unveiled in the biennial event for first time in AsiaThe sixth Busan International Motor Show, which will kick off on May 24, will feature futuristic concept cars with state-of-the-art technologies, carmakers said Friday.Some of the concept cars ― prototypes that give consumers a peek at future designs ― will be showcased for the first time in Asia via the 11-day auto fair at the BEXCO in Busan, they said.Hyundai Motor will unveil several futuristic models, such as the HND-7/He
May 11, 2012
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Carmakers seek tie-ups with IT giants
Partnerships include Hyundai-Samsung, Kia-SKT and Renault-POSCO ICTCarmakers are signing business tie-ups with information and communication technology giants amid growing demand for high-end auto components.Among them are Kia Motors-SK Telecom and Renault Samsung Motors-POSCO ICT. Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics have reportedly been in talks for an alliance.Renault Samsung said Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing infrastructure for commercializing electri
May 10, 2012
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U.S.-made cars still unpopular under FTA
U.S. automakers are still posting sagging car sales in Korea despite the free trade agreement between the two countries that took effect two months ago.Three U.S. companies ― General Motors, Chrysler and Ford Motor ― grabbed only 6.1 percent of the nation’s import car market with combined sales of 656 units in April.While their market share has stayed below 10 percent among import brands over the past few years, the three players have been pinning hopes on the Korea-U.S. FTA, implemented on Marc
May 9, 2012
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‘Most Remarkable Award’ for Avante at Beijing show
Hyundai Motor’s Avante won the Most Remarkable Award at the Beijing International Motor Show, the country’s leading carmaker said on Tuesday. Winning the most out of the 6.75 million votes counted, the award-winning sedan has made a promising premier in the automobile market, the company said. First presented in 2005, the Most Remarkable Award is given by three major motor shows in China, Shanghai Motor Show, Beijing International Motor Show and Guangzhou International Motor Show. The award is p
May 8, 2012
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Ferrari targets Korean wealth, casts eye on Vietnam
Ferrari SpA said it expects South Korea’s economic growth to make the country a standout for sports car demand, and Vietnam may be next.“A surprise over the next five years will be South Korea,” Herbert Appleroth, Ferrari’s Asia Pacific chief executive officer, said in an interview. “It has an abundance of wealth and economic prosperity, and there is appreciation for supercars. I think you will see very strong growth.”Appleroth’s projections point to the next pockets of growth for luxury carmake
May 6, 2012
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Chrysler leads April auto sales boosting U.S. manufacturing
Chrysler Group LLC led the five largest automakers by U.S. sales in exceeding analysts’ estimates for April as the industry’s increased production drove expansion in the manufacturing sector.Chrysler sales climbed 20 percent to 141,165 light vehicles and Toyota Motor Corp.’s deliveries rose 12 percent to 178,044, according to company statements. Those results beat eight analysts’ average estimate for increases of 16 percent and 10 percent. General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. s
May 6, 2012
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Cheap import cars make Korean inroads
Foreign automakers aggressive in launching models priced under 30 million wonA series of import cars with relatively low price tags are aggravating the worries of Korea’s automakers, who are suffering a continuing drop in month-on-month vehicle sales at home.“Cheap import cars have emerged as a threat not only to Hyundai-Kia but companies which operate manufacturing factories in Korea ― GM, Renault Samsung and Ssangyong,” said an executive in the local automotive industry.Among the foreign playe
May 6, 2012
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Hyundai-Kia to provide eco-friendly cars to Yeosu Expo
The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group said Sunday it will provide 51 eco-friendly vehicles to the organizing committee of the Yeosu Expo 2012 to help facilitate logistics. The Expo will run for three months from Saturday and is expected to attract more than 8 million visitors from across the globe with the emphasis being put on challenges posed by climate change and protecting the marine environment.
May 6, 2012
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Hyundai, Kia see sales increase, others suffer drop
South Korea’s leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday its April sales gained 7.9 percent from a year earlier due mainly to solid demand in overseas markets.Hyundai Motor sold 371,597 vehicles last month, compared with 344,231 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Its April sales, however, were down 2.9 percent from the previous month, when the company sold 382,659 vehicles overall.Domestic sales contracted 7.6 percent on-year to 55,497 vehicles, while overseas sales j
May 2, 2012
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Hyundai Motor to add third shift, 877 workers at Alabama factory
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest automaker, will add a third shift at its main assembly plant in Montgomery, Alabama to meet rising demand for its vehicles in the U.S.Capacity at the factory, currently able to build at least 300,000 vehicles a year, will increase by 20,000 units after the increase in shifts that begins in September, the company said today in an e-mailed statement. The added shift will result in 877 extra workers, raising employment there to more than 3,000, the Seoul-bas
May 1, 2012
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Hyundai, Kia strive to defend dominant position in local market
K9, New Santa Fe to compete with U.S.-manufactured Japanese models Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are signaling fierce competition with import car brands in a bid to protect their dominant market share at home.Following Hyundai’s launch of the third-generation Santa Fe in April, its affiliate Kia will unveil the K9, a luxury premium sedan, on May 2.Hyundai Motor has more than 40 percent of the local market while its affiliate Kia Motors’ market share hovers at 30 percent.But their position has
May 1, 2012
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Hyundai Motor unveils Yeosu Expo pavilion
Hyundai Motor Group on Monday introduced its exhibition hall for the upcoming Yeosu Expo 2012, which underscores the carmaker’s efforts to save resources and the environment. Under the theme “Living Ocean and Coast,” 106 countries and nine international organizations plan to showcase their marine development and oceanic technology on the southern shore of the Korean Peninsula starting May 12.The auto giant is one of the seven local corporations to run pavilions during the three-month event along
April 30, 2012
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GM to start selling Chevy Corvette in Korean market
General Motors Co., the world’s largest automaker, will begin selling the Chevrolet Corvette sports car in South Korea this month as the U.S. company seeks to expand sales in overseas markets.The Corvette Coupe, equipped with a eight-cylinder engine delivering 430 horsepower, will go on sale May 4 starting at 86.4 million won ($76,300), GM’s Korean unit said in an e- mailed statement on Monday. That’s more than 50 percent higher than the car’s sticker price in the U.S.The coupe will be the ninth
April 30, 2012