Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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Japanese car makers seek former glory
Sales of Japanese vehicles in Korea, which dominated the Korean import car market in the mid-2000s, are picking up again, boosted by falling oil prices, a weak yen and new car launches. Currently, four German brands ― BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Audi ― hold the top four spots in the market, with a combined 68 percent market share last year. The market share of five Japanese brands ― Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Nissan and Infiniti ― stood at 12.26 percent in 2014. “The business environment has b
Feb. 15, 2015
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Han Sung Motor expands youth art program
Han Sung Motor, the largest Mercedes-Benz dealer in Korea, is strengthening its social contribution this year by expanding its young artist development program, Dream Gream. The program, which offers a variety of art classes, a summer camp and mentoring, has nurtured 20 teenage students from financially challenged families as young artists every year since 2012. The company decided to double the number of sponsored students to 40 this year, motivated by impressive feedback from all stakeholders
Feb. 12, 2015
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GM Korea, union agree on single-shift system at Gunsan plant
GM Korea Co. and its labor union agreed to scale down its work shift at its struggling Gunsan plant, a move aimed to reduce costs amid falling overseas demand following its withdrawal from Europe, company officials said Wednesday.The workers will go on a single work shift instead of the current double shift, but they have been assured of keeping their jobs through relocation to other duties, they said.The two sides also agreed to lower the number of vehicles produced each hour from 54 to 48 as i
Feb. 11, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Can Ssangyong Motor regain its past glory?
For Ssangyong Motor, spring appears to have arrived earlier than expected. The labor strife-marred automaker is poised to celebrate the high unexpected sales of its new compact sport utility vehicle Tivoli and select its new leader in six years.The automaker said on Wednesday it sold more than 8,000 Tivoli vehicles in the first month since its market debut on Jan. 13.“The morale of employees is riding high due to the sales,’’ a company official said. The Tivoli, rival to small SUVs like Renault
Feb. 11, 2015
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Hyundai launches upgraded turbo-powered Sonata at home
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top carmaker, said Wednesday it has released a redesigned edition of its Sonata turbo model in the home market to attract younger customers with its improved fuel efficiency and more polished look. The new model of Hyundai's flagship midsize sedan has an in-house developed "new theta-i" 2.0-liter turbo gasoline direct injection powertrain that packs a maximum horsepower of 245 and 36 kilogram-meters of torque. The newest Sonata also sports a mileage of 10.8 k
Feb. 11, 2015
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Ssangyong Motor's Tivoli sales top 8,000 units in less than one month
Ssangyong Motor Co. said Wednesday that it has sold more than 8,000 Tivoli compact sport utility vehicles in less than a month after its debut, possibly making it one of the biggest hit models for this year. Ssangyong Motor, the smallest carmaker in South Korea, started to sell the Tivoli compact SUVs on Jan. 13, the first new model the company unveiled since it was purchased by India's Mahindra & Mahindra Group in 2011. The sales of the SUV may well top 10,000 units by the end of this month i
Feb. 11, 2015
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EV Expo woos Tesla
The organizing committee of the second International Electric Vehicle Expo on Tuesday invited U.S. EV-maker Tesla back to the event. “The Jeju governor and I have visited the Tesla Motor manufacturing site and we have sent a joint invitation but have yet to receive an RSVP,” said Kim Dae-hwan, chairman of the expo organizing committee, at a press conference later in the day. The expo is slated to be held at the ICC Jeju from March 6-15 with more than 80,000 visitors expected. “If Tesla learns ab
Feb. 10, 2015
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Hyundai i40 nears perfection
I must admit that Hyundai Motor’s new i40 diesel sedan is virtually impeccable, even for a petty-minded and cautious driver like me. From the smooth, sound driving features to the comfort of the back seat, the revamped version of the mid-weight sedan ticks every box on my watch list.Even Hyundai’s “aerodynamic family look” that makes all the automakers’ models look the same, with only differences in size and length, started to grow on me when I looked at and experienced this car from the inside.
