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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Korea, France fortify ties in biotech, eco-friendly energy, AI

Korea and France agreed Friday to fortify their partnership in three key future industries — biotechnology, decarbonization and artificial intelligence (AI) — in a joint effort to expand bilateral economic ties, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said. Both sides presented a road map during the Korea-France Business Dialogue, co-hosted by FKI and France’s Mouvement des Entreprises de France. The event coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Korea and drew more than 300 participants from both countries, including Macron and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. In the biotech session, executives from biotech and health care firms based in Seoul and Paris explored ways to combine Korea’s manufacturing and clinical expertise with France’s research and capital resources to enhance their global competitiveness in next-generation biotech. The panelists included Servier Korea General Manager Olivier Russo and Cho Yong-hyun, data platform division lead at Kakao Healthcare. The decarbonization session discussed collaborative hydrogen initiatives and sustainable

Apr 3, 2026By Lee Min-hyung
Korea, France fortify ties in biotech, eco-friendly energy, AI

Korean Air partners with France's Exotrail to build space taxis for satellites

Korean Air said Friday it signed a memorandum of understanding with French space mobility company Exotrail to cooperate on orbital transfer vehicle services. The signing ceremony was held at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul hotel in Yeouido, Thursday. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on advanced space services, including low Earth orbit satellite transportation and payload hosting, multiorbit satellite deployment, and satellite life extension and refueling. They plan to form a joint working group to begin detailed discussions on launch plans and optimizing orbital transportation costs. Central to that effort are orbital transfer vehicles, designed to carry small satellites released from a larger launch vehicle to their precise target orbits — what the industry often calls “last-mile” delivery in space. After deployment, such vehicles can also support stable satellite operations through in-orbit services, including orbital correction, life extension, refueling and payload hosting. Demand for cluster launches of small satellites has risen sharply, increasing the im

Apr 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korean Air partners with France's Exotrail to build space taxis for satellites

Refiners remain cautious over switch to US crude

U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent call for allies to buy crude from his country instead of the Middle East has been considered economically unfeasible from the perspective of Korean oil refiners. Although Korea has been reducing its reliance on the Middle East by increasing imports from the United States, which has become the world’s largest oil producer, refiners cite facilities geared toward heavy crude oil and the longer shipping distance as major obstacles to a complete replacement. “Most Korean refineries are optimized to process heavy crude from the Middle East, though they can blend in some light crude without damaging their facilities,” an official at one of Korea’s major refiners said on condition of anonymity. “For companies to boost U.S. crude imports, they would need large-scale investments to remodel their plants, but that is an excessive burden under the current oil price cap system, which forces them to sell products at a loss.” He added that transporting crude from inland or southern U.S. regions is more expensive. Because very large crude carriers must tr

Apr 3, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk
Refiners remain cautious over switch to US crude

Asiana Airlines launches route to Hungary in expansion strategy

Asiana Airlines, Korea's second-largest carrier, said Friday it has launched a route to Hungary as part of efforts to expand its European network. The airline will operate three weekly flights on the Incheon–Budapest route, beginning with its inaugural flight Friday, the company said in a press release. With the addition of Budapest, Asiana now serves nine cities across eight European countries: Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Spain, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Globally, the carrier operates 68 passenger aircraft on 59 international routes serving 54 cities in 20 countries, along with seven domestic routes connecting six cities. Separately, Asiana last year completed the sale of its cargo business to Air Incheon Co., the country's only dedicated cargo airline, for 470 billion won ($342 million).

