Foreign residents in South Korea who intend to fly to France or the Netherlands must take a COVID-19 test in advance, Air France-KLM said Tuesday. According to the air carrier group, all foreign residents here except for those who hold A-1, A-2 or A-3 diplomatic visas or the F-4 residency visa must obtain reentry permits and present negative COVID-19 PCR certificates issued within the previous 48 hours, before they can depart for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The same rules apply to fore

Porsche Korea said Tuesday it opened the first Porsche Dream Circle, a student education program promoting the value of sustainability in the environment, at an elementary school in Gyeonggi Province. According to the automaker, the new project is part of its corporate social responsibility campaign, Porsche Do Dream, which marks its fourth year in 2020. Porsche Dream Circle, which has opened at the Pangyo Elementary School in Seongnam, is to provide a learning space for students on the imp

Seoul Metro, the operator of the city's vast subway system, has signed a deal with an Australian engineering firm to provide consulting services to Sydney Metro, the Korean company said Tuesday. Under the deal signed in mid-November, Seoul Metro and Ricardo will jointly assist Sydney Metro in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of two subway line extensions. The West line and the Western Sydney Airport link are scheduled for completion and opening in 2030. The three-year consu

Air Busan Co. said Tuesday it will resume flights to the Chinese city of Ningbo next month to meet travel demand from businessmen. The budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc. will begin offering one flight per week on Dec. 6 on the Incheon-Ningbo route after suspending the route for 10 months due to the coronavirus impact on the airline industry, the company said in a statement. Instead, the carrier plans to suspend the Incheon-Shenzhen route beginning Nov. 27, it said,  In July, t

$2.5 billion order likely related to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project, industry watchers say

Mercedes-Benz Korea said it is strengthening its digital-based customer experience for preemptive and professional services. The automaker said it is steadily investing in expanding digital-based services that customers can use without having to visit showrooms and service centers in person. One of the digital services is “Sales Touch,” an integrated digital sales platform that carries out all the necessary procedures for vehicle contracts through mobile or tablet devices without

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors overtook German brand BMW to rank fourth in the global electric vehicle market this year, data showed Monday. Local research company SNE Research said Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 130,000 EVs in the global market between January and September this year. The figure is up 40.7 percent from the same period last year. The strong performance was driven by a surge in sales of the Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona, Kia XCeed Plug-in Hybrid and Hyundai Porter 2 Electric. The co

South Korea’s leading tire manufacturer Hankook Tire & Technology Co. will supply tires for General Motors‘ new pickup trucks, the company said on Monday. The Dynapro MT2, Hankook Tire’s most extreme off-road all-season brand, will be supplied for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty and GMC Sierra HD, two models that share a platform. Having won the Red Dot Design Award, the tire boasts additional off-road grip due to angled V-shape shoulder scallops, according to the

Hyundai’s fuel cell system to be applied for Ineos’ new SUV ‘Grenadier’

A year and a half after presenting its sports utility vehicle QM6 with upgrades including new powertrains, Renault Samsung Motors introduced a new version of the bestselling model this month with a revamped exterior. Renault Samsung’s QM6 has been a cash cow for the automaker, having sold more than 160,000 units in the domestic market since its launch in 2016 and topping the country’s monthly sales of SUVs on several occasions. The first upgraded model came out in June 2019, when

Upgraded SUVs hit the spot for people turning to outdoor activities

Korean Air President Woo Ki-hong said the firm would push for employees’ leave of absence instead of cutting headcount once the merger with Asiana Airlines takes place. “Korean Air has never undergone artificial restructuring over the past 51 years,” Woo told reporters after the 22nd Tourism Industry Committee meeting in Seoul on Friday. “In order to increase efficiency after the merger, (some) employees will take a leave of absence until the end of the coronavirus cr

Creditors' plan to sell the debt-laden Asiana Airlines Inc. to its bigger rival Korean Air Lines Co. faces a bumpy road as a local equity fund has filed an injunction against the plan. On Tuesday, Asiana's main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), signed an investment agreement with Korean Air's parent Hanjin KAL Corp. to inject 800 billion won ($723 million) into Hanjin KAL through a rights offering and convertible bonds. Hanjin KAL will then participate in a 2.5 trillion-won stock sal

Hyundai Steel said Thursday it will hold online conferences to introduce its automobile brand H-Solution and the technologies on future mobility next month. The South Korean steelmaker said it will hold four online conference sessions from Dec. 2-10 to present the automotive steel brand H-Solution and its technologies and products relevant to future mobility. On the first day of the conference, the steelmaker will discuss prospects for the materials used in producing electric and hydrogen f

As General Motors Korea continues to struggle with labor strife and dwindling performance, GM’s international chief hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the country. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Steve Kiefe, the president of GM’s international operations, said GM has other options to produce cars in Asia, including China, where it builds nearly 5 million vehicles a year. GM workers have been staging two four-hour strikes daily since Oct. 30. The major stic