Automaker's CEO in Korea says German headquarters has a team dedicated to catering to Korean demands

Toyota’s premium brand Lexus on Wednesday announced the Korean launch of its first battery-powered electric vehicle, the all-new electric RZ 450e, marking a shift from its hybrid EV-focused business portfolio. “Korea is a key market for understanding the latest trends of (the) automotive market because customers here are trend-savvy and show great interest in cutting-edge technology,” said Lexus International CEO Watanabe Takashi during a press conference in Seoul. “Latel

South Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp. said Wednesday it will diversify its artificial intelligence-related business portfolio to post 1.3 trillion won ($1 billion) in annual sales in the burgeoning sector alone by 2025. “KT has been newly focusing on three AI sectors -- robotics, health care and education,” said Song Jae-ho, a senior executive vice president at KT, during a press conference in Seoul. “We believe that these three areas can help ease ongoing social issue

South Korea’s top conglomerate chiefs were to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday, as they are in Paris to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. According to industry sources on Wednesday, the four chiefs of Korea’s top conglomerates -- Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo -- arrived in Paris Monday to kick off their Paris tri

South Korean steel giant Posco said Wednesday it has teamed up with Industrial Bank of Korea to seek shared growth with its Indonesian suppliers and boost the Southeast Asian country’s steel industry overall. Their respective Indonesian units – PT Krakatau Posco and PT Bank IBK Indonesia – signed a business partnership earlier this month in Jakarta, with government and company officials in attendance. PT Krakatau Posco is a joint venture between Posco and Indonesia’s st

Ahead of this year’s vacation season, carmakers are increasingly launching crossover vehicles that combine the comfort of sedans with the roominess of SUVs. Swedish carmaker Volvo is no exception. Its crossover lineup, dubbed “Cross Country,” offers an “All-Road Package” suitable not only for outdoor activities like travel and camping, but also for daily driving. According to the carmaker, the lineup consists of the V60 CC and V90 CC, which provide ample cargo space

Hana Bank announced on Wednesday that it has renewed its official sponsorship contract with the Korea Football Association and the Korean national football team. "Hana Bank will continue to support the Korea Football Association and the national football team. We have been together during important moments in our soccer history such as the time when our national football team reached the round of 16 matches in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year," Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Yo

KCGI managing partner addresses ‘dine and dash’ accusation, plans for climate push

Hyundai Motor Co., Mercedes-Benz Korea Co. and five other companies will voluntarily recall more than 320,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Wednesday. The companies, including Kia Corp., GM Korea Co., Volkswagen Group Korea, Ford Sales & Service Korea and FMK, which sells Ferraris and Maseratis in the country, are recalling a combined 326,723 units of 22 different models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The problems tha

South Korea’s exports of agriculture tractors hit a record high in 2022 by advancing 23 percent on-year, data showed, amid growing demand for small-sized models. The value of tractors shipped overseas came to $1.24 billion in 2022, rising from $1 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The amount also marked a sharp rise from $657 million posted in 2020, the data showed. The customs office said the increase was driven by rising demand fo

Carmaker vows to make investment worth over 109 trillion won in 10 years, including 35.8 trillion won into electrification

BGF Retail, the operator of South Korean convenience store chain CU, announced Tuesday that the company will expand its convenience store business into Kazakhstan. The firm plans to open the first CU store in Kazakhstan during the first half of next year and establish around 500 branches in the country in the next five years. When opened, Kazakhstan will become the first Central Asian country to have CU stores. BGF Retail says it would also be the first foreign convenience stores in Kazakhstan.

South Korea's no. 1 e-commerce operator, Coupang, and its local archrival, Naver Shopping, are dominating the South Korean e-commerce industry, taking up some 65 percent of the local market, according to a survey Tuesday. According to the consumer data analysis platform Opensurvey's research on 2,500 respondents aged between 20 to 59, Coupang was the most frequently used e-commerce service for Koreans, making up for 37.7 percent of responses. Naver Shopping came in second, with 27.2 pe

South Korean chipmaker SK hynix has obtained a high-level European certification recognizing its competency in automotive software development processes, the firm said Tuesday. It also marks the first time a Korean chipmaker has obtained the Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE) Level 2 certification. ASPICE is a standard of automotive software development introduced by European carmakers to evaluate the reliability and competency of auto part suppliers�

LG Electronics said Tuesday that one of its senior researchers has been reappointed to lead a working group in an American mobile technology alliance for 6G technology development. Lee Ki-dong, senior researcher in LG Electronics' Chief Technology Officer division, has been reappointed as the chairperson of the Applications Working Group in the Next G Alliance until May 2025. He was first appointed to the position in 2021. The Next G Alliance is an industry initiative launched by the US-b