Journalist

Oh Joo-Seok
  • LIG Nex1 Opens Assembly, Inspection Facility for Fleet-to-Air Missile-II
    LIG Nex1 Opens Assembly, Inspection Facility for Fleet-to-Air Missile-II LIG Nex1 said March 5 it held a completion ceremony the previous day at its Gumi House complex for an assembly and inspection facility for the Fleet-to-Air Missile-II. The Fleet-to-Air Missile-II is an air-defense guided weapon intended for installation on South Korea’s next-generation destroyer, known as KDDX, to help protect friendly ships from threats such as enemy aircraft and cruise missiles. LIG Nex1 completed the facility about two years after signing a system development contract for the program with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in 2024. The company said the new facility will support efforts to complete a high-quality guided weapon that it expects to serve as a key element of friendly ship defense through 2030. LIG Nex1 said it is pursuing what it described as the industry’s first company-led system development project for an air-defense guided weapon. If the project is completed successfully, the company said it expects to strengthen its guided-weapon research and development capabilities. It said it is developing the system with a target localization rate of 90%, and expects the program to contribute to national interests tied to future exports and to shared growth with participating companies. Chief Executive Officer Shin Ik-hyun said the company will seek to help secure next-generation weapon systems, citing its technology and infrastructure across guided weapons for land, sea and air, including ongoing development of long-range air-to-surface and short-range air-to-air missiles, and future long-range air-to-air missiles.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-05 09:27:28
  • Air Premia to Increase Incheon-Narita Flights to 10 Weekly Starting March 29
    Air Premia to Increase Incheon-Narita Flights to 10 Weekly Starting March 29 Air Premia said Thursday it will add an afternoon service on its Incheon-to-Narita route, increasing frequency from seven flights a week to 10 starting March 29. The airline will also adjust its operating days. From March 29 to April 19, flights will operate on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. From April 20 to 26, service will run on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. From April 27, the schedule will be fixed to Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The flight will depart Incheon International Airport at 1:50 p.m. and arrive at Narita International Airport at 4:30 p.m. The return flight will leave Narita at 5:40 p.m. and arrive in Incheon at 8:25 p.m. Air Premia launched the Narita route in December 2022 with four weekly flights and has expanded service as demand grew: to five a week in 2023, six a week in 2025, and daily service in January 2026. With the latest increase, the route will operate 10 times a week. From its launch through the end of January this year, the airline operated 1,709 flights on the route and carried 513,412 passengers. The average load factor was 91.8%. To mark the expansion, Air Premia will offer a 10% discount promotion for the Narita route from March 5 to 12. The travel period runs from March 5 to Oct. 24. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-05 08:45:16
  • Hyundai, Kia post all-time sales record in US
    Hyundai, Kia post all-time sales record in US SEOUL, March 4 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia set an all-time sales record in the U.S. last month thanks to strong demand for midsize-to-large SUVs and hybrid models. Their combined sales stood at 137,412 vehicles in February - 71,407 units for Hyundai and 66,005 for Kia - up about 5.7 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. Hyundai posted its best-ever sales for the month, extending a streak of monthly records for the third straight month since last December. Strong demand for SUVs drove the sales, with the Palisade seeing an increase of 28.4 percent to 10,025 units and the Santa Fe rising 18.6 percent to 11,344 units. Sales of Kia's midsize Telluride jumped 68.7 percent to 13,198 units, followed by the K5 with 6,053 units and the Carnival with 5,805 units. Sales of Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis also increased 3.3 percent to 5,730 units, with the GV70 leading the lineup with 2,628 units. Some 34,855 electric and other eco-friendly vehicles were sold, with sales surging 34.7 percent from a year earlier to account for about 25.6 percent of total sales. Meanwhile, Japanese automaker Toyota remained at the top after selling some 180,950 vehicles in the U.S. in February. 2026-03-04 16:11:11
