Journalist
Oh Jooseok
farbrother@ajunews.com
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Hyundai Glovis Wins South Korea Labor Minister’s Award for Safety Cooperation Hyundai Glovis said it has received a South Korean labor minister’s award in recognition of its work to prevent accidents at industrial sites. The company said Thursday it was named an outstanding participant in a large company-small business workplace safety cooperation program at a signing ceremony held Wednesday at the Peace & Park Convention in Seoul’s Yongsan district. Attendees included the minister of employment and labor, the head of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Hyundai Glovis Safety and Environment Center chief Kim Il-hwan and about 250 government and corporate officials, the company said. The program is hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and administered by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. It supports parent companies and partner firms in voluntarily carrying out workplace safety and health improvements. Hyundai Glovis said it was recognized for continuing field-focused safety and health support tailored to logistics worksites and for actively reflecting feedback from partner companies and workers. It said it has recorded zero serious industrial accidents from 2021 to the present. Since 2021, the company has provided partner firms with free side safety supports for vehicle carriers to help prevent falls during loading and unloading. It later developed a second-generation support designed to improve both convenience and safety and expanded distribution, it said. Hyundai Glovis also said it developed and distributed a customized lightweight safety helmet for truck drivers. The new helmet weighs 250 grams, with volume reduced by 16% and weight by 14% compared with conventional industrial helmets, it said. The helmet passed safety certification screening by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, the company said. The company said it also runs virtual reality-based hands-on safety training and selects and rewards a monthly safety excellence employee to help embed a workplace safety culture. “Under the belief that our partners’ safety is Hyundai Glovis’ safety, we have continued a shared-growth approach to safety management,” a company official said. “We will continue expanding safety and health programs with our partners to raise safety standards across industrial sites.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-26 09:06:28 -
Kia Named One of South Korea’s 100 Best Companies to Work For Kia said Wednesday it was named one of South Korea’s 100 Best Companies to Work For at the “GPTW Management Innovation Conference” held Tuesday at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido. Great Place to Work, or GPTW, is a U.S.-based global evaluator that diagnoses and assesses workplace culture at about 30,000 companies in 170 countries each year. Its certification process has three stages following domestic and international verification. Kia earned the first-stage certification after recording a 79% positive response rate in an online employee survey. The company was also rated highly in its workplace-culture submission, leading to its selection for the top-100 list. More than 5,000 employees in South Korea across all job categories took part in the survey, which included 60 questions. Respondents reported high satisfaction in areas including ethical management, pride in the company, trust in leaders, engagement and a participatory culture. In the workplace-culture submission, evaluators gave favorable marks to Kia’s stated direction of being “customer-centered, people-centered.” Kia said it runs programs to strengthen internal communication, including “CEO Live,” an online town hall with senior management that includes global employees, and monthly Kia value meetings held by each division. Programs that cross workplace and job boundaries also drew attention, the company said. In 2024, marking its 80th anniversary, Kia held a “Kia, Let’s Run Together” marathon event for employees across all job groups in South Korea. Last year, it also rolled out companywide a “Happy New Kia” program in which division and office leaders encourage new employees on their first day. A Kia official said the company’s domestic and overseas units will work together to build an agile and flexible culture under its customer- and people-centered direction, adding that Kia will seek certification as one of the world’s best places to work based on the latest recognition.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-26 08:54:16 -
Autonomous A2Z Exports Self-Driving System to UAE Autonomous A2Z will export its autonomous driving system to the United Arab Emirates. The company said Thursday that it delivered an export approval certificate on Feb. 25 (local time) in Abu Dhabi to its local joint venture. Autonomous driving is designated by the South Korean government as a national core technology, requiring prior approval from relevant authorities for overseas exports on technology security grounds. After a review by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Autonomous A2Z became the first in the autonomous driving sector to receive export approval, the company said. Attendees included Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for AI Future Planning; Choi Young-jun, minister-counselor at the South Korean Embassy in the UAE; and Kim Sang-jin, director at the National AI Strategy Committee, as part of a South Korean special delegation. Autonomous A2Z Chief Strategy Officer Yoo Min-sang shared the joint venture’s business roadmap and discussed plans for testing and commercialization. Munira Al Marzouki, a managing director at Space42, the joint venture partner, also attended and confirmed the approval certificate. With the approval, the company plans to deploy in the UAE its self-developed Level 4 autonomous vehicle, ROii, along with various modified vehicles. It aims to win $7.6 million (about 11 billion won) in contracts by the end of this year and generate $78 million (about 110 billion won) in local revenue by 2035. The company said the figures reflect UAE government policy goals, including shifting 25% of Dubai public transportation to autonomous operation by 2030 and a full transition to autonomous driving in Abu Dhabi by 2040. Chief Executive Han Ji-hyung said autonomous driving is a national strategic industry combining AI, semiconductors, communications, software and urban infrastructure. “This export approval goes beyond one company’s overseas expansion,” Han said. “It shows autonomous driving has entered the global stage as a core technology that will help lead South Korea’s push to become one of the world’s top three AI powers.” 2026-02-26 08:39:18 -
