South Korea's car sales fell 11 percent last month from a year earlier as supply disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak resulted in reduced production.     The country's five carmakers -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor  -- sold a combined 505,212 vehicles in February, down from 565,568 units a year ago, according to data from the companies.    The lower sales largely resulted from shortages of auto compone

With 36 countries turning away travelers from Korea as of Monday, airlines shoulder huge losses to fly passengers back

A South Korean flight turned back while en route to Vietnam on Saturday after the Vietnamese authorities prevented it from landing in Hanoi, with more flights connecting the two countries expected to be suspended amid the spread of the new coronavirus. The flight of Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's second-biggest carrier, arrived back at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around two hours after departing for Hanoi at 10:30 a.m. Asiana said it decided to return flight OZ729 when

Korean Air Lines Co., the country's biggest airline by sales, said Friday it will reduce flights on US routes next month and use smaller planes due to declining demand amid the spread of the new coronavirus. Korean Air will temporarily reduce the number of flights on the routes from Incheon to San Francisco, Honolulu and Boston from March 7-28 to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on its business, the company said in a statement. "We may reorganize further flight schedules depending on cor

Hyundai Motor Group stopped operations of its Ulsan manufacturing plant’s second factory Friday after an employee who works there was confirmed with COVID-19. According to the automaker, the factory has suspended operations since 11:30 a.m. Friday. The worker was confirmed to be infected that morning. The company said it has disinfected the site and put five co-workers into self-isolation.  A Hyundai Motor employee said the duration of the shutdown will be decided later based on t

Amid the falling number of passengers and suspension of routes due to the coronavirus outbreak, chief executive officers of Korean budget carriers on Friday released a joint statement asking for the government’s support.  The country’s six low-cost carriers -- Air Busan, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air and T’way -- said in a joint statement that the “aviation industry has been falling apart” since the nationwide boycott of trips to Japan last year an

Daily users, more affected by weather, remain unchanged: Firms up disinfection of vehicles

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker, said Thursday it aims to make inroads into the global head-up display market. The global HUD market has been dominated by multinational auto parts companies such as Continental AG, Denso and Nippon Seiki Co. "The company is aiming to sign contracts with global carmakers to sell its HUD products and foster HUD products to become a major export item," Hyundai Mobis said in a statement. Hyundai Mobis recently started to supp

Hyundai Motor Group has donated 5 billion won ($4.1 million) to Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief to support medical personnel and offer relief goods amid the quickly escalating COVID-19 outbreak across the country.  The donation was made to especially help people in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the company said.  Hyundai Motor Group and the Hope Bridge Association said the donation will be used to offer products needed for the prevention of epidemics a

BMW Korea has introduced two new gasoline-powered crossovers with revamped features, the New X3 and the New X4. The Korean unit of the German automaker said Wednesday that the New X3 xDrive20i and the New X4 xDrive20i models are equipped with advanced features including a panoramic glass roof and a Driving Assistant Plus function that allows semi-automated driving. The New X3 is the first in the X series to come in a single trim “Luxury Line.” The midsized sport activity vehicle

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun has resigned as an inside executive director of the group’s steel affiliate, Hyundai Steel, the company said Wednesday.  Chung aims to focus on the group’s core automotive business as the group seeks to transform itself into a smart mobility solutions provider, according to the company.  Chung served in his executive role at Hyundai Steel since 2012 but rarely made an appearance at its executive directors’ me

WASHINGTON -- United Airlines on Tuesday extended its window for travelers wishing to change their South Korea-bound flights without paying a fee, as the number of coronavirus cases in the country continued to climb. The US airline said on its website that passengers originally booked on flights departing from Feb. 24 to June 30 can switch to another flight within the same window, and between the same cities, without paying the change fee or any difference in fare. On Monday the airline had s

South Korean airlines said Tuesday they will extend flight suspensions to China and halt more flights on international routes due to the growing impact of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. With no end in sight for the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest airline by sales, on Tuesday extended flight suspensions to China by one month through April 25. Korean Air served 204 flights per week on 30 routes to China before the new coronavirus hit the

Kumho Tire said Tuesday three of its products had won 2019 Good Design Awards in the transportation design category.  The Good Design Awards is a global design competition which began in 1950, awarded by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial products and graphic designs of the year.  The Korean tire manufacturer said its tires Majesty 9, Ecsta PA51 and WinterCraft Wi51 have won the awards.  Majesty 9 is a ne

Delta Air Lines, the third-largest shareholder of Hanjin KAL which owns Korean Air, has bought 1 percent additional stake to support Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae, industry sources said Monday.  The US air carrier reportedly bought 114 shares of Hanjin KAL stake on Thursday and Friday via Goldman Sachs for around 60 billion won ($49 million). Delta now owns 11 percent stake in the holding firm of Hanjin Group.  Currently, local activist fund Korea Corporate Governance Improvemen