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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

Bentley launches more affordable luxury sedan

Models pose next to the new Bentley Flying Spur V8 during a launch event at Banyan Tree in central Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Bentley MotorsBy Park Jin-hai“For Flying Spur model, Bentley Korea is the top selling dealer in the worldwide,” said Tim Mackinlay, Asia Pacific regional director at Bentley Motors.This year has been exceptionally good year for Bentley Korea as the company has sold 198 Bentleys, a 133 percent increase year-on-year, during the first eight months, he said.“This year with the launch of this new model, we hope to increase the sales to 290 units,” he added at the launching event for its luxury sedan Flying Spur V8 at Banyan Tree in Seoul, Thursday.The British luxury sedan is covered in silver and has a sculpted exterior. That what makes Bentley a Bentley: being “beautiful, exclusive and precise,” according to its chief designer Lee Sang-yup.The four-door sedan shares the same 4-liter V8 engine the Bentley Continental GT V8.Its twin-turbo engine delivers 507 horsepower and takes only 5.2 seconds to accelerate the Flying Spur V

Sep 18, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Kia Motors to develop second smartwatch

By Park Jin-haiKia Motors’ smartwatchKia Motors plans to develop a watch that can remotely open a car’s doors, start the engine and also switch on the air conditioning.The wristwatch is an upgraded version of the K3 Watch the company unveiled earlier this month in its promotion of K3 sedans, marking the second anniversary of its launch.  “Customer response to the watch was better than we expected. Now we are preparing to develop the next K3 Watch,” said a company official.With the watch, Kia became the first local automaker to roll out such a device.The company expects to receive about 1,500 orders from customers who purchase K3 sedans this month.As of Tuesday, 1,020 customers ordered the watches.The company initially expected that about 30 percent of the total offered would be sold to customers.Kia officials said that developing remote control watches for cars was not particularity challenging, since currently mobile applications can also start ignitions.For instance, Hyundai and Kia use telematics services or wireless Internet for vehicles, called Blue

Sep 17, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Kia Motors to develop second smartwatch
Companies

LG Chem, Samsung SDI expected to pick up steam

By Park Jin-haiShare prices of LG Chem and Samsung SDI, two major vehicle battery suppliers, closed sharply higher Wednesday on expectations that they will provide more batteries to Nissan and other global automakers, according to analysts.LG Chem closed up 2.81 percent, or 7,500 won, at 274,000 won. Samsung SDI ended up 3.42 percent, or 5,000 won, at 151,000 won. The KOSPI closed up 0.96 percent, or 19.69 points, at 2,062.61.Their gains were boosted by the reports that Renault Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the Japanese automaker is considering purchasing LG Chem’s batteries for Nissan’s future electric vehicles (EV).The firm already closed a deal to jointly develop next generation EV batteries with Renault in May.LG Chem supplies its car batteries to more than 20 global carmakers including Audi, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.  Ghosn was quoted as saying Nissan is preparing to cut in-house battery manufacturing and follow Renault in buying cheaper batteries from LG Chem for future vehicles, including models made in China.Samsung SDI shares were booste

Sep 17, 2014By Park Jin-hai
LG Chem, Samsung SDI expected to pick up steam
Companies

Halla Visteon opens fourth Mexican plant

By Park Jin-haiHalla Visteon Climate Control (HVCC), a leading auto parts manufacturer, started its production on its fourth Mexican plant.The new facility aims to support its growing business with global vehicle manufacturers in the region, announced the company on Monday.The new plant in Queretaro, in central Mexico will manufacture automotive heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units for automakers.“With the strategic location of the new plant, we will be able to supply parts more expediently as well as fully supporting our customers in the region,” said Park Yong-hwan, HVCC president.  Initially, it will have the capacity to produce 260,000 the HVAC system modules annually, but plants to expand it to more than 500,000 units a year.HVCC currently has three wholly owned manufacturing operations in Ciudad Juarez, located in northern Mexico, supplying parts to Ford and Nissan.Shin Chung-kwan, an analyst at KB Investment and Securities, said that its plant is expected to supply parts to Kia Motors, which will build a $1 billion production plant in Mexico

Sep 16, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Second sales boom for Compact SUVs

By Park Jin-haiCar dealers are enjoying another boom in sales of sports utility vehicles, similar to a peak of transactions seen in 2004.In the first eight months of this year, SUV sales by the country's five carmakers ― including Hyundai Motor, GM Korea and Renault Samsung Motors ― hit 213,144, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (KAMA). This accounts for 27 percent of all vehicle sales in the period.“That means nearly one out of three cars sold to customers turns out to be an SUV. At this pace, we might see their sales passing the 300,000 mark, or taking up 30 percent of all new car sales this year,” a KAMA official said.The total is larger than the market share of 17.9 percent reached by midsize sedans, and 15.7 percent by compacts in the same period.SUVs’ sales peaked in 2004, when they accounted for 30.6 percent of all cars sold in the country, but lost ground in subsequent years.“What is different this time is that the small-size SUVs are leading the sales, as did the classic SUVs like the Hyundai Motor Sorento, L

