Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister automaker Kia Corp. saw their combined exports of eco-friendly vehicles exceed 200,000 for the first time in the first half of this year, industry data showed Sunday. During the January-June period, the two giant carmakers in South Korea sold a combined 224,672 electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles overseas, up 30.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA). This represented the first time

Mercedes-Benz Korea issued an apology on Friday to a local customer who had accused the automaker of selling submerged cars. The company promised to exchange the vehicle in question. The luxury car brand came under fire on July 24 when the customer posted online that the person bought a submerged car from Mercedes-Benz and that the automaker refused to compensate. The unidentified customer said in the post: “Two weeks ago I bought a Mercedes-Benz GLS for 150 million won ($115,694) and

SK IE Technology (SKIET), a material solution provider SK Group, said Friday that it has signed an agreement with Vietnam’s largest conglomerate Vingroup to supply electric vehicle battery separators to its EV battery manufacturing affiliate VinES. The two firms clinched a deal on July 26th, when VinES President Pham Thuy Linh and executives visited the SKIET headquarters in Seoul and its factory in North Chungcheong Province, according to the Korean firm. A battery separator is one of

SEJONG -- The Ministry of Economy and Finance is considering taking punitive action against Philip Morris Korea for not complying with the government’s request for notification regarding the testing results of a cigarette product. Market insiders say the government might suspend the US tobacco maker’s Korea business for a month, citing an enforcement act on cigarette businesses. Philip Morris Korea, for its part, said on Friday that it would legally respond if the ministry issues a

South Korea’s first lunar orbiter Danuri launched into space on Friday morning, and successfully reached the ballistic lunar transfer trajectory, a path that will take it toward the moon, the Ministry of Science and ICT said. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute confirmed from its ground control station that Danuri successfully separated from the projectile and reached the target ballistic lunar transfer orbit, the ministry said. Danuri separated from the SpaceX Falcon rocket at aroun

South Korean steelmaker Posco Group said Friday that it has established an advisory committee for artificial intelligence technology, to initiate an in-depth discussion on the latest technology and map out future business strategies. Comprising 20 academia representatives and industry professionals in the AI sector, the committee is divided into two separate subcommittees. The academia-focused committee and industry-focused committee will each be responsible for sharing the latest AI trends, d

DRAM prices went south for the second straight month in August amid flagging demand, data showed Friday, boding ill for the chip industry down the road. The average contract price of 8-gigabit DDR4 DRAMs came to US$2.91 on the spot market Thursday, down 11 percent from $3.27 a month earlier, according to market tracker DRAMeXchange and Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency. It was down 18 percent from June 10, when spot prices began hitting the skids, and 20.1 percent fr

The GV60, a compact SUV under the Genesis brand, is on display at a special exhibition titled “Light & Wonder” held at Genesis Studio Hanam, Genesis Suji and Genesis House New York. The exhibition presented by Hyundai Motor Group was one of six Red Dot Awards received by the carmaker. The company also won the Red Dot Awards for its CES 2022 exhibition hall design and brand concept store Genesis Suji.

A staffer reorganizes frozen food products at Hanaro Mart in Yangjae, southern Seoul, Thursday. To combat inflation ahead of the Chuseok fall harvest holiday next month, the government said it is mulling ways to increase the supply of key food products and to provide special financial support to small businesses. Consumer prices soared 6.3 percent on-year in July, the fastest rise in 24 years.

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it has inked a deal to supply 5G network equipment to India’s telecom giant Bharti Airtel, its first 5G equipment deal made in the world’s second-largest telecom market. According to the South Korean tech giant, Airtel, India’s No. 2 telecom carrier and the No. 4 globally with 490 million subscribers, on Wednesday selected Samsung as one of its equipment partners ahead of its planned launch of 5G network services this month. Under the deal,

Two German carmakers are in a tight race to take the top spot in South Korea’s imported car market this year, with BMW chasing its rival Mercedes-Benz closely to dethrone it from its seven-year run in the No. 1 position. According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association on Thursday, BMW sold a total of 5,490 units last month, outpacing Mercedes-Benz which sold 5,456 units in the same period. This was the third month this year after January and June that BMW has sol

Non-fungible token solution company KOREAN NFT will hold a networking event titled ‘HY NET SEOUL’ on Saturday, the company said on Thursday. The event will bring blockchain leaders, influencers, artists, collectors, and community members in Seoul together, it added. “We are going to create an NFT market ecosystem by supporting the domestic and foreign projects of Korean artists, planning new businesses and developing talent,“ said KOREAN NFT’s CEO Donglee Han.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said Thursday it has designated three new regions -- South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang Provinces -- as regional vanguards to boost South Korea’s eco-friendly mobility business. According to the ministry, the three selected zones will be exempt from a number of regulations that might hinder the growth-engine sector for four years from September this year to August 2026. They will also be given the opportunity to attract investment and cr

South Korean mobile carriers are set to launch a joint venture for the first time to join forces in enhancing financial accessibility and realizing ESG management values. The joint venture will be using non-financial credit evaluation services based on the three telecom carriers’ collected data, to mainly help the financially disadvantaged. Non-financial credit evaluation services will evaluate a person‘s credits by analyzing the customer‘s check card usage, shopping histor

Global food container maker LocknLock said Thursday it has released its first-ever sustainability report, introducing the firm’s environmental, social and corporate governance-related strategies. In the report, the company said it will decrease electricity use by implementing renewable energy and high-efficiency power units in its domestic and international manufacturing facilities. The company hopes to replace 30 percent of its electricity consumption with green energy by 2031 and to ach