Toyota to launch 4 new models in H1 to boost S. Korea sales

Toyota Motors Corp. said Thursday it will launch four new models in South Korea in the first half of the year to jump-start its lackluster sales amid trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo. Toyota Motors plans to introduce the gasoline-powered GR Supra sports car on Jan. 21, the Camry's sports version XSE gasoline model in February and the all-wheel drive Prius and Prius C Crossover gasoline hybrid models in March, the company said in a statement.For the whole of 2019, Toyota sold 10,611 vehicle

MobilityJan. 9, 2020

Animal rights in Korean entertainment industry

The Korean entertainment industry is beginning to take animal rights issues more seriously as criticisms arise from related organizations.The producer of tvN variety show “The Meow is Fake” issued an official apology for violating animal rights after its first episode aired Sunday.The producer apologized for not providing sufficient information required during the adoption process to nonprofit organization Nabiya. The organization is currently asking for the return of the adopted cat

TelevisionJan. 9, 2020

After terrible year, YG hopes to turn things around in 2020

Less than two weeks into 2020, YG Entertainment has revealed that new boy band Treasure is on the way and Big Bang will perform at this year’s Coachella music festival in April.Treasure is set to become the first new all-boy group from YG in over four years, as Big Bang’s performance will mark the group’s first as a four-piece act.YG has also been hinting that Blackpink is aiming to release new music sometime early this year, having said the group is recording multiple tracks i

K-popJan. 9, 2020

US stresses sanctions on NK in regard to Moon’s New Year’s address

The US State Department stressed that South Korea is required to implement sanctions against North Korea in regard to President Moon Jae-in’s New Year’s address, in which he vowed efforts to expand inter-Korean cooperation, Voice of America reported Thursday.“All UN member states are required to implement UN Security Council sanctions resolutions, and we expect them all to continue doing so,” an official in the State Department spokesperson’s office said, according

North KoreaJan. 9, 2020

Economic slump shows signs of easing: KDI

South Korea's economy remained sluggish in November due to a slump in manufacturing and investment, but the slump showed signs easing as business confidence improved, a state-run think tank said Thursday. "The Korean economy is still exhibiting slow growth although some indicators imply that the slowdown is easing," the Korea Development Institute said in its English-language Monthly Economic Trends publication."The growth in retail sales and services production ticked up and lead

EconomyJan. 9, 2020

BOK Gov. Lee to attend BIS meeting

The head of South Korea's central bank will head to Switzerland this week to attend a Bank for International Settlement meeting, the Bank of Korea said Thursday.BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol will head to Basel on Friday for the meeting of governors from 60 BIS member central banks. The bimonthly meeting will be held Sunday and Monday."During the meeting, Gov. Lee will discuss current conditions facing the global economy and financial market," the bank said."Also as a member of the BIS Boar

EconomyJan. 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] Top court orders review of ex-senior prosecutor's jail term in MeToo case

South Korea's top court on Thursday ordered a lower court to reconsider its jail sentence for a former senior prosecutor alleged to have sexually abused a junior colleague whose subsequent confession sparked the MeToo movement here.Ahn Tae-geun was sentenced to two years in prison in the first court ruling early last year for unfairly intervening in a reshuffle to send Seo Ji-hyun to a regional office in what was seen as revenge for her accusations. State prosecutors who investigated the case ch

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2020

Kakao hits yearly high on Q4 earnings hope

Shares of Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's largest messaging app, Kakao Talk, climbed to a yearly high on the Seoul bourse Thursday, helped by a rosy quarterly earnings outlook. Kakao stocks closed at 164,000 won ($141.56), up 2.82 percent from the previous session's close.The tech firm's stock rally came amid high hopes for the firm's earnings last year. NH Investment & Securities estimated Kakao's quarterly sales to grow 26.4 percent to 85.1 billion won in the October-December pe

MarketJan. 9, 2020

S. Korea to revamp safety policies on deep-sea fishing boats

South Korea said Thursday it will revamp safety guidelines for deep-sea fishing boats and their crewmen to improve their working environment and better meet international regulations.Under the plan, South Korea will raise a fund worth 170 billion won ($146 million) together with shipowners and financial firms to replace fishing boats that are 40 years or older, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.The state budget allocated for the fund is 85 billion won.  "Many of the dee

IndustryJan. 9, 2020

DuPont to invest $28m in S. Korea to build material production line

US-based chemical firm Dupont on Thursday announced its plan to invest $28 million in South Korea to build a production line for photoresist, which can potentially help Asia's No. 4 economy reduce its dependence of the key industrial material on Japan amid their trade spat.Under the project, Rohm and Hass Electronic Materials Korea Ltd., the South Korean unit of Dupont, will build a new production line in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul, and test facilities for extreme ultraviolet  &n

