Incheon Airport targets 106m travelers a year

Incheon Airport is pumping up its Level 4 construction plan, a project to expand its second passenger terminal, to maintain its leading position as an air transport hub in East Asia. The 4.84 trillion won ($3.69 billion) Level 4 construction plan involves a major upgrade of the airport’s infrastructure, through measures such as expanding its flight network and building a new runway. This year, the Incheon International Airport Corp. will focus on the expansion of Terminal 2 and its parki

July 20, 2022

Hyundai Motor, Rolls-Royce team up for air mobility

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday that it would collaborate with global aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce to deliver all-electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell technology for advanced air mobility (AAM). AAM is a future mobility concept that integrates transformational aircraft design and flying tech. It has been the Korean carmaker’s recent focus for future mobility business. It created Supernal, an AAM-dedicated company based in US, last year.  According to H

July 19, 2022

[From the Scene] Where have all the taxis gone? Seoul's taxi shortage intensifies

A 24-year-old office employee surnamed Park stands with his coworker on the sidewalk next to Tehaeranro in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, after leaving a company dinner at midnight on Tuesday. They both whip out their phones to order a cab on two of South Korea‘s most used taxi reservation apps, Kakao T and UT, but have little luck. A few taxis race past them, but are occupied or blinking with a green display that reads “reserved.” “Using a taxi is almost the only way to get home pa

July 19, 2022

Han Sung Motor promotes online ESG campaign with environmental personality quiz

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an introspective self-report questionnaire that divides people into 16 types, has been a popular topic of conversation or pastime among millennials and Generation Z in South Korea, as the pandemic gave them more time to introspect. It’s not uncommon to see the young cohort -- those born between the 1980s up to the 2010s -- start conversations with people they meet for the first time by asking each other about their MBTI types – a combination of extra

July 19, 2022

Damage claims surge over frequent flight cancellations

The number of damage claims over canceled or delayed flights has increased as airlines struggle with manpower shortages, according to the Korea Consumer Agency on Monday. A total of 213 air service-related cases requesting compensation were submitted from January to May this year. In April, when South Korea dropped the bulk of its COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the number of filed claims doubled on-month to 60, the agency said. The number of overseas travelers in Incheon Airport alon

July 18, 2022

Earnings surprise expected for Hyundai, Kia: reports

South Korea’s largest and second-largest carmakers Hyundai Motor and Kia are expected to deliver earnings surprises with record-high profits in the second quarter on improved product mixes and a weakening Korean won. According to the securities industry Monday, Hyundai Motor is expected to record 2.3 trillion won ($1.7 billion) in operating profit in the April-June period, surpassing 2 trillion won mark for the first time in eight years. In the 2014 Q2, Hyundai Motor recorded 2.87 trilli

July 18, 2022

Hyundai takes lead in EV efficiency with Ioniq 6

Hyundai Motor is expected to renew energy efficiency competition among electric vehicles, with its upcoming Ioniq 6 boasting the world’s best energy efficiency. The Ioniq 6, Hyundai’s second all-electric vehicle that made its global debut at the Busan Motor Show on Thursday, has an energy efficiency of 6 kilometers per kilowatt-hour, the highest rate among EVs around the world. The carmaker pointed to its EV-dedicated platform E-GMP with optimal heat, battery and power control sy

July 17, 2022

SKT aims to become first to debut air taxi by 2025

BUSAN – SK Telecom, the nation’s leading telecom carrier, said Friday it aims to debut air taxi service by 2025, calling UAM or urban air mobility a “game changer” for future mobility innovations. “Our rivals also plan to launch air taxi services in the coming years, but we are confident that we will be the first to bring UAM aircrafts to the market,” said SK Telecom’s Chief Development Officer Ha Min-yong during a press conference held at the 2022 Bus

July 17, 2022

Hankook Tire to supply high-performance tires for German Big 3

Hankook Tire & Technology, the world’s sixth-largest tire-maker, said Friday that it has started supplying its tires for high-performance sedans and sports cars of the so-called “German Big 3”: Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. The tire-maker will supply its Ventus S1 evo Z tires to BMW’s X3 M and X4 M models, while also supplying its Ventus S1 evo 3 and Winter i cept evo 2 tires to Audi’s RS lineup. Multiple SUVs of the Mercedes-Benz AMG lineup, including GLC an

July 17, 2022

[Photo News] Travelers flock to airport despite surge in COVID cases

Gimpo Airport was busy with passengers on Friday morning as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise in South Korea. The photo shows travelers waiting in line to get on board their train. Earlier this month, data from the transport ministry showed that the number of domestic and international flights reached 4.6 million, up 4.6 percent from the previous month. The country saw 41,310 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, including 287 from overseas, according to the Korea Disease Control

