Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Thursday that they saw their combined sales in China surge 25 percent in the first nine months of the year on brisk sales of mid-sized and sports utility vehicles.Hyundai Motor, South Korea's top automaker, said it sold 760,916 units in China in the January-September period, up 28 percent from a year earlier.Kia Motors also saw its sales in China soar 20 percent on-year to reach 400,360 units over the cited period.Hyundai and Kia

Industry Oct. 3, 2013

The National Assembly on Monday passed a proposal calling for the extension of a parliamentary probe into the state spy agency's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election.Last week, rival political parties agreed to extend the probe by eight days until Aug. 23 and summon witnesses for hearings starting this Wednesday.The probe, which began early last month, aims to uncover the truth behind allegations that the National Intelligence Service conducted an online smear campaign to sway p

Politics Aug. 12, 2013

LCD사업 1위를 달리고 있는 LG 디스플레이의 한상범 사장은 월요일 경기도 파주에 위치한 공장에서 가진 기자와의 만남에서 “중장기적인 관점에서 LCD사업보다 OLED사업에 더욱 투자 할 것,”이라고 밝히며 과감한 기술투자에 노력을 아끼지 않겠다고 밝혔다. “Full-HD 와 Ultra-HD가 TV의 화질을 바꿨다면, OLED는 완전히 새로운 세계를 여는 것,” 이라고 한상범 사장은 말했다. LG디스플레이는 8세대 TV용 OLED 패널 생산라인에 지난 2월 7000억원을 투자하기로 결정했으며, 월 2만6000장을 생산할 수 있는 규모로 빠르면 내년 하반기에 완공된다. 또한 플라스틱 OLED 생산라인 투자도 검토하고 있다.한상범 사장은 “매달 실적에 일희일비하기보다 미래를 보고 인프라를 다지기 위해 투자할 계획”이라고 말했다. LG 디스플레이는 올해 투자액의 80%인 3조2000억 원을 OLED와 저온폴리실리콘(LTPS) 등 차세대 기술에 투자하기로 결정했다. 파주에 짓고 있는 OLE

한국어판 July 23, 2013

South Korea on Tuesday decided to extend its travel ban on four nations -- Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia -- for another six months to one year, the foreign ministry said, citing worsening unrest in the countries.Under the decision, South Korean citizens are prohibited from traveling to Iraq until Jan. 31; Syria until July 31, 2014; and Afghanistan and Somalia until Aug. 6, 2014, the ministry said in a statement.The Seoul government currently bans the four countries, along with Yemen, for

Politics July 23, 2013

South Korean President Park Geun-hye asked Tuesday for Vietnam's support for South Korea's participation in the Southeast Asian nation's nuclear power plant construction project, her office said.Park made the remark in a meeting with Vietnam's National Assembly Speaker Nguyen Sinh Hung, saying South Korea can be a good partner for the country's nuclear power industry, according to presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing.Vietnam is seeking to build 10 atomic power plants by 2030."I understand that Vie

Politics July 23, 2013

An environmental group said Wednesday that the caramel coloring used in Pepsi still contains a worrisome level of a carcinogen, even after the drink maker said it would change its formula.In March, PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. both said they would adjust their formulas nationally after California passed a law mandating drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens come with a cancer warning label. The changes were made for drinks sold in California when the law passed.The chemical is 4-meth

World News July 3, 2013

North Korea said Wednesday it will allow South Korean businessmen to visit their plants in a suspended joint industrial complex in its territory, a move that may help open dialogue between the two divided Korean states.The joint industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong remains closed since early April when North Korea withdrew all of its 53,000 workers hired by 123 South Korean plants there.South Korea subsequently pulled out all of its manpower there."(The North) has decided to

North Korea July 3, 2013

A Korean-American man, detained in North Korea on sedition charges, hopes that he would be set free and allowed to go home after amnesty is granted, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Tokyo said Wednesday.Kenneth Bae, whose Korean name is Bae Joon-ho, was arrested in November after entering North Korea with a group of tourists. Some identified him as a tour operator, while others said he worked as a Christian missionary.In May, North Korea sentenced Bae to 15 years of hard labor for committing unsp

North Korea July 3, 2013

The head of a South Korean supplier to global brands, including Zara and GAP, set up shell companies in tax havens, an independent South Korean online news outlet said Thursday, in its latest revelation of a list that also includes three other Korean businessmen.Kim Ki-hong, chairman of Nobland, was registered as one of two directors and a shareholder of Jade Crown Group Ltd. set up in the British Virgin Islands on Sept. 8, 2006, the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism (KCIJ) said on its w

Social Affairs June 13, 2013

The UN food body on Saturday said it had approved $200 million of food aid for North Korea, targeting the country's most vulnerable people who remain dependent on external assistance.The World Food Programme (WFP) executive board has this week approved a new two-year operation for North Korea starting on July 1, WFP spokesman Marcus Prior said."It will target about 2.4 million people -- almost all children, and pregnant and nursing women -- with about 207,000 metric tons of food assistance at a

World News June 8, 2013

French President Francois Hollande has sought reassure Japanese business leaders that the eurozone debt crisis is over but that steps to boost the region's growth and competitiveness need to be taken.Hollande said in a speech Saturday on the final day of his visit to Japan that "Europe is becoming more solid'' and that authorities have developed tools to ensure the stability and solidarity of the 17-nation group.Although the eurozone debt crisis that broke in late 2009 has eased, the region's co

World News June 8, 2013