With Russian airspace shut, long-haul crews at risk of breaching maximum hours

South Korean airlines are considering ways to extend the maximum working hours for crew on board to avoid layovers for long-haul flights such as the New York-Incheon route. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, two of South Korea’s largest full-service carriers, said the move comes after Russia's airspace was shut down after its invasion of Ukraine, prompting Korean airlines to take a detour for safety. “We are looking to lift the cap on the maximum flying hours for pilots with discus

Oct. 16, 2022

Higher pricing, currency rates to boost Hyundai, Kia to record earnings

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia are expected to see continued record-high sales and profits in the third quarter, despite a market downturn and the impact of the industry’s low season. According to market data on Sunday, Hyundai Motor is expected to announce around 36 trillion won ($25 billion) in sales in the July-September period, about a 25 percent increase on-year. Its quarterly operating profit would surpass 3 trillion won for the first time, jumping 10

Oct. 16, 2022

[Breaking] Fire at Kakao data center causes servers to go down

A fire Saturday at a Kakao data center in Pangyo, south of Seoul, has led to a server outage affecting the KakaoTalk messenger app, along with other apps such as Kakao T, Kakao Map, Kakao Metro, Kakao Webtoon, Kakao Bank, Kakao-owned portal Daum and music streaming service Melon. The internet connection for the apps has been unavailable since 3:30 p.m. "There has been a fire at SK C&C data center since 3:30 p.m. Work has begun to put down the fire, but we are uncertain when the fir

Oct. 15, 2022

Renault CEO vows investments to make Korea export hub

Renault Group will be investing hundreds of millions of euros in South Korea for the next six years to turn the country into an export hub for its mid to large-size vehicles, its CEO said Tuesday in Seoul. “We want to make Korea the key export hub for large (-vehicle) segments. Being in Korea is also a fantastic way for us to keep the group partnered to one of the most innovative tech ecosystems in the world. We have a lot to learn here,” said Luca de Meo during a press conference he

Oct. 12, 2022

Chaebol chiefs on overseas business trips amid parliamentary inspection

A parliamentary inspection of the Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee kicked off Thursday to question businesses over their mishaps or irregularities that undermined public safety, but hearing sessions went on without business chiefs in attendance. The initial list of requested witnesses submitted by the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea included 96 business executives in total, but only four appeared as witnesses on the day. Business tycoons w

Oct. 6, 2022

After months of shutdown, Hyundai's Russia woes deepen

  Half a year has passed since Hyundai Motor Group suspended operations of its Russian plant over global logistics issues, without a clear vision for a breakthrough while global competitors have already exited the market. But market experts say Hyundai simply leaving Russia is not an answer, due to massive investment and significant market share. According to a report recently released by Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Russia shipped zero cars in August, as opposed to the

Oct. 6, 2022

[Newsmaker] Transport ministry offers increase of taxi-hailing fee to resolve nighttime cab shortage

The government will raise late-night taxi-hailing fees to 5,000 won ($3.49) which will go into the pockets of taxi drivers, not platform companies, to bring back drivers who left the industry during the pandemic curfew, the transport ministry said Tuesday. According to the plan devised to resolve the nighttime taxi shortage, taxis operating from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. will receive up to 5,000 won as hailing fee. When the midnight basic fare is added, passengers in Seoul are likely to pay more than 10

Oct. 4, 2022

Hyundai, Kia EV sales drop after new US EV subsidy act

Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle sales in the United States dropped significantly last month after a new US act that excludes tax benefits on vehicles produced outside of the US took effect, data showed on Tuesday. Hyundai Motor America sold a total of 1,306 Ioniq 5 units in September, far less than the 2,853 units of the EV model sold in June, 1,978 in July and 1,517 in August. Its sister company Kia’s sales of its flagship model EV6 also dropped to 1,440 units last month fr

Oct. 4, 2022

Tesla’s plan to adopt its own diagnosis system draws concerns

US electric vehicle maker Tesla plans to develop its own vehicle diagnosis system for the first time and apply it to all Tesla models sold in South Korea from October next year, instead of going through mandatory safety checks conducted by the local authority, drawing concerns among the public as Tesla could hide fatal technical glitches on purpose. According to Korea Transportation Safety Authority data obtained by Rep. Park Sang-hyuk from Democratic Party of Korea on Monday, Tesla plans to a

Oct. 3, 2022

Hyundai Motor's hydrogen trailer drone concept wins top Red Dot Award

Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen fuel-cell trailer drone concept Trailer Drone won the 2022 Red Dot Design Concept Luminary award, according to the company on Friday. It is the first time the South Korean automaker won the Luminary award, the highest level of recognition accorded at the Red Dot Award, it added. The Trailer Drone concept is a hydrogen-powered container transportation system capable of operating fully autonomously, with a double e-Bogie configuration. An e-Bogie serves as a pl

Sept. 30, 2022

[Herald Design Forum 2022] From mobility to personal space, vehicle function continues to evolve

