The rate of South Korean women either working or actively searching for jobs reached a record high in 2017, data showed Saturday, thanks to a rising number of married women returned to the job market.According to the data compiled by the Statistics Korea, 53 percent of women were found to be economically active this year, up 0.8 percentage points from a year earlier.This year's number is the highest since the agency started compiling data from June 1999. The figure refers to the portion of econo

Economy May 13, 2017

While Samsung Electronics Co. plans to sell refurbished models of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in the near future, controversies surrounding the troubled model still linger, especially in terms of safety requirements, according to market watchers Saturday.   The South Korean tech giant said in March that it plans to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7s. The production of the device was short-lived last year after some devices caught fire while charging due to battery problems. When and wher

Technology May 13, 2017

South Korea's presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in told the Washington Post in a recent interview that he agrees with US President Donald Trump's "pragmatic approach" to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.In the interview published Tuesday, Moon of the liberal Democratic Party expressed support for Trump's parallel use of tough talk and peace gestures toward the recalcitrant state. Moon Jae-in, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, gives the thumbs-up to a crowd on the campaign

Politics May 3, 2017

Domestic sales of Korea’s top five local automakers surpassed 40 trillion won ($35.2 billion) for the first time last year, according to industry reports Sunday. 　Local carmakers including Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Korea GM, Renault Samsung, and SsangYong Motor posted domestic sales of roughly 41.17 trillion won last year, a 7.7 percent on-year jump compared to 2015.　Both Hyundai and Kia exceeded the 10 trillion won mark, with Hyundai’s sales standing at 19.3 trillion won, while Kia raked in 12

Mobility April 16, 2017

Hyundai Motor Company is said to be planning to roll out new electric buses early next year, according to news reports Friday. A representative of Hyundai Motor was quoted by reports saying the company’s electric bus development was underway and the company was looking to commercialize its new line in early 2018, adding that it was also scheduled to start trial operations in the second half of this year.The country’s largest automaker had introduced the country’s first electric bus, the “Elec-Ci

Mobility April 7, 2017

Hyundai Motor has named its upcoming compact sports utility vehicle the KONA, expected to be released in summer, the company said on Monday without specifying the date.　Expanding Hyundai’s family of existing SUV models, including the Sante Fe, Tucson and the Veracruz, the automaker says it is looking to increase its overall competitiveness in both the global market and Korea’s growing domestic SUV market boom. 　“KONA is a model that notifies Hyundai‘s entry into the small-sized SUV market that i

Mobility April 3, 2017

MAN Truck & Bus Korea, the local distributor of the German automaker, recently opened its new headquarters and service center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in a $10 million investment looking to expand its presence in the domestic market.　In 2016, MAN sales in Korea jumped 36 percent from the previous year, the best performance in the world truck market last year, according to the company. MAN sold 1,545 units last year, the highest number of units since the company entered the Korean market.　In

Mobility April 2, 2017

With 27 participating car brands from around the world, the 11th Seoul Motor Show opening Friday in Kintex, Goyang, is abuzz with new features, designs and technologies geared toward enhanced performance while still being eco-friendly. Here is a brief rundown of the featured automobiles by type. 　1. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehiclesHyundai FE Fuel Cell Concept　The country’s leading automaker, Hyundai Motor, introduced its Future Eco fuel-cell electric vehicle concept for the first time in Asia. The FE

Mobility March 30, 2017

BMW Group Korea unveiled the new M760Li xDrive, the fastest model in the company’s flagship 7 Series, and showcased the power of its trademark M Performance driving system at the 2017 Seoul Motor Show on Thursday. 　For the first time in Korea, the German carmaker exhibited the M760Li xDrive’s V12 M Performance twin-turbo power adder engine, which can reach speeds of up to 304 kph. Delivering up to 602 horsepower, the new luxury sedan can reach 100 kph in 3.7 seconds. 　The engine time is half a s

Mobility March 30, 2017

MAN Truck & Bus Korea, the local distributor of the German automaker, has opened its new headquarters in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in the company’s 16th year joining the market here. 　The auto manufacturer invested $10 million to build its new Korean headquarters and service center, looking to expand its local presence and its line of commercial trucks and buses in the domestic market. 　“It’s (the headquarters) not just a new building,” says Max Burger, president of MAN Truck & Bus Korea, durin

Mobility March 28, 2017