Hyundai Founder Chung Ju-yung Remembered at 25th Anniversary Memorial Concert in Seoul "My father in heaven will also be grateful." (Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation) Members of the wider Hyundai founding family, along with figures from business, politics and culture, gathered in Seoul on Feb. 25 for a memorial concert marking the 25th anniversary of the death of Chung Ju-yung, honorary chairman of Hyundai Group. Around 6 p.m., the lobby of the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall in Seocho-gu was already crowded ahead of the program. Hyundai family members began arriving about an hour before the concert. Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation, arrived at the venue’s above-ground parking lot at about 6:36 p.m. and briefly greeted reporters. "Thank you for coming today," he said. "My father will also be grateful that you came." Direct family members also appeared in succession, including Chung Ki-sun, chairman of HD Hyundai; Chung Myung-yi, president of Hyundai Commercial; and Chung Tae-young, vice chairman of Hyundai Card. Other attendees included Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin; Hong Ra-hee, former director of the Leeum Museum of Art; National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik; Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party; and lawmaker Na Kyung-won. Actor Yoo Hae-jin was among those from the entertainment and cultural sector. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun arrived about two hours before the concert to check the rehearsal and review preparations. Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz, Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, Hyundai Motor R&D chief Manfred Harrer and Hyundai Motor President Sung Kim also arrived early to welcome guests. The memorial concert featured performances by internationally known pianists Kim Sunwook, Sunwoo Yekwon, Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yunchan. Tickets were not sold; they were provided only to invited guests, including public-service workers, future talent, key figures from various fields and Hyundai Motor employees, organizers said, to preserve the event’s purpose. Attendees received a gift set that included Chung’s autobiography, "Born on This Land," and an event booklet. Organizers said the concert was held to reflect on the meaning of Chung’s entrepreneurial spirit for society and future generations. Chung is widely regarded as a symbol of Korean entrepreneurship, credited with helping lead the country’s industrialization through a bold vision and determination to maintain hope in the face of hardship. 2026-02-25 21:12:21 -
Imported EV Price War Intensifies in South Korea as Models Near 30 Million Won Imported electric-vehicle makers are accelerating their push in South Korea with price cuts and subsidy-focused strategies, aiming to bring more models into the 30 million won range that many consumers view as a key psychological threshold. Industry officials said Feb. 25 that Volvo Car Korea will cut the price of its electric SUV, the EX30, by as much as 7.61 million won starting next month. The base trim will fall to 39.91 million won from 47.52 million won. The discounting has spread among imported brands after Tesla opened the latest round of price cuts earlier this year. Tesla lowered the Model 3 Standard RWD to 41.99 million won. With a 1.68 million won national subsidy and local government subsidies, the purchase price could drop to the high 30 million won range, the report said. BMW, the top-selling imported-car brand in South Korea, is emphasizing a strategy tied to larger EV subsidies. By building more than 3,000 EV chargers nationwide, BMW raised its incentive used in the Transport Ministry’s EV subsidy calculation by 37% from a year earlier, the report said. As a result, the BMW Mini Aceman E, priced at 49.80 million won, can fall to 40.30 million won when combining a 4.00 million won national subsidy and a 5.50 million won local subsidy, based on Haenam in South Jeolla Province. Prices for imported EVs that had largely been in the 40 million to 50 million won range are now moving closer to the 30 million won level seen as a practical buying range for many consumers. The report attributed the aggressive push by imported brands to South Korea’s subsidy policy. As the United States and Europe slow the pace of EV adoption and brands face uncertainty in China, EV supply is shifting toward South Korea, it said. South Korea this year is offering EV subsidies and an additional 1 million won for switching from an internal-combustion vehicle to an EV. The structure of the imported-car market is also changing quickly. Of 307,377 imported vehicles sold last year, 91,253 were battery-electric vehicles, or 29.6%, the report said. Over the same period, sales of internal-combustion vehicles totaled 41,906. EV sales were more than double internal-combustion sales, underscoring a reshaping of the imported-car market. Kim Pil-su, a professor in the Department of Future Automobiles at Daelim University, said the trend toward lower prices is clear. “It’s evident that the trend is to lower prices so consumers can access them more easily,” Kim said. He added that shifting batteries — a major share of EV costs — to Chinese-made LFP batteries appears to have created some room for price cuts. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 18:04:50 -
