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Park Jin-hai

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.

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Companies

NZ participant bags new ideas from camp

By Park Jin-haiChristopher Paul KevilleChristopher Paul Keville, operations manager at Dongwha New Zealand, says communication has been an issue at his work place too.“It wasn’t serious, but it was more a misunderstanding. From our point of view, the Korean culture is still foreign to us, and it’s not something we see day to day,” he said during the interview with The Korea Times.The ways of thinking and the decision-making processes are really quite different, he said.“Your schooling is very different from our schooling. It is quite normal for one of my staff to bypass me and talk to my manager in New Zealand. In Korean culture, that is disrespectful. There are things like that where we’ve had to learn to adapt and change, make sure we’re not building a fence and blocking what we’re trying to do every day.”Keville, who is visiting Korea with four other New Zealanders, says he is still on a steep learning curve. “At the end of the day, I’m in the middle. I will respect the Korean way when I’m dealing with my Kore

Sep 22, 2015By Park Jin-hai
NZ participant bags new ideas from camp
  • One Dongwha Camp boosts understanding, communication
Companies

'I am proud to be Dongwha family'

By Park Jin-haiPhan Dinh ToanPhan Dinh Toan, logistics team manager and elected trade union chairman of VRG Dongwha MDF in Vietnam, says that before he joined the company his perception of Korean companies was largely negative.“As we see in newspaper reports about hot-tempered and abusive Korean owners beating Vietnamese employees, my image about Korean firms was not good,” said Phan during an interview with The Korea Times.But since he joined Dongwha, he said he is proud to be part of the Dongwha family.“Our workers’ morale is especially high,” said Phan, the father of two children.  “The Vietnam plant capacity has increased 20 percent in the past two years. Previously, Vietnamese workers moved to the region to work at the plant by themselves without their families because it is far from the capital. Now their families are moving to the region to be with them, because they see the company has further growth potential.”  Because the plant is operating at capacity, another production line will be added by next year, Phan said.He said

Sep 22, 2015By Park Jin-hai
'I am proud to be Dongwha family'
  • One Dongwha Camp boosts understanding, communication
Companies

Lotte to launch mobile payment system this month

By Park Jin-haiShin Dong-binLotte Group ChairmanLotte Group said Monday it has completed its L-Pay mobile payment system and will start operating the service this month.This has been regarded as the key to the group’s omni-channel shopping system that ties together all means of purchasing, such as on- and off-line venues and mobile devices.The L-Pay enables customers to use L Point credit card points as well as Lotte credit card and all other credit cards with ease, once they download an application on their smart phones.“To extend our business area, we have launched the innovation lab and we will continue to find new business opportunities. In the finance sector, we are diversifying our business portfolio from the credit card business to fintech,” said Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin at a recent Asian Business Counsel forum.“We plan to start commercial services this month,” he added.As the retail mogul is about to make inroads into the mobile payment system, based on its off-line retail networks, industry watchers expect competition in the mobile pay

Sep 21, 2015By Park Jin-hai
Lotte to launch mobile payment system this month
Companies

HiteJinro launches premium soju gift sets

Ilpoom Jinro setBy Park Jin-haiHiteJinro launched premium soju and wine gift sets for the Chuseok holiday, said the company on Sunday.The leading beverage maker of the nation rolled out its Ilpoom Jinro set and 35 kinds of wines for the season.Ilpoom Jinro soju, a 10 year old soju distilled from pure rice and aged in oak, has been popular during the holiday season as a gift set for years.With its distinctive taste with clean and smooth notes and a lasting delicate scent, the limited edition gift set sells out quickly after its release each season, said the company.Two bottles of Ilpoom Jinro soju (375 ml, each) and a pair of shot glasses and another pair of cocktail glasses come with each set.For this year’s set, golden colored silk cloth encase the bottles, while the traditionally made Hanji paper label adds to the attractiveness of the gift set.Ilpoom Jinro soju began selling at the Dubai International Airport in the UAE in August, raising awareness of Korean premium soju overseas.The liquor was given awards at three top world spirit competitions, including the Monde Selectio

Sep 20, 2015By Park Jin-hai
HiteJinro launches premium soju gift sets
Companies

Rexton W revives Ssyangyong's old honor as classic SUV maker

Ssangyong Motors’ Rexton W SUVBy Park Jin-haiAt first, it sounds like another tall task for Ssangyong Motors, after the now-popular the Tivoli compact SUV was driven on a race track.The mid-size SUV is Ssangyong’s second ambition to take back the glory it enjoyed as the maker of the best SUVs in Korea. If the Tivoli SUV aims at the urban driver, the Rexton W aims to be the “SUV to the bone” customized for the off-road.Armed with an engine that meets Euro-6 emission standards and a Mercedes seven-speed transmission, the new Rexton W’s media test-drive took place on Mount Kalbong, in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, the hot spot for mountain bikers and off-road drivers. Driving on a gravel road climbing a rugged 900 meters, the new Rexton W SUV was certainly a challenge to drive.  The gravel road, covered as it was with large rocks all along the way, the SUV took a beating, but the 2.2-liter diesel powered SUV was drivable, even when the road was at its roughest.The impact delivered to the driver, despite the rough road, was not as much as I expected

