[THE INVESTOR] The Ministry of Environment held a public hearing on July 25, attended by Audi Volkswagen Korea.The hearing -- which was held at the National Institute of Environmental Research -- is to offer Volkswagen’s Korean unit a chance to explain itself regarding the ministry’s recent decision to ban the sales of 79 models of Audi and Volkswagen cars that cheated on emission tests, and also cancel their registration here.The decision, however, has yet to go into effect and will be finalize

[THE INVESTOR] Vietnam’s minimum wage hike is expected to take a heavy toll on big Korean firms such as Samsung and LG that have been beefing up production there due to low labor costs. Currently, the minimum wage for Vietnamese workers ranges between US$108-157 across regions. In the latest wage talks, labor groups asked for an 11 percent increase from next year, while employers resisted, proposing a moderate 4.62 percent raise. LG Electronics Vietnam Haiphong campus“There are over 4,000 Korean

[THE INVESTOR] Hanwha Group has launched a new research complex in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, to nurture local small and medium-sized firms in the field of solar energy. The company, in partnership with the South Chungcheong Creative Economy Innovation Center, jointly opened the Seosan Solar Energy-Specialized Venture Complex on July 22. With an area of 16,529 square-meter, the new center will attract SMEs in the field of solar energy to foster their R&D activities and commercialize its

[THE INVESTOR] Audi Volkswagen Korea has decided to stop selling certain vehicles that cheated on emission tests in South Korea, local news reported Thursday. The Korean unit informed local dealers of its decision to suspend from Monday the sales of 79 models of cars,  including top-selling ones such as the Volkswagen Golf, Jetta and the Audi A4. Volkswagen GolfThe Ministry of Environment had earlier issued an order to ban sales and cancel the registration of VW’s diesel and gasoline engine vehi

[THE INVESTOR] The Seoul City government announced on July 21 that it will raise the subsidies for electrical vehicle owners by 2 million won (US$ 1,758) to boost sales. A resident who purchases a new electric vehicle will now receive 18.5 million won in assistance, up from 16.5 million won, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. Hyundai Motor EV Ioniq / Hyundai MotorCorporate buyers will get 14 million won, up from 12 million won, while rental and leasing firms will earn 18.5 million won, a hi

[THE INVESTOR] Automakers are rolling out special edition cars for the summer, according to the industry on July 21.Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s largest automaker, recently released a special edition of its midsize sedan Sonata, which will go on sale until October. The special edition is installed with ventilated seats and a dual air conditioning system for driver and passengers to enjoy the cool ride under the scorching sun. The new Sonata features automatic defogging system to detect fog and m

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Mobis, South Korea’s largest automotive parts supplier, has decided to recall 120,000 car air-conditioning filters after octylisothiazolinone, a toxic chemical substance, was detected, the company said on July 21.“We decided to pull every product from the shelf to put our customers at ease,” the company said. On July 20, the Ministry of Environment released a list of filters containing OIT levels that may be harmful. These filters, which were mostly manufactured by 3M, wer

[THE INVESTOR] Creditors, led by the state-run Korea Development Bank, plans on giving some breathing room to Hanjin Shipping to stay afloat, by extending the due date of its corporate rehabilitation program. KDB and other banks will convene a meeting sometime this week to extend the initial Aug. 4 deadline by a month for Hanjin Shipping, according to sources.  The move will help the ailing shipper to gain more time to improve its financial status to avoid court receivership. Earlier in May, the

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Mobis, South Korea’s largest automotive parts supplier, aims to target American and Japanese automakers to widen its business beyond local affiliates Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors. Hyundai Mobis, which is highly dependent on local automakers, plans to increase sales of its auto parts to non-Korean manufacturers by 1.5 times by 2025, local news reported on July 25. According to reports, Hyundai Mobis’ overseas sales account for only about 10 percent of total sales, while the

[THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s antitrust agency has decided to press criminal charges against the former and current executives of Volkswagen Korea for deceiving customers with false advertisements in the German automaker’s emission rigging scandal. It also plans to fine the automaker a maximum of 88 billion won (US$ 77.02 million). The Fair Trade Commission has sent the assessment report to VW Korea, stating it has decided to sue 10 executives, including Johannes Tamer, the CEO of Audi Volkswagen

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Heavy Industries has won an additional contract to supply two vacuum vessel sectors, the key component of the multibillion-dollar project International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the company said on July 19. Under the US$101.6 million deal, HHI will build two of the nine vacuum vessel sectors (No.7 and 8) that make up the main body of the ITER, the world’s largest nuclear fusion machine being built in Cadarache, southern France. Each vacuum vessel sectors measures

[THE INVESTOR] Korea Electric Power Corp., South Korea’s state-run power utility firm, eyes to develop renewable energy with Mongolian and Japanese firms. Cho Hwan-ik, KEPCO CEO, signed a memorandum of understanding with Enkhbold Nyamjav, CEO of Mongolian energy company Newcom Group and Shigeki Miwa, CEO of Japan’s Internet firm SoftBank, to cooperate and make joint investments in the solar and wind power projects in Mongolia, KEPCO said on July 19. (From left) SoftBank CEO Shigeki Miwa, KEPCO C

[THE INVESTOR] Propelled by Samsung Bioepis and Celltrion, South Korean biopharmaceutical companies are gaining a foothold in Europe with their biosimilars, cheaper copycat versions of biologics. Celltrion’s Remsima -- biosimilar replication of rheumatoid arthritis treatment drug Remicade -- and Samsung Bioepis’ Benepali -- biosimilar copy of Amgen’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment Enbrel – along with Flixabi, another Remicade biosimilar, are already selling in Europe, one of the world’ largest m

[THE INVESTOR] The South Korean government on July 18 decided to ease regulations on the gaming industry, such as revising the online game “shutdown law,” by leaving in to the choice of the gamers’ parents. According to the plans drawn up as part of the government’s strategy for boosting the game industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to lift the curfew imposed on underage users from accessing online games late at night. PororoEnacted in 2011 to curb video game addiction a