Hanjin Group’s holding company Hanjin Kal said Wednesday its board of directors had decided to appoint Korean Air President Cho Won-tae as the group’s new chairman. The appointment of Cho is aimed at minimizing the leadership vacuum in the group and maintaining stable business operations, Hanjin Kal said in a statement, adding there will be no separate inauguration ceremony for Cho. Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae (Hanjin Group)This comes about two weeks after Cho’s father, former Hanjin Group

Hyundai Motor said Wednesday its first-quarter operating profit came in at 824.9 billion won ($718 million), up 21.1 percent from last year, boosted by sales of its latest sport utility vehicle model Palisade, which hit the market in December. According to the automaker, first-quarter sales increased 6.9 percent to 23.9 trillion won, while net profit jumped 30.4 percent to 953.8 billion won.  Hyundai Motor’s Palisade (Hyundai Motor)Although Hyundai Motor’s global sales decreased 2.7 percent to 1

For a 42-year-old veteran driver surnamed Yim, the QM6 compact sport utility vehicle he has owned since 2017 is his pride. “QM6, without a doubt, is the strongest car from a trustworthy automaker,” said Yim, showing a photo of a car crash scene where his QM6 looks relatively unscathed while a white sedan that it had collided with it has been smashed to pieces. “The car, no matter what, has to be safe and strong. This was the biggest merit of Samsung Motors, known for high quality products. But m

Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motors said Monday they have developed the world’s first mobile tune-up technology for their electric vehicles.According to the automakers, the technology allows a driver to control an electric car’s performance, efficiency and driving comfort by setting the car’s torque, acceleration, deceleration, power generation during braking, speed limit, responsiveness and air conditioning, via mobile devices including smartphones and tablet PCs.  A driver tests Hy

SK Engineering & Construction will modernize an oil refinery in Uzbekistan to enhance the quality of gasoline, diesel and lube oil products there, the firm said Monday.SK E&C clinched a $600 million deal with Uzbekistan’s state-run oil and gas corporation UNG to modernize Bukhara Oil Refinery, located 437 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Tashkent. It is the company’s first project in Uzbekistan.SK E&C President Ahn Jae-hyun (left) shakes hand with Uzbekistan’s UNG Chairman Sidikov B.B

One challenge many automakers face with sport utility vehicles is how to maintain their off-road capabilities while still appealing to daily SUV users.Jeep, an SUV brand under the Fiat Chrysler Automobile group, faced this challenge with its iconic Wrangler, which maintains its rough and tough off-roader image. Many drivers still believe the Wrangler suits hard-core off-roading enthusiasts driving on dusty, unpaved surfaces. But to break from its conventional image and expand its customer base,

There is no doubt that the Wrangler is the most off-road capable vehicle made by Jeep, the iconic 4-by-4 sport utility vehicle maker with a 70-year history under Fiat Chrysler Automobile group. With an aim to expand the customer base of the Wrangler in Korea, Jeep has completed the full all-new Wrangler lineup here, now with six trims that range from the two-door Sports and Rubicon to the four-door Sports, Rubicon, Overland and Rubicon Power Top.  Jeep's All-new Wrangler (FCA Korea)The Italian-A

Renault Samsung Motors CEO Dominique Signora said Wednesday the company will continue investing in the Korean market, considering the Korean unit’s significance to its French parent company.During a closed-door meeting with Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Oh Keo-don, Signora asked for joint efforts to solve a prolonged labor dispute and to revitalize the city’s export competitiveness through the automaker’s only plant in Busan.  Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Oh Keo-don (left) and Renault Samsung M

Koo Bon-hwan has begun his term as president of Incheon International Airport Corp., the airport operator said Wednesday.Koo, who served at the Transport Ministry for 28 years, said he will push to improve the airport’s infrastructure to accommodate some 100 million passengers annually by 2023. “Along with a paradigm shift in the airport business in recent years, the focus of the airport business has transformed from simply dealing with passengers and shipping to encompassing hotel and resort de

Since its launch in 1975, BMW’s 3 Series models have been considered a benchmark for compact sport sedans, selling at least 15 million units globally in the past four decades. The seventh-generation model of BMW 3 Series drives on the road. (BMW Korea)The Korea Herald drove the new 3 Series on a rainy day on a 100-kilometer route from Southeastern Seoul to Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Despite its slippery road condition, it performed well, proving to be one of the highest-rated in the segment

Under a mountain of debt and pressure from creditors, Kumho Asiana Group’s board of directors decided Monday to sell its core unit Asiana Airlines, a day after the creditors rejected its latest self-rescue proposal amid a snowballing liquidity crisis.“For normalization of Asiana Airlines, we considered the best option and decided that its sell-off will recover trust in the group and the airline,” the group said in a statement. “The sale of Asiana -- with 31-year-long history -- is also for the s

Beauty retailer Sephora, owned by French luxury group LVMH, will open its first store in Korea on Oct. 24, the group said Monday.Sephora said it has decided to enter Korea amid growing interest here in multi-brand health and beauty stores. “It is exciting for us to introduce Sephora to the Korean market, which leads the global beauty trend. Korea is one of the most dynamic markets in Asia. I expect Sephora will serve as a place to exchange domestic and global beauty trends,” said Benjamin Vuchot

The funeral for Hanjin Group and Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho began Friday. Cho’s body was transported to a funeral hall at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul after arriving at Incheon Airport from the US at around 5 a.m. Friday. Korean Air CEO Cho Won-tae enters a funeral hall at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)Cho’s first son, Korean Air CEO Cho Won-tae, and second daughter, former Korean Air Executive Director Cho Hyun-min, were seen leaving the airport on Friday morn

With ongoing market speculation on Hanjin Group’s ownership following its chairman’s death on Monday, head of the country’s Fair Trade Commission said Friday it might delay the designation of the owner of the group. During a radio interview, FTC chief Kim Sang-jo said that considering the current situation, schedule of the designation may be delayed by two weeks to May 15.On May 1 each year, the Fair Trade Commission designates an individual or a legal entity as the business group’s de-facto chi

The funeral for Hanjin Group and Korean Air’s late Chairman Cho Yang-ho will begin from Friday and extend until Tuesday at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul, the company said Thursday. They will be flying in the body on Friday from Los Angeles, it added.Cho passed away at a hospital in Los Angeles on Monday, where he had been receiving medical treatment for pulmonary fibrosis since December.The company said Cho’s funeral will be led by Hanjin KAL CEO Suk Tae-soo. Cho will be interred a