Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it has restarted production at a local plant on the resumed supply of electronic components. Hyundai Motor halted the Asan plant on Sept. 9 and 10 due to lack of chip parts, resulting in production losses of 2,000 vehicles, the company said in a regulatory filing. The 300,000-unit-a-year Asan plant produces the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe SUV. Previously, the Asan plant suspended operations from July 13 to Aug. 6 to upgrade the facilities before it begins producti

Industry Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea's southern areas will likely receive heavy rain Monday due to the indirect influence of Typhoon Chanthu, currently moving toward the waters near Shanghai, the state weather agency said. The southern island of Jeju is forecast to see precipitation levels ranging between 30 mm to 50 mm per hour, with thunder and lightning expected on some parts of the island, due to the heavy winds from the typhoon approaching from the southwest, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (K

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2021

North Korea's official newspaper on Monday criticized officials in flood-hit eastern areas for carrying out flood prevention projects along rivers and streams in an irresponsible manner. "Workers in Sinhung County carried out water management efforts on rivers and streams where they were supposed to be focused in a very irresponsible manner just hoping for a luck," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said in an article. "In such counties as Hongwon and Hwad

North Korea Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea will continue to protect freedom of expression of its people, the government has said in response after a UN expert called for the revision of a media bill that she said could seriously undermine press freedom. Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, made the request earlier this week, expressing concern that the ruling party-led bill would "severely restrict" the freedom of the press. The le

Politics Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea on Monday extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month, the foreign ministry said, amid the continued spread of the new coronavirus. The measure, which calls for citizens to cancel or postpone trips abroad, will remain in effect until Oct. 13. The current advisory was set to expire Monday. The extension came as many countries struggle with the outbreaks of various COVID-19 variants around the world and continue to ban or restrict the entry of people arri

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea's exports rose 30.7 percent on-year in the first 10 days of September on the back of robust demand for petroleum products and autos, customs data showed Monday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $19.5 billion in the Sept. 1-10 period, compared with $14.9 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports soared 60.6 percent on-year to $21 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.46 billion during the cited period, the data showed. By sect

Economy Sept. 13, 2021

LG Innotek Co., a major electronics parts maker in South Korea, said Monday it has developed an environmental friendly magnet that boasts enhanced magnetic strength. LG Innotek said the latest magnet, which it developed together with Sunglim Group Industry Co., reduces the use of heavy rare-earth (HRE) metals, a key ingredient of magnets, by 60 percent compared with previous ones. Such a magnet is installed in products that need power with its magnetic pushing and pulling force. The company said

Industry Sept. 13, 2021

South Korean stocks opened nearly flat Monday as investors braced for a fall on Wall Street last week amid concerns over rising inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 1.17 points, or 0.04 percent, to 3,124.59 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a slow start, following North Korean state media saying Monday the communist state had successfully test-fired a new type of long-range cruise missile over the weekend. Local stocks also came under

Market Sept. 13, 2021

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday accused the United Kingdom of severe maltreatment of children and warned against meddling in the human rights of other countries. The ministry said on its website a recent report by the Netherlands-based "Kid's Rights Foundation" has ranked the UK in 169th among 182 countries, calling it a "fair and objective judgment" by the international society about the miserable situation of children's rights in the UK. "One Western media d

North Korea Sept. 13, 2021

Sales of high-end imported cars spiked nearly 66 percent in the first eight months of the year amid the popularity of big-ticket eco-friendly models among local motorists and a post-lockdown shopping spree, industry data showed Monday. A total of 45,042 imported vehicles with price tags of 100 million won ($85,700) or higher were sold in South Korea in the January-August period, up 65.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Associ

Industry Sept. 13, 2021

Foreign investors remained net sellers of South Korean stocks last month, extending their selling spree for a fourth consecutive month, data showed Monday. Foreigners sold a net 7.81 trillion won ($6.68 billion) worth of local stocks in August, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). British investors sold a net 1.3 trillion won of stocks last month, while investors from Switzerland net purchased 400 billion won worth of stocks, according to the FSS. As of end-August,

Market Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped under 1,500 on Monday due to fewer tests as health authorities focus on their virus response during the Chuseok holiday that starts this week. The country added 1,433 COVID-19 cases, including 1,409 local infections, raising the total caseload to 274,415, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was down 322 from 1,755 cases the previous day. Virus cases usually begin spiking Wednesday when more peop

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2021

Ulsan Hyundai FC, currently leading the top South Korean football league, will open their bid for a second straight continental title this week. Ulsan will be among four K League 1 clubs to play a round of 16 matches at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ulsan, the 2020 champions, will host Kawasaki Frontale at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Before that, Daegu FC will play Nagoya Grampus at T

Soccer Sept. 13, 2021

S econd Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon will visit Qatar and Oman this week for talks on bilateral cooperation, and regional and international issues, the foreign ministry said Monday. During his trip to the region from Monday to Thursday, Choi plans to meet senior officials in Qatar to express Seoul's gratitude to the country's cooperation over the withdrawal of its embassy staff from a war-torn Afghanistan and discuss related cooperation, the ministry said. After the Taliban's return to

Foreign Affairs Sept. 13, 2021

North Korea has successfully test-fired a new type of long-range cruise missile over the weekend, state media reported Monday, a low-level provocation amid stalled talks with the United States. The test-firings, which took place Saturday and Sunday without leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, came right after the North held a scaled-down military parade, and appeared to be intent on demonstrating its military power in a low-level provocation without violating UN sanctions. The North is banned fro

North Korea Sept. 13, 2021