Joining in on the boom for pickup truck models in Korea, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has seen preorders for the latest All-New Jeep Gladiator sell out within two weeks, the automaker said Thursday. FCA Korea launched the All-New Jeep Gladiator, a versatile midsized pickup truck, on Aug. 17 in Korea with 300 units available to be preordered and delivered within this year. “The All-New Jeep Gladiator has proven its unrivaled presence winning many awards, and was chosen as the 2020 North Am

Mobility Sept. 3, 2020

Sales of Japanese cars in South Korea increased for the first time since a nationwide boycott of Japanese products began here last year, data showed Thursday. According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, the number of Japanese automobiles newly registered in August was 1,413, up 1.1 percent from the same time last year, when it stood at 1,398. The increase comes 13 months after a trade conflict broke out between the two countries in July 2019 and triggered the b

Mobility Sept. 3, 2020

Korea’s largest steelmaker Posco on Wednesday opened its two-day 2020 Posco Forum to diagnose the fast-changing business environment and assess the group’s future business strategies. According to the company, the livestreamed forum was organized with a limited number of in-person participants, including the presidents of Posco and affiliate companies in the Greater Seoul region alongside experts, following the strengthened social distancing measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. &

Industry Sept. 2, 2020

The owner of a 24-hour eatery in Mapo, Seoul, sat hopelessly in her near-empty kimchi stew restaurant, which on other days had bustled with customers around the clock. Lee, 50, said the “Level 2.5” social distancing rules had cut the number of customers in half, one day after they were imposed to curb a spike in COVID-19 infections. This includes a weeklong ban on food and drink consumption inside large chain cafes in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and the forced closing of restaurant

Consumer Aug. 31, 2020

Wellness-focused yougurt products by Binggrae are gaining popularity recently, amid rising demand from health-conscious consumers, according to the company on Sunday. Dairy food company Binggrae has introduced several yogurt brands to the Korean market, contributing to growing the market. Its flagship yogurt product Yoplait topped the local market in sales last year, selling about 360 million units and recording some 140 billion won ($119 million) in sales. Alongside the prominent Yopla

Consumer Aug. 30, 2020

The government announced stricter social distancing measures Friday to ban food and drink consumption inside of cafes and restaurants in the Seoul metropolitan areas next week in efforts to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19. While the government had considered raising the social distancing rules to the highest Level 3 from the current Level 2 to stem the rapid spread of COVID-19, it decided instead to extend Level 2 measures for another week, with heightened rules. Starting from Sunday, eati

Industry Aug. 28, 2020

Global furnishing company Ikea and Lego Group on Friday introduced a new collaboration project Bygglek, which combines the concept of play and storage. The two companies said they have teamed up to develop a solution to facilitate playing with the lego bricks at home while lessening the burden of cleaning up and organizing. Bygglek is a box-shaped storage closet with the lego studs, allowing children to play, exhibit their work inside, and also store them after playing, Ikea explained. &l

Consumer Aug. 28, 2020

Kia Motors launched the face-lifted version of sports sedan Stinger Meister on Thursday, with enhanced performance. Revealing a promotional video featuring actor Go Soo on YouTube and Naver TV, the automaker presented the upgraded model, which was first released in 2017. The new Stinger Meister is offered with two gasoline engines, the new Smartstream 2.5 Turbo and 3.3 Twin-Turbo. It is the first time for Kia to equip the Smartstream G2.5 T-GDI in its vehicle. The Smartstream 2.5 Turbo pr

Mobility Aug. 27, 2020

Mercedes-Benz Korea on Thursday unveiled three new luxury sports utility vehicle models, expanding its premium SUV lineup to nine in the country. In the unveiling ceremony held via its official YouTube channel, the automaker presented Mercedes-Benz GLB, a “versatile” family SUV; the new Mercedes-Benz GLA, a dynamic sporty SUV; and the new Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, a premium coupe SUV. Opening the unveiling event was interim President and CEO Kim Jee-seop, who was formerly vice pre

Mobility Aug. 27, 2020

A Hyundai Steel social contribution project is finding ways to repurpose coffee waste and create jobs along the way. When someone brews a cup of coffee, only 0.2 percent of the coffee grounds ends up in the final product. The other 99.8 percent is discarded as waste. According to Hyundai Steel, about 150,000 tons of coffee waste are either buried or incinerated in South Korea. To find new uses for used coffee grounds, the steelmaker teamed with the Korea Productivity Center and Korea Green

Industry Aug. 26, 2020

Korea Ginseng Co., the country’s leading ginseng manufacturer, said Tuesday that it donated 1 billion won ($843,000) worth of ginseng products to support the medical personnel and public servants dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Before making the donation, the company said, it organized a walking campaign from Aug. 3 to Friday, and vowed to donate the goods if participants met the target of 500 million steps. In response, about 10,000 people recorded 570 million steps via the CheongKwan

Industry Aug. 25, 2020

Renault Samsung Motors’ compact sport utility vehicle XM3 is gaining praise from young consumers for its unique design, according to market watchers. The XM3 reportedly sold 10,000 units in just 49 days after its release in March, a record for the company. The compact SUV sold over 5,000 units monthly for four consecutive months following its launch, accumulating sales of 24,161 units as of July -- the highest figure in four months, in the domestic compact SUV market. The vehicle&rsqu

Mobility Aug. 25, 2020

Ikea Korea said Tuesday it saw sales grow by over 30 percent in the fiscal year of 2020 following increased interest in home furnishing amid COVID-19. Holding an online press conference via Zoom, Ikea Korea Country Retail Manager Fredrik Johansson revealed that the home furnishing retailer recorded a turnover of 663.4 billion won in the fiscal year of 2020 (from September 2019 to August 2020), growing 32.6 percent on-year. During the period, the number of visitors to Ikea also increased. Th

Consumer Aug. 25, 2020

BMW Korea said Monday it is launching three new limited edition models online to celebrate 25 years in Korea. The automaker will be releasing two sport activity vehicles -- X5 M50i and X6 M50i -- and the sport sedan M340i in its signature metallic gray. Only 25 of each of the models will be on sale at BMW Shop Online, the automaker’s online platform, at 2:05 p.m. on Tuesday.  The SAVs are limited editions based on the M performance model M50i. The automaker said it is introducing

Mobility Aug. 24, 2020

JTI Korea is introducing a same-day delivery service for its tobacco-infused vapor device Ploom Tech, via Naver Shopping, the company said Monday. Implementing the new service in Seoul first, the company said all orders made before 9 a.m. on Naver Shopping, an e-commerce platform, will be delivered on the same day. The company is an official retailer of Ploom Tech on Naver Shopping‘s smart store, and all users verified to be over 19 can make purchases on the platform, JTI Korea explain

Consumer Aug. 24, 2020