The South Korean defense industry sold over 21 trillion won ($14.7 billion) worth of defense systems and weapons to Poland this year, double that of Seoul's total defense exports in last year alone. The value of the deals clinched by top defense companies Hanwha Defense, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hyundai Rotem this year was two times more than the $7.2 billion in weapons South Korea exported globally in 2021, according to market data and news reports. The order list includes 4

Industry Oct. 27, 2022

  Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday officially kicked off a construction of its first electric vehicle-dedicated manufacturing plant in Georgia, US, gearing up for mass production of 300,000 cars annually from the first half of 2025 amid the US government pushing ahead with a full implementation of a new law that removes subsidies on electric vehicle made outside of American soil. The envisioned plant named Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) illustrates the carmaker’s latest

Mobility Oct. 26, 2022

Posco Holdings said Monday that its third quarter operating profit plunged 71 percent to 920 billion won ($363.9 million), largely due to operation suspension and damages from typhoon that hit the company’s steel plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, last month, as well as the continuously falling global price of steel. The holding company of the steelmaker Posco said in its regulatory filing that its third quarter net profit dropped sharply to 592 billion won, a 77.2 percent fall on

Industry Oct. 24, 2022

Hyundai Motor on Monday reported 37.7 trillion won ($26.2 billion) in total sales for the third quarter, an increase of 30.6 percent on-year. It was boosted by a significant increase in global sales, which the automaker forecast would expand in the final quarter as the auto parts supply crunch eases. Hyundai Motor sold 1.02 million cars from July to September, according to a regulatory filing. The third quarter is regarded as a low season for the carmaker, as employees take vacations for the sum

Mobility Oct. 24, 2022

Korean Air, the country’s largest air carrier, said Friday it had been named the world’s ninth best air carrier by UK-based airline and airport consultancy Skytrax. The company climbed 13 slots this year to enter the world’s top 10, from 22nd last year. This year’s World’s Best Airline award went to Qatar Airways, followed by Singapore Airlines and Emirates in the second and third, respectively. Skytrax evaluates 390 full-service and 180 budget carriers each year

Industry Oct. 21, 2022

Hyundai Motor’s flagship electric vehicle Ioniq 5 has been picked as MotorTrend’s 2023 SUV of the Year, the first award for the Korean automaker from the renowned US auto magazine with 74 years of history. The Ioniq 5 beat out 44 other models, of which 24 were electric. MotorTrend said the Ioniq 5 stood out for its luxurious exterior, outstanding driving performance, spacious interior and efficient battery pack, along with the fast-charging system. The award for SUV of the year is ev

Mobility Oct. 21, 2022

Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday that it would sponsor 236 units of eco-friendly vehicles for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which kicks off on Nov. 20, as part of a commitment to keep the global soccer event a carbon-neutral tournament. Hyundai will sponsor a total of 616 vehicles to be operated for FIFA staff, VIP guests, players and media during the game which ends on Dec. 18. The Korean carmaker has been the official sponsor for World Cup since 2002. It is the first time that the company and t

Mobility Oct. 20, 2022

South Korean steelmaker Posco Group Chairman Choi Jung-woo has been elected to lead the world’s largest steelmakers’ association, the company said Wednesday. At the association’s general meeting held Tuesday in Brussels, Choi became its 44th chairman, and India’s Jindal Steel Works Chairman Sajjan Jindal and US’ Nucor CEO Leon Topalian will support Choi as vice chairmen. Choi's one-year term began Tuesday. He had served as vice chairman for a full year . Choi h

Industry Oct. 19, 2022

Recently, the country’s service sector has increasingly adopted robots -- from simple coffee making to using robotic systems for dental implant surgery, even opticians use robots for 3D scanning and making personalized glasses frames. In the near future, these machines will be applied to various sectors beyond the manufacturing and service industries, according to Rainbow Robotics CEO Lee Jung-ho, who spoke at The Korea Herald Biz Forum held at Four Seasons Hotel, Wednesday. Showcasing t

Industry Oct. 19, 2022

South Korean auto parts and mobility solutions provider Hyundai Mobis said Tuesday that it has begun mass-producing chassis modules for Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles, adding another global automaker to its client list. Mobis begun manufacturing its chassis module, a core automotive part that controls a vehicle’s stability while driving, from the third quarter at a newly established plant dedicated for Mercedes cars in Alabama in the US. A total of four electrified SUVs by the German ca

Mobility Oct. 18, 2022

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia are expected to see continued record-high sales and profits in the third quarter, despite a market downturn and the impact of the industry’s low season. According to market data on Sunday, Hyundai Motor is expected to announce around 36 trillion won ($25 billion) in sales in the July-September period, about a 25 percent increase on-year. Its quarterly operating profit would surpass 3 trillion won for the first time, jumping 10

Mobility Oct. 16, 2022

  South Korean food conglomerate SPC Group said Sunday that it has opened its first Paris Baguette store in the UK, with an aim to run 20 bakery cafe franchises there by 2025 to expand the brand's presence in Europe. The UK is SPC’s ninth overseas market and the second European country it has entered. “The UK is an important market for us to expand business in Europe and launch more franchises there, ultimately making it one of four pillars for our brand growth globally after th

Industry Oct. 16, 2022

  Like many global firms, South Korean robot maker Rainbow Robotics was established in 2011 at a research laboratory. Starting out as a robot platform company founded by a group of researchers from the Humanoid Robot Research Center at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the company now boasts a versatile lineup of collaborative robots, which are built to work hand-in-hand with employees at work. Such robots focus more on repetitive tasks, such as inspecting and picking

Industry Oct. 13, 2022

For decades, Hyundai Motor and Kia, two brands under South Korean automotive empire Hyundai Motor Group, had long been perceived as manufacturers of low-end, entry-level vehicles. The global awareness of the Korean car brands, however, has changed in recent years with many projecting them today as mobility innovators and a reliable sources of quality. At the center of such significant change is Chung Euisun, third-generation chaebol scion and the son of former chairman Chung Mong-koo, who begin

Industry Oct. 12, 2022

Posco Holdings, the holding firm of steelmaking conglomerate Posco Group, on Tuesday announced a 1.5 trillion won ($1 billion) investment plan to speed up its lithium production both in Argentina and South Korea. The company said it had planned to make the investment next year but decided to advance the timeline in order to meet the growing demand for lithium, a key material for electric vehicle batteries. With the new investment, the company plans to break ground for a lithium carbonate plant i

Industry Oct. 11, 2022