Han Sung Motor, an official dealer of Mercedes-Benz Korea, said Wednesday that it has partnered with global esports company Gen.G, to expand its customer base by promoting the brand. Gen.G is a global esports team that was launched in 2017. It was ranked sixth in the Forbes’ world’s most valuable esports companies last year, with top results at games such as League of Legends.  Han Sung Motor’s partnership with Gen.G is the first of its kind between a Korean imported ca

Mobility March 25, 2020

An apartment complex located inside the Yongsan Garrison -- US Forces Korea headquarters before its relocation to Pyeongtaek -- will be temporarily open to public from April 28, the Land Ministry said Wednesday.  It is the first time the public will have access in 116 years. In 1904, the Japanese military established its headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul, after the Russo-Japanese War. In 1957, USFK moved in after the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Since 2017, the US military has be

Industry March 25, 2020

Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Hanjin Group that owns the country’s largest airline Korean Air, said Tuesday that it would ask shareholders to make the “wise decision” to vote for a current Chairman Cho Won-tae to retain his top seat.  The vote will take place during the shareholders meeting slated for Friday. Hanjin KAL said in a statement that as the global aviation industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean Air faces an “unprecedented crisis

Mobility March 24, 2020

Hyundai Glovis said Tuesday that it has launched the first noncontact used car auction system by integrating information at different centers into one cloud server. The system, called “Autobell smart auction,” offers three times more sales items than other used car dealers, the supply chain management unit of Hyundai Motor Group said. It combines auction data in a cloud server gathered from its auction centers in Bundang, Sihwa in Gyeonggi Province and Yangsan in South Gyeongsang P

Mobility March 24, 2020

Cash-strapped SsangYong Motor said Monday it is seeking to reengineer its business with a strengthened self-rescue plan to race back on the road to profitability. The South Korean unit of Indian carmaker Mahindra and Mahindra -- which held two rounds of negotiations with the labor union last year -- has been focusing on normalizing its business. To improve its fiscal health, the automaker’s employees have agreed to reduce or stop 22 welfare benefits -- such as support for medical cost a

Mobility March 23, 2020

Hit by a severe drop in passengers and suspension of international routes over the coronavirus pandemic, South Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet announced Sunday it will halt all services starting next week. The low-cost-carrier has decided to halt all flights to Jeju Island from Gimpo, Cheongju and Gunsan airports from Tuesday.  They were the only routes that the air carrier has been operating since March 9, after its Japanese flights were shut down following entry restrictions on Korean

Mobility March 22, 2020

Hyundai Mobis said Sunday it has developed a radar-using rear occupant alert system that will be adopted by new models of global carmakers. According to the auto parts making unit of Hyundai Motor Group, ROA is a system that was developed based on radar that uses sensors for autonomous driving. It is built on a software algorithm that detects even the most minute movements of a passenger in the rear seat. The radar of ROA can analyze a variety of bio-signals by penetrating a person’s bl

Mobility March 22, 2020

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun has been elected the new chairperson of the group’s board of directors, in an apparent move to give the heir apparent more managerial power as he seeks to strengthen the future mobility vision. According to the company, it was decided for Chung to succeed his father, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, in his chairmanship during a board of directors meeting held Thursday. The senior Chung has held the position for 21 year

Mobility March 19, 2020

South Korean full-service carrier Asiana Airlines said Thursday that it has sent a chartered flight to bring back some 80 South Koreans stuck in Iran, where the COVID-19 has been rapidly spreading.  Asiana Airlines said 80 Koreans left Tehran, Iran, to board a chartered flight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The flight departed the Al Maktoum International Airport, some 37 kilometers from Dubai, on Thursday morning and arrived at Incheon International Airport at 4:35 p.m. Ministry data s

Mobility March 19, 2020

It is not an exaggeration to say that out of every 10 cars you encounter on the roads of South Korea, six or seven of them are Hyundai or Mercedes-Benz. Although car brands and models have diversified over the years in a country where a car is owned by every 2.4 people, the brand everyone thinks of when it comes to domestic cars is Hyundai. In the case of imported cars, Mercedes-Benz maintains the largest share of the pie. Despite the latest coronavirus pandemic, sales of imported vehicles co

Mobility March 19, 2020

Hit by a sharp drop in the number of passengers flying in and out of Gimpo International Airport amid COVID-19 concerns, Shilla Duty Free said Thursday that it will temporarily close its store at Gimpo International Airport until March 28.  This follows another duty free operator Lotte Duty Free’s decision last week to close its store at Gimpo International Airport amid dwindling sales.  Industry sources said that Lotte saw its sales plummet from daily sales of 200 to 300 mill

Industry March 19, 2020

The South Korean government is injecting some 50 billion won ($40.4 million) to help the virus-hit transport industry here, by exempting fees and delaying payment to cover the businesses’ losses caused by a sharp drop in passengers.  In a meeting for crisis management measures presided by the country’s deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki on Wednesday, the government confirmed a set of measures to support industries hit by the coronavirus outbreak, primarily

Mobility March 18, 2020

Hyundai Motor on Wednesday unveiled its seventh-generation sedan Avante in Los Angeles at its world premiere event.  The event was livestreamed in major markets including South Korea, North America, China and Australia, without any audience, over the coronavirus concerns.  Avante has been the automaker’s steady-selling sedan over the past 30 years -- sold as Elantra in North America.  Hyundai Motor said the upgraded model has focused on showing an innovative, futuristic

Mobility March 18, 2020

Kia Motors on Tuesday launched its fourth-generation midsized sport utility vehicle Sorento, with a new design, larger size and improved driving assistance functions.  The automaker said the new Sorento has kept its design identity of strong image under the concept of “refined boldness,” but gave a new look by connecting the front radiator grille and LED head lamp to offer wide, stronger design.  The new model has a vertical-type LED rear combination lamp and horizontal-

Mobility March 17, 2020

Innocean Worldwide said Monday that it has opened new overseas offices in Singapore and Indonesia to strategically target the Asia-Pacific market.  The global marketing communication unit of Hyundai Motor Group said that the two units will help it expand outside South Korea and create synergies in global markets.  Innocean currently operates overseas offices in India and Australia. The company said the Indonesian office will respond to Hyundai Motor’s sales and marketing serv

Industry March 16, 2020