South Korean and British foreign ministers on Wednesday (London time) discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear threat, the South Korean foreign ministry said.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his British counterpart Boris Johnson, during a bilateral meeting in London, shared the view that Pyongyang's continued nuclear provocations are a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and pose a serious threat to the entire international commu

North Korea Feb. 22, 2017

A North Korean biotechnology institute is involved in last week's killing of leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia, a person familiar with the matter claimed Wednesday."We got a tip that Kim Jong-un issued an order in December 2014 to remove Kim Jong-nam," said Choi Sung-young, who represents a group of South Koreans whose families were abducted to North Korea decades ago.Kim Jong-nam (Yonhap)Choi said North Korea's military unit 810, which is also known as a biotechnology i

North Korea Feb. 22, 2017

South Korea spurned Japan's diplomatic protest on Wednesday over a video clip which Seoul uploaded to promote the name East Sea for the body of water between the two neighboring countries.South Korea's foreign ministry uploaded the 5-minute clip on its Web site on Monday, in which Seoul promoted the East Sea as an official name that should be used alongside the Sea of Japan designation.(Yonhap)Currently, the name Sea of Japan is more widely recognized around the world, but a growing number of ma

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

Cigarette smoke hangs thick in the air of a Tokyo nightspot as Aki Nitta sips champagne with a trio of sweet-talking Lotharios peddling fake love at premium rates.   In a country which has lost its mojo, many wealthy Japanese women spend eye-watering sums on male hosts in return for an evening of sweet talk, flirting -- and often sex.   "I want my heart to flutter," Nitta told AFP at a popular club in the Kabukicho red-light district lined with chrome and mirrors.    "Japanese men aren't very at

Culture Feb. 22, 2017

BMW Korea has officially launched the seventh generation of its most popular sedan, the 5 Series, which racked up more than 2,000 presale contracts in less than a month.　First launched in 1972, the 5 series has since sold more than 7.9 million units worldwide, making it one the German automaker’s most popular models and one of the world’s best-selling premium business sedans. 　In 2016, BMW Korea’s annual sales reached 48,059 units, of which 17,200 units were the 5 series.BMW Korea President Kim

Mobility Feb. 22, 2017

　BMW Korea is preparing to launch the seventh generation of its 5-series luxury sedan on Feb. 21, looking to reclaim its throne as the country’s best-selling imported car brand after being bested last year by rival German automaker Mercedes-Benz. 　According to BMW Korea, the new 5 series began preliminary sales contracts on Jan. 4; and in less than a month, pre-sale contracts went on to surpass 2,000 units. In comparison, last year the average monthly sales of the previous 5 series averaged arou

Mobility Feb. 14, 2017

Following the effectuation of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement in 2012, both countries fully lifted their import tariffs on vehicles early last year. Since the implementation, data shows that Korea’s imports of US cars have increased, while the number of Korean domestic vehicles exported to the US has dropped.　In 2015, 1.06 million units were exported from Korea to the US. Last year, the figure decreased to 964,432 units, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and

Mobility Feb. 13, 2017

While the recent inauguration of US President Donald Trump has the local business community in a frenzy, anticipating drastic alterations to the Korea-US free trade agreement, the roughly 2,500 European companies currently operating in Korea have their focuses set elsewhere. 　In an annual Business Confidence Survey conducted late last year by the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea and Roland Berger, the majority of European businesses in South Korea voiced concerns over the increasing difficu

Feb. 10, 2017

GM Korea CEO James Kim has set Chevrolet’s domestic market annual sales target at 194,000 units, the highest-ever local sales goal for the global brand, according to GM on Thursday. 　Last year the company sold 180,275 units, a 13.8 percent increase compared to the previous year. The results marked the first time the brand broke the 180,000-marker since it first entered Korea’s imported car market in 2011.  GM Korea CEO James Kim (fourth from left) and Vice President of Vehicle Sales, Services an

Mobility Feb. 9, 2017

Hundreds of Audi Volkswagen Korea customers are refusing to comply with the local auto distributors’ recall measures for its illegally faked emissions vehicles, according to the law firm Barun Law LLC. 　Last month, the Korean government announced it had approved Volkswagen’s first round of recall plans for 27,000 Tiguan SUVs to begin on Monday. 　However, following the recall approval, 610 Tiguan owners filed a law suit with the administrative court against the Ministry of Environment last month

Mobility Feb. 7, 2017

German auto giant Mercedes-Benz sold 6,848 cars domestically last month, marking a 59.3 percent on-year spike, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said on Monday. 　Mercedes-Benz Korea’s market share among the imported cars has also reached 41 percent last month, up more than 14 percent from the same month last year. 　Mercedes-Benz Korea has been showing phenomenal growth in the domestic import cars market in recent years, selling more than 2 million units for the first time

Mobility Feb. 6, 2017

South Korea’s eco-friendly car market is continuing its rapid growth as the number of the country’s green cars increased by 63.9 percent from 2015 to 2016, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said Monday. 　Despite still lagging severely behind the Chinese, US and European markets, the local hybrid and electric market sold a total of 68,774 eco-friendly cars last year, compared to 41,956 the previous year. The increase was the highest proportional rise worldwide. 　Sales of h

Mobility Feb. 6, 2017

The nation’s No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors saw its sales in China plummet 38.9 percent last month, according to company and industry sources on Sunday. 　Kia Motors said it sold 30,800 units to its Chinese factory in January, down 18,459 vehicles compared to the 49,259 units sold during the same month last year. Retail sales have also dropped 13.1 percent. 　According to news reports, a number of industry insiders suspect the slump in sales is linked to Chinese dealers demanding Kia compensate them fo

Mobility Feb. 5, 2017

Imported trucks celebrated a record year last year, seeing a 75.8 percent spike in sales from 2015, according the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. 　Non-domestic truck sales stood a 7,726 units in 2016 compared to the previous year’s 4,396 units, KAMA’s data showed Sunday. 　Following the enactment of the Korea-EU and Korea-US free trade agreements in 2011 and 2012, respectively, tariffs on imported vehicles have been removed, sparking an increase in competition and demand in the domest

Mobility Feb. 5, 2017