The key function of a car will continue to evolve from being a means of transportation to a personalized living space, said Yoon Il-hun, vice president of HMC Genesis Design Group at the Herald Design Forum 2022 held on Tuesday in Seoul. “As a car becomes a space for living, the purpose of a car will evolve infinitely without boundaries," said Yoon. "This is where we are seeing growing needs from our consumers, and we are focusing on such a key design pillar — the beauty

Sept. 27, 2022

Korea, Japan airport officials pledge all-out efforts for travel recovery

Airport officials of South Korea and Japan on Monday pledged to make all-out efforts to facilitate travels between the two countries, with the resumption of visa-free, individual tours to Japan starting Oct. 11. According to the Korea Airports Corp., the state-run agency’s President and CEO Yoon Heyong-joon traveled to Japan to hold talks with airport- and tourism-related officials in Tokyo and Osaka. On Monday, Yoon met with Isao Takashiro, chairman and CEO of Japan Airport Terminal, at H

Sept. 26, 2022

Car defect cases double in three years

Cases of reported car defects have more than doubled in three years, a lawmaker said Sunday. A total of 18,452 car defect reports had been filed to the Transport Ministry’s vehicle recall center from 2019 to 2021, according to Korea Transportation Safety Authority data that Democratic Party lawmaker Min Hong-chul had obtained. By year, 3,750 car defect cases were filed in 2019, 6,917 cases in 2020, and 7,785 cases in 2021, an increase by 2.1 times during the past three years. Defects repor

Sept. 25, 2022

[Herald Design Forum 2022] Genesis designer on 3 elements that built the brand’s success

When designing a Genesis car, Yoon Il-hoon, vice president of HMC Genesis Design Group, says he focuses on three key pillars -- audaciousness, progressiveness, and infusing Korean traits. “The journey of Genesis has not been that long but we are always owning up to audacious challenges when designing new models by exploring progressively and incorporating the most Korean-like traits that can accentuate the brand’s originality,” Yoon said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

Sept. 21, 2022

[From the Scene] Manpower shortage amid travel surge strikes Schiphol Airport

Korea Herald correspondent AMSTERDAM -- Upon arrival at Schiphol Airport, the third-busiest airport in the world, hundreds were lined up at closed check-in counters. For a flight that was to take off at 9 p.m. to Incheon, South Korea, there were more than 200 people waiting in line already for the check-in counter to open at 4 p.m. “We came here as early as possible because our tour guide told us Schiphol Airport is extra busy these days due to a manpower shortage. He said we could miss ou

Sept. 21, 2022

Incheon Airport to host ACI CX Global Summit next year in Incheon

Korea Herald correspondent KRAKOW, Poland—Incheon Airport will be hosting a global summit on airport customer experience held by the Airports Council International in Incheon next year. The announcement was made during the closing ceremony of the ACI CX Global Summit 2022 held in Krakow, Poland, on Thursday. This follows Incheon Airport winning the level 5 Customer Experience Accreditation, the highest level and the first granted by the ACI since accreditation began in April 2019, in recog

Sept. 19, 2022

'Future of mobility is in user experience technology'

Hyundai Motor Group on Friday unveiled its vision for future mobility with its purpose-built vehicle and the latest user experience technology that underlies it, with an aim to help drivers and passengers make better use of their time inside the vehicle. Showcasing prototypes and technologies at UX Tech Day 2022 in Seoul on Friday, engineers at the carmaker said these future mobility features are set to make a market debut after 2025. According to the carmaker, dozens of patent technologies have

Sept. 18, 2022

Incheon Airport's customer service certified with highest mark by ACI

Korea Herald correspondent KRAKOW, Poland-- Incheon Airport has become the world’s first airport to be granted level 5 Customer Experience Accreditation by the Airports Council International on Wednesday, in recognition of its customer service and systematic operations to cope with increased travel demand in the post-pandemic era. This is the first time that the ACI has granted the highest level since Customer Experience Accreditation began in April 2019 to evaluate world airports’ c

Sept. 15, 2022

VW Korea launches its first electric SUV

In its first debut outside of Europe, Volkswagen Korea launched its pure electric sports utility vehicle, ID.4, in Seoul on Thursday, stressing that the local market is "essential" for the German carmaker's e-mobility business. "Korea is one of the fastest pioneering EV countries. We decided to make sure we have our first ID.4 outside of Europe (in South Korea), as South Korea is essential for Volkswagen's e-mobility business," said Dr. Silke Bagschik, head of product line e

Sept. 15, 2022

Volvo XC40 makes its Korean debut

Volvo's popular compact SUV XC40 has finally made its South Korean debut -- four years since its official global launch. The model comes with a digital connectivity package the automaker co-developed exclusively for the Korean market with local mobility service firm T Map Mobility. The package, which took two years and 30 billion won ($21.5 million) to develop, includes an information and entertainment platform, a digital key mobile application, and a roadside assistant for troubleshooting

Sept. 15, 2022