CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province -- An engine is often dubbed the “heart of a car” as it converts gasoline energy for motion. When it comes to sport utility vehicles, the performance of an engine is even more important because it decides their power. SsangYong Motor, with 30-year-history, has been churning out gasoline engines at its Changwon plant in South Gyeongsang Province.The plant, comprised of two units, spans over 111,500 square meters. The first factory is respo

Mobility Sept. 22, 2019

Nestled between two mountains -- Bugaksan and Inwangsan -- Buam-dong in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is a quiet neighborhood often described as an oasis of tranquility not far from the city center. While a large number of Seoul’s residential villages have turned into giant fortresses of high-security high-rise apartment complexes, Buam-dong has kept its old-town feel with low-lying houses, curved roads and ample greenery. Not accessible by Seoul’s massive web of subways, the villages were

Culture Sept. 20, 2019

Asiana Airlines Managing Director Cho Young-Seok (fourth from right, third row) poses with students and officials from School 83 in Ulaanbaatar after launching the first Beautiful Classroom Project in Mongolia on Wednesday to support children’s education.The air carrier said the partnership coincides with the opening of its Ulaanbaatar route in July. Volunteer teams comprising employees have been sent to School 83 to help renovate its gymnasium and repair walls and other facilities. T

Industry Sept. 19, 2019

Asiana Airlines will kick off two weekly direct flights to Lisbon, Portugal, from Oct. 28 to March 25 next year. The Incheon-Lisbon service is the first in the industry for a local air carrier. The flights will depart from Incheon Airport on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and arrive in Lisbon at 6:50 p.m. The return flight will depart from Lisbon at 8:30 p.m. and arrive in Incheon at 5:50 p.m. the next day. For the Incheon-Lisbon route, Asiana Airlines will operate its newest airc

Industry Sept. 17, 2019

Lotte Liquor, the alcoholic beverage arm of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, said Tuesday that its yogurt-flavored Soonhari Chum-Churum soju will soon be sold in the US. Soonhari Yogurt soju is the latest in the company’s Chum Churum Sunhari line, created by adding fruit flavoring, such as citron, peach, apple and strawberry, to soju. It was manufactured exclusively for export.Earlier this month, some 190,000 bottles of 360 milliliter-size Soonhari Yogurt soju were exported to the US, the com

Industry Sept. 17, 2019

Groceries are more expensive in Seoul than in New York or Tokyo, with only five Swiss cities surpassing the South Korean capital in grocery costs, data showed Monday.According to city and country database website Numbeo, Seoul’s groceries price index amounted to 105.01, placing it at No. 6 on a list of 375 major cities. The groceries price index is calculated according to the retail prices of items such as meat, vegetables and fruit, based on data contributed by users. Swiss citi

Industry Sept. 16, 2019

South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction has clinched a liquefied natural gas plant project in Nigeria, becoming the first Korean builder to be chosen as a prime contractor in the competitive global LNG plant sector.According to Daewoo E&C, it signed a letter of intent with Nigeria LNG last week to undertake planning, equipment purchasing and construction for the Train 7 liquefaction and purification facility on Bonny Island, Nigeria. The Train 7 project is expected to

Industry Sept. 16, 2019

Japan Tobacco International in Korea said Wednesday that its odor-reduced tobacco vapor product Ploom Tech will be sold at duty-free stores Lotte and Shilla Duty Free from mid-September. The heat-not-burn product, which was released in July, is the first e-cigarette to use hybrid technology by indirectly heating tobacco leaves through vapor.The price of the Ploom Tech starter kit is $27 and as part of the launch event, a limited number of mouth pieces will be offered for free, the company said.&

Industry Sept. 11, 2019

Hyundai Motor’s sport utility vehicle Palisade has earned the Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the US. The vehicle received the highest grade, “good,” from the IIHS in terms of crash protection in six categories, including the driver-side and passenger-side small overlap, roof hardness and seat safety. Its front collision avoidance system was rated as “advanced.” The Palisade is Hyundai Motor’s 13th vehicle to earn

Mobility Sept. 10, 2019

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that the rescue operation to save those believed to be trapped inside Hyundai Glovis’ capsized cargo ship off the US East Coast was underway, as the related authorities gathered for a meeting to dispatch a team to deal with the accident.According to the ministry, Hyundai Glovis car transport vessel the Golden Ray listed sharply in waters off the US state of Georgia at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, local time. The Golden Ray was carryi

Industry Sept. 9, 2019

Hyundai Department Store became the first major department store here to sell its products via Coupang, the country’s largest e-commerce platform by sales, amid intensifying e-commerce competition among online retailers as well as major department stores. According to Hyundai Department Store, it joined hands with Coupang to bolster its competitiveness both online and offline by using Coupang’s next-day delivery flagship service Rocket Delivery. Hyundai said it has register

Industry Sept. 9, 2019

Models wearing clothes made from upcycled leather offcuts from car seats pose during Hyundai Motor’s upcycling fashion collection “Re:Style” at Public Hotel in Manhattan, New York, Friday. The automaker said it collaborated with New York-based fashion brand Zero + Maria Cornejo to create an eco-friendly fashion line using leftover leather supplied by its auto parts making unit Hyundai Transys. (ddd@heraldcorp.com)

Mobility Sept. 8, 2019

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor is reportedly considering whether to pull out of the Korean market as sales dwindle amid the ongoing diplomatic and trade tensions between the neighboring countries.Multiple news outlets reported Sunday that Nissan’s decision-making officials have been reviewing whether to continue sales in Korea, as the Japanese carmaker has been hit hard by the nationwide boycott of Japanese goods here.Early in July, many here began a boycott of all things Japanese after th

Mobility Sept. 8, 2019

FUZHOU, China -- German super car maker Porsche unveiled its first electricity-powered sports car Taycan on Wednesday, combining the premium brand’s heritage and innovation in terms of sustainability and digitalization. The world premiere of Taycan was held simultaneously in three countries -- the US, Germany and China -- given the three countries’ importance as markets for electric cars. According to Porsche, the four-door sports saloon is the first EV in the market that u

Mobility Sept. 5, 2019

Singapore Airlines said Monday that Xavier Ho has been appointed as a new chief of the Korean branch. Ho, who joined the company in 2006 after studying civil engineering at National University of Singapore, has previously worked at Los Angeles, Colombo, Auckland, Jakarta and Osaka branches.Until recently, he led sales and operation in India as a manager at Singapore Airlines’ north Indian branch.The air carrier said Ho will help business growth in Korea and enhance customer services b

Industry Sept. 2, 2019