US electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc. said on Tuesday it will set up 14 rapid-charging stations in South Korea this year.In its webpage, the 14 supercharger sites include five in Seoul, one in Bundang, just south of the capital city, and seven in major cities such as Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Jeju Island.   This photo taken on March 17, 2017, shows the Model S displayed in Tesla's showroom in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)Fast chargers are able to provide 80 percent of battery capac

Mobility April 25, 2017

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker by sales, on Tuesday unveiled the high-performance features of its Stinger sports sedan ahead of the planned launch next month.The car will be domestically available in three trims fitted with a 2.0 twin-turbo, a 3.3 twin-turbo, and a 2.2 diesel engine all mated to eight-speed automatic gear box, the company said. The 3.3 turbo with 370 horsepower on tap and 52.0 kilogram-force meter of torque can push the car from naught to 100 kilometers

Mobility April 25, 2017

The application of patents for social robots that can interact and communicate with humans has risen sharply in South Korea in recent years with the advances being made in robotics and artificial intelligence, government data showed Tuesday.Social robot patent applications have surged more than 20 percent annually since 2013, and the figure climbed by 75 percent over the past couple of years, according to statistics released by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). (Yonhap)Private firm

Technology April 25, 2017

The chief of South Korea's largest flagship carrier has been appointed as the new leader of the nation's professional volleyball league, officials here said Tuesday.The Korea Volleyball Federation, the operator of the V-League, said that Cho Won-tae, the CEO of Korean Air Lines Co., will be its new commissioner. The KOVO added its board members unanimously approved Cho's appointment.This photo provided by the Korea Volleyball Federation on April 25, 2017, shows Cho Won-tae, who will lead South K

More Sports April 25, 2017

South Korea's stock market for venture firms and start-ups plans to ease its listing rules, allowing more small firms to raise funds via the market, the nation's financial regulator said Tuesday. The Korea New Exchange (KONEX) market opened in 2013 for fledgling businesses to raise funds easier via stock sales rather than having to borrow from banks. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) decided to ease listing rules for the KONEX market as the average daily transaction value for the market ha

Market April 25, 2017

The second annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank  will be held on South Korea's southern island of Jeju in June, the finance ministry said Tuesday.The meeting of the board of governors will held on June 16-18 with the theme "sustainable infrastructure" and more than 10 seminars and discussion sessions, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.   Detailed programs include one-on-one business meetings for networking by people in the infrastruc

Economy April 25, 2017

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has suffered his fourth straight loss despite his strongest outing of the season.Ryu held the Giants to a run on five hits over six effective innings against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Monday (local time). It still wasn't enough for his first win of the year, as the Dodgers lost 2-1.Ryu fell to 0-4 after four starts, but lowered his ERA from 5.87 to 4.64.The South Korean left-hander missed all of 2015 following a shoulder sur

Baseball April 25, 2017

Former All-Star catcher Hong Sung-heon will have a retirement ceremony this weekend with his two former clubs on hand.The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Tuesday they will hold a retirement ceremony for the 40-year-old before Sunday's home game against the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.Hong already announced his retirement last November after 18 seasons in the KBO -- 14 in two different stints with the Bears and four with the Giants. He had been undergoing co

Baseball April 25, 2017

A large number of female workers in South Korea served at restaurant and cafeteria businesses in the second half of last year amid a protracted economic slump, a report said Tuesday.A total of 1.35 million women were hired by various eateries in the last six months of last year, slightly more than the 1.29 million female workers in the country's retail sector, according to the report by Statistics Korea.Some 1.24 million were in the educational service business and 830,000 people were in the soc

Industry April 25, 2017

Reduced to a part-time role in 2017, Baltimore Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo has finally hit his first home run of the season in his 10th game.The South Korean outfielder blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Monday (local time).Kim, who bats left-handed, has been playing almost exclusively against right-handers. With Tampa Bay starting right-hander Chris Archer, Kim got into the lineup batting seventh and playing

Baseball April 25, 2017

South Korea's terms of trade deteriorated slightly in March from a year earlier as a rise in export prices was offset by a hike in import prices, central bank data showed Tuesday.The terms of trade index for products came to 99.57 last month, down 4.5 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The index measures the amount of imports a country can purchase for each unit of exports, showing how the country's exports are doing in comparison to others.In Marc

Economy April 25, 2017

SsangYong Motor Co. said Tuesday it is aiming to sell 20,000 units of the G4 Rexton sport utility vehicle (SUV) this year in the domestic market. "We expect the G4 Rexton SUV will boost our bottom line in coming quarters as our Tivoli crossover helped us turn around last year," SsangYong Motor officials said in a press conference. (Yonhap)SsangYong Motor unveiled the new SUV during the Seoul Motor Show held last month near Seoul. Parent Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said he was "confide

Mobility April 25, 2017

South Korea's tourism and shopping industries are concerned about the potential impact of next week's long holiday following the recent drops in the number of visitors from neighboring countries, observers said Tuesday.Both China and Japan have extended holidays from the end of this month to the first week of May. Visitors and shoppers from the two countries during the period had previously helped boost South Korea's economy suffering from weak domestic demand, but industry watchers are worried

Industry April 25, 2017

South Korea's major information technology (IT) firms are encouraging employees to take the two workdays interspersed with public holidays next week so they could enjoy upwards of a nine-day holiday, industry sources said Tuesday.The move comes amid growing calls for reducing overall work hours. On average a South Korean spent 2,113 hours annually at work compared to 1,766 hours which is the number for member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2015. (Yo

Industry April 25, 2017

The venues for South Korea's upcoming friendly matches against Uruguay and Senegal ahead of the U-20 World Cup next month have been confirmed, the national football governing body said Tuesday. The Korea Football Association said South Korea's U-20 team will face Uruguay at Cheongju Stadium in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on May 11. This will be the first time since 2007 that Cheongju, located some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, hosts a national team match.South Korea will then take on

Soccer April 25, 2017