July 16, 2022

Ioniq 6 makes world premiere at returning Busan show

BUSAN -- Hyundai Motor’s latest electric vehicle Ioniq 6 made its global debut at the Busan Motor Show Thursday, boasting not only its sleek design but also its single-charge travel capacity of 524 kilometers. The sedan, whose overall design was inspired by airplanes, features energy efficiency at 6 km per kilowatt-hour, which is the highest rate among EVs around the world, the carmaker said. “The Ioniq 6 will create a sensation in the local EV market, currently dominated by EVs wi

July 14, 2022

[From the Scene] Type and go: Self-cruising boats for leisure coming October

After the anchor was lifted for a boat test ride off Incheon waters, captain Lee Jun-sik at Avikus, a local autonomous navigation software venture, turns to a tablet PC, not the helm, to steer the boat. Lee simply types in where he wishes to go and then the system automatically comes up with the best and safest route. “The route planning of the system comes after processing obstacles and marine-related data. Once the route planning is done and we touch this play button on the tablet, the

July 13, 2022

Hyundai Motor to build first local factory in 29 years

Hyundai Motor will build an electric vehicle production factory in South Korea by 2025, making it the carmaker's first investment in expanding its local manufacturing capacity in 29 years. The envisioned factory will be first-ever EV-dedicated manufacturing facility here, the company said. The plan was a part of a labor-management agreement to secure jobs for its workers, according to the union. The carmaker said it aims to break ground next year, while existing facilities that are old and ou

July 12, 2022

Eco-friendly vehicles make up 30.3% of Korea’s automotive exports

Eco-friendly vehicles were responsible for 30.3 percent of South Korea’s total car exports in the first five months of this year, according to the Korea International Trade Association on Monday. South Korea exported $20.45 billion worth of cars from January to May, and 30.3 percent of them were eco-friendly, showing an 8.7 percentage points increase on-year. According to KITA, such an increase comes from growing global demand for carbon-neutral vehicles and the launch of all-electric m

July 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] Korean Air ranks first in global customer satisfaction for 18th consecutive year

The country’s largest air carrier Korean Air took first place in the air passenger transportation sector of the 2022 Global Customer Satisfaction Index (GCSI) awards for the 18th time since 2005 on Thursday. The GCSI awards recognize the best Korean corporations in each category by evaluating customer satisfaction levels, global competitiveness, and customer loyalty. Korean Air was recognized for its effort to enhance customer service even during the COVID pandemic by delivering the high

July 8, 2022

Hyundai Motor redesigns Brazil-exclusive model HB20

Hyundai Motor has launched a completely redesigned HB20 in Brazil, a compact hatchback made exclusively for the Brazilian market. The 2022 facelift comes three years after Hyundai Motor launched the second generation HB20 in 2019. While most automakers update their vehicles once every five years or so, the quick update highlights Hyundai’s efforts to maintain HB20‘s position as the most popular passenger car in Brazil. From January to May this year, a total of 34,897 HB20 units we

July 8, 2022

Han Sung Motor digitalizes documents and launches NFTs for used cars

South Korean imported car dealer Han Sung Motor said Friday it has launched nonfungible tokens (NFTs), digital documents and digital warranty for its certified used car customers. The digitalization of the auto dealer’s documents is a step towards following the global trend of going online, communicating with younger generations, and creating “fandom,” said Han Sung Motor. The NFTs will contain pictures, videos and texts that certify ownership of the digital warranty for sec

July 8, 2022

No. of overseas travelers surges 233% in H1

The number of overseas travelers spiked to over 3.93 million in the first half of this year, surging 233.2 percent on-year, fueled by fully lifted aviation restrictions and antivirus regulations, according to Incheon Airport on Thursday. "The increase was most noticeable in May and June when the number of overseas travelers increased 44.6 percent and 34.4 percent on-month respectively. Most popular destinations were the US, Southeast Asia, and Europe,” said Kim Chang-kyu, public rela

July 7, 2022

[Herald Interview] G70 Shooting Brake touted as brand's heritage mode

Although sales of the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake in Europe were not impressive, selling a total of 552 cars last year, Hyundai Motor is putting high hopes on the model to catch drivers’ attention in the domestic market. “The G70 Shooting Brake was a must for Genesis, not just to target the global market, but to complete a full, versatile lineup -- just as other luxury German carmakers like Porsche do with the D-segment. Such model types are not flagships, but add variety to the fam

July 7, 2022

[Test Drive] SsangYong’s Torres: Affordable SUV fit for the outdoors

It’s no wonder SsangYong Motor’s Chilean dealers came up with the name Torres when they first saw the carmaker’s new midsize sport utility vehicle. The Torres looks tough enough to navigate through the soaring mountains of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile’s Patagonia region. Unlike other SUVs of the same size, like Kia’s Sportage and Sorento which look too sophisticated to be driven on harsh road conditions, the Torres looks like it was made for off-roa

July 6, 2022