IndustryJan. 9, 2020

BTS scores 3 awards at Gaon Chart Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS has scored three major prizes at the 2020 Gaon Chart Music Awards, adding to its winning streak at local and overseas music awards. The septet picked up the "Artist of the Year" award in the physical album category for the second quarter of 2019 as well as the "Social Hot Star of the Year" and "Retail Album of the Year" awards at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards held at Seoul Sports Complex Wednesday evening.  The annual music awards are hoste

PerformanceJan. 9, 2020

Justin Bieber reveals he has Lyme disease

MONTREAL (AFP) -- Pop super star Justin Bieber announced Wednesday that he has Lyme disease.In a post on Instagram, Bieber said he will address his struggle with the illness, which is contracted through a tick bite, in a YouTube documentary."It's been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever," the 25 year old entertainer wrote in the post's caption.He called out critics who he says ha

PeopleJan. 9, 2020

Defiant car magnate Ghosn hits back against Japanese 'plot'

BEIRUT (AFP) -- Fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn on Wednesday accused Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of plotting against him as he staged an impassioned defence at his first public appearance since fleeing the country.In a combative news conference in Beirut, the former Renault-Nissan boss -- one of the world's most high-profile corporate executives -- slammed the financial misconduct charges he faced in Japan as "baseless".Late on Wednesday, a Lebanese prosecutor summoned Ghosn for

World NewsJan. 9, 2020

Police begin probe into suspected celebrity phone hacking

Police have launched an investigation into allegations that several celebrities have had their cell phones hacked and been blackmailed with the threat of leaking personal information obtained through the hacking, officials said Thursday.Recent news reports said about 10 top stars, including K-pop group members and actors, have been intimidated by unidentified hackers. The blackmailers allegedly demanded money or valuables worth up to 1 billion won ($860,000) in return for not revealing the celeb

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2020

Hankook Tire sets up Austria subsidiary for Europe expansion

Hankook Tire & Technology Co., the world's sixth-largest tiremaker by sales, said Thursday it has set up an overseas subsidiary in Austria for expansion in Europe.The subsidiary established in Vienna Schwechat will be in charge of sales in Austria and Switzerland to gain a bigger share in the European markets, the company said in a statement.Hankook Tire has 15 subsidiaries in Europe in countries such as Germany, Britain, France, Spain, Hungary, Russia and Sweden, it said. Hankook Tire earns

IndustryJan. 9, 2020

Hyundai, Kia's US sales rise 4.6% on brisk demand for SUVs in 2019

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Thursday their combined sales in the United States rose 4.6 percent last year, helped by robust sales of SUVs. In 2019, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 1,304,109 vehicles in the world's most important automobile market, up 4.6 percent from 1,257,307 units the previous year, the companies' sales data showed. The annual figures include sales of Genesis models that are sold under Hyundai's independent Genesis brand. Hyundai and Genesis' US s

MobilityJan. 9, 2020

BTS to pre-release single from upcoming album this month

K-pop super band BTS will drop a new digital single this month ahead of its official release of a new album in February, according to the band's management agency Thursday.Big Hit Entertainment posted a "comeback map" on the official BTS website early Thursday morning, providing the timeline of the band's release of "Map of the Soul: 7," set for Feb. 21, the second edition of BTS' ongoing "Map of the Soul" album series. According to the four-phase schedule, the band

PerformanceJan. 9, 2020

S. Korea faces more trade barriers amid growing protectionism

South Korea faced more trade barriers last year amid growing protectionism around the globe spearheaded by the US-China trade war, with steel and chemical industries being primary victims, data showed Thursday.The number of newly added import regulations targeting South Korean goods reached 41 cases in 2019, doubling from just 20 cases a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association.The trade barrier includes anti-dumping tariff, countervailing duty an

EconomyJan. 9, 2020

SUV sales in S. Korea hit record high in 2019

Sales of sport utility vehicle models in South Korea hit a record high last year as carmakers strengthened their SUV lineups to meet rising demand for recreational vehicles, industry data showed Thursday.  For the whole of 2019, the country's five automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., sold a combined 575,662 SUVs here, accounting for 38 percent of their domestic sales of 1,533,166 passenger vehicles, according to the carmakers' sales data.  Their local sales fel

MobilityJan. 9, 2020

US cites progress in defense cost-sharing talks with S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States have made progress in their negotiations on sharing the costs for the stationing of American troops on the peninsula, a senior US official said Wednesday, with the two sides expected to resume talks as early as next week.Washington initially demanded a fivefold increase in Seoul's annual contribution to the upkeep of the 28,500 troops to nearly $5 billion. After strong resistance from Seoul, the allies have reportedly reached a compromise of sorts

Foreign AffairsJan. 9, 2020