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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

Daewoo International puts focus on power projects

By Park Jin-haiDaewoo International, one of Korea's biggest trading companies, says power infrastructure projects will be the next driving force behind its growth.In a roadmap drawn up in September, CEO Jeon Byeong-eal designated power plant construction as one of six core tasks the company will focus on for sustainable growth, together with overseas energy development, food, mineral, steel and auto parts businesses.The company’s power infrastructure projects cover all three areas: investment in and operating power plants, building power plants and supplying equipment.“Based on our networks with affiliated companies, we have been building power infrastructure in all three areas since early 2000,” a company spokesman said.The company has more than 100 global networks over 60 countries.“We have played the role of an organizer, making business plans work both for us and our affiliates, and supplying equipment,” the spokesman said. “Because local companies have price and quality competitiveness in the fields of engineering, procurement a

Nov 17, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

GM Korea union fears massive layoffs

By Park Jin-haiGM Korea will accept applications for voluntary retirement from its workers.As part of an effort to shed production costs and improve the factory’s falling productivity, its Gunsan factory’s two-shift system will change to one-shift.The retirement program will be limited to managerial positions. But, coupled with the planned factory system change, unionists are worried that it could be a signal of upcoming large-scale layoffs.The company conducted a voluntary severance plan in February when some 300 workers left the company.The scale of the voluntary retirements this time around has not been confirmed, but it is widely speculated to be similar in size and to be done before the end of the year.Sergio Rocha, GM Korea's CEO, mentioned the Gunsan factory’s shift system change during a business presentation to unionists early this month.The company claims that the current two-shift system could jeopardize the production quota for the next generation Cruze.In December, GM decided to stop selling its Chevrolet-branded cars in Europe by the end of 2015, a mov

Nov 14, 2014By Park Jin-hai
People & Events

Hanwha director - PR person of the year

Kang Kee-sooBy Park Jin-haiHanwha Group public relations director Kang Kee-soo has been named Public Relations Person of the Year by the Korea Public Relations Association (KPRA).He was chosen for his contribution to enhancing his company’s image through media and online promotions as well as organizing cultural events and corporate social responsibility programs, according to the KPRA.Kang, 52, also served as president of Korea Accredited Public Relations, an association of more than 700 PR experts selected and fostered by KPRA over the last decade.The Ministry of Employment and Labor’s public relations campaign “Ability Comes Before Age,” which promotes the hiring of middle-aged people, won the 2014 KPRA grand prize for this promotional drive.   

Nov 13, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Hanwha director - PR person of the year
Companies

Korea announces joint fuel efficiency standards

By Park Jin-haiThe Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on Wednesday that it had agreed with two related ministries to unify their final “notification on testing for vehicle fuel efficiency, emission and fuel consumption rates.”Under the new standards, the first test of a vehicle’s fuel efficiency will be done on three cars.However, when if the average result is over 5 percent from what is claimed, tests will be carried out on another three.The final fuel efficiency will be decided by averaging all the data from tests on the six vehicles.So far, the fuel efficiency has created plenty of wrangling between ministries. The Ministry of Trade released fuel efficiency data under the category of energy conservation, the land ministry did the same based on vehicle safety and the Ministry of the Environment focused on greenhouse gas emission control.The main control has now been placed under the land ministry.The new testing standards will take effect when it and the trade and environment ministries announce a joint notification next week.The testing inst

Nov 13, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Japanese carmakers accelerate sales pitch

Models pose next to Nissan’s compact SUV Qashqai, launched in Blue Square, Hannam-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. The second generation sport utility vehicle comes in three models, with its basic model priced at 30.5 million won. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiJapan’s top three carmakers, after giving way to diesel-powered German rivals for years in the local market, are launching new cars over the last two months of the year.Nissan Korea launched its first compact diesel SUV Qashqai on Tuesday, marking the sixth anniversary of its entry into the market. The company also unveiled plans for its flagship electric vehicle “Leaf” that will be launched in December.Toyota meanwhile will launch the new Camry next week, while Honda will launch its flagship SUV CR-V in December. “This year Nissan Korea has posted a 40 percent annual sales increase from the previous year,” said Takehiko Kikuchi, president of Nissan Korea, during Qashqai’s launching event in Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Tuesday.“The newly launched Qashiqai, together with the Altima will

Nov 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Hanwha Advanced Materials to relocate to Sejong

