South Korea’s automobile market grew 10.3 percent in 2015 to become the world’s 10th largest in vehicle sales, data showed on Friday.More than 1.83 million domestically made and imported cars were sold here last year, accounting for 2 percent of auto sales around the world, according to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.  Vehicles are lined up to be delivered at a local auto factory. (Yonhap)That was up a notch from 2014 when the country was the 11th-largest au

IndustryFeb. 26, 2016

A U.N. draft resolution aimed at tightening sanctions on Pyongyang would require that countries take the unprecedented step of inspecting all cargo to and from North Korea, the United States Ambassador Samantha Power said Thursday.“For the first time in history, all cargo going in and out of the DPRK would be subjected to mandatory inspection,” Power told reporters after presenting the measure to the U.N. Security Council.The resolution drafted by the United States would also bar North Korean ve

InternationalFeb. 26, 2016

Samsung Electronics will start receiving preorders for its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, from local customers on March 4, industry sources said Friday.That would be a week ahead of the phone’s official release in South Korea. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 (Yonhap)The Galaxy S7 is estimated to cost 850,000 won ($644) here and the Galaxy S7 Edge 900,000 won. Samsung earlier said the devices will be available for sales on March 11 in 60 countries around the globe.The initial factory price of the

IndustryFeb. 26, 2016

Hi-myon instant noodles are now available in cup form. They were initially only available in packets. Released in November last year, Hi-myon instant noodles, are endorsed by star chef Baek Jong-won. Consumers had been asking for the product to be packaged in cups so that the instant noodles can be easily prepared on the go.  Newly-released Hi-myon cup noodles (SPC Group)“To commemorate the new Hi-myon cup release, various consumer events will be held,” said an official from Samlip General Foods

IndustryFeb. 26, 2016

Korea’s second-largest retailer Shinsegae Group on Thursday unveiled the revamped Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam, an affluent area in southern Seoul.The revamped Shinsegae Gangnam Department Store will officially open on Friday. The store’s concept is heavily inspired by the high-end department store chains Le Bon Marche in France and Saks Fifth Avenue in the U.S. The Shinsegae Group, which is Korea’s second-largest retailer, has added six new floors to the annex building of its store in

IndustryFeb. 26, 2016

Porsche Korea unveiled the newly upgraded 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S in Seoul on Thursday, with plans to launch other models based on the iconic Porsche 911 sports car in South Korea this year. 　The two models are the first among Porsche’s redesigned 911 lineup to debut in Korea, according to Porsche Korea. New variations of the 911 will be released locally in the coming months, company officials said. Porsche unveils the new 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S in a launch ceremony at Dongdaemun De

MobilityFeb. 25, 2016

Bekei Korea launches Klavuu cosmetics brand　Bekei Korea, a cosmetics company specializing in developing pearl-based items, has launched South Korea’s first pearl cosmetics brand Klavuu.　Klavuu has introduced a new skin care lineup, including toners, serums, eye creams and facial creams, as well as a cleansing product lineup based on conchiolin, a protein found in pearls known to improve skin quality.　All of Klavuu’s products are infused with natural minerals and proteins found in high-quality, n

IndustryFeb. 25, 2016

From couples with babies on strollers to seniors holding toddlers’ hands, a recent annual baby fair held at Coex, in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, was packed with a sea of Koreans wanting to explore the latest and premium products for their children. The three-day event that ended Sunday had about 110,000 visitors, according to organizers, reflecting Korean parents’ unwavering love for their children and their endless interests on the market. The market has been thriving in recent years, despit

IndustryFeb. 25, 2016

The United States and China have agreed on a U.N. resolution on North Korea, the White House said Wednesday, with reports speculating that the new expanded sanctions would call for blacklisting three key state agencies overseeing Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed during a meeting “on the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea’s provocations, including through a U.N. Secur

North KoreaFeb. 25, 2016

Republicans are refusing to hold a vote or hearings on any candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court nominated by President Barack Obama, complicating his efforts to seek a replacement for deceased conservative Antonin Scalia.And though Obama insists he‘ll put forward an “outstanding candidate” no matter what the Republican Party says, the White House is hard-pressed to offer a convincing scenario in which that person gets confirmed.Overnight, Obama’s nominee will become the face of well-financed, hi

World NewsFeb. 25, 2016

　For Yoon Hee-won, a 31-year-old South Korean graduate student who studied political science in the United States for more than 10 years, the ongoing legislative standoff back home is quite different from what he saw while living overseas. 　“When I turned on the TV to watch news about Korean politics, the programs often reported about Korean lawmakers getting into fistfights, hiding gavels and throwing furniture in order to prevent the passage of laws. It is quite noteworthy that they don’t do t

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2016

Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the first meeting of the joint working group for deployment of an advanced missile defense system in South Korea is expected within a week.Scaparrotti said that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is a “complex system” and it would take some time to find the right location for it. The allies have been discussing THAAD deployment since North Korea conducted a nucl

DefenseFeb. 25, 2016

About three out of 100 wage earners in Korea receive an annual salary of more than 100 million won (about $80,000), according to a report by Rep. Lee No-geun of the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday.The report, which was based on tax authorities’ year-end tax adjustment, showed that high-wage earners number at 526,689 out of the total 16.68 million salaried people here. By region, Ulsan, the nation’s southeastern industrial city, topped the proportion of high-wage earners at 8.5 percent. There we

Feb. 25, 2016

In South Korea, older men with relatively low education levels are more lenient towards social violence, especially sexual harassment, while younger women with post-secondary education tend to be the most intolerant of violence, a study showed Thursday.　People respond differently to violence based on their gender, education levels and age, and young women in their 20s with university degrees are most sensitive to abuse including sexual violence, showed a report released by the Gender Ministry. 　

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2016

A significantly higher number of South Korean drugs were approved for phase 3 clinical trials last year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Thursday.　Phase 3 clinical trials are the final testing of drugs on patients to assess efficacy and safety before they are distributed to the public.　The ministry said that the largest number of newly approved drugs were anticancer medicine.  Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Yonhap)　Clinical trials involving new drugs in Korea are commonly class

NationalFeb. 25, 2016

Olympus, the Japanese maker of medical and surgical solutions, Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony of its new medical training center in Songdo, Incheon. The Olympus Korea Training and Education Center aims to offer diverse training programs for health professionals on the safe and effective use of the company’s medical and surgical products, including its market No. 1 endoscopy equipment.  With a budget of 36.3 billion won ($29.3 million), the new center, the sixth of its kind globally and

TechnologyFeb. 25, 2016