After a cluster of COVID-19 infections was reported at a department store in Seoul, large retail outlets are fearing it will cause a ripple effect and scare shoppers away. As of Sunday, nearly a week after the first infection was identified at Hyundai Department Store’s branch at Coex, Gangnam, at least 118 cases have been found to be linked to the store. The first patients were two staffers who tested positive on July 4. They worked on the basement floor, where the supermarket and fo

E-commerce platform 11st will begin selling an entire line of BTS tumblers and bottles produced by New York-based design company Built New York in collaboration with the South Korean pop group, in Korea on Monday. Though a bottle and a tumbler inspired by BTS’ video for “Idol” were released in June, a total of 16 items will be sold for the first time in the country through a live show known as “Live 11,” the platform said. With each design representing a member of

Revenue, income and jobs all declined

SK hynix advances Samsung in development of new generation DRAM chips

South Korea has been known as a tough market to crack for global compact car brands. But that’s not the case for BMW Group’s Mini. Since its debut in Korea in 2005, the premium compact car brand under BMW has posted steady growth rates each year. In 2019, sales volume hit 10,000 units -- a major milestone for foreign car brands here. Last year, the figure grew more than 10 percent from the previous year. Its latest lineup -- the New Mini Family -- consists of three models, the

LG Group’s materials and components maker LG Innotek managed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 11 percent last year, from the previous year, the company said in a report released Monday. According to the firm’s 2020-21 Sustainability Report, it reduced emissions by an estimated 45,000 tons, which is equivalent to what 3.9 million trees would have absorbed over a year. In addition to that, the company was able to cut water usage by 7 percent from 2019, by expanding investment in

SK hynix Inc., the world's second-largest memory chip producer, said Monday it has started the mass production of DRAM with the latest 10-nanometer (nm) process technology. SK hynix said its 8 Gigabit Lower Power Double Date Rate 4 (LPDDR4) mobile DRAM is built on the 1anm node, using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology. The 1a is the fourth generation of the 10nm DRAM process solution following the 1x, 1y and 1z. The South Korean chipmaker said it plans to supply the latest mobi

Kakao Mobility, the firm behind South Korea’s leading taxi-hailing service, Kakao T, announced Sunday that the company would allow drivers with good ratings from passengers to enjoy a better chance of getting booked. New contract terms will apply to taxi drivers who newly subscribe to Pro Membership, a paid membership program designed to help them pick up more passengers. Under the new terms, Kakao Mobility may deny membership to drivers with low ratings or boot existing subscribers if

Complex structures make recycling labor-intensive, dangerous and unprofitable

Airline to bleed billions to see through major acquisition deal over the next two years

South Korea’s largest airline accused of discriminating against foreign pilots for past 16 months

SsangYong Motor, a debt-ridden automaker, decided to sell the site of its plant in Pyeongtaek as part of self-rescue efforts, the local government said Saturday.    The company has been under court receivership since April, as its Indian parent, Mahindra & Mahindra, failed to secure a buyer for its 75 percent stake in the automaker.    The city government of Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the court-appoin

Major business lobbies in South Korea on Friday expressed concern over a new law that would allow CEOs to be punished, even by imprisonment, for serious workplace disasters. The Korea Employers Federation called the law ambiguous, saying it would have a negative impact on companies already burdened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic when it takes effect early next year. “A large part of the law, including the scope of a CEO’s legal responsibility, is still ambiguous and unclear, l

Large corporations in South Korea are returning to full-blown pandemic mode, ordering employees to work remotely as the country braces for the fourth, and so far worst, wave of COVID-19 to hit. The government announced the strictest Level 4 distancing rules for Seoul and its surrounding areas to take effect from Monday, including a ban on gatherings of three or more persons after 6 p.m. and all schools moving online. The measure came after the country’s daily COVID-19 caseload rose to a

Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it will suspend one of its seven domestic plants for four weeks to prepare for the production of an electric vehicle. Hyundai plans to halt the Asan plant from Tuesday until Aug. 6 to upgrade the facilities before it begins production of the IONIQ 6 midsize sedan later this year, a company spokesman said over the phone. The 300,000-unit-a-year Asan plant produces the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe SUV. In February, the maker of the Sonata sedan and the Palisade SU