S. Korea to win back air control rights over southern Jeju sea

South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to a new air corridor over the sea south of Jeju Island following safety concerns over the growing air traffic in one of the busiest airspaces in the world, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The new move, which is set to take effect in late March, will give Korea air traffic control over parts of the airspace previously controlled by air traffic authorities in Japan with dual airways set to be established in the section con

Jan. 12, 2021

GM Korea shows strong performance in export

General Motors Korea pulled off a strong performance last year in overseas markets, the automaker said Tuesday. The company shipped 285,499 vehicles overseas last year, ranking top among foreign-invested car brands here in terms of export volume, the company said. GM Motors beat Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor by about 14 times. In the domestic market, GM Korea said it sold 82,954 cars in Korea in 2020, losing by a small margin to Renault Samsung and SsangYong, which sold 95,93

Jan. 12, 2021

Volvo aims to break sales record this year

After hitting an all-time high in sales last year, Volvo Cars Korea is aiming for another record-breaking year, with a plan to sell 15,000 vehicles. To achieve that goal, it plans to invest 50 billion won to augment service networks and hire more staff. According to the automaker, it sold a total of 12,798 units in Korea last year which was its best performance since establishing a presence here in 1998. The figure was an increase of 21 percent from the year before. This year, the automak

Jan. 11, 2021

S. Korea reaches air traffic deal with China and Japan

South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to accept a United Nations aviation agency's proposal for an agreement critical for the safety of flights near Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, the transport ministry said Monday. South Korean and Japanese air traffic controllers have been directing north-south flights and east-west flights, respectively, in the "Akara corridor," which is part of South Korean airspace. Japan has shepherded flights between Shanghai and Japan on behalf of

Jan. 11, 2021

[Behind the Wheel] No surprises with VW’s solid new Passat GT

Volkswagen’s flagship sedan, Passat GT, has returned to Korea, with its base in the European model and with smarter technology to assist drivers. Introduced in 1973, the Passat has been one of the German automaker’s global best sellers, with over 30 million units sold around the world. The company introduced the fifth generation Passat in South Korea in 2005. Up to 2018 and through the eighth-generation Passat GT, it has sold 36,000 units of the car here. Both types of Passat,

Jan. 10, 2021

Hyundai Motor’s sedan Grandeur racks up 2 million unit sales

Hyundai Motor has sold over 2 million units of its signature sedan Grandeur, the company said Sunday. As of last year, the Grandeur sold a total of 2,000,573 units since the release of its first model in 1986, the automaker said. The sedan sold 145,463 units during last year alone, breaking its annual sales record and becoming the best-selling car in the country for the fourth consecutive year. The Grandeur was initially seen as a luxury car symbolizing success, but the sedan has more recen

Jan. 10, 2021

Korean Air unveils redesigned official website and app

Korean Air on Thursday unveiled its redesigned official website and mobile app, enabling customers to access the cheapest tickets for any given date or destination. The “cart saving” feature will allow customers to save details when they decide to leave the website during the process of booking so that they can come back and continue the process later. The revamped mobile app dubbed “Korean Air My” has adopted a simpler design and made main services more accessible, the

Jan. 7, 2021

Kia Motors unveils new logo, brand slogan

South Korea’s second-largest automaker Kia Motors unveiled a new logo and a brand slogan on Wednesday, as the company aims to transform its image to one of future mobility. The new logo and the slogan, which is “Movement that inspires,” comes as part of the automaker’s mid- and long-term strategy announced last year, which outlines the automaker’s plans to become a leading firm in the future mobility industry, the company said. “The new logo symbolizes Ki

Jan. 6, 2021

Ford Korea rolls out New Ford Explorer Platinum

Ford’s popular Explorer sports utility vehicle is to return with upgrades to its powertrain and design, Ford Sales and Service Korea said Wednesday. The automaker said it was rolling out the New Ford Explorer Platinum, with functions enhanced from the Explorer 2.3 Limited. The New Ford Explorer is equipped with 3.0-liter Ecoboost V6 gasoline engine that puts out up to 370 horsepower and a maximum torque of 54 kilogram-meters. The carmaker has fully digitized the 12.3-inch cockpit a

Jan. 6, 2021

Korean Air extends mileage expiration dates amid pandemic

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest carrier, said Wednesday it will extend the expiration dates of mileage that expired at the end of 2020 and mileage that expires at the end of 2021 to 2022 amid the coronavirus pandemic. In June, Korean Air already extended mileage points due to expire at the end of 2020 by one year to 2021 as travel demand dried up due to the pandemic. With the additional mileage extension, Korean Air plans to kick off its revamped SKYPASS mileage program in April 20

