Fried chicken market anything but small in Korea

 Fried chicken has found a firm place in present-day Korean cuisine, despite being commonly considered a creation from the United States. Among other things, it is a staple as a midnight snack for Koreans and the food of choice at baseball stadiums, for get-togethers along the river and for those entertaining guests at home. Despite the saturated market, the fried chicken industry remains strong and is still growing, with technology allowing for efficient deliveries and continuously evolving rec

May 27, 2016

Renault Samsung to launch new SUV QM6 to replace QM5

Renault Samsung plans to launch a new sport utility vehicle named QM6 to replace current midsize SUV QM5 in September, company officials said Thursday.“We are aiming to roll out the new vehicle QM6 hopefully in September,” a company spokesperson told The Korea Herald. The company said it would showcase the fully modified SUV at the Busan International Motor Show slated to open on June 2, alongside other vehicles -- electric car Twizy and Renault Clio R.S. -- also to be rolled out in the second h

May 26, 2016

Diesel cost may rise, gasoline price likely to fall: report

Sales of diesel cars may be hit as the government is reviewing raising diesel fuel costs and lowering gasoline prices amid growing concerns on toxic nitrogen oxide emitted by diesel engines, according to news reports Tuesday. “The government is considering raising diesel fuel costs and lowering gasoline prices to remove economic benefits going to diesel car owners,” a local media outlet reported, citing a senior government official of the environment ministry. (Yonhap)The speculation on lowering

May 24, 2016

Mercedes-Benz eyes top spot in sales with new E-Class

Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday unveiled its luxury mid-size business saloon, the new E-class, at a media preview event at Wangsan Marina, Incheon, setting a goal of taking the top spot in sales here in 2016. The Korean unit of the German luxury carmaker has high hopes for the 10th generation of its best-selling luxury mid-size executive sedan. The new E-Class is the best in the segment in terms of performance, consumption and efficiency, the company added.  Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO Dimitris Psillakis p

May 24, 2016

Tesla in talks with Mando for self-driving cars: report

Korean parts-maker Mando Corp. has partnered with Tesla Motors to jointly develop key technologies for the automaker’s future autonomous vehicles, according to local reports Monday. Mando began developing fail-safety technologies for the U.S. electric carmaker’s autonomous vehicles in the second half of last year, Maeil Business Newspaper reported.(Bloomberg)The fail-safety technology allows a car to continue its self-driving mode even in times of emergency without requiring drivers to take the

May 23, 2016

POSCO strengthens ties with carmakers for premium steel sales

There are a couple of things in common among Ssangyong Motor’s Tivoli Air, Renault Samsung’s SM6 and GM Korea’s all-new Malibu. They are new cars gaining high attention in the market from the preorder stage and they have also adopted steel sheets made by POSCO for their car bodies.“The growing popularity of the new cars by the three Korean automakers this year gives a boost to sales of the company’s high value-added automotive steel products,” a POSCO spokesperson said. POSCO chairman Kwon Oh-jo

May 23, 2016

Firms mull removing antimicrobial agents from cleaning products

Korean beauty and household product manufacturers said Monday they are considering taking out antimicrobial substances from all products, in the latest response to aggravating toxic chemical fears. The nation’s two largest cosmetic giants -- Amore Pacific and LG Household & Health -- are seeking ways to get rid of CMIT and MIT, ingredients that have been linked to an ongoing deadly humidifier disinfectant case.The government approves the use of the two substances for washable cleaning products,

May 23, 2016

Car wash service reborn with mobile platform

Mobile app-driven new businesses are budding in the automotive after sales and service market, drawing the attention of investors focusing on start-ups, and the car wash business is no exception. The car wash sector in Korea, which is crowded with small players, has recently seen a resurgence as an online-to-offline business.“An O2O car wash mobile application, matching an offline service provider with a customer regardless of time and place, tremendously saves the customers’ time without any ad

May 23, 2016

Demand for camping cars growing in Korea

The demand for recreational vehicles is on the rise in Korea, with more young families seeking to enjoy convenient outdoor leisure activities during their holiday breaks. The local camping car market, which was initially formed with imported trailers from 2010, gained momentum in 2013 with the launch of the motorhome Starex camping car by the nation’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor.Airstream's Caravan (Bluebird Enterprise)Sales of recreational vehicles in the local auto market have jumped to ro

May 22, 2016

Hyundai Motor holds urban racing festival in Songdo

(Hyundai Motor)Hyundai Motor held its third urban racing event, the Brilliant Motor Festival, on a city circuit in Songdo International Business District, Incheon, over the weekend as part of its ongoing push for performance carsAccording to the carmaker, the annual event, the nation’s only in-city racing competition, attracted around 150,000 visitors this year, up from last year’s some 100,000 visitors.“We will continue to ramp up our efforts to create the nation’s motorsports culture that is s

