Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday that nine products from its three auto brands have won prizes for transportation design at the 2020 Good Design Awards. The All-New Avante (launched in the US under the name Elantra), Concept Car 45, Prophecy, Hi-Charger, K5, Sorento, G80, GV80, Genesis Copper Design Theme were all selected, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate said in a release. The three car models by Hyundai Motor -- All-New Avante, Concept Car 45, and Prophecy -- were all mark

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. said Wednesday that it has canceled an 891 billion-won ($820 million) container ship deal due to a shipper's failure to comply with contract terms. The unidentified African company signed the deal with Daewoo Shipbuilding in December last year, but it has since not carried out conditions necessary for the deal to take effect, Daewoo Shipbuilding said in a regulatory filing. Daewoo Shipbuilding said the deal cancellation did not cause financial l

Kakao Bank, South Korea's top internet-only lender, said Wednesday it has recently completed a capital increase of 1 trillion won ($920 million) to improve its loss-absorbing ability and provide more loans for low- and mid-credit borrowers. TPG Capital of the United States and Anchor Equity Partners of Hong Kong have newly bought shares worth 250 billion won, or a 2.61 percent stake, respectively, the lender said. An additional 500 billion won worth of shares have been sold to existing shareho

South Korea said Wednesday it will spend 150.1 billion won ($137.8 million) on climate and environment-related research next year, up 12.9 percent from this year, to bolster the country's efforts to become carbon neutral by 2050. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will invest in 30 new climate and environment-related research projects next year, such as committing 3.6 billion won into four projects that develop technology to improve energy efficiency in buildings. South Korea has recently

South Korea will extend the reduction of airport usage fees for virus-hit airlines by six months to help them stay afloat amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday. The government will allow airlines, duty-free shops and other related companies at airports to pay quite lower airport usage fees until June next year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. Incheon International Airport Corp., the operator of the country's main Inc

South Korea's 5G download speed and overall quality improved in the second half of the year from the first half as the country races to deploy nationwide coverage of the latest generation network, a report showed Wednesday. The average download speed on the high-speed network from the country's three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- stood at 690.47 megabits per second (Mbps) in the second half of the year, up 33.91 Mbps from the first half, according to da

Lee Jae-young, vice chairman of global tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., has emerged as South Korea's richest stockholder following his father's death, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. The value of Lee's stock holdings came to 9.1 trillion won ($8.3 billion) as of Tuesday, up from 7.4 trillion won at the end of last year, according to CEO Score. Lee Kun-hee, the younger Lee's father, died on Oct. 25 at age 78, more than six years after being hospitalized for a heart attack. The late Sams

Unionized workers at Kia Motors have voted to accept a new annual wage deal with management, the company said Tuesday. In a vote by 27,050 members of the labor union, 58.6 percent, or 15,856, agreed to the company's proposals, including 1 1/2 months of merit-based remuneration, 1.2 million won ($1,080) in special COVID-19 allowance and 1.5 million won in gift certificates per person, instead of freezing basic pay, according to a company official. The company also agreed to restore the 25-mi

In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, indoor air quality has become an important issue for many. Coway, moving quickly to respond to consumer need, has introduced Dual Clean, an air purifier and humidifier combo model for those who want clean, fresh and pleasant air. Dual Clean uses ultrafine water vapor to add moisture to the air, instead of water droplets. The company explained that its fine vapor sprayer helps keep the air crisp but prevents it from feeling damp. This combo model also

The South Korean government announced Tuesday it has decided to postpone the launch of its first home-built space launch vehicle Nuri by eight months due to complications in the assembly process. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the launch of the three-stage rocket with a mock payload will take place in October next year, during an online press conference held Tuesday. The launch with an actual satellite will also be postponed to May 2022 accordingly. The ICT Ministry explained the delay

Samsung, Hyundai Motor welcome 3rd-generation scions to top post

Hyundai Steel is the first company in the world to develop a technology that can completely eliminate emissions from its blast furnaces, the company said Tuesday. According to South Korea’s No. 2 steelmaker, it has successfully “purified” hazardous gas inside a blast furnace using the “First Safety Valve,” during the process of re-ventilating hot air inside the furnace after general maintenance. After toxic gas emissions at its furnace breathers were pointed out

Huawei announced Tuesday the company’s 5G and LTE equipment have passed global wireless standards body 3GPP’s testing, highlighting the security of its network. Performed by European certification organization DERKA, Huawei’s 5G RAN gNodeB and LTE eNodeB passed 3GPP’s security assurance specifications testing, known as SCAS, the Chinese company said. The tests included network product general security, air interface security, and basic vulnerability testing, such as da

Treatment to be available in Korea from Feb., overseas applications to be filed in Jan.

Battle over Mini LED TV likely to unfold in 2021 between LG, Samsung