Journalist

Oh Jooseok
  • Tesla leads South Koreas imported-car market
    Tesla leads South Korea's imported-car market SEOUL, March 5 (AJP) - U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla claimed the top spot in South Korea's imported-car market last month, boosted by brisk sales of its revamped Model Y, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said on Thursday. Some 27,190 imported vehicles were newly registered last month, up 29.7 percent from 20,960 units the previous month and 34.6 percent higher than a year earlier. The cumulative number of registrations for the first two months of this year stood at 48,150 units, up 35.9 percent from 35,428 during the same period last year. By make, Tesla ranked No. 1 with 7,868 registrations, followed by BMW with 6,313 and Mercedes-Benz with 5,322. Next were Lexus with 1,113, Volvo with 1,095, Audi with 991, BYD with 957, and Toyota with 793. Over the past month, 7,000 units of Tesla's Model Y were sold, with 1,740 of them being the Long Range version. By type of fuel, hybrids accounted for 50.5 percent of registrations, followed by electric, gasoline, and diesel vehicles. European imports made up most of the registrations with 16,107 units (59.2 percent), followed by American (30.1 percent), Japanese (7.1 percent), and Chinese (3.5 percent) vehicles. 2026-03-05 10:53:14
  • Peugeot Launches All-New 5008 Smart Hybrid Test-Drive Events Across South Korea
    Peugeot Launches All-New 5008 Smart Hybrid Test-Drive Events Across South Korea Peugeot said Wednesday it will hold test-drive events at 13 showrooms nationwide to mark the launch of the all-new 5008 Smart Hybrid. The event runs for 17 days starting March 6 and is designed as a participatory program for showroom visitors and their companions, the company said. Peugeot will also run a guaranteed-win promotion to celebrate the all-new 3008 Smart Hybrid winning two awards in the 2026 Design category. Test-drive participants will receive a scratch card offering prizes including a 29-inch travel suitcase, the “Peugeot Voyage Luggage,” co-produced by Peugeot and French premium luggage brand Delsey, as well as French premium wine and a wine-glass set, coffee coupons and other gifts. Peugeot said it expanded its seven-seat family SUV lineup with last month’s launch of the all-new 5008 Smart Hybrid, building a core lineup that includes the 308, 408, 3008 and 5008. Bang Sil, chief executive of Stellantis Korea, said she hopes the event will give families, couples and friends time to visit showrooms and discover new preferences.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-05 10:27:35
  • Tesla Tops South Korea’s Imported-Car Market in February as Model Y Sales Near 7,000
    Tesla Tops South Korea’s Imported-Car Market in February as Model Y Sales Near 7,000 Tesla led South Korea’s imported-car market last month, driven by strong sales of the Model Y.  The Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said Thursday that new registrations of imported passenger cars in February rose 34.6% from a year earlier to 27,190. That was up 29.7% from January’s 20,960. Cumulative registrations for January and February totaled 48,150, a 35.9% increase from 35,428 a year earlier. By brand, Tesla ranked first with 7,868 registrations, followed by BMW with 6,313 and Mercedes-Benz with 5,322. Lexus recorded 1,113, Volvo 1,095, Audi 991, BYD 957 and Toyota 793. The Tesla Model Y sold about 7,000 units over the month. The Model Y posted 5,275 registrations and the Model Y Long Range 1,740. Over the same period, the BMW 520 recorded 1,067 registrations. By engine displacement, vehicles under 2,000cc accounted for 9,763 registrations, or 35.9% of the total. Models from 2,000cc to under 3,000cc totaled 5,835 (21.5%), 3,000cc to under 4,000cc 421 (1.5%), and 4,000cc and above 352 (1.3%). Other vehicles, including electric cars, totaled 10,819 (39.8%). By origin, Europe accounted for 16,107 registrations (59.2%), followed by the United States with 8,197 (30.1%), Japan with 1,929 (7.1%) and China with 957 (3.5%). By fuel type, hybrids led with 13,721 registrations (50.5%), followed by electric vehicles with 10,819 (39.8%), gasoline with 2,484 (9.1%) and diesel with 166 (0.6%). 2026-03-05 10:12:21
  • 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