Korea Times Digital Content Reporter
Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Models pose with pre-packaged kimchi products and vegetables used for gimjang, or kimchi making, at a Homeplus branch in Seoul, Monday. The discount store chain said it will offer discounts on cabbage, radish, red pepper powder, onions and garlic as well as pre-packaged kimchi products until Nov. 27. Yonhap
Pianist Park Jong-hwa performs with Cheolma Elementary School Orchestra in Busan in a mentor program organized by Dongsuh Foods, Nov. 13. The company donated musical instruments for the small orchestra as part of its corporate social responsibility program. / Courtesy of Dongsuh FoodsBy Kwak Yeon-sooDongsuh Foods held its 12th annual Dongsuh Coffee Classic Concert in Busan, South Gyeongsang Province, inviting pianist Park Jong-hwa and members of the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra.Prior to hosting the concert at Cheolma Elementary School on Nov.13, the company organized a mentor program so that Park and Busan Philharmonic Orchestra could provide quality music lessons and perform with the student orchestra.The company also donated onstage uniforms and musical instruments, such as a bass drum and timpani, to aspiring musicians.According to the country's top coffee manufacturer, it has been organizing the Dongsuh Coffee Classic Concert for local communities and to contribute to the country's classical music scene. The free concert has presented top musicians of the country every autumn sin
Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) Chairman Huh Chang-soo, front row fourth from left, poses with Japan Business Federation Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi, front row fifth from left, and other business leaders at the 28th meeting of the Korea-Japan Business Council held in Tokyo, Friday. The two counterparts called for an end to trade and political disputes. / Courtesy of FKI
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice President and Head of Open Innovation Strategy Yun Kyoung-lim poses with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at the LA Comotion 2019 ceremony held in LA, Thursday (local time). / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group By Kwak Yeon-sooHyundai Motor has established a future mobility venture called Mocean Lab in Los Angeles as part of its initiative to create sustainable, connected platform, the company said Friday.The Mocean Lab will provide mobility services in LA and expand its services to autonomous ridesharing, shuttling and personal mobility, according to the automaker.With the latest move, Hyundai plans to integrate new mobility innovations, such as micro mobility and multi-modal transportation and realize “freedom in mobility.”“More and more customers, including LA citizens and tourists, will benefit from Mocean Lab as its service covers a larger area of the city and offers diverse mobility services,” Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice P
By Kwak Yeon-sooPedestrians walk past POSCO Center in Seoul in this 2018 file photo. / YonhapPOSCO has decided to implement an 8-to-5 workday system to foster productivity and enhance work-life balance, the company said Friday.The new system, which will take effect starting Monday, comes after the management settled a collective bargaining agreement with the labor union in September, which included advancing working hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.The union workers called for an adjustment, saying they would prefer to start and end their working day earlier than the previous 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to POSCO.“This is part of the company's efforts to guarantee a work-life balance, improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary overtime,” a POSCO official said.The steelmaker said the combined workforce of 11,000 in Seoul, Pohang and Gwangyang will be subject to change. However, about 6,500 on-site shift workers will not use the new system as they need to work shifts in order to monitor steel mills that operate 24 hours a day, it added.About 1,200 employees of POSCO International, 2,
Doosan Group Vice Chairman and CTO Lee Hyun-soon, fifth from right, poses with Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Kim Chang-beom, center, and other officials at BPPT in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday. Doosan Group held an exclusive “Doosan Tech Day” event with its major affiliates Doosan Infracore, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, and Doosan Robotics to promote new businesses in areas of developing collaborative robots and hydrogen-powered drones. / Courtesy of Doosan Group
The Conran Shop in Seoul / Courtesy of Lotte Department StoreBy Kwak Yeon-sooLondon-based high-end lifestyle retailer The Conran Shop has joined hands with Lotte Department Store to bring its first outlet to Korea.The two-story shop, which covers 3,305 square meters, is located at the Lotte Department Store Gangnam branch in Seoul. The new shop is the company's 12th global location, following cities such as Paris and Tokyo.Founded by Sir Terence Orby Conran in 1974, The Conran Shop offers a variety of lifestyle products such as furniture, lighting and electronics, as well as clothes and accessories. The place also sells pieces created by some of the most iconic designers in the world.“We are proud to be partnering with Lotte to realize this dream and I know The Conran Shop and our design philosophy will be nurtured with care and passion,” Conran said in a statement. The Conran Shop CEO Hugh Wahla expressed excitement about the new opening, saying that the shop's playful designs and curation of lifestyle products are unique. “We have a very high expectation of the Ko
Hyundai Motor's Santa Cruz Concept Company Utility Vehicle displayed at the 2015 Detroit International Auto Show / Courtesy of Hyundai MotorBy Kwak Yeon-sooHyundai Motor will build its Santa Cruz pick-up style trucks at the firm's Alabama plant in 2021, aiming to gain a stronger foothold in the North American market, the company said Thursday.The Santa Cruz, which was first introduced as a concept vehicle at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will have an open bed like a pickup truck and a lower profile like compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), according to the company. The automaker said the latest plan comes in line with its $410 million expansion project, which is expected to create new direct and indirect jobs in Montgomery and the River Region in Alabama.“Bringing the Santa Cruz to Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) demonstrates that Hyundai Motor is confident its more than 3,000 team members are ready to build a quality crossover for the U.S. market,” HMMA President and CEO Jin Byung-jin said.HMMA, which began vehicle production in M
This photo shows how R-AEB works to prevent collisions with pedestrians when parking. / Courtesy of Hyundai MobisBy Kwak Yeon-sooHyundai Mobis has developed a new rear-autonomous emergency braking technology (R-AEB) that prevents the vehicle from colliding with pedestrians or nearby obstacles when parking, the company said Wednesday.The auto parts producer said it used ultra-short-range radar (USRR) instead of a combination of camera and ultrasonic sensor to develop R-AEB technology.The USRR enables the vehicle to respond more quickly and monitor further distances compared with existing ultrasonic sensors, it said. “The ultrasonic sensor-based parking assist system can be affected by wind or noise, but the USRR-based technology is not affected by such factors,” a Hyundai Mobis official said. “The USRR-based R-AEB technology is also price competitive.”The company said it has passed the assessment tests for R-AEB conducted by Euro-NCAP and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It plans to collaborate with local car manufacturers to apply the R-AEB t
Hyundai Motorsport's team celebrates its victory at the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship in Spain, Oct. 27 (local time). / Courtesy of Hyundai MotorBy Kwak Yeon-sooHyundai Motor's rally team clinched the World Rally Championship's manufacturers' title for the first time after the season-ending Australian rally was cancelled due to the threat of bushfires, the company said Wednesday.It is the first time Hyundai Motorsport has claimed the WRC manufacturers' title in the global series, defeating defending champion Toyota Motor's rally team Toyota Gazoo Racing by 18 points.Hyundai Motorsport celebrated four victories this year en route to the title ― the Tour de Corse, Rally Argentina, Rally Italia Sardegna and Rally de Espana ― and had 13 individual podium results. Hyundai Motor's WRC drivers Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul scored three of those wins while Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio had their first victory in Sardinia.The team has shown versatile performances as the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC performed competitively in all terrain, the company said.“This has been a very spe