Kia Motors said Thursday it is making all-out efforts to break through export woes amid the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing online sales and services platforms for overseas customers. In this context, Kia Motors President Song Ho-sung visited Pyeongtaek Port, the country’s main gateway for automotive exports, to check the product quality and encourage workers, the automaker said. “The current economic situation is definitely a crisis due to COVID-19, but all divisions at Kia Motors

Air Busan Co., a low-cost affiliate of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Thursday it will resume flights on international routes from July as the new coronavirus outbreak has passed its peak. Air Busan plans to resume services on routes from the southern port city of Busan to Hong Kong and Macao on July 1 and gradually reopen routes to China, Japan and Southeast Asia, the company said in a statement. The budget carrier has suspended all of its international flights since March 8 as countries streng

The number of South Korean air travelers fell to the lowest level in more than two decades in April due to entry restrictions and lower demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed Tuesday. The number of air passengers on domestic and international routes here plunged to 1.35 million last month, down 22 percent from 1.74 million a month earlier and down 87 percent from 10.14 million a year earlier, according to Air Portal, an aviation data provider operated by the Korea Civil Avi

South Korea's leading car-sharing app operator SoCar has teamed up with a local vehicle tech startup to launch an autonomous car shuttle service on the resort island of Jeju, the company said Monday. The collaboration with RideFlux Inc., which officially began earlier in the day, marks the first time that a so-called demand responsive transport service is being offered in the country. "Past operations were carried out under 'test conditions' with restrictions placed on traffic," SoC

FRIGATE DEPARTS WITH MASKS -- The Philippine Navy’s latest 2,600-ton frigate, the Jose Rizal, recently built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, set sail for the Philippines on Monday carrying masks and other quarantine supplies. Hyundai Heavy shipped 20,000 masks, 180 bottles of disinfectant, 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and 300 packs of sanitizing wipes to the Philippines out of gratitude for its participation in the Korean War.

SsangYong Motors, one of South Korea’s five major automakers, has been refused by its financial auditor to deliver an opinion on its ability to survive, after posting swelling losses for the 13th consecutive quarter last week. But an official from the carmaker told The Korea Herald that it does not plan to appeal the decision, given that it was based on its latest quarterly report, not an annual report, and does not require appealing to prevent delisting. According to the automaker&rsqu

BMW Korea said Monday that its new models of 5 and 6 series sedans will be unveiled at the world premiere taking place in South Korea on May 27, the first time an imported carmaker here is hosting the world premiere here. The carmaker said, it will also be the first time for a foreign automaker to reveal the new model series -- not just a specific trim of the new models -- in the country, apart showcasing two world premiere models at once. BMW Korea said it has decided to hold the world premi

Miniature models of Hyundai Motor Group’s future mobility solutions, such as urban air mobility, purpose-built vehicles and hubs are displayed at the automaker’s headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul.  Models are one-eighth scale and installed over 107 square meters of the building.  In January, Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun unveiled its future mobility vision at the Consumer Electronics Show to shift itself from an automobile manufacture

The country’s main gateway operator, Incheon International Airport Corp., said Sunday that it would offer 50 billion won ($40 million) worth of aid to cash-strapped local airliners suffering the economic impact of COVID-19. IIAC said it had met Friday with officials from seven air carriers -- Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Jeju Air, Jin Air and T’way -- to introduce its new incentive programs and cooperative measures for airliners. For air carriers, IIAC said i

All South Korean airlines -- both major and low-cost -- have posted quarterly losses as the pandemic dampened travel demand and slashed flight numbers. The nation’s largest airline, Korean Air, has turned into a deficit in three quarters. It posted an operating loss of 56.6 billion won ($45.9 million) in the January-March period according to the firm’s regulatory filing Friday. Its sales reached 2.3 trillion won, down 22.7 percent from the same period last year. Its passenger bus

Korean Air announced Friday it will make it mandatory for domestic passengers to wear masks from Monday to follow the government’s social distancing guidelines amid the pandemic. Passengers using Korean Air’s domestic flights must wear masks or appropriate face shields not only on board but also during the pre-flight process. Exceptions are made for infants under 24 months old, people who are difficult to remove their masks on their own and people who are unable to breathe when we

Hanjin KAL said Thursday it will inject 300 billion won ($244.3 million) in Korean Air by selling its assets and through mortgage loans, one day after the airliner’s board decided to raise 1 trillion won by selling new stocks as part of a self-rescue plan.  The parent company of Korean Air currently owns a 29.96 percent stake in the air carrier. Amid the growing economic impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, Hanjin KAL’s board of directors decided to “preemptivel

Seoul will hold the world’s first hydrogen mobility exhibition called 2020 H2 Mobility+ Energy Show on July 1, to take the lead in the future’s core energy business, according to the event organizer Thursday.  Due to the latest outbreak of COVID-19, the opening of the hydrogen mobility exhibition was discussed by organizing committee members, but they decided to proceed with the plan, the organizer said.  The exhibition had earlier been delayed from March 18 due to the w

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said Thursday it will resume flights on 13 international routes next month as the coronavirus outbreak seems to have passed its peak. The move comes on the heels of its bigger local rival Korean Air's similar plan. Asiana plans to restart flight services on 13 international routes -- one to Seattle and 12 to Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai -- from June 1, while increasing the number of flights on six other routes to citi

Korean Air Lines Co. said Wednesday it will raise 1 trillion won ($820 million) by selling stocks as part of self-help measures amid the growing coronavirus impact on the airline sector. The rights issue is one of the options that Korean Air has reviewed to raise the capital needed to ride out the coronavirus crisis, the company said in a statement. Shareholders of the country's biggest carrier will be given the rights to buy 79 million stocks to be issued at 12,600 won per share. The new sha