BMW Group Korea will upgrade and relaunch its two after service mobile apps, as the carmaker bids to turn all aftersale services digital. The new BMW Plus and Mini Plus will be key platforms for the company’s digital and contactless after-sales service business, it said. 　 With the upgrade, an expanded number of services can be reserved in real time, explained the carmaker, which includes general maintenance, parts replacements and recall services. Customers can also select a service ad

Mobility Sept. 9, 2021

When Lee Bok-kee, founder and CEO of Wanted Labs, quit his high-paying consulting job in 2013, he had only one goal: to solve problems. Having spent around five years at a consulting firm seeing tech mammoths like Samsung and LG pay millions of won to solve business problems, he was certain there would be at least one problem he can solve on his own. But finding the right one was not an easy journey. After brainstorming hundreds of businesses ideas, two failed startups, and losing his 100

Industry Sept. 7, 2021

Malaysia will present halal products to the global audience at the upcoming Malaysia International Halal Showcase, or MIHAS, set to kick off Thursday. “We truly believe that small and medium sized Malaysian brands have the potential to become Halal champions. Through MIHAS we hope to facilitate the sourcing and selling of quality halal consumables, products and services globally,” said Dr. Halim Mohammad, the chairman of Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. during an online me

Consumer Sept. 6, 2021

Hanwha General Chemicals, the chemical affiliate of Hanwha Group, announced a new company name, “Hanwha Impact,” as it seeks to shift its identity to focus on future-oriented, green business fields. The new name reflects its new vision to “create a positive impact on humanity and the earth through technological innovations,” explained the company. To execute the vision, Hanwha Impact will increase what it called “impact investing,” investing in companies

Industry Sept. 6, 2021

Labor unions of South Korea’s largest shipping company HMM on Thursday scrapped a strike plan after reaching a new wage deal with management. HMM officials and representatives of the two unions, separately representing land-based and longshore workers, agreed to a 7.9 percent increase in wages, a bonus payment amounting to 650 percent of their monthly salary and a 2.7 percent increase in welfare benefits. The deal, reached early Thursday morning after marathon negotiations, ended 77 d

Industry Sept. 2, 2021

Audi Volkswagen Korea has appointed Sacha Askidjian as the new managing director of the Volkswagen brand in Korea, the company announced Thursday. He will replace Stephan Krapp starting from Oct. 1, who will move to the company’s headquarters in Germany to take charge of pricing strategies of Volkswagen cars in Europe. Joining the Audi Volkswagen Group in 2000, Askidjian built a 10-year career in customer service and marketing at the group’s French office. He moved on to the gr

Mobility Sept. 2, 2021

South Korean food catering service provider Our Home will run a cafeteria for the United States Postal Service, becoming the first Korean firm to clinch a deal from a US public institution. The company said Wednesday that its US branch won a bid to operate a cafeteria in the institution’s processing and distribution center in Los Angeles. The 1,421 square meter facility will open by the end of this month and operate for 24 hours every day. The USPS is a public institution that oversee

Consumer Sept. 1, 2021

South Korea continued to report record-shattering export results in August, data showed Wednesday, reinforcing an economic recovery almost single-handedly driven by overseas sales as domestic spending remains weighed down by the pandemic. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, outbound shipments jumped 34.9 percent from a year earlier to $53.2 billion last month, the best performance that the Asia’s fourth-largest economy has ever pulled off in August.  The previ

Industry Sept. 1, 2021

Hyundai Motor Group’s honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo will donate 10 billion won ($8.63 million) to build a vaccine research center in South Korea, the company announced Tuesday. “I decided to donate the money to build a vaccine research center as a means to give back to everyone who supported Hyundai Motor Group,” Chung was quoted as saying in the group’s statement.  “I’d like to contribute to helping people overcome infectious diseases as well as i

People Aug. 31, 2021

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won filed a defamation lawsuit against a YouTube channel, saying the channel has spread false information about his private life. According to local media reports Tuesday, Chey filed a criminal complaint with the Yongsan Police Station, accusing the channel of violating slander laws. He claimed that the channel, which mainly covers the private lives of celebrities and high-profile businesspeople, aired false information about his past, relatives and his romantic r

People Aug. 31, 2021

Two researchers from Samsung Electronics will serve as vice presidents of working groups within a global mobile telecommunication standards organization, the company announced Monday. With the latest appointments, Samsung now has two chairs and five vice-chairs in the Third-Generation Partnership Project, a consortium of seven regional telecommunication standards organizations established to develop a universal standard for mobile telecommunications.  It is the largest number of seats

Industry Aug. 30, 2021

Five months after taking up the sport, Kim Arum finds herself more frequently at golf ranges -- real or virtual -- than at restaurants or cafes. She often hangs out with friends on the green, practices almost every other day at an indoor golf studio after work and splurges on golf hats, golf shirts and pants. It has become her favorite pastime these days, said Kim, who works at a TV station in Seoul. While many indoor sports suffered a blow from the virus crisis, this particular one has foun

Golf Aug. 28, 2021

Kolon Glotech, the car seat fabric maker under Kolon Group, plans to enter the aerospace business by forging strategic partnerships with local startups. The company said Thursday it has invested 6 billion won ($5.1 million) in Innospace, a South Korean aerospace manufacturing tech startup, to develop light-weight composite materials used in the launch vehicles of small satellites. Some products from Kolon Dacc Composite, a subsidiary of Kolon Glotech, are already used in products under deve

Technology Aug. 27, 2021

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 officially landed in stores worldwide Friday. The company announced Friday, that it was rolling out its latest foldable smartphones series in 40 countries including South Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and France. The products will be available in 130 countries by October, Samsung said. Presales were strong around the globe, the company said. Total preorders logged in 70 countries greatly surpassed that of its previou

Technology Aug. 27, 2021

Four out of 10 workers at major South Korean travel agencies were laid off in the past two years as the ongoing pandemic battered the tourism industry. According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service on Thursday, the total number of staff members hired at six travel companies listed in the stock market dropped by 39.7 percent compared with June 2019, before the pandemic. Korea’s largest travel agency, Hana Tour, saw the biggest drop of 52.8 percent. Mode Tour, the second-large

Industry Aug. 26, 2021