GM Korea Union Appeals Court Rejection of Bid to Block Service Center Closures GM Korea’s labor union said Tuesday it will appeal a court decision rejecting its request for an injunction to block the shutdown of the automaker’s company-run service centers. The GM Korea branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union said it submitted an appeal to the Incheon District Court. The Incheon court on Feb. 13 dismissed the union’s injunction request seeking to prohibit the closure of the direct-run service operations. The court said matters related to organizational restructuring generally fall within management rights and are afforded broad discretion. It also found that ending service center operations was conditioned on labor-management “consultation,” not “agreement.” The union argued that management itself formed bodies such as a task force to revitalize direct-run service centers and a special committee on job security on the premise that closures would require agreement between labor and management or, at minimum, substantial discussions. It said the court misread the collective bargaining agreement by focusing on wording while overlooking how the agreement was reached. The union also said a full shutdown would raise concerns about vehicle safety, consumer rights and damage to brand trust, and that the business need was unclear given GM Korea’s solid financial structure. It said the court broadly accepted management discretion while effectively avoiding a judgment on the legality of what it called an expected large-scale forced reassignment of service workers. A union official said that after the first meeting of a special labor-management consultative body last month to seek withdrawal of the closure plan, the union delivered a proposal following internal discussions. The official said management has repeated for more than a month that it is still reviewing the proposal, calling it closer to delaying a decision than holding talks to resolve the issue.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 15:51:16 -
Jeju Air to Add Four Daily Round Trips on Gimpo-Jeju Route, Raising Total to 26 Jeju Air said Tuesday it will add four daily round-trip flights on the Gimpo-Jeju route starting March 29, when its summer schedule begins. With the increase, the carrier will operate up to 26 round trips a day on the route, up from a maximum of 22 scheduled round trips. Jeju Air said that is the highest number of flights among airlines serving the Gimpo-Jeju corridor. The added service will bring Jeju Air’s frequency to about two flights an hour on the route and increase capacity by about 1,500 seats a day, round-trip basis. According to the Transport Ministry’s aviation information portal, about 2,514,500 passengers flew Jeju Air on the Gimpo-Jeju route last year. That accounted for 16.9% of the route’s total 14,835,900 passengers and was the largest share among low-cost carriers. In January, Jeju Air carried about 227,400 passengers on the route, the most among low-cost carriers, up 38.6% from about 164,100 a year earlier. “We are continuing to expand air service so Jeju residents and travelers visiting Jeju can move more conveniently between Jeju and Gimpo at the times they want,” a Jeju Air official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 10:45:17 -
LIG Nex1 to Unveil AI-Powered Swarming Kamikaze Drone at DSK 2026 LIG Nex1 said it will showcase an integrated unmanned aircraft solution spanning kamikaze, reconnaissance and transport drones at Drone Show Korea DSK 2026, being held for three days through the 27th at BEXCO in Busan. At the exhibition, the company is unveiling for the first time an artificial intelligence-based small kamikaze drone. Developed with the Agency for Defense Development, the model can be operated in swarms and uses a canister-launch, multiple-launch method. LIG Nex1 is also displaying its Medium-sized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Common Platform (MCUP), a hybrid transport drone with a 40-kilogram payload, a small reconnaissance-and-strike combined drone (MPD), and an “integrated avionics system” tailored to advanced air vehicles (AAV) expected to be used in future urban air mobility. A company official said, “Based on our advanced capabilities ranging from surveillance and reconnaissance to strike and transport solutions, we will help accelerate the completion of an advanced science and technology force built on manned-unmanned teaming.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 10:28:55 -
KAMA Names Jeong Dae-jin as New Chairman Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA) said Jeong Dae-jin, a former deputy minister for trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, was elected its 19th chairman at a regular general meeting held on the 25th. Jeong entered public service after passing the 37th national civil service exam and held key posts across the former Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the former Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the current trade and industry ministry, working in industrial policy, investment promotion and the creative industries, the association said. He also served as director general for trade policy and as deputy minister for trade, overseeing major external trade issues affecting South Korea’s leading industries, it said. KAMA said Jeong is well suited to lead the association as protectionist policies in the United States and the European Union and shifting trade regulations reshape the global environment. The association added it expects his leadership to pursue both continuity and innovation in its operations, strengthening the competitiveness of South Korea’s auto industry and supporting its transition to future mobility. Jeong is scheduled to hold an inauguration ceremony on March 3 and begin his official duties as the 19th chairman.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 10:06:08 -
Parata Air Expands Air Cargo to Diversify Revenue Parata Air is accelerating efforts to diversify its business portfolio by operating an air cargo business alongside its international passenger service. According to international air cargo data released Tuesday by the Korea Airports Corp., Parata Air carried 228 tons of cargo in the first week of this month. Volumes have climbed steadily, from 113 tons in the third week of last month to 168 tons in the fourth week and 202 tons in the fifth week. The airline has pursued the strategy since last year, expanding passenger routes while increasing use of belly cargo space on passenger aircraft. Focusing on Japan and Southeast Asia routes, it has sought e-commerce shipments and demand for transporting fresh foods, gradually building its cargo revenue base. A Parata Air official said the carrier has maintained stable load factors in the passenger segment during the January peak season while also raising cargo load rates by optimizing flight schedules. Passenger and cargo operations complement each other, the official said, strengthening revenue stability.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 09:51:15