Feb. 8, 2015
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Hyundai, Kia lag behind at home in Jan.: data
South Korea's top auto affiliate duo Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. lost some footing at home, barely holding on to their 60-percent threshold last month, data showed Friday as other market tallies indicated imported brands were quickly gaining customers. The combined share of the two affiliates in the South Korean car market stood at 60.7 percent in January, with 31.9 percent for Hyundai and the remaining 28.8 percent taken by Kia, according to industry data. Compared to last year's
Feb. 6, 2015
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BMW aims to keep No.1 title in Korea
INCHEON ― BMW Korea said Thursday it will continue to seek double-digit sales growth rate this year to secure the No.1 imported carmaker status with 12 facelifted or improved models of BMW cars, two Minis and five Motorrad motorcycles. Kim Hyo-joon, president of BMW Korea, speaks at the company’s annual press conference held at the BMW Driving Center in Incheon on Thursday. (BMW)The new cars will vary from the full changed sedan to SUVs and electric vehicles, said Kim Hyo-joon, representative d
Feb. 5, 2015
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Renault Samsung to up Rogue SUV production by 37.5 pct
Renault Samsung Motors Co., the local unit of French carmaker Renault S.A., said Thursday it is looking to increase its production of the Rogue sport utility vehicle by 37.5 percent this year to help keep up with rising demand for the model in the United States. As per request from the Renault Nissan Alliance, Renault Samsung's main production plant in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, will jack up its output of the SUV to 11,000 units from the previous 8,000 units, the company said in
Feb. 5, 2015
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BMW Korea expects to keep double-digit sales growth in 2015
The head of BMW Korea, the local unit of German carmaker BMW, said Thursday he expects double-digit sales growth in South Korea to continue this year on the back of strong demand and expanding customer base. The growth outlook followed a milestone sales figure achieved by BMW last year in the country, where it sold more than 40,000 vehicles for the first time as a foreign carmaker. "We usually do not disclose exact figures on sales, but we expect to continue a double-digit growth this year," K
Feb. 5, 2015
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South Korea's imported car sales hit all-time monthly high in Jan.
Imported car sales in South Korea hit an all-time monthly high in January on growing demand for European and Japanese vehicles here, industry data showed Thursday. According to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, a total of 19,930 foreign-branded vehicles were registered last month, up from 14,849 units tallied a year earlier. The figure was also up 16.4 percent from the previous month. This marked the largest monthly sales since last July when 18
Feb. 5, 2015
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Hyundai hopes to tighten grip on midsize car market with new i40
Hyundai Motor Co. has been a household name in the South Korean car market for decades as the country's primary carmaker. With the widely popular Sonata lineup, the midsize vehicle segment has been a longtime forte for the automaker. Imported brands, however, have worked their way into South Korea in recent years, with their market share jumping to 13.92 percent last year, nearly double the 6.92 percent from 2010, according to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors As
Feb. 4, 2015
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Volkswagen overtakes Hyundai in S. Korean hatchback market: data
Sales of Volkswagen Group's Golf hatchback outstripped that of Hyundai Motor Co.'s i30 compact last year, data showed Wednesday, the first time that a foreign brand has done better than a local automaker in a particular segment. Volkswagen sold 7,238 units of the Golf in South Korea for the whole of last year, soaring 24 percent on-year to surpass Hyundai's 6,644 units, according to industry data. This marks the first time for Hyundai's i30 to lag behind its competitor since it was launched in
Feb. 4, 2015
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Hyundai, Kia log record Jan. sales in U.S.
Hyundai Motor Group, the world's No. 5 auto conglomerate, said Wednesday its January sales in the United States reached an all-time high, giving hope that its affiliate duos may continue to do well following favorable results for the U.S. market last year. Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America, the distribution and marketing arms of the conglomerate in the U.S. market, said they each sold 44,505 and 38,299 units last month, moving up by a respective 1 percent and 3.5 percent from the pr
Feb. 4, 2015
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Chrysler 200 adds competition in midsize sedan market
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles debuted the 2015 all-new Chrysler 200 in Korea on Tuesday, targeting the midsize sedan market, one of the most competitive segments here. Models pose in front of the all-new Chrysler 200, which debuted in Korea on Tuesday. (FCA Korea)With an affordable price in the 30 million won ($27,000) range and new design, the gasoline-powered family sedan will compete against best-selling models in the category, including the BMW 3, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata, FCA Korea presi
Feb. 3, 2015
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Hyundai, Kia win iF Design Award in Europe
Hyundai Motor Co.'s i20 supermini and Kia Motors Corp.'s Sorento sport utility vehicle each were named winners for an international design award, the two companies said Tuesday. The latest edition of the i20 hatchback from Hyundai won the 2015 International Forum Design Award in the product design segment, while Kia's midsize crossover SUV clinched the same prize under the transportation design segment, the carmakers said in a press release. The award is a first for South Korea's top carmake
Feb. 3, 2015
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Hyundai Mobis plant boosts productivity
ASAN, South Chungcheong Province ― The air was crisp and quiet inside the 14,280-square-meter room on Wednesday morning. The only sounds at the Hyundai Mobis Asan module plant in South Chungcheong Province were from machines moving heavy components and a few people assembling auto parts at their work stations. The overall atmosphere was peaceful, even serene.But being quiet does not mean being unproductive. About 300,000 chassis (front and rear) modules consisting of 57 parts from Mobis as well
Feb. 2, 2015
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Korean carmakers’ sales down 3.4% in January
Sales by South Korean automakers shrank 3.4 percent on-year in January as the slowing economic recovery in emerging markets and competition from foreign rivals hurt overseas shipments, industry data showed Monday.The combined sales of the five local automakers in January came to 717,332 units last month, down from 742,655 in the same month a year earlier, according to data provided by the companies. The total excludes complete knockdown kits that are assembled abroad.The five are Hyundai Motor C
Feb. 2, 2015