  • Jeju Air Sees Spring Surge in Active Senior Travelers, With Demand Peaking in Q2
    Jeju Air Sees Spring Surge in Active Senior Travelers, With Demand Peaking in Q2 Jeju Air said Tuesday that demand among its travelers in their 60s and 70s — so-called “active seniors” — is concentrated in the second quarter. Based on an analysis of the past three years of data (2023-2025), the airline said the average number of passengers in their 60s and 70s in the second quarter was about 420,000, 21.3% higher than the third-quarter average of about 346,000. In March, when temperatures begin to rise, the average monthly passenger count was about 155,000, showing that travel demand picks up from early spring. The airline expects that spring travel demand among active seniors will remain steady this year. As of Tuesday, Jeju Air’s bookings for April and May stood at about 164,000 and 145,000, respectively, exceeding the past three-year monthly average for the second quarter. For overseas travel in the second quarter this year, the most popular route among active seniors was Incheon-Weihai, with about 24,000 passengers. It was followed by Busan-Taipei/Kaohsiung and Incheon-Qingdao, each with about 14,000 passengers, indicating strong demand for travel to Greater China. A Jeju Air official said demand appears to be driven by relatively reasonable second-quarter airfares and the ability to travel on a more relaxed schedule because crowds are typically lighter. 2026-03-04 10:18:38
  • Hyundai, Kia Set February U.S. Sales Record, Up 5% From a Year Earlier
    Hyundai, Kia Set February U.S. Sales Record, Up 5% From a Year Earlier Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia posted their best-ever February sales in the United States, driven by strong demand for midsize and large SUVs such as the Palisade and Telluride and by hybrid models. The results extended the companies’ monthly sales records to three straight months. Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday it sold 137,412 vehicles in the U.S. in February, up 5% from a year earlier. Hyundai, including its Genesis luxury brand, sold 71,407 vehicles, a 5.7% increase. Kia sold 66,005, up 4.3%. Hyundai set a February record and notched a third consecutive monthly sales high following records in December and January. Hyundai brand sales totaled 65,677 vehicles, up 5.9%. The Palisade rose 28.4% to 10,025 units, and the Santa Fe increased 18.6% to 11,344. Kia also recorded its best February. Telluride sales jumped 68.7% from a year earlier to 13,198 units after the launch of the second-generation model. The K5 posted 6,053 sales, up 60.6%, and Carnival sales rose 65.4% to 5,805. Genesis sales increased 3.3% to 5,730 vehicles, led by the GV70 with 2,628 units sold. Electrified vehicle sales for Hyundai and Kia climbed 34.7% to 34,855 units in February, accounting for 25.6% of total sales. Hybrid sales rose 56.4% to 29,279 units. Hyundai hybrids increased 73.5% to 18,374, and Kia hybrids rose 34% to 10,905. Electric vehicle sales fell 21.9% to 5,576, including 4,030 for Hyundai and 1,546 for Kia. In February U.S. sales rankings, Toyota led with 180,950 vehicles sold. Hyundai and Kia held second place with 137,412. 2026-03-04 09:51:08
  • Hyundai Opens Whitney Museum Exhibition Hyundai Terrace Commission: Kelly Akashi
    Hyundai Opens Whitney Museum Exhibition 'Hyundai Terrace Commission: Kelly Akashi' Hyundai Motor said Wednesday it will present the third exhibition in its long-term partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, “Hyundai Terrace Commission: Kelly Akashi,” from March 8 (local time) through Aug. 23. The Hyundai Terrace Commission is a program launched in 2024 by Hyundai Motor and the Whitney to give artists and curators room for creative experimentation beyond conventional formats, the company said. Akashi, the third artist selected for the commission, was born in the United States in 1983 and is based in Los Angeles. She has worked with materials including glass, bronze and stone, exploring themes of life and the limits of existence. For the Whitney presentation, Akashi will introduce new works spanning installation, sculpture and animation, drawing on personal experience. The exhibition centers on “Monument (Altadena)” (2026), which reconstructs in glass bricks a chimney and the walkway leading to it — the only part left after a wildfire in northern Los Angeles in January last year destroyed the artist’s home and studio. Installed on the museum’s fifth-floor terrace, the work reframes the space as a site for reflection on survival, loss and the incompleteness of what remains. Also on view is “Inheritance (Distressed)” (2026), inspired by the lace doily of the artist’s grandmother that was lost in the same fire. The work raises questions about how inherited legacies should be treated and remembered. The exhibition’s broader material inquiry into traces, memory and aftereffects extends to an animated work, “Remnants (Constellations)” (2026), shown on a large outdoor media wall on the terrace. “Rebuilding is not simply restoration, but a practice that symbolizes devoted labor and a dialogue with history,” Akashi said. “The process of stacking bricks one by one projects memory itself, and memory regains meaning through constant attention and patience.” “Each brick contains a record of the labor and transformation it has undergone, and together they become a new presence that holds traces of the past,” she said. Whitney curator Marcela Guerrero said Akashi “skillfully handles a range of materials, including glass and steel, and has harmoniously realized the conceptual and technical completeness essential to large-scale outdoor sculpture.” A Hyundai Motor official said the company hopes the exhibition will prompt audiences to reconsider the relationship between individuals and communities and to explore the possibility of genuine solidarity, in line with the commission’s aim of bringing artistic inspiration to more people.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-04 09:03:23
  • Chevrolet Launches 2026 Trax Crossover RS Ignite Edition, Opens Preorders
    Chevrolet Launches 2026 Trax Crossover RS Ignite Edition, Opens Preorders Chevrolet said Tuesday it has launched the 2026 Trax Crossover “RS Ignite Edition” and begun taking preorders. The RS Ignite Edition was planned with inspiration from a rear red LED black bowtie emblem designed to stand out at night. Based on the RS trim — short for Rally Sport — the special edition combines red accents with carbon-look details to set its exterior apart. Inside, it applies an RS black-and-red-point interior and adds a black headliner for a more unified look, Chevrolet said. Chevrolet has been expanding color choices for the 2026 Trax Crossover, introducing “Mochaccino Beige” on the RS and ACTIV trims and “Chili Pepper Red” on the RS trim. It also offers connected features including OnStar-based over-the-air vehicle software updates. The RS Ignite Edition is priced at 28.86 million won, based on an individual consumption tax rate of 3.5%. Preorders are being accepted starting March 4 through Chevrolet showrooms nationwide.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-04 08:27:15
  • Middle East Tensions Lift Demand for South Korea’s Cheongung-II Air Defense System
    Middle East Tensions Lift Demand for South Korea’s Cheongung-II Air Defense System U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have heightened security concerns across the Middle East, driving up demand for air defense weapons. South Korea’s Cheongung-II, which has expanded its export footprint in the region over the past two to three years, has now been deployed in combat, drawing attention as a lower-cost option with faster delivery.  The defense industry said Tuesday that the United Arab Emirates used the South Korean-made medium-range surface-to-air guided weapon system to intercept multiple Iranian missiles. With forecasts that Iran could fire ballistic missiles toward countries near U.S. forces, the UAE fielded Cheongung-II and it was used operationally, the industry said. The UAE’s air defense network is known to include the U.S.