Toyota has strengthened its lineup by launching the all-new RAV4 in South Korea to meet the growing demand for sport utility vehicles. With RAV4, short for Robust Accurate Vehicle 4 Wheel Drive, is Toyota’s first fully changed model in six years and the Japanese carmaker aims to hit a monthly sales target of 3,000 units, officials said during a launch event Thursday.“The all-new RAV4 was developed to offer the joy of driving in any given environment,” said Toyota Korea Presiden

South Korean builder GS Engineering & Construction said Sunday it has completed the construction of Vam Cong Bridge in southern Vietnam. According to GS E&C, an opening ceremony for the bridge was held May 19, attended by officials from GS E&C, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korean Embassy as well as the Vietnamese minister of transport. Vam Cong Bridge, which runs 2.97 kilometers along the Hau River in the Mekong Delta, cost around 240 billion won ($202 million) and took fi

South Korea’s micro fuel cell technologies were certified by an international standards organization, becoming the nation’s first hydrogen technologies to receive international certification, according to the government Sunday. The standards on micro fuel cells were certified three years after the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy proposed it to the Geneva-based International Electrotechnical Commission in April of 2016. The approval came after much discussion and verification b

South Korean games companies reacted angrily on Sunday to the World Health Organization’s decision to officially recognize gaming disorder as a disease.A committee comprising 88 organizations, including the labor union of Korea’s biggest game company Nexon, opposed the decision saying it would “deprive a child’s right to play,” as decreed in Article 31 of the United Nation’s Convention on Rights of the Child. “We will do everything in our power to resist

South Korea’s Incheon International Airport conducted a series of emergency response drills last week to ensure a swift response to urgent situations while minimizing customer inconvenience, the airport’s operator said Sunday.The training dealt with a mock scenario involving a fire within the intra-airport transit system, an autonomous train system that connects passengers to different terminals. Airport authorities and officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tra

South Korea's ocean ministry said Sunday it will hold a contest to find a new English name for Korean-style fish cakes to promote the processed seafood around the globe.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the move is intended to find a better English name that represents the unique texture and taste of South Korean fish cakes. Exports of Korean fish cakes, called "eomuk" here, came to $57 million in 2017, up 18 percent from $48 million two years ago, ministry data showed, with th

A Seoul court on Saturday rejected an arrest warrant for the head of Samsung BioLogics Co., who is under suspicion of abetting the destruction of evidence related to an accounting scandal.The Seoul Central District Court said "there is room for dispute" over Samsung BioLogics CEO Kim Tae-han's supposed role in destroying evidence of the company's alleged window dressing in 2015.   The court, however, approved arrest warrants for two vice presidents of Samsung Electronics Co.,

Lotte Group signed deals to sell off its credit card unit and non-life insurer as part of efforts to meet regulatory requirements, with the combined value of the transactions roughly 1.7 trillion won ($1.43 billion), industry sources said Friday. According to the sources, retail-focused Lotte Group agreed to sell 80 percent of Lotte Card Co. to a Woori Bank-MBK Partners consortium for 1.3 trillion won. Woori Bank will own some 20 percent in the credit card firm, while the private equity fund wil

Posco, South Korea's top steelmaker, said Friday it has started this year's collective bargaining with its union.The union has made various requests to the management, including a base pay increase and an extension of the retirement age. Posco currently has two labor unions, but the one affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Union is recognized as the representing union with more than 6,600 members after receiving approval from the National Labor Relations Commission last December. 

Diageo Korea, the South Korean unit of the liquor maker, said Friday it will offer fully paid family leave for employees from July. This is in line with the headquarters’ global family leave policy, introduced as part of efforts to become a leading employer in the area of gender equality in the workplace and to create a more inclusive corporate culture, according to the company.  Both female and male employees will benefit from paid family leave of up to 26 weeks and four weeks.&

Farming in the densely populated city of Seoul is nothing new. Many urban farmers make use of vacant spaces on top of apartment buildings, schools and public buildings to grow vegetables. Some rent privately owned spaces to start their own green experiments. As of 2017, Seoul had 170 hectares of these farms, about the size of 238 soccer fields combined. In 2011, the figure was 29 hectares. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a key backer of this growing urban farming trend.Earlier this year, it

LEIPZIG, Germany -- Chinese Transport Minister Li Xiaopeng on Thursday said that China is not going to be involved in an inter-Korean railway project, saying it is “their own business.”When asked about China’s role in facilitating the project of reconnecting the railroad between South and North Korea, he said the project should be carried out by both countries, clearly indicating that China won’t be involved.“Reconnecting the railway network between two Koreas is th

Game publisher Blizzard Entertainment Korea received an award from the state-run Korea Student Aid Foundation on Thursday for supporting youths. Blizzard -- known for hit games “Starcraft,” “World of Warcraft,” “Hearthstone” and “Overwatch” -- has been providing scholarships and overseas training for youths who dream of careers in information technology and games.Since 2014, it has run the corporate social responsibility program Realize Your Dream

DAEJEON -- Startups from across South Korea, global startup community leaders and representatives of Daejeon Metropolitan City flocked to Daejeon Convention Center Thursday to mark the end of the three-day Exit Daejeon 2019 event. Located some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, Daejeon served as a venue where local startups were given an opportunity for more international exposure. In the meantime, global startup community organizers like Slush and Junction, as well as early-stage startup investors

Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan become 'strategic countries' for Naver to expand its K-pop livestreaming service