South Korea’s eco-friendly car market is continuing its rapid growth as the number of the country’s green cars increased by 63.9 percent from 2015 to 2016, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said Monday. 　Despite still lagging severely behind the Chinese, US and European markets, the local hybrid and electric market sold a total of 68,774 eco-friendly cars last year, compared to 41,956 the previous year. The increase was the highest proportional rise worldwide. 　Sales of h

The nation’s No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors saw its sales in China plummet 38.9 percent last month, according to company and industry sources on Sunday. 　Kia Motors said it sold 30,800 units to its Chinese factory in January, down 18,459 vehicles compared to the 49,259 units sold during the same month last year. Retail sales have also dropped 13.1 percent. 　According to news reports, a number of industry insiders suspect the slump in sales is linked to Chinese dealers demanding Kia compensate them fo

Imported trucks celebrated a record year last year, seeing a 75.8 percent spike in sales from 2015, according the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. 　Non-domestic truck sales stood a 7,726 units in 2016 compared to the previous year’s 4,396 units, KAMA’s data showed Sunday. 　Following the enactment of the Korea-EU and Korea-US free trade agreements in 2011 and 2012, respectively, tariffs on imported vehicles have been removed, sparking an increase in competition and demand in the domest

A total of 5,204 vehicles across 19 different non-domestic car models are being recalled by local distributors of brands including Honda, Nissan, Land Rover and Maserati, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Thursday.Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will be initiating a combined recall of 3,565 vehicles from four different models.  (Yonhap)Honda Korea will recall 1,407 Accords that are equipped with Takata air bags, which have led to fatal accidents in other countries beca

Select students of Mercedes-Benz’s Mobile Academy visit the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. (Mercedes-Benz Korea)Select students from the annual Mercedes-Benz Mobile Academy won the opportunity to visit the luxury auto giant’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, the company said Tuesday. 　The Mobile Academy is an industry-academy joint project run by the carmaker, aimed to nurture and develop students looking to pursue a career in the automotive industry. 　Fifteen students were

Following the recent inauguration of US President Donald Trump, economic tensions are soaring as the new US administration’s tougher trade policy stance and “America first” approach may drastically impact the terms of the current Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. 　This year is already shaping up to be a monumental period for the two countries' economic and political relationship with a new US president, the pending election of a new South Korean president, as well as a new US Ambassador to Korea fo

Domestic automobile production saw a 7.2 percent decrease last year compared to 2015, marking the lowest production rate for local automakers in six years, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.　Seven domestic automakers -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Ssangyong Motor, Renault Samsung Motors, Daewoo Bus and Tata Daewoo -- manufactured a combined total of roughly 4.23 million units in Korea last year, down 330,000 vehicles. 　The decline in domestic production is wide

Special prosecutors said Monday that they plan to seek another arrest warrant for Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of President Park Geun-hye at the center of a high-profile corruption scandal, after she refused to undergo questioning over bribery allegations.Choi rejected the questioning in apparent protest against what she calls a "coercive" probe. The probe team, led by Independent Counsel Park Young-soo, has dismissed her criticism of the investigation as groundless."We plan to seek an arrest war

A shooting at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers left six people dead and eight others wounded in an attack that Canada's prime minister called an act of terrorism. Police arrested two suspects.    More than 50 people were at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre at the time of Sunday's attack. Some of the wounded were gravely injured, Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Christine Coulombe said early Monday. The dead ranged in age from age 35 to 70, she said. Thirty-nine people were unhar

Shares fell in Europe and Asia on Monday, rattled by weak data and the potential impact of President Donald Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions.    KEEPING SCORE: Germany's DAX lost 0.6 percent to 11,744.80 and the CAC 40 in France shed 0.9 percent to 4,798.53. Britain's FTSE 100 also skidded 0.9 percent, to 7,122.43. Dow futures fell 0.2 percent and S&P futures were down 0.3 percent.     TRUMP TRAVEL BAN: The executive order signed by Trump on Fri

