The number of daily passengers at Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, rose to the highest point this year in early August as more people traveled during the summer holiday season amid the vaccination drive, data showed Saturday. An average of 10,987 passengers used the Incheon airport a day from Aug. 1-19, up 47 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the data by the Incheon International Airport Corp. On Aug. 13, two days ahead of Liberation Day, 15,55

Korean Air plans to replace its A380-800 and B747-8I aircraft with smaller planes to increase efficiency, the carrier’s chief executive officer said Thursday. Cho Won-tae, the chairman of Hanjin Group and Korean Air CEO, said he has confirmed the plan to ditch the Airbus A380-800 in the next five years and Boeing’s 747-8I over the next 10 years in an interview with FlightGlobal. Korean Air currently owns 10 units of both the A380-800 with 407 seats and the B747-8i with 368 seats.

Once discontinued, one of the oldest off-roaders returns with sturdiest chassis, futuristic appearance

Credit card company Samsung Card will divest all of its 19.9 percent stake in automaker Renault Samsung Motors, in a sale that would pull the plug on its parent Samsung Group’s old, botched auto dream. The company said the decision was made recently and has tapped Samsung Securities, Samsung Group’s financial investment arm, to lead the exit. “Though we are pursuing the stake sale, details such as the method of sale, the buyer and the process have yet to be decided,” t

Children from South Korea, the Canary Islands and China won Japanese automaker Toyota’s 14th Dream Car Art Contest. Lee Jae-yul, a 7-year-old from South Korea, won the award with a piece titled “Pollution Purifying Car.” The work depicts a time-traveling car that “travels to the past” and “absorbs the polluted air, turning it into fresh air for the future,” the company said. Se Eun Hong and Heng wei Xu from the Canary Islands and China, respectively,

Hyundai Motor’s two automotive affiliates, Hyundai Motor and Kia, started a car-hailing service for the elderly and the disabled in the United States, as part of its universal mobility project, the automaker said Wednesday. The South Korean automotive group said it has launched the service, dubbed EnableLA in Los Angeles, with wheelchair-compatible vehicles for passengers. Those who want to use the service can hire a car via a mobile app or calling, and a specially trained chauff

Korean Air, Asiana Airlines benefit from pandemic-fueled cargo boom

Kumho Tire is supplying two different types of tires that have been applied with noise-cutting technology for Kia’s electric vehicle EV6, the tire maker said Tuesday. For a quiet driving experience, Kumho Tire said it is providing its Crugen HP71 and Ecsta PS71 for the EV6. The two models have been applied with K-Silent technology, which the company developed in 2014. Kumho Tire said the technology has been patented in Korea and other countries. The K-Silent tires are made with porous

South Korea’s top shipping company HMM’s operating profit rose to a record high during the second quarter on the back of growing shipping costs and strong demand. The company racked up 1.38 trillion won in operating profit, a regulatory filing released on Friday revealed, up over 900 percent compared to the same time one year ago. The figure also surpasses its performance during the first quarter, which stood at 1.19 trillion won in operating profit. Revenue rose 111 percent to 2.

Korean Air posted an operating profit for a for a fifth consecutive quarter Friday, citing its efforts to boost cargo operations and reduce costs. Revenue increased by 16 percent to 1.95 trillion ($1.73 million) and operating profit by 31 percent to 196.9 billion won ($174 million) compared to the same time last year. Despite a drop in passenger demand due to the COVID-pandemic, which has dealt a severe blow to the tourism and aviation sectors, the airline’s cargo business racked up a re

Hyundai Motor said Friday its manufacturing plant in Alabama in the US has produced 5 million vehicles in total since the facility began operations in May 2005. Some 2.56 million Sonatas were produced at the plant, as well as 1.48 million Elantras, 0.9 million Santa Fes, 36,989 Tucsons, and 1,784 Santa Cruzes. A Santa Cruz built in late July brought the automaker to the 5 million milestone. “The 5 millionth vehicle represents a tremendous achievement for Hyundai Motor North America. We

Automotive firm Kia launched a flagship store in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. The store features a futuristic interior and will offer car exhibitions, test drives, and other services and events.  Visitors can scan mobile QR codes for information on Kia’s newest cars and services.  Customers can see the latest vehicles in three dimensions via a large media wall installed at the store. Both the interior and exterior of each vehicle will be visible, and customers can see in deta

South Korean car-sharing platform Green Car will expand its advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) to its entire fleet of cars by the end of 2022 for a safer and more convenient driving experience, the firm said Friday. According to Green Car, about 85 percent of the vehicles it currently manages for its car-sharing service are equipped with each of the car models’ standard ADAS functions. The ADAS functions include autonomous emergency braking, smart cruise control and lane departur

Faced with strong opposition from unionized workers, local automakers slow to launch online sale plans

South Korean carmakers called on the European Union to be considerate in adopting stricter regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions due to a possible impact on the automobile industry and consumers' rights, a local industry association said Wednesday. Last month, the European Commission released its "Fit for 55" legislation package aimed at cutting net greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, higher than the previously set 40-percent target. The EU aims to ban the sale of