Korean Air President Woo Ki-hong said the firm would push for employees’ leave of absence instead of cutting headcount once the merger with Asiana Airlines takes place. “Korean Air has never undergone artificial restructuring over the past 51 years,” Woo told reporters after the 22nd Tourism Industry Committee meeting in Seoul on Friday. “In order to increase efficiency after the merger, (some) employees will take a leave of absence until the end of the coronavirus cr

The US’ International Trade Commission on Friday once again delayed its final ruling on a trade secret suit between Korean companies Medytox and Daewoong involving a botulinum toxin strain. The ITC did not elaborate on the reason for the postponement, but the agency‘s website indicates that the whole organization is teleworking since March this year due to COVID-19, suggesting that the pandemic may have interfered with its regular workflow. This is the second time the ITC has postp

Creditors' plan to sell the debt-laden Asiana Airlines Inc. to its bigger rival Korean Air Lines Co. faces a bumpy road as a local equity fund has filed an injunction against the plan. On Tuesday, Asiana's main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), signed an investment agreement with Korean Air's parent Hanjin KAL Corp. to inject 800 billion won ($723 million) into Hanjin KAL through a rights offering and convertible bonds. Hanjin KAL will then participate in a 2.5 trillion-won stock sal

Card spending made during a massive nationwide annual shopping festival earlier this month rose 6.3 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry said Friday, amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Card spending amounted to 37.4 trillion won ($33.5 billion) in the Nov. 1-15 period, when the country held the annual Korea Sale FESTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The shopping festival involving major retailers, manufacturers and traditional markets drew a total of 1,784

Gaps between average apartment selling prices in Bundang-gu, Ilsandong-gu

Apple Inc. and South Korea's three major telecom operators started shipping the iPhone 12 mini and the 12 Pro Max on Friday. The launches of the smallest and the largest versions of Apple's latest devices follow the release of the standard 12 and 12 Pro models in the local market late last month. The iPhone 12 mini comes with a 5.4-inch screen, compared with the standard model's 6.1-inch display, while the 12 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen. Apple's latest generation of smartphones are the comp

Big businesses in South Korea are taking preemptive steps to brace for tougher social distancing due to a recent surge in new coronavirus cases, sources said Friday. Seoul on Thursday raised its five-tier social distancing scheme by one notch in the greater Seoul area and some other areas where COVID-19 infections have soared recently. The Level 1.5 alert is largely aimed at limiting the number of people in closed areas and mass gatherings to rein in the spread of the flu-like virus. Accordin

Hyundai Steel said Thursday it will hold online conferences to introduce its automobile brand H-Solution and the technologies on future mobility next month. The South Korean steelmaker said it will hold four online conference sessions from Dec. 2-10 to present the automotive steel brand H-Solution and its technologies and products relevant to future mobility. On the first day of the conference, the steelmaker will discuss prospects for the materials used in producing electric and hydrogen f

Kakao said Thursday that the company will add a new visibility setting to its messenger application KakaoTalk to protect the privacy of users. The new visibility setting is to allow users to control what others see about you across KakaoTalk services. KakaoTalk users in the future will be able to set up several messenger profiles and select who on KakaoTalk can see which profile. KakaoTalk’s public beta testing of the new feature will begin during the first quarter next year. Previous

LG Innotek, the high-tech parts making unit of LG Group, said Thursday that the company had signed an agreement with the Korean Intellectual Property Office and partner firms to increase cooperation to safeguard confidential business information. Under the latest agreement, LG Innotek will provide its partners with education and policy consultations to improve the protection of confidential information. The company added that it would help its partners to build systems to protect business secre

Starbucks Coffee Korea said Thursday it would start a test-run for coffee deliveries next week, and open a new delivery-only outlet. According to the coffee chain, it will open Yeoksam E-mart branch in Gangnam, Seoul on Nov. 27, where the coffeemaker will take only delivery orders made from the company’s mobile app. The 100-square-meter store will act as the space for employees to make drinks and prepare food, and for storing merchandize, Starbucks said. It will also have space for de

As General Motors Korea continues to struggle with labor strife and dwindling performance, GM’s international chief hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the country. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Steve Kiefe, the president of GM’s international operations, said GM has other options to produce cars in Asia, including China, where it builds nearly 5 million vehicles a year. GM workers have been staging two four-hour strikes daily since Oct. 30. The major stic

Volkswagen Korea said its mid-sized sport utility vehicle Tiguan surpassed 10,000 units in cumulative annual sales, a first for an imported SUV, the automaker said Thursday. According to Volkswagen Korea, the accumulated number of registered Tiguan units sold locally this year is 10,043. Tiguan has sold a total of more than 55,000 units since its debut in Korea in July 2008. This is the first time that annual sales have exceeded 10,000 units since the launch. The automaker said the key to T

A group of South Korean lawmakers on Thursday called on Google to follow Apple Inc.'s move to lower its commission for app market purchases amid concerns of local app developers over high fees. Apple announced a day earlier it will reduce the standard commission on its App Store from 30 percent to 15 percent for app developers with yearly proceeds of less than $1 million from next year. "Apple's policy to halve its commission is well-timed," said seven lawmakers of the main oppositio

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and the company’s top brass gathered in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday to mark the 33rd anniversary of founder Lee Byung-chull’s death. The memorial ceremony was held about three weeks after former Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s death. Samsung scion Lee held a luncheon with 50 C-suite-level officials of the tech giant after the ceremony. The heir thanked the executives for their support for the former chairman’s funeral.