Jan. 6, 2021

Korean Air clears hurdle for Asiana takeover

Shareholders of Korean Air Lines Co. agreed to change its corporate mandate to clear a hurdle for its takeover of Asiana Airlines, the airline said on Wednesday. In a meeting at its headquarters in Seoul, nearly 70 percent of stockholders who were present voted to pass an amendment of an article, drastically lifting the cap on total outstanding stocks from 250 million to 700 million. With the amendment, the company can push ahead with its plan to issue 173.6 million new shares to raise capita

Jan. 6, 2021

Hyundai, Kia suffer 7.3% drop in US vehicle sales in 2020

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Wednesday their US vehicle sales fell 7.3 percent in 2020 from a year earlier amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hyundai and Kia, South Korea's two biggest carmakers, sold a combined 1,208,374 vehicles in the world's most important automobile market last year, down from 1,304,109 units the previous year, the companies said in separate statements. Hyundai's US sales fell 9.7 percent to 622,269 units last year from 688,771 a year ago, while

Jan. 6, 2021

Korean Air to change articles of association for Asiana takeover

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest carrier, said Tuesday it will change its articles of association to help finance its planned acquisition of smaller rival Asiana Airlines Inc. Korean Air will hold an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on Wednesday to amend its articles of association ahead of its 2.5 trillion-won ($2.3 billion) rights issue plan for March to sell more stocks aimed at funding the acquisition, a company spokeswoman said over the phone. The national flag carrier plans

Jan. 5, 2021

Carmakers' Dec. sales dip 5% amid pandemic

South Korean carmakers' sales fell 5 percent last month from a year earlier as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to weigh on demand, industry data showed Monday. The five carmakers in South Korea -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor -- sold a combined 658,550 vehicles in December, down from 694,988 units a year ago, according to data from the companies. Their domestic sales fell 8 percent to 133,061 units in December from 144,839 a year ago, while ov

Jan. 4, 2021

Asiana Airlines appoints new CEO in executive reshuffle

Asiana Airlines named Jung Sung-kwon as the new CEO in a major executive reshuffle on Thursday. Jung, who previously served as the head of the airline’s China operations, will replace current CEO Han Chang-soo to lead the country‘s second-largest carrier. Born in 1963, Jung joined Asiana in 1988 and had taken on multiple roles including finance and human resources. In the shakeup, Ahn Byung-suk, Asiana Airline‘s management director, has been tapped to head Air Busan, its s

Dec. 31, 2020

Seoul extends reduction of airport usage fees for virus-hit airlines

South Korea will extend the reduction of airport usage fees for virus-hit airlines by six months to help them stay afloat amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday. The government will allow airlines, duty-free shops and other related companies at airports to pay quite lower airport usage fees until June next year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. Incheon International Airport Corp., the operator of the country's main Inc

Dec. 30, 2020

EV defect claims multiply 46 times in 4 years

As environmentally-friendly vehicles grow in popularity, consumer claims of defects in their electric vehicles have multiplied in recent years, latest data shows. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Transportation Safety Authority on Monday, the number of electric vehicles registered in the country is 131,923 as of November, a 12-fold increase from 10,855 at the end of 2016. Complaints of faulty vehicle parts grew even faster during the period. A total o

Dec. 28, 2020

Hyundai, Kia sell 300,000 eco-friendly cars overseas

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, the country’s two largest automakers, witnessed their overseas sales of environment-friendly vehicles surpass the 300,000-unit mark for the first time this year, industry data showed Sunday. From January to November, the two affiliates of Hyundai Motor Group sold a combined 306,266 electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell electric vehicles in overseas markets. The figure shows an increase of 26.8 percent from the 238,155 environment-friendly vehicl

Dec. 27, 2020

Han Sung Motor celebrates graduation of Dream Gream students

For Han Sung Motor, Korea‘s official Mercedes-Benz dealer, year-end celebrations aren’t complete without a graduation ceremony for recipients of its art scholarship program. This year, the event honored four students who completed the Dream Gream program. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event was held Friday virtually for the first time since the firm launched the program in 2012 Only a small number of people gathered at a cafe in Seoul on Friday, while gradu

Dec. 23, 2020

[Behind the Wheel] Genesis G70 lives up to expectations

Expectations were high for Genesis’ second compact luxury sports utility GV70. When the car was unveiled online in early December, the website temporarily went down as consumers flocked to check out the mid-sized successor to the brand’s first SUV, GV80, launched here in January to rave reviews and strong sales. It turned out Hyundai Motor, the Korean carmaker behind the Genesis brand, has done quite well in meeting those expectations. The GV70 offers a fine driving experience an

Dec. 23, 2020