As market uncertainty continues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign-invested companies here have been passive about taking on new employees, a report from a state trade agency showed Sunday. According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, which surveyed 2,500 firms between August and October last year, only 2 out of 10 had carried out their recruitment plans for the year. A total of 464 companies, or 18.6 percent of those surveyed, sought to hire. Of those, 218 had completed thei

Gopizza, a Korean pizza franchise specializing in single servings, saw sales break past SG$100,000 ($75,000) in Singapore in December, eight months after its first launch in the country, the company said Thursday. The pizza franchise tapped into the Singaporean market in April 2020, and has been seeing its monthly sales rise steadily, with an increase rate of 20 percent in average following the opening of new outlets, the company said. With December sales of SG$110,000, Gopizza attributed i

Samyang Foods on Thursday unveiled a new corporate management vision that focuses on environment, society and improved corporate governance. The company, known globally for its popular Buldak Spicy Chicken noodles, said it plans to launch an audit committee and a compensation committee in March to actively promote transparency and environment-friendly values in business management. “This year, we will create social values by actively promoting ESG management,” Samyang Foods Pres

The world’s biggest LNG-powered bulk carrier has successfully returned from its first trip to bring in iron ore to South Korea, the country’s leading steelmaker said Thusday. Posco introduced two bulk carriers, dubbed HL Eco and HL Green, in December in line with its efforts to reduce gas emissions in its business operations. According to Posco, HL Green has successfully completed its first trip from Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, to Australia, and brought back 180,000 metric ton

After being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Jeep -- a brand under Fiat Chrysler Automobiles -- aims to restore its sales in Korea by rolling out new powerful models, including a brand new Grand Cherokee with diversified powertrains, Jeep’s global president said on Friday. In a video interview with reporters, Jeep President Christian Meunier laid out a positive outlook for the automaker in the Korean market, highlighting two new models of its iconic Grand Cherokee and the Wrangle

The first offshore fuel cell system plant for South Korea’s biggest carmaker Hyundai Motor Group will be established in Guangzhou, China, the automaker said Friday. The automotive group said it signed an investment contract with China’s Guangdong provincial government to establish an offshore fuel cell system production facility in Guangzhou there. The investment is part of its efforts to advance its leadership in the global hydrogen industry, and to support the industry rapidly

Kia announced Friday a new brand strategy and future ambitions to transform the company to go beyond vehicle manufacturing to create mobility solutions for customers. In a digital showcase event on the company’s official YouTube channel, South Korea’s second-largest automaker announced a new corporate name removing “Motors” from its previous name of Kia Motors Corp. This signals the brand breaking away from its traditional manufacturing-driven business model to expan

A month into its operation, Starbucks Coffee Korea’s first store committed to making a better workplace for workers with disabilities is showing early success, the coffee chain said Thursday. In early December, Starbucks Korea opened a new store inside Seoul National University Dental Hospital, filling half of its 12 staff positions with people with disabilities. From the initial design stage, the US-based coffee chain took in opinions to make the outlet a disability-friendly space fo

Ford Sales and Service Korea will release six new vehicles to gain an edge in the South Korean market, the automaker said Wednesday. Revealing the company’s business plan for 2021 in an online media conference, Ford Korea’s Managing Director David Jeffrey said the company aims to achieve strong growth in 2021 by focusing on the sport utility vehicle segment. “We approach 2021 full of energy, with a strong plan to launch relevant and exciting new vehicles that will ensure t

Responding to heightened public interest in environmental protection, Nongshim will aggressively promote its vegan food brand Veggie Garden this year, the South Korean food company said Tuesday. Veggie Garden is a convenience food brand developed by the Nongshim R&D Center and the group’s affiliate Taekyung Nongsan, using a manufacturing technology for plant-based meat alternatives. “After we came up with our test products in 2017, we worked with famous vegan chefs in Seoul t

General Motors Korea pulled off a strong performance last year in overseas markets, the automaker said Tuesday. The company shipped 285,499 vehicles overseas last year, ranking top among foreign-invested car brands here in terms of export volume, the company said. GM Motors beat Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor by about 14 times. In the domestic market, GM Korea said it sold 82,954 cars in Korea in 2020, losing by a small margin to Renault Samsung and SsangYong, which sold 95,93

After hitting an all-time high in sales last year, Volvo Cars Korea is aiming for another record-breaking year, with a plan to sell 15,000 vehicles. To achieve that goal, it plans to invest 50 billion won to augment service networks and hire more staff. According to the automaker, it sold a total of 12,798 units in Korea last year which was its best performance since establishing a presence here in 1998. The figure was an increase of 21 percent from the year before. This year, the automak

Volkswagen’s flagship sedan, Passat GT, has returned to Korea, with its base in the European model and with smarter technology to assist drivers. Introduced in 1973, the Passat has been one of the German automaker’s global best sellers, with over 30 million units sold around the world. The company introduced the fifth generation Passat in South Korea in 2005. Up to 2018 and through the eighth-generation Passat GT, it has sold 36,000 units of the car here. Both types of Passat,

Coway has nominated Seo Jang-won, the current chief financial officer and an expert in strategic planning, as the new co-chief executive officer to strengthen its overseas businesses, the company said Sunday. The electronic home furnishing rental firm said Seo’s promotion has been decided in the latest senior executive reshuffle, and the official appointment will be in a board meeting slated in February. With the reshuffle, the company will be led by two chiefs, the incumbent CEO Lee Ha

Homeplus CEO Lim Il-soon intends to resign after leading the hypermarket chain for three years, the company said Thursday. Lim, the first female CEO in the industry, told the company last year that she wished to resign for personal reasons, and the company recently accepted her resignation. Since she was appointed to lead the retail giant in October 2017, Lim has been responsible for many industry firsts, Homeplus said. In 2019 Lim decided to convert some 15,000 contract employees to f