South Korea’s manufacturing industry saw a huge drop in the number of employed in recent years mainly due to the companies’ contracted local investment and restructuring among shipbuilding and auto making companies, data showed Monday.  According to the Federation of Korean Industries, the number of employed in the manufacturing industry dropped by 180,000 in 2019 from the corresponding figure in 2015. Such figures are tantamount to the combined number of employees at Samsung

Hanwha Q Cells said Monday that its CEO Lee Ku-hyung has been appointed the 14th chairman of the Korea New and Renewable Energy Association, a business lobby with some 420 member companies. Lee, who joined Hanwha Group in 1990, has served key positions at the group’s solar solutions unit Hanwha Q Cells, formerly Hanwha SolarOne, since 2011 and was promoted to the top position in September last year. Lee, whose term is three years, is expected to lead the association based on years of

GS Engineering and Construction said Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with California-based SG H2 to supply modules that will be used to construct green hydrogen plants. 　 The renewables project, led by SG H2 Energy’s special purpose company SG H2 Lancaster LLC, is expected to produce 11 tons of green hydrogen in Lancaster, California, an amount that can fuel 1,700 mid-size hydrogen-powered cars. The deal will mark the first time for a Korean firm to export hydrogen pl

LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it will show off the real-life version of its futuristic self-driving vehicle next month. The LG Omnipod, a mobility concept solution that can serve as "a home office, an entertainment center or even a lounge," will be on display at a mobility fair at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul on Feb. 10. The self-driving home on wheels is fitted with LG home appliances retooled for in-vehicle use and provided with artificial intelligence concierge s

Jeju Air Co., South Korea's biggest low-cost carrier, said Monday it will adopt a cargo plane for the first time among local LCCs to ride out the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Jeju Air plans to begin operating a cargo plane in the first half of this year to offset a sharply declined passenger travel demand amid the pandemic, the company said in a statement. Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's two biggest and full-service carriers, have focused on winning cargo deals to

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., a South Korean plant builder, said Monday its German subsidiary has received a 160 billion-won ($134 million) order for a waste processing plant in Germany. Doosan Lentjes obtained the order from MHKW Wiesbaden GmbH to build a waste-to-energy plant in Wiesbaden, Germany, by 2024, the company said in a statement. Doosan Heavy said it aims to win more waste-to-energy plant deals in Europe as European countries are expected to place about 80 waste-t

Air Busan Co., a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Monday it has opened the Busan-Saipan route following a travel bubble agreement. On Sunday, Air Busan began to offer one flight per week on the Saipan route to preemptively respond to pent-up travel demand amid rising vaccinations and eased virus curbs, the company said in a statement. A travel bubble refers to a quarantine-free travel partnership between two or more cities or countries with similar levels of COVID-19 cases. O

For SsangYong, Rexton is not simply a flagship SUV model that has significantly pulled up its sales among its complete lineup of SUVs ranging from those in the small segment to pickup trucks. Following an unprecedented bumper year in 2015 for the small SUV model Tivoli, SsangYong needed to continue the momentum to keep the nickname “leader of SUV.” The fourth generation Rexton, launched in 2017, recorded a 200 percent growth rate that year. A year later, SsangYong took its well-se

Almost 90 percent of South Korean companies are unprepared for supply chain risks even though they are aware that those risks will continue this year. According to a survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry published on Sunday, among 300 companies that import raw materials, only 9.4 percent said they have prepared specific measures to respond to potential supply chain constraints, while 89.1 of them responded they have yet to come up with clear plans. Of the companies that said

South Korea's air traffic rose nearly 11 percent last year on increased domestic flights but international travel continued to falter amid the pandemic, data showed Sunday. Over 465,000 domestic and international flights flew over South Korea last year, up 10.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Air traffic in the country had gradually increased in recent years from around 739,000 in 2016 to 842,000 in 2019 before dipping sha

Exports by companies in South Korea's free trade zones grew 89.6 percent on-year to hit an all-time high last year, the industry ministry said Sunday. Outbound shipments came to $10.94 billion, surpassing the $10 billion mark for the first time ever, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The growth is attributable to strong demand for electric and electronic goods, automotive chips, semiconductor-related products and COVID-19 items amid a global economic recove

Lotte Corp., the holding company of South Korean retail giant Lotte Group, said Friday it has acquired an entire stake of Ministop Korea Co. for 313.37 billion won ($263 million). Under the deal, Lotte will take over 2,600 Ministop convenience store outlets across the country and 12 logistics centers to strengthen its retail business, the company said in a statement. Lotte operates the country's biggest department store chain and the second-biggest large discount store chain in terms of sales

Audi, BMW and five other companies will voluntarily recall more than 29,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Friday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers operating in South Korea due to problems with vehicle components. The seven companies, including Stellantis Korea, Honda Motor Co., Tesla Korea, MAN Truck & Bus Korea and Hyundai Motor Co., are recalling a combined 29,092 units of 26 different models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure a

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

Lotte Confectionery said Thursday it will invest 34 billion won ($28.5 million) in its Russian subsidiary, Lotte KF RUS, looking to scale up the local production of its popular Choco Pie chocolate cakes in the country. The Koreans’ staple chocolate snack enjoys nation-wide popularity in Russia, as it tapped into the country’s tea culture that pairs hot beverage with biscuit-type sweets. The pie even serves as a low trans-fat breakfast meal there. While Orion has been at the