Most Popular
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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Jeep Cherokee returns strong in 7 years
The Jeep Cherokee, the iconic mid-size sport utility vehicle, has made a comeback here Wednesday after a seven-year hiatus. Before it was replaced with the Jeep Liberty, the Cherokee sold 2.5 million vehicles since its debut in 1974. In a bid to repeat that success, Jeep resurrected the Cherokee nameplate for the Liberty’s successor. “It is a moment that I have long waited,” Chrysler Korea CEO Pablo Ross said at the car’s launch in Seoul on Wednesday. “We want to redefine again the mid-size SUV
Aug. 24, 2014
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BMW X4, a savvy oddball
BMW is known for its bottomless appetite for new models, and the BMW X4 is another segment-splitting X Series sport utility vehicle from the luxury carmaker. Journalists scratched their heads a few years ago when BMW unveiled the X6, a mid-size crossover with coupe-like styling. But the car defied skepticism to find some 250,000 buyers around the world. The new X4 carries the same concept ― “sport activity vehicle” ― but in a smaller, more fashionable package. [Behind the Wheel / BMW X4] Design
Aug. 24, 2014
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Kia outpaces Hyundai in auto exports for first time
South Korea’s No. 2 automaker Kia Motors Corp. surpassed its larger sister company Hyundai Motor Co. in auto exports for the first time in the first seven months of this year, industry data showed Sunday.Kia Motors exported 772,559 vehicles in the January-July period, outstripping Hyundai Motor’s shipments of 722,129 units, according to the data by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., was a distant third with exp
Aug. 24, 2014
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Ssangyong zeroes in on Europe, China
Ssangyong Motor on Sunday said it will focus on strengthening its global sales network, especially in the burgeoning Chinese and European markets. “With the New Korando C getting a positive response in the European market, we can proudly say that Ssangyong’s next big market is Europe, alongside China,” said Choi Jin-woong, a spokesman for Ssangyong. The company expects to sell 81,500 vehicles overseas by the end of the year, which is almost double from the 49,288 sold in 2010. The upbeat target
Aug. 24, 2014
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Hyundai fears output loss from partial strikes
Union workers at Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan plant staged four-hour partial strikes on Friday amid their stalled talks with management over considering bonuses part of regular wages. With the union planning to refuse overtime work on the weekend, South Korea’s largest carmaker is expected to suffer production losses worth some 150 billion won ($147 million) for this week alone. The 47,000 member union put down its tools for two hours on Friday morning and two hours again in the evening. It plans to co
Aug. 22, 2014
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BMW Driving Center open to public
BMW opened its first driving center in Asia, located on Yeongjongdo Island, some 40 kilometers west of Seoul, to the public on Friday, officials said. The BMW complex consists of a 2.6 kilometer racetrack; a BMW car gallery; a restaurant; the Junior Campus, an education program for children; and food and drink facilities. The facility is the third of its kind, following driving centers in Germany and the U.S.Entry is free of charge, while some fees will be required for test-driving vehicles and
Aug. 22, 2014
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[Graphic News] More drivers embrace hybrid and electric cars
Global sales of hybrid and electric cars have more than tripled to 3.49 million in 2013 from 1 million in 2011. The eco-friendly car market is expected to continue the recent momentum in the coming years to sell 10.45 million units by 2020, according to market research firm B3. South Korea is also seeing an upward trend, with hybrids and electric cars selling 14,535 and 434 vehicles, respectively, in the first half of the year. Industry watchers’ combined annual sales would reach 30,000 sales th
Aug. 21, 2014
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Hyundai merges units as succession looms
Hyundai Motor Group is speeding up efforts to restructure its businesses in a move that could pave the way for the much-anticipated power succession from chairman Chung Mong-koo to his only son, Hyundai Motor vice chairman Eui-sun. In a regulatory filing Tuesday, Hyundai Wia, an auto parts affiliate of the Korean auto giant, said it would be merging with two other parts makers, Hyundai Wisco and Hyundai Metia, as of Nov. 1.The company explained that the merger was part of its parent group’s larg
Aug. 20, 2014
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Kia bets big on Sorento to revitalize flagging sales
Kia Motors on Tuesday unveiled a fully altered version of its flagship sport utility vehicle, the Sorento, with which the carmaker hopes to revive its recent sluggish sales in South Korea.The country’s second-largest automaker offered a sneak peek of the All New Sorento, ahead of its official launch next week, at the carmaker’s new global quality control center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. “We have poured all of our resources into (making) a globally competitive SUV,” said In Chi-wang, execut
Aug. 19, 2014
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Macan expands Porsche appeal
After its successful experiment with its first sport utility vehicle Cayenne, German sports carmaker Porsche has come up with a smaller SUV, the Macan, to win over new customers. Despite the earlier skepticism enshrouding the Cayenne’s debut in 2003 that the SUV could water down its brand image, the car has driven up Porsche’s sales by 80 percent. Now half of Porsches sold globally are Cayennes.Aimed at reviving the success story and joining the already crowded luxury crossover segment, Porsche