By Park Jin-hai Hanwha Advanced Materials, a unit of Hanwha Group, will relocate its headquarters to Sejong City from Seoul.The company has two local factories in Sejong City and Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, where it produces materials for vehicles and solar panels. “By having our headquarters near factories, we will be able to eliminate the time and physical distances,” said Kim Chang-bum, CEO of Hanwha Advanced Materials. “It will fasten policy making and create synergic effects. We could better cope with the fast changing demands of advanced materials and cut costs.”By moving to a local Chungcheong Province, the home for its parent group, the company aims to revive the regional economy as well, he added.Kim, who has been working there since last month, said that teams responsible for project planning and personnel will move to the city from December.By the time the construction of the four-story headquarters is completed in the latter half of next year, all employees except for automotive and solar material marketing divisions will be relo

Nov 9, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

POSCO E&C turns to Latin America

A Kallpa 830MW combined cycle power plant that POSCO E&C constructed in Peru/ Courtesy of POSCO E&CBy Park Jin-haiPOSCO Engineering and Construction (E&C) says it will continue to expand its operations in Latin America, which it said is the next gold mine for the construction industry.“We have diversified our overseas market from early on. When all our rivals focused solely on the Middle East, we ventured to the then-untapped Latin American market,” said a company spokesman.Since it has established a control tower to oversee its overseas construction projects in December 2006, the company has actively sought business opportunities in Chile, Peru and varying Central American countries.Starting from winning the construction contract for Chile’s Ventanas coal-fired power plants, it has successively bagged the Campiche and Angamous projects in that country.In 2009, it also entered the Peruvian energy market for the first time after it secured coal-fired power plant projects for two consecutive years.The Pohang-based builder has won $4.74 billion worth of dea

Nov 6, 2014By Park Jin-hai
POSCO E&C turns to Latin America
Companies

Peugeot tops in fuel efficiency satisfaction

By Park Jin-haiFrench carmaker Peugeot is the brand that customers are most satisfied with when it comes to fuel efficiency, according to Marketing Insight.The automotive research firm polled 22,819 drivers who purchased vehicles less than three years ago and released its index on brand satisfaction in the area of fuel economy Tuesday.  Peugeot ranked top, scoring 86 points out of 100, followed by Volkswagen with 85.5 points and BMW with 78.8 points.Among local automakers, Renault Samsung and GM Korea shared the honors, scoring 60.7 points.  However, customer satisfaction with fuel efficiency between imported and local brands showed a wide gap.Imported brands had an average of 74.5 points, while local brands scored only 57.2 points on average, below the industry average of 59 points.“Customers have shown a clear difference in satisfaction between foreign cars and local ones. That difference was even wider in the diesel car category,” said a researcher at the firm.“It signifies that if the local diesel cars don’t catch up with the imported cars’

Nov 5, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Hyundai to pay big fine in US

By Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor and Kia Motors have agreed to pay a combined $300 million in penalties in the United States for overstating gas-mileage figures, the automaker said Tuesday.It is the largest penalty to be slapped on an automaker in U.S. history.“This is the last procedure that closes the 2012 case. Although there have been some discrepancies in interpreting the EPA fuel economy testing’s standards, we chose to end the dispute and focus our corporate potential more on product marketing and technology development,” said a company official.Under the agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Justice Department, the Korean auto group will pay $100 million in civil penalties as well as forfeiting $200 million in greenhouse-gas emission credits.The deal comes on the heels of the firm’s $400 million settlement of a U.S. class-action suit over its mileage claims in December, through which it paid each affected vehicle owners about $353 each.The adjustment affects 1.2 million vehicles, or a quarter of Hyundai-Kia 2011-2013 vehicle

Nov 4, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

GM Korea to compensate for mileage overstatement

Chevrolet CruzeFuel economy of Cruze adjusted downwardBy Park Jin-haiGM Korea, the Korean unit of U.S. auto giant General Motors, lowered its Cruze compact’s promised fuel efficiency and announced it would provide cash compensation to owners.Through its voluntary readjustment announcement released Monday, the company admitted that the previously claimed mileage for the 1.8-liter Chevrolet Cruze, model years 2010-2014, did not comply with the more updated government mileage testing rules.The vehicle has been subject to fuel efficiency testing this year, along with 13 others, by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).It has downgraded the Cruze sedan’s mileage from 12.4 kilometers per liter of fuel to 11.3, while its hatchback’s mileage was lowered to 11.1 kilometers per liter from 12.4.“Following internal test results, we decided to immediately make the necessary rating changes,” said GM Korea President and CEO Sergio Rocha, offering an apology to all impacted customers.The regulation on automobiles’ fuel efficiency and grade sys

Nov 3, 2014By Park Jin-hai
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