-made Patriot, Israel’s Arrow and South Korea’s Cheongung-II. The UAE military said its overall interception rate across its air defense systems was above 90%. Often described as a Korean version of the Patriot, Cheongung-II is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system jointly produced by LIG Nex1, Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems. If wartime demand accelerates local deployment, related sales are expected to be reflected starting this year. Cheongung-II entered mass production in 2024, and some units have been delivered to the UAE since last year. LIG Nex1, the lead contractor, has signed deals with the UAE (about $3.5 billion in January 2022), Saudi Arabia (about $3.5 billion in November 2023) and Iraq (about $2.5 billion in September 2024), securing a Middle East order backlog of about $9.5 billion (10.2 trillion won) tied to Cheongung-II. The system is a so-called “K-one team” project involving major South Korean defense firms. LIG Nex1 handles system integration and the operations control center; Hanwha Systems supplies the multifunction radar; Hanwha Aerospace provides launchers and munitions. Kia supplies the vehicle platform. Cheongung-II is widely seen as costing about half as much as the U.S. Patriot, helping it gain traction in the Middle East, where demand for guided weapons is high. The push by some countries to reduce reliance on a single supplier has also supported broader interest in South Korean defense exports. Chae Un-saem, an analyst at Hana Securities, said Lockheed Martin’s Patriot PAC-3 surface-to-air missiles have an annual production capacity of about 600 rounds despite plans to increase output. “The unit price is also very high at $4 million, making it more than twice as expensive as Korea’s Cheongung,” Chae said. South Korea recently signed a $35 billion memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation with the UAE, adding to expectations of further exports. Details were not disclosed, but forecasts have pointed to additional contracts for medium- and long-range weapons to build a layered air defense network. Experts said continued instability in the region could keep export momentum going for South Korean defense companies. Nam Myeong-ryeol, head of Korea University’s K-Defense Industry Center, said tensions are rising as Iran attacks not only Israel but also multiple areas where U.S. forces are stationed. “More Middle Eastern countries are likely to seek South Korean weapons that combine performance and price competitiveness, fast delivery, and the ability to operate and sustain the systems,” he said. 2026-03-03 18:04:48
  • South Korea’s 5 Automakers’ February Sales Fall 4.6% From a Year Earlier
    South Korea’s 5 Automakers’ February Sales Fall 4.6% From a Year Earlier South Korea’s five automakers posted lower sales in February, returning to a decline as the Lunar New Year holiday reduced the number of business days. Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea and KG Mobility (KGM) said on Tuesday they sold a combined 602,689 vehicles last month — 95,702 in South Korea and 506,987 overseas. That was down 4.6% from a year earlier. Hyundai’s global sales totaled 306,528 vehicles, down 5.1% year over year. Kia sold 247,401 vehicles, a 2.8% decline. The companies cited fewer selling days during the holiday period, along with weaker electric-vehicle sales in global markets. Combined domestic sales for the five automakers fell 14.8% from a year earlier. KGM was the only company to post growth, up 38.3%, helped by demand for its new Musso pickup. The others reported declines: Hyundai down 17.8%, Kia down 8.6%, GM Korea down 37.4% and Renault Korea down 59.0%. Overseas sales slipped 2.3%; Renault Korea rose 55.4%, while the other four companies posted year-over-year decreases. In South Korea, the best-selling model in February was Kia’s Sorento with 7,693 units. It was followed by Hyundai’s Porter (4,634), Hyundai’s Sonata (4,436), Kia’s PV5 (3,967) and Hyundai’s Grandeur (3,933). 2026-03-03 17:51:47
  • KG Mobility February Sales Fall 2.6% to 8,237 on Export Slump
    KG Mobility February Sales Fall 2.6% to 8,237 on Export Slump KG Mobility (KGM) said Tuesday it sold 8,237 vehicles in February, down 2.6% from a year earlier. Domestic sales rose 38.3% to 3,701 units, while overseas sales fell 21% to 4,536. KGM said its domestic performance improved on higher deliveries of the Musso, launched in January. February marked the company’s strongest monthly domestic sales in five months, since September last year (4,100 units). Musso sales increased 24% from the previous month to 1,393 units, following 1,123 in January. Exports of the Torres EVX rose 22% from the prior month to 1,445 units, but total exports edged lower overall. KGM said it plans to boost sales by strengthening customer engagement and brand communication at home, rolling out new models such as the Musso, and stepping up efforts in export markets.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-03 17:09:06