A number of food and beverage companies have started to minimize packaging or switch to biodegradable material, reflecting growing social awareness about the environment, industry officials said Monday.Bon IF reduced its use of synthetic resin in packaging boxed lunches by more than 30 percent, replacing them with biodegradable containers that have been certified by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute.   (Yonhap)Jardin, a coffee shop chain, was the first in the country to sta

BUSAN -- South Korea's Kori No. 4 nuclear reactor was back at full capacity after workers fixed a leak in one of its safety valves, the country's atomic energy company said Sunday.Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. said the 950,000 kilowatt reactor underwent repairs after problems were found in the main steam isolation valve. The oil is used to actuate the valve that can swiftly cut off steam going to the turbines if the need arises. South Korea`s Kori No. 4 nuclear reactor (Yonhap)The leak caused

Revenue generated by South Korea’s restaurants and bars in the first half of this year dropped 2.6 percent on-year, marking the biggest decline in six years, according to recent data from Statistics Korea.Korea’s retail sales index for the service business sector that includes restaurants and bars for the January-June period stood at 95.9 points, down 2.6 percent from the previous year. This is the biggest decline for the period since the first half of 2012, when the index dropped 2.7 percent. T

Ministry releases details of new rules for auto defect refund, but reactions mixed over effectiveness

With Hyundai at global forefront, Seoul’s W2.6tr plan on hydrogen ecosystem ups hopes for energy transition, but market remains uncertain

The government said Sunday it will kick off a detailed probe into the fires that affected vehicles made by German luxury carmaker BMW, with civilian experts allowed to join the effort.The move comes after BMW last month announced it will voluntarily recall 106,317 vehicles to fix a faulty component that may be causing fires in the engine area of 42 different models. The company said it already checked 15,337 vehicles, with a further 36,606 cars on its waiting list.A total of 32 cars made by the

Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller corporate cousin Kia Motors Corp. maintained their fifth-largest carmaker status in the first half of 2018, industry data showed Sunday.The data based on corporate reports published by media outlets, showed that Hyundai Motor Group, which has the two South Korean carmakers under its wing, sold a combined 3.59 million vehicles in the January-June, as large foreign rivals continued to control the market. (Yonhap)Hyundai and Kia have both struggled in recent years

Samsung Electronics Co. is greatly increasing its lobbying efforts in the United States amid a rise in protectionist trends under the Donald Trump administration, industry sources said Sunday.Sources said the world's largest maker of semiconductors and smartphones is relocating its Washington, D.C. office right next to Capitol Hill so as to make it easier to make contact with US lawmakers.Data by the Center for Responsive Politics, a US nonprofit, nonpartisan group that keep tabs on lobbying eff

Shipments of soju, a distilled Korean liquor, to Southeast Asian countries rose sharply in the first half of this year thanks to the expansion of the Korean wave in the region, a liquor maker said Sunday.Overseas sales of soju products made by Hite Jinro Co. in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries reached $5 million in the first six months of the year, up 51.5 percent from $3.3 million a year earlier, according to the company.(Yonhap)Hite Jinro, South Korea's No. 1 soj

US beef and pork imports surged in the first half of 2018, expanding their presence in the South Korean market, a research institute said Sunday.According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, both types of meat are rapidly increasing their market share in Asia's fourth-largest economy, with beef solidifying its status as No. 1 among all imports and pork now in a position to usurp imports from the European Union for the top slot.Data showed that in the January-June period US beef imports reache

Kia Motors Corp. beat its rivals to win the J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout award for its Stinger sports sedan, the company said Saturday.The Stinger fastback sports sedan won the J.D. Power APEAL award, beating Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan, BMW's 3 and 4 series in the compact premium car segment, Kia Motors said in a statement. Kia Stinger (Yonhap)Kia Rio also earned the APEAL award in the subcompact segment, beating the Chevrolet Bolt, Toyota Motors Corp.'s Prius C and H

The Seoul government said Friday it has reached an agreement with Singapore to allow airlines to operate up to 14 flights a week that directly connect South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan with the Southeast Asian country. The agreement was made during the countries' two-day talks, which began on Thursday in Seoul, following South Korean President Moon Jae-in's meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last month, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transp

SK Engineering & Construction said Friday that it had restored an 8-kilometer road near where a dam collapsed in Laos last month, speeding up recovery work.  Workers are repairing the road in Attapeu, Laos. (SK E&C)The recovery of the road is part of the South Korean builder’s immediate rescue operation efforts to mend the situation for villagers in Attapeu, the company said in a statement. The hydroelectric dam in Laos that collapsed last week was built by a joint venture involving SK E&C, the

BMW Korea, the local importer and distributor of the German luxury carmaker, is under growing pressure from the government and public to submit technical and auto parts documents to narrow down the reason for engine fires.“We urge BMW to take a responsible stance in the issue and provide substitute cars for owners alongside documents related to auto parts and technology promptly,” the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday.BMW Korea is scheduled to transfer the documents cont

Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon is not likely to request Samsung Electronics make greater investments at a meeting with the group’s heir, Lee Jae-yong, on Monday, according to sources from the government and Samsung on Friday.  Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon (Yonhap)It had been rumored that the minister would ask Samsung to spend more to create new jobs ahead of their meeting. But Samsung making fresh investments is unlikely to be addressed, as the government seeks to avoid public criticism for b