Sep 15, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Hyundai Motor launches 2015 Accent

By Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor’s flagship subcompact car Accent was launched on Monday, with an upscale exterior, upgraded safety and new infotainment features.On top of its stylish looking grill and headlamp, the nations’ top carmaker said the new Accent has various safety features including a tire monitoring system as well as side airbags to better protect passengers in the event of a rollover.“The best-selling Accent model has evolved into a reinforced but reasonably priced one,” said Hyundai Motor official. “It will be a choice that meets the drivers’ need for an economical yet having a stylish compact car.”The new Accent added three new colors to its exterior and has improved connectivity for smart mobile devices, reflecting the needs of younger buyers. A new seven-inch infotainment and navigation screen are offered as extras.The company said the new Accent gives best the value for money. Despite more features and upgrades from its outgoing 2014 model, its sticker price only went up 240,000 won.For the upper trim model, with the 640,000 wo

Sep 15, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Hyundai lags behind rivals in EV market

By Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor has lagged behind its Japanese and Chinese rivals in the race to take a bigger bite of the electric vehicle market in the first half of the year.The largest local carmaker represented 0.2 percent of the total market, according to automotive industry research website Marklines on Sunday.“Hyundai-Kia Motors’ advance in the hybrid and electric car sector has been slower than its overseas rivals. It has made no marked improvement in fuel efficiency,” said Shin Dong-seok, an analyst at Samsung Securities.Hyundai-Kia Motors’ EV Ray sold a meager 139 globally in the first half. The carmaker’s electric vehicle sales contracted to 277 in 2013 from 531 in 2012.“The lack of EV lineups could explain the less-than-expected performance in the electric vehicle market,” said Shin Chung-kwan, an analyst at KB Investment and Securities.“The automaker has been rather concentrating on the development of other environmentally friendly vehicles such as hybrid and hydrogen vehicles instead,” he added.As the latecomer in the

Sep 14, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Lotte Duty Free loses Sydney Airport bid

By Park Jin-haiLee Hong-kyunCEO of Lotte Duty FreeThe world’s fourth-largest duty free chain, Lotte Duty Free, lost a bid to run an outlet at Sydney Airport.The company that operates Australia's biggest airport said in a Sept. 4 press release that it picked German firm Gebr. Heinemann as its new duty free partner to run five shops in its terminal from February 2015 - August 2022.The announcement came as a surprise, as the Lotte Duty Free officials were confident about winning the bid.Until the opening event for Kansai Airport duty free shops in Japan on Thursday, the company said that it was looking to become the third-largest global player in the duty free business by entering into the Australian airport.  Lotte Duty Free apparently lost the bid to the German firm by a small margin.Due to the market saturation, Lotte Duty Free has been expanding its overseas businesses.Following the lost bid to its local rival Shilla Duty Free over the operation at the Singapore Changi Airport, the company has focused on winning the Sydney Airport bid.  “Since Lotte Duty F

Sep 5, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Lotte Duty Free loses Sydney Airport bid
Companies

Hyundai gives up on Winia Mando

Staff examines the production line for Winia Mando’s kimchi refrigerator, at its Asan plant, South Chungcheong Province. / Korea TimesBy Park Jin-haiHyundai Group has give up its plan to acquire Winia Mando, a refrigerator and air conditioner maker, which the conglomerate sold 15 years ago.Hyundai Green Food, a subsidiary of leading domestic retailer Hyundai Department Store, announced on Friday that it cancelled a 150 billion won deal with global private equity firm CVC Capital Partners to purchase the firm.Winia Mando is renowned for its “Dimchae” refrigerator for storing kimchi.Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding with the equity firm on Aug. 7 for the purchase of Winia Mando. It was sold to CVC Capital Partners in 1999.Following due diligence, the two parties should have signed a share purchase deal by Sept. 4. By failing to do so, the deal was declared null and void.The failure leaves the appliance manufacturer on the market again.The defaulted deal will ensure that Hyundai Department Store suffers a setback in its bid to expand its business as well.The

Sep 5, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Companies

Land Rover to offer space trip in celebration of its new SUV Discovery Sport launch

By Park Jin-haiLand Rover Korea on Tuesday released a photograph of its Discovery Sport, which will be available in Seoul during the first half of next year.The premium compact SUV, is equipped with a slick nine-speed automatic transmission, available in three engine types ― a 2.0-liter gasoline and a 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine with different capacity.The gasoline model generates a maximum 240 horsepower, while the diesel models can generate 150 and 190 horsepower.As part of its commercial launch, the British automaker is holding a world-wide “Land Rover Galactic Discovery” competition, in which four winners will be offered a space trip on Virgin Galactic. “Only Land Rover could offer this incredible opportunity: the chance to win the most spectacular group journey of a lifetime. Our heritage is rooted in adventure, exploration and a desire to go above and beyond, and nothing embodies this spirit of discovery more than a trip to space,” said Phil Popham, Jaguar Land Rover group marketing director.The announcement of the four winners will be made i

Sep 4, 2014By Park Jin-hai
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