Asiana Airlines said Wednesday that it has been certified by Skytrax, a leading review site for airlines, as a 5-Star Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. The airline has been winning the highest rating for 16 consecutive years since 2007. This year, Asiana Airlines has also been certified with the highest Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating that reviews airline health, hygiene, and cleanliness standards. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, t

Mobility Feb. 9, 2022

A merger between South Korea’s two biggest air carriers picked up pace on Wednesday after they received an unconditional approval from Singapore and as a final decision by the Fair Trade Commission approaches next week. According to Korean Air, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore concluded that the air carrier’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines will not infringe Singapore’s Competition Act. The decision comes after the CCCS conducted a public consultation last

Mobility Feb. 9, 2022

Kia, South Korea’s second-largest automaker, will launch six electric vehicle models by 2027 in China by renewing its joint venture in the country, where it has been losing presence in recent years over soured bilateral ties between Seoul and Beijing. Starting with the EV6 next year, Kia will bring new battery-powered vehicles each year and realign its strategic models with bigger vehicles that are more globally popular such as the Carnival and Sportage. The new China plan was released

Mobility Feb. 7, 2022

Mercedes-Benz has been fined 20.2 billion won ($16.84 million) by the nation’s antitrust watchdog for fiddling with emissions readings in its diesel cars here. According to the Fair Trade Commission on Sunday, the German luxury carmaker falsely advertised some of its diesel vehicles as capable of reducing 90 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions, the main culprit of fine dust, and that it satisfies Euro 6 environmental standards. These claims were advertised extensively through the brand&

Mobility Feb. 6, 2022

Hanwha Defense announced Thursday that it will export the K9 self-propelled howitzer and other support vehicles to Egypt in a 2 trillion won ($1.6 billion) deal, the largest-ever supply deal for the locally-developed weapons system. Under the deal, the firm plans to supply the K9 howitzers, the K10 ammunition resupply vehicles and the K11 fire control vehicles. Technology transfer is also included in the deal for the local production of the K9. The firm said the first batch of K9 howitzers w

Industry Feb. 3, 2022

The design of the all-new Kia Niro did it all to captivate young drivers, not to mention its fuel efficiency and comfortable driving experience. Looking very much like Kia’s concept car HabaNiro, the all-new Kia Niro infused its ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy into the environmentally friendly SUV by making the body two-toned with a bold boomerang-shaped Aero C-Pillar at the rear that completes the futuristic design of the car. During its four-day long preorder, a total

Mobility Jan. 28, 2022

Hyundai Steel said Wednesday it has developed a premium 1.5 GPa martensitic steel plate to be used on electric vehicles. According to South Korea’s No. 2 steelmaker, the new plate is flatter and has higher crack resistance than any other in the same product category, allowing it to be used on battery containers for EVs, bumpers, and roof sides. Usually, a 1.5 GPa martensitic steel plate is not flat enough and cracks easily due to hydrogen penetration. But Hyundai Steel used a heat tec

Industry Jan. 26, 2022

LS Group’s cable manufacturing unit, LS Cable & System, announced Wednesday that it has completed the construction of a new power cable plant in Indonesia in its latest push to secure footing in the burgeoning market. The new plant, called LSAGI, is a joint venture between LS Cable & System and Artha Graha Network, Indonesia’s 10th-largest conglomerate. The Korean firm owns a 75 percent stake in the entity. The plant, located on a 64,000-square-meter site in the Artha Ind

Industry Jan. 26, 2022

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor is set to return to Japan’s passenger car market within the first half of the year, according to industry sources and reports Tuesday.　 Hyundai’s reentry to Japan comes 13 years after its withdrawal from the market dominated by domestic carmakers. With its enhanced eco-friendly technology, Hyundai believes that it has achieved a competitive edge to tap into the neighboring country. The carmaker will return with its electronic car lineup, includ

Mobility Jan. 25, 2022

Domestic carmakers that lack green car models such as Renault Samsung, SsangYong and GM Korea are expected to face heavier pressure from the government to increase supply of more sustainable cars this year. According to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday, it will impose fines on automakers that have not been able to fulfill a certain percentage of car sales with more environmentally friendly cars, including electric and hydrogen vehicles, this year. Carmakers that have sold an annual avera

Mobility Jan. 25, 2022

The Polestar 2, the first Polestar car to hit the Korean roads, is a performance-driven car, living up to the reputation of the Swedish carmaker that was once Volvo’s racing skunkworks. With the new model, Polestar aims to compete head-on with the Tesla Model 3, the world’s most popular plug-in EV in 2020. At first sight, one can easily grasp that Polestar 2 displays Scandinavian aesthetics: clean and simple lines and functionality without sacrificing beauty. It has a clean-cut

Mobility Jan. 24, 2022

Hyundai Motor said Sunday it has won five US News and World Report 2022 Best Cars for the Money Awards, outpacing rivals in the awards that put a spotlight on cars and SUVs that represent the best combination of long-term value and excellent ownership experience. The Hyundai winners include: the Elantra hybrid, Tucson hybrid, Kona subcompact SUV, Tucson compact SUV and Santa Fe 2-row SUV. Its smaller sibling Kia Motors’ Telluride also topped the best 3-row SUV for the money category. T

Mobility Jan. 23, 2022

Hyundai Motor said Thursday it has partnered with US quantum computer firm IonQ to develop next-generation batteries for cars. The partnership will allow Hyundai to use IonQ’s quantum computers to develop high-performance lithium batteries with better energy efficiency at lower costs. According to the carmaker, quantum-powered chemistry simulation is expected to significantly enhance the quality of lithium batteries by making improvements to the devices’ charge and discharge cycl

Industry Jan. 20, 2022

Hyundai Heavy Industries’ failed acquisition of its smaller rival Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering may be a boon for the nation’s largest shipbuilder as it has secured abundant cash to focus on new growth engine businesses such as hydrogen, autonomous driving and robots. Last week, the European Commission disapproved the merger plan of the two Korean shipbuilders over monopoly concerns. With the veto by the world’s largest shipbuilding market, Hyundai Heavy saw it

Industry Jan. 18, 2022