May 22, 2016

FTC confirms W500m fine for Namyang

Namyang Dairy Products will be fined 500 million won ($420,000) for its past unfair practices towards retailers instead of the original fine of 12.3 billion won, the Fair Trade Commission confirmed Sunday.The decision is in accordance with a court decision passed in January 2015 by the Seoul High Court and affirmed by the Supreme Court in June, citing lack of evidence for the full penalty.In 2013, the FTC reported Namyang to prosecutors for bullying sales agents and retailers into buying excess

May 22, 2016

Korean customers left in lurch by Volkswagen over emissions scandal

Volkwagen AG has rolled out a set of measures, including expensive recalls and cash rewards, to placate customers cheated over gas emissions in the United States and Japan, but Korean customers seem to be left in the lurch by the emissions scandal, industry sources said Friday.According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers' Association (KAMA), Volkswagen cut the prices of popular Golf and Polo models in Japan and extended the warranty service period and other benefits.In the U.S., the German au

May 20, 2016

Hyundai Motor to release Ioniq in Europe in H2

Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest automaker, said Thursday it will release Ioniq models in Europe in the second half of this year.Although details were not revealed, the automaker is preparing to bring its environment friendly Ioniq lineup into about 15 European countries. Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq hybrid model (Hyundai Motor)“Europe is an appealing market for the Ioniq models since it emphasizes the importance of environment,” said a company official.“We’ll first bring electric models into the ma

May 19, 2016

LG Household claims safety of its humidifier disinfectant

LG Household & Health Care, South Korea’s leading maker of household goods, said Wednesday that its humidifier disinfectant sold back in the late 1990s did contain potentially harmful chemicals, but that they were used in small amounts that would not cause damage.　Earlier in the day, local news agency Newsis had reported that LG’s “119 Humidifier Disinfectant” product sold from 1997 to 2003 had contained benzalkonium chloride (BKC) a toxic substance that can be fatal when ingested.According to t

May 19, 2016

Consumers to include Renault-Nissan CEO in lawsuit over fabricated emissions results

Korean consumers planning a class-action suit against Nissan Korea will also target Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, naming him as one of the defendants, a local law firm handling the case said Thursday.Barun Law has about 30 Korean owners of Qashqai, an SUV made by Nissan, who have expressed intent to file the lawsuit against Gosn and Takehiko Kikuchi, the head of Nissan Korea, according to the law firm and industry sources. The filing is expected next week at the Seoul Central District Pro

May 19, 2016

Hyundai Mobis appoints new CEO

Lim Young-deuk, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor’s international plant support division, has been appointed new chief executive of Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, the company announced on Wednesday. Lim, 60, will take office on Thursday, replacing the incumbent CEO Chung Myung-chul, who has been transferred as an adviser of the auto parts maker.  Hyundai Mobis’ new CEO Lim Young-deuk (Hyundai Mobis)The new head formerly served as chief of Hyundai Powertech

May 18, 2016

Renault Samsung to debut ‘Twizy’ EV in 2nd half

Renault Samsung, the Korean unit of French automaker Renault, said Wednesday it plans to launch its ultramini Twizy electric vehicle in the second half of the year.The automaker has been pushing to debut the model, but government regulations have delayed its arrival in the Korean market. Renault Samsung’s ultramini electric vehicle Twizy (Renault Samsung)The situation, however, turned around as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced Thursday it would soon lift the specific

May 18, 2016

BMW to recall over 3,500 sedans

BMW Korea, the local unit of the German automaker, will recall a total of 3,511 sedans due to potential problems related to the fuel pumps and airbags of 16 models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday.According to the ministry, 1,751 units manifested potential defects in the fuel pump, which may abruptly cause engines to shut off. BMW Korea’s diesel lineup, including the 320d and 420d coupe models, are subject to the recall plan. BMW Korea’s 320d model (BMW Korea)Be

May 18, 2016

[Photo News] Debut of sexiest Rolls-Royce ever

A female model poses inside the 2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible at its launch event at the Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul on Wednesday. The British super luxury car maker expects its soft-top convertible to lead sales of its Korean unit this year. The price of the new Dawn starts from 449 million won ($379,704). (Yonhap)

May 18, 2016

Diesel cars losing popularity on fine dust concerns

Although diesel cars have retained the sales crown in Korean auto market over the past few years, signs of a slowdown are starting to show with consumers looking at wider options following a series of emissions scandals and the government’s push to regulate toxic nitrogen oxide emitted by diesel engines. Until last year, diesel-powered cars accounted for more than 50 percent of the local auto market after growing fast from 30 percent in 2010 thanks to its high fuel-efficiency and government back

May 18, 2016