South Korea's culture minister resigned after being arrested Saturday for allegedly creating a "blacklist" of nearly 10,000 artists who voiced criticism of impeached President Park Geun-Hye.   Cho Yoon-Sun, who is the first minister in active service to be arrested in South Korea, is accused of creating the vast catalogue to starve the artists of government subsidies and private investments and place them under state surveillance.    The list's existence has sparked widespread anger, raising the

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2017

The United States has asked South Korea to arrest former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's brother on charges of bribery, sources said Saturday.   South Korea's Ministry of Justice is in talks with the US government after it requested the arrest of Ban Ki-sang, the sources said. The younger Ban has been indicted with his son in New York in October. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Yonhap)   Ban's brother and his nephew Ban Joo-hyun are accused of attempting to hand over some

Politics Jan. 21, 2017

Since launching its presale period on Jan. 4, Kia’s All New Morning compact smart car has landed more than 4,000 contracts in two weeks, the company announced Friday. 　Officially released to the public Tuesday, it marks the first new edition of Kia’s compact series in six years, since the second-generation model was released in 2011. The first in line to purchase the new All New Morning car was 25-year-old working mom Choi Soo-bin of Paju, Gyeonggi Province.Choi Soo-bin (center), the first custo

Business Jan. 20, 2017

Hyundai Motor Company Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun attended this year’s 2017 World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland from Jan. 17 to 20. 　Chung joined in on key sessions with the forum’s automotive committee, sharing his analysis of some of the industry’s top trends, including eco-friendly cars and autonomous vehicles, according to a press statement released by Hyundai on Thursday. 　The vice chairman reportedly met privately with CEOs of major global automakers, gauging future automotive

Mobility Jan. 19, 2017

Following Volkswagen’s emissions scandal in Korea that resulted in an order to recall 27,000 Tiguan SUVs starting next month, the Ministry of Environment announced Thursday that VW’s next recall plan involves roughly 15,000 CC mid-size sedans. 　According to the ministry, the German carmaker is currently negotiating the terms of the recall. The measure is expected to be approved by the ministry sometime in the middle of next month. 　Approximately 126,000 VW vehicles in Korea are expected to be re

Mobility Jan. 19, 2017

Honda Motor Company has unveiled the latest model to hit Korea’s burgeoning green car market -- the new Accord Hybrid. 　The major Japanese automaker released its popular Accord series for the first time in Korea on Wednesday, looking to increase its presence in the competitive local market with its latest eco-friendly sedan. 　“Last year Honda Korea sold 6,636 vehicles in the Korean market,” said Jung Woo-young, CEO of Honda Korea, at a press conference held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Seoul on W

Mobility Jan. 18, 2017

European businesses in South Korea are increasingly voicing negative feedback regarding the business environment here, a survey by the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea showed Tuesday.　Of the 131 European executives polled, 60 percent said business in Korea has become more difficult, compared to 52 percent in 2014 and 2015. Eleven percent responded that business has become easier.　The ECCK is a nonprofit, non-political organization of European companies operating in or related to Korea. Its

Jan. 17, 2017

After achieving record growth last year, Mercedes-Benz Korea has announced plans to introduce six new vehicle models this year, as well as its latest smartphone customer service platform. 　The local distributor of the luxury German car brand achieved double-digit growth here in 2016, selling 56,343 units -- a 19.9 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association.　During a press conference at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Monday mornin

Mobility Jan. 16, 2017

　Kia Motors is set to launch its latest Smart Compact All New Morning lineup Tuesday, including a special model geared toward women -- a strategy that other automakers have tried in the past, and mostly failed. 　Along with a sleek new design and smart technology upgrades, the new third generation line of its Morning compact car series will feature a brand new option -- the “Lady Edition.” 　Targeted at Kia’s growing number of female consumers, the new Lady version is looking to unveil a vehicle t

Mobility Jan. 15, 2017

The Korean government said Thursday that is has approved Volkswagen’s first set of recall plans for 27,000 Tiguan SUVs sold with faked emissions tests. 　The recall is set to begin on Feb. 6. 　The decision follows the indictment of seven former and current staff at Audi Volkswagen Korea, including the Korean unit chief Johannes Thammer.　“We will send out letters explaining the recall procedures and schedules to all the customers of the targeted vehicles starting on Jan. 24,” the company said in a

Mobility Jan. 12, 2017

Starting Feb. 1, Mercedes-Benz customers in Korea are going to encounter slightly higher prices, according to the local branch of the German automaker Wednesday. 　“The change in price will be a minimum of a 0.4 percent increase, with a maximum increase of 1.2 percent (average of 0.8 percent),” said a representative of Mercedes-Benz Korea in a press statement. “The reasons for the increase is due to the rising costs of logistics, raw material prices, inflation as well as upgraded product specific

Mobility Jan. 12, 2017

Hyundai Motor is preparing to initiate a recall of its Tucson sport utility vehicles in Korea and China, due to faulty rear trailing arms, according to the automaker and the Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Tuesday.  (Hyundai)The decision follows South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s report on Dec. 28 that the strength of the new Tucson model’s trailing arm suspension was weak and could lead to further complications.The

Mobility Jan. 11, 2017