Asiana Airlines said Wednesday that it has been certified by Skytrax, a leading review site for airlines, as a 5-Star Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. The airline has been winning the highest rating for 16 consecutive years since 2007. This year, Asiana Airlines has also been certified with the highest Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating that reviews airline health, hygiene, and cleanliness standards. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, t

2 million doses of Nuvaxovid expected to be rolled out by end of month

A merger between South Korea’s two biggest air carriers picked up pace on Wednesday after they received an unconditional approval from Singapore and as a final decision by the Fair Trade Commission approaches next week. According to Korean Air, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore concluded that the air carrier’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines will not infringe Singapore’s Competition Act. The decision comes after the CCCS conducted a public consultation last

Netherlands-based lithography equipment maker ASML is poised to add at least 1,000 more jobs in South Korea by the end of 2029, ASML CEO Peter Wennink said in a conference in Seoul Wednesday. The move will bolster its partnership with Korean semiconductor chip makers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the key clients for ASML’s extremely expensive lithography machines that are crucial for cutting-edge chip production. “This decade, we will add at least 1,000 people more

Robots to cover delivery services to high-rise apartments to lessen human couriers’ physical burden, protect customer privacy

The building materials company LX Hausys said Wednesday that it showcased its latest collection of engineered stone and artificial marble at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Orlando, Florida, which began Tuesday and concludes Thursday. The company’s outing to North America’s largest jamboree for kitchen and bath brands signals its ambitions to further tap into the lucrative North American market.  The Calacatta Collection fashioned from Viatera, an engineered stone surface

Google has filed a lawsuit against South Korea's antitrust regulator to overturn the regulator's decision to fine the global technology giant for pressing smartphone makers into only using its Android mobile operating system, sources said Wednesday. The legal action by Google against the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) came after the KFTC decided in September last year to fine Google 207.4 billion won ($173 million) for obstructing local smartphone makers, such as Samsung Electronic

Semiconductor-to-telecom conglomerate SK Group has stepped up as the country’s second-largest business group in terms of assets, market data showed Wednesday. SK Group, which has the largest number of affiliates in the country, 176, has been the country’s third-largest since 2006.  According to market tracker CEO Score data on conglomerates’ assets as of third quarter last year, SK Group’s assets came at 270.7 trillion won ($226 billion) as of Q3 last year, which

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has decided to fine discount store chain Homeplus 2.42 billion won ($2 million) for unfairly passing on sales promotion costs to its subcontractors. Homeplus Express, a supermarket unit of Homeplus, made 45 suppliers shoulder the costs worth around 1.7 billion won in 2017-2020 without related prior contracts, according to the Fair Trade Commission. The regulator said it will closely look into alleged unfair business practice by other retailers.

SK Telecom Co. on Wednesday reported its fourth-quarter net profit of 314.8 billion won ($263.4 million), down 14 percent from a year earlier. The company said in a regulatory filing that it posted 226.7 billion won in operating profit for the quarter, compared with 292.7 billion won a year ago. Sales rose 3.9 percent to 4.29 trillion won. The operating profit was 3.4 percent lower than the average estimate, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency

Kakao, the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, has promised to create 20,000 new jobs over the next five years as part of the government's youth job and education support project, the Prime Minister's Office said Wednesday. Kakao will directly hire 10,000 people over the next five years, and foster some 6,000 professional IT technicians through its AI Campus. It will also run support programs for partners and startups to recruit 4,000 people. The plan was declared during a

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp. said Wednesday that they will recall 485,000 vehicles in the United States due to possible fire involving an anti-lock braking control module. The subjected models are 357,830 units of Hyundai's Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs and 126,747 units of Kia's K900 sedans and Sportage SUVs. Hyundai and Kia reported their recall plans to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after 11 cases of fires involving the component were reported with no casualti

Korean Air Lines Co. said Wednesday it has received "unconditional" regulatory approval from Singapore for its integration with Asiana Airlines Inc. in a move that could speed up its process to acquire the smaller domestic rival. In January last year, Korean Air submitted documents to antitrust regulators of 14 countries for the review of its business combination with Asiana.  As of Wednesday, the company received approvals from seven countries -- Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand,

SK Group became South Korea's No. 2 conglomerate in 2021 for the first time in 16 years, overtaking automaking behemoth Hyundai Motor Group, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. SK, whose flagship is chip giant SK hynix Inc., had assets worth 270.7 trillion won ($226 billion) as of end-September last year, up 13 percent from a year earlier, according to CEO Score. The amount was the second largest among the country's 71 conglomerates with assets of 5 trillion won or more, which was designated a

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee is in Vietnam to make final preparations for the South Korean tech giant’s annual Galaxy Unpacked event scheduled this Thursday. According to an industry source Tuesday, the executive arrived in Hanoi on Monday to check the production of Galaxy 22 smartphones. This is Han’s first visit to Vietnam since Samsung Electronics merged its smartphone and consumer electronics divisions into the mobile experience (MX) division in Decem