JECHEON, North Chungcheong Province -- Motorists looking for affordable sport utility vehicles have a wider range of options now. Renault Samsung‘s latest SUV, the new QM6, has jumped into the fray, with a set of smart features designed to boost the driving experience.The QM6 inherited its “design DNA” from the SM6, Renault Samsung’s popular midsize sedan, the company said. And it does indeed look like a SUV version of the SM6, with daytime light-emitting diode headlights that have a unique futu

Mobility Sept. 25, 2016

The number of Chinese tourists who visited South Korea in August decreased from the previous month, apparently due to political tension between the two countries over the deployment of a missile defense system here, data showed Thursday. The number of visitors from China stood at 873,771 in August, down from 917,519 in July, according to the report from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization.  But it was also 70.2 percent higher than the same period in 2015, which saw a dramatic decrea

Economy Sept. 25, 2016

On an early September morning, Jung Yun-jin arrived in Seoul from her hometown of Busan. Clad in a black jacket and skirt with neatly combed hair, she was to attend a 30-minute job interview for a Korean-run company in New Zealand in the afternoon. The 24-year-old hoped that the interview would lead to the end of a year of unemployment. “I hope I stand a better chance abroad,” Jung told the Korea Herald after the interview on Sept. 6. A graduate from a four-year university in Busa

Economy Sept. 23, 2016

South Korean construction company Hyundai Engineering Co. plans to unveil a new apartment complex in the newly developed residential town Chojeon District in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, the company said Thursday. The company will open a model house for Hillstate Chojeon on Friday and begin sales on Sept. 27. Hillstate Chojeon will consist of nine 33-story apartment buildings with a total of 1,070 houses ranging in size from 84 square meters to 91 square meters. The Chojeon District in Jinj

Industry Sept. 22, 2016

Ottogi Co., a leading food company in South Korea, vowed to continue being devoted to its corporate social responsibility programs. “CSR is one of the most important roles of a company,” a spokesman from the company said. “We will commit more in social responsibility to become trustworthy and responsible to customers.”  Children pose during a ceremony to celebrate 4,000 successful cardiac surgeries funded by Ottogi in November 2015 (Ottogi)Seoul-based Ottogi has been running several CSR programs

Companies Sept. 22, 2016

Samsung SDS, the information technology solutions unit of Samsung Group, and US computer technology giant Oracle Corp. have formed a partnership in biometrics, Samsung officials announced Tuesday.Samsung SDS’ biometric authentication solution Fido will be used in Oracle’s Identity Access Management, or IAM suite, according to the Korean company. Top officials from Samsung SDS and Oracle pose during a meeting to form a partnership in San Francisco this week. (Samsung SDS)The users of IAM will be

Industry Sept. 20, 2016

Citibank Korea launched a comprehensive wealth management advisory system called Total Wealth Advisor to provide quality service for asset management, the bank said Tuesday. Citibank Korea’s new service enables the bank’s relationship managers and portfolio counselors to provide financial goal planning and investment asset management services for customers through a systematic and standardized process, the bank said.  Citibank Korea officials provide a customer with an asset management service.

Sept. 20, 2016

The size of South Korea’s underground economy in 2014 is estimated at 161 trillion won ($143 billion), or nearly 11 percent of the nation‘s gross domestic product, a report showed Monday.According to a research paper which analyzed the underground economy and tax evasion in 26 Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development countries, Korea’s shadow economy is, on average, bigger than 25 of its OECD peers. Between 1995 and 2014, Korea’s underground economy, on average, made up 10.89 percen

Sept. 19, 2016

A record-breaking earthquake has raised safety concerns over nuclear reactors in South Korea, despite meteorological chief saying that larger earthquakes are unlikely.Ko Yun-hwa, the head of the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Tuesday morning that strong earthquakes exceeding a magnitude of 6.5 are unlikely to occur in South Korea although earthquakes of magnitudes higher than 6 could happen in the future.Following the 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the southeastern city Gyeongju on Mon

Industry Sept. 13, 2016

Since a project to determine the sequence of chemical units in human genetic material was launched under the name of the Human Genome Project in 2000, many scientists around the world have tried to decode the mysteries of the human genome. At the center of this endeavor is the mouse phenotypic analysis, a method that takes advantages of the fact that mice and humans share virtually the same set of genes.South Korean scientists are part of such efforts. The nation’s attempt to develop such a cent

Technology Sept. 12, 2016

Standard Chartered Bank Korea has launched a points swap service with online mobile payment platform Payco, the bank said Monday. The service allows customers to convert the bank’s 360Reward points to Payco points. Customers can use Payco points at major internet retailers such as Tmon Interpark, CJmall, Hmall, Ticketlink and Bugs and also at offline franchise chains such as Ediya Coffee and Artisee.  A model promotes SC Bank Korea‘s points swap service. (SC Bank Korea)Standard Chartered custome

Sept. 12, 2016

Hyosung's president met with a Ho Chi Minh City leader to discuss strategic partnership, the company said Sunday. Cho Hyun-joon, president of the South Korean conglomerate focusing on textile and chemicals, had a meeting with Dinh La Thang, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, in Seoul on Friday to discuss cooperation including plans to expand infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City.Hyosung Group President Cho Hyo-joon (left) shakes hands with Dinh La Thang, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh

Industry Sept. 11, 2016

Participants of this year’s KB Hope Camp pose for photographs. (KB Financial Group)KB Financial Group continues to reach out to underprivileged youth through various annual programs. Some 120 young people with disabilities took part in a three-day camp earlier this month, a highlight of the group’s eight-month program that began in May to help participants plan for their future careers and build social skills.  The KB Hope Camp offered job counselling, mock interviews and other activities. The p

Aug. 29, 2016