Sep 17, 2015By Park Jin-hai
Companies

McLaren unveils 570S sports car

McLaren's Asia Pacific Director David McIntyre, left, poses with McLaren Seoul CEO Pablo Lee at the company's showroom in southern Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of McLarenBy Park Jin-haiBritish high performance carmaker McLaren unveiled its 570S sports car here Thursday, prior to it going on sale in April.The gull-wing, two-door sports coupe, had its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in March, and has been predicted to triple the company’s sales by 2020.With 30 percent of its previous engine parts redesigned, it can deliver 570 horsepower and take just 3.2 seconds to accelerate to 100 kilometer per hour from standstill. It takes 9.5 seconds to speed up to 200 kilometer per hour.It is focused on the daily drive. The car’s suspension has been redesigned, while door pockets, and a console and glove boxes have been added, said the company. “McLaren 570S’ debut is a black swan moment. Like people found that the black swan broke their perception of swans, the 570S is a sports car with never before seen specifications and design,” s

Sep 17, 2015By Park Jin-hai
McLaren unveils 570S sports car
Companies

GS Engineering bags $306 mil. deal in Kuwait

GS Engineering & Construction CEO Lim Byung-yong, left, and Hashem Sayed Hashem, Kuiwait Oil Company (KOC) CEO, shake hands after signing a contract for construction of the New Water Center, at the KOC’s headquarters in Kuwait City, Tuesday. / Courtesy of GS E&CBy Park Jin-haiGS Engineering & Construction, the construction arm of GS Group, said Wednesday that it has secured a $306 million deal to build a water treatment plant in Kuwait.The company said it won the bid for the state-run Kuwait Oil Company’s (KOC) new water center project. GS Engineering will build water treatment facilities and pipelines in the North Oil Field, 90 kilometers north of Kuwait City.The turnkey project will take three years to complete.GS Engineering has been carrying out multiple projects in the Middle Eastern country, including two previous projects with the KOC.It said that with the third project, the partnership with the KOC has been strengthened further, potentially paving the way for other deals in the future.“GS Engineering has ample experience in Kuwait. Based on the a

Sep 16, 2015By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Hyundai ends dispute with subcontractor

By Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor’s dispute with its subcontractors came to an end as the company agreed with its labor union Monday to hire all in-house subcontractors as permanent employees.Under the tentative agreement, the company will expand the number of subcontractors turning into regular workers to 6,000, from the previously agreed upon 4, 000, by 2017.In return, the subcontractors’ union will drop all the civil court cases that they have filed related to their job status.Under the labor law, businesses that hire subcontracted workers for more than two years should give them full-time worker status.Since 2010, when the nation's top court ruled in favor of one in-house subcontract worker at the company, other similar court cases followed, creating a constant source of management-labor conflict.More than 1,200 other subcontract workers also filed a class action suit against the company in September 2010, with some taking a 296-day protest on top of a high-rise steel tower calling for their non-permanent status to be changed to that of regular employees.“Following t

Sep 15, 2015By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Kia Motors launches the new Sportage SUV

Models pose next to Kia Motors new Sportage compact SUV, during a launch event at the W Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Kia MotorsBy Park Jin-haiKia Motors launched the new Sportage compact SUV, Tuesday.The nation’s second-largest automaker is pinning high hopes on the urban compact SUV, and the recently rolled out K5 sedan, to lead sales at home and abroad.The fully changed fourth-generation compact SUV has been ambitiously developed under the project QL, with an investment of 390 billion won.The slogan “The SUV Sportage” is the carmaker’s effort to develop the ultimate SUV that will meet the needs of people with the best design and performance.  “The new Sportage is an innovative model that will help Kia leap into becoming the top automaker in the global SUV market. With the Sportage, we will let the world know that our cars can outpace German and Japanese cars once more,” said Park Han-woo, Kia Motors president, during a launch event at the W Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.The Sportage has been one of Kia’s top-selling vehicles, selli

Sep 15, 2015By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Hyundai Motor reveals recruitment guidelines

By Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor Group, the most sought-after workplace among fresh university graduates alongside Samsung Group, disclosed its recruitment criteria on its official website Monday.The criteria, directly delivered from its point man on recruitment, rate cover letters relevant to the jobs as the most important, followed by basic GPA requirements, English ability and academic background.This is the first time that Hyundai Motor has made such information public.The company said if an applicant is deemed to have motivation for a particular job, a low GPA score and poor academic background will be considered less important.Analysts say that this is part of the company’s efforts to come closer to job seekers in line with the government policy to hire more young people.Hyundai Motor Group is looking to hire some 4,000 people, while over 100,000 are expected to apply for the jobs.  In writing the cover letter, the sincerity of the person will be preferred to flawless writing skills.“Although it may sound less professional, applicants telling their stories sincerel

Sep 14, 2015By Park Jin-hai
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