A Danish court decided on Monday to extend the detainment of the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of a massive corruption scandal in South Korea. Chung Yoo-ra has been in the custody of Danish authorities since she was arrested in this northern city of Aalborg earlier this year for illegal stay. She is under suspicion of receiving favors from a college in Seoul during the admissions process and on tests by taking advantage of her mother's ties to the president. Choi Soon-sil`s

　It has been roughly a decade since smart keys first appeared in Korea, allowing drivers to lock and unlock their car door via the press of a button. However, with the advent of smart technology, industry insiders are expecting car keys to make even more significantly high-tech strides by 2020. 　Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. revealed late last month that it is currently developing a wrist-band-type smart key for the first time in the local automotive industry. The smart device is e

Impeached President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday denied a slew of corruption allegations against her once again, calling them "preposterous, colossal" lies.   During an hour-long interview with Jeong Kyu-jae, the chief editorial writer of the local Korea Economic Daily newspaper, Park said that "the crippling scandal involving her and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil appears to have been premeditated."   The interview at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae came amid expectations that the em

The highest-level North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea said Wednesday he decided to flee because he didn't want his children to live ``miserable'' lives in the North.    Thae Yong Ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, told reporters that he was lucky to have been able to bring both of his sons to London, unlike other North Korean diplomats who are forced to leave some of their children at home as ``hostages.''     After his sons, now 20 and 27, learned about life

South Korea and France agreed Wednesday to collaborate closely in pressing North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs, holding the two countries' first high-level talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.   The high-level consultative talks were held in Paris, France, with each side represented by South Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Hong-kyun and Political Director of the French Foreign Ministry Nicolas de Riviere.   The bilateral talks dedicated to tackling North Korea's nuclear wea

LG Electronics on Wednesday announced its performance improved last year, although its mobile device unit performed worse than a year earlier.  　According to a regulatory filing, LG said it posted 55.4 trillion won ($47.5 billion) in sales and 1.34 trillion won in operating profit in 2016. 　While its annual sales dropped 2 percent on-year, LG saw a 12.2 percent gain in its operating profit, owing to the largest-ever profits from its home appliance and TV businesses. 　The company’s home appliance

South Korea, China and Japan are unlikely to hold a trilateral summit in February as was originally planned amid a complicated diplomatic landscape involving the three Asian neighbors, a Seoul official said Wednesday.Japan tried to host the summit in December, but it was delayed, as China didn't respond to Tokyo's proposed timetable. Ever since, negotiations have been under way to hold the summit in the middle of February. "South Korea, China and Japan have made efforts to arrange a meeting in F

Korean Buddhism's monk-centric culture may be a major reason behind a steep drop in the country's Buddhist population in the last decade or so, a religious expert argued Wednesday."Many people consider Korean Buddhism a religion for monks. In Buddhist jargon, it's called monk-centric religion," said Park Soo-ho, a researcher at the Joong-Ang Sangha University's Institute of Buddhist Social Science at a pan-religion forum held in central Seoul. "On the outside, (the religion) claims to be a publi

Volvo Korea has launched the new D4 model of its flagship S90 series, the company said Wednesday, touting the vehicle as one of the country’s most reasonably priced and affordable luxury sedans. 　Offered in both “Momentum” entry-level and “Inscription” trim, the 2017 D4 is priced at 59.9 million won ($51,400) and 66.9 million won, respectively, including taxes. 　In comparison, in Korea the Mercedes E-Class series runs anywhere from 60.9 million won to 98.7 million won, while Ford’s newly release

The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association announced Tuesday that it will offer free inspection services by five automakers during the Lunar New Year holiday this weekend.　From Thursday to Sunday, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and Ssangyong Motors will offer their customers vehicle inspection services free of charge at 22 participating highway rest stops and 48 service centers nationwide. 　The services will be offered at northbound rest stops on Thursday and Fri