Aug. 17, 2014
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New Audi A8 enjoys strong sales
German carmaker Audi’s flagship sedan, the Audi A8, has been going strong in the market. Armed with cutting-edge technology and an enhanced sporty design, the A8 has sold more than 150 units since its July 3 launch, Audi Korea said. “The New Audi A8 actively lays out Audi’s key spirit of design, traffic comfort and drivers’ convenience,” Johannes Thammer, managing director of Audi Korea, told Korean press at the vehicle’s launch. Under Audi’s slogan “Advancement through Technology,” the new Audi
Aug. 17, 2014
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Chrysler 300C offers bold luxury
Since its debut in 2004, the Chrysler 300C has represented a sense of power and refinement as the U.S. carmaker’s flagship luxury sedan.The roomy and luxurious large sedan, named the “top safety pick” by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is one of Chrysler’s top-selling models. In Korea, its sales have exceeded the 10,000 mark. In the first seven months this year, it has sold 498 vehicles here. The 300C is a large five-passenger sedan with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. Two engine
Aug. 17, 2014
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Hyundai braces for 3rd straight year of strikes
Hyundai Motor Co. workers endorsed a possible strike over wage demands for a third straight year, threatening output at South Korea’s largest automaker.Almost 70 percent of Hyundai’s 47,000 labor-guild members voted in favor of authorizing union leader Lee Kyung-hoon to call for a walkout, Hwang Ki Tae, a union spokesman, said in a text message. The strike may begin as soon as Aug. 18, Lee said at a press conference on July 30.While Hyundai is used to stoppages ― workers struck in 22 of the last
Aug. 17, 2014
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Ministries agree to delay vehicle emission taxes
The South Korean government has decided to delay the implementation of a cooperation fund for low-carbon cars by up to five years in order to reduce the burden on local carmakers, according to government sources on Thursday. The fund had initially been slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Kyung-hwan made the decision following a closed door meeting with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Minister of Environment
Aug. 14, 2014
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Pope picks Kia Soul as Korea limo
Pope Francis, known for his sincerity and frugality, has picked Kia Motors’ Soul compact car as his limo throughout his planned five-day visit to South Korea from Thursday.According to the preparatory committee on Wednesday, the head of the Roman Catholic Church initially asked to ride in the “smallest car in Korea” during his first papal trip to Asia. Upon his request, several compacts such as Kia Motors’ Morning and Ray and GM Korea’s Chevrolet Spark were cited as possible candidates for the P
Aug. 13, 2014
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GS Caltex, U.S. carmaker discuss carbon fiber deal
GS Caltex, South Korea’s second-largest oil refiner, said Wednesday that it was in talks with a U.S.-based electric car maker to supply its precompounded carbon long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic, or CLFT, which has been gaining rapid popularity as a substitute for steel. “A team of officials will visit the United States at the end of this month to discuss the use of CLFT in the carmaker’s electric models,” said a GS Caltex spokesman, declining to name the U.S. company.GS Caltex said that it se
Aug. 13, 2014
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Hyundai to pay out W56b for mileage exaggerations
Hyundai Motor said Tuesday it would soon implement measures to compensate consumers for overstating the fuel economy ratings of its Santa Fe sport utility vehicle.Succumbing to increasing government pressure, Korea’s biggest carmaker said it has earmarked about 56 billion won ($54.5 million) to reimburse owners of some 140,000 affected vehicles. It will pay up to 400,000 won per car, after considering the extra fuel costs consumers have paid for five years, officials said.“Regardless of a discre
Aug. 12, 2014
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Nissan Rogue production hit hard by strikes in Busan
The Korean production of the Nissan Rogue at Renault Samsung Motors’ Busan plant is expected to be hit hard by the labor union’s partial strikes that started last week. “Even now Nissan is idling some Japanese plants. If the Korean situation gets worse, there would be no reason for the carmaker to continue to make cars in Korea,” said a Renault Samsung official on condition of anonymity. According to the Korean unit of the French auto giant Renault Group, the carmaker started rolling out the Rog
Aug. 11, 2014
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Hyundai, Ssangyong urged to compensate drivers for fuel economy errors
Hyundai Motor and Ssangyong Motor are coming under increasing pressure from the Korean government to compensate consumers for reporting inaccurate fuel mileage figures for their sport utility vehicles.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last month reportedly sent official documents to the two carmakers, asking them to acknowledge their false gas mileage claims and implement follow-up measures as soon as possible. In June, the ministry’s fuel economy tests showed that Hyundai’s San
Aug. 10, 2014
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Han Sung Motor expands CSR
Han Sung Motor, Mercedes-Benz’s largest official dealer in South Korea, recently held a three-day art camp for young students as part of its corporate social responsibility program, Dream Gream (Picture) Project.Celebrating its third anniversary this year, the program aims to help students develop their artistic talents, especially those from underprivileged families. In addition to providing financial support for art classes, all 20 students will be given the opportunity to participate in diver
Aug. 10, 2014