Apr 3, 2026By Yonhap
Asiana Airlines launches route to Hungary in expansion strategy

Toyota Motor Korea presents Sienna Hybrid to Paralympics MVP Kim Yun-ji

Toyota Motor Korea said Friday it presented a Toyota Sienna Hybrid to Kim Yun-ji, who was named the Korean team’s most valuable player at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The ceremony was attended by Manabu Konyama, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, Korean Paralympic Committee Chairman Jung Jin-owan and Kim's family. Kim, 19, competed in six events across para biathlon and para cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, winning two gold medals and three silver medals. Her five-medal haul set a record for the most by a Korean athlete at a single Olympic or Paralympic Games, summer or winter. She was later named the national team’s MVP in a vote by journalists covering the Korean Paralympic Committee. Toyota Motor Korea said the vehicle presentation was part of its global “Start Your Impossible” campaign, which emphasizes pushing beyond perceived limits, and was meant to honor Kim’s performance at her first Paralympic Games. “The fighting spirit shown by Kim has deeply moved and inspired us all. Toyota Motor Korea will continue to fully support a

Apr 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Toyota Motor Korea presents Sienna Hybrid to Paralympics MVP Kim Yun-ji

Chaevi plans US production base to qualify for federal subsidies

Electric vehicle (EV) power equipment maker Chaevi said Friday that it is moving to establish a U.S. production base to qualify for federal subsidies, as the government accelerates the rollout of multibillion-dollar infrastructure grants. Under the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, federal and state governments have jointly committed $5 billion to install charging infrastructure along the nation’s major interstate highways. Of the total budget, approximately 16 percent has been reportedly disbursed to date, leaving the bulk of anticipated contracts still to be awarded. With funding concentrated in major states including California and Texas, securing a local manufacturing presence has become a key competitive factor. Chaevi said it will move to respond flexibly once the detailed requirements under the Build America Buy America Act are finalized. According to the EV fast-charging infrastructure operator, the U.S. DC-type fast-charging market has grown at an average annual rate exceeding 30 percent, su

Apr 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Chaevi plans US production base to qualify for federal subsidies

Jin Air expands regional reach with new Japan, Hong Kong routes

Jin Air said Friday it held inaugural flight events at Gimhae International Airport and Jeju International Airport to mark the launch of new routes to Miyakojima, Japan, and to Hong Kong. The ceremonies were attended by Jin Air CEO Park Byung-ryul and staff, who presented bouquets to the flight crews boarding the inaugural journeys and posed for commemorative photographs to mark the occasion. The Busan-Miyakojima route, operated exclusively by Jin Air among Korean carriers, departs Gimhae at 2:45 p.m. and lands in Miyakojima, Okinawa prefecture, at 5 p.m., with flights twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays. Previously, travelers from North and South Gyeongsang provinces had to stop over in Okinawa’s main city to reach the so-called “Maldives of Japan.” The Jeju-Hong Kong route departs Jeju daily at 9:30 p.m., arriving in Hong Kong at 11:35 p.m. local time. The return flight leaves Hong Kong at 2 a.m. local time and lands in Jeju at 6:05 a.m. The airline said the schedule caters to Hong Kong tourists drawn to Jeju’s natural scenery and to local residents who want direct flights af

Apr 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Jin Air expands regional reach with new Japan, Hong Kong routes

LG Energy Solution joins SDVerse, forging new link in software-defined vehicle market

LG Energy Solution said Thursday that it has joined SDVerse, becoming the first battery maker to participate in the automotive software business-to-business marketplace. Founded through a partnership among General Motors, Magna International and Wipro, SDVerse operates as an open marketplace where automakers, suppliers and developers can buy and sell automotive software in a single environment. The platform is widely seen as a key enabler of the industry’s shift toward software-defined vehicles. LG Energy Solution said it is listing five battery software offerings on SDVerse: Battery Platform SW, Safety Diagnostic Calibration Tool, Onboard FRISM, Onboard BLiS and Onboard DASH. Battery Platform SW analyzes key indicators of battery health, including degradation and lifespan, adapting the company’s existing battery management system technology for software-defined vehicle environments. The Safety Diagnostic Calibration Tool conducts safety diagnostics and simulation validation using battery data, employing in-house algorithms that reduce reliance on external inputs and limit security r

Apr 3, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
LG Energy Solution joins SDVerse, forging new link in software-defined vehicle market

Premium electric SUV segment becomes increasingly contested in Korea

Global automakers are joining a full-fledged race for the premium electric SUV market in Korea, with major German, European and Chinese brands rushing to launch their new strategic models here. The segment has recently emerged as a major battlefield for the auto industry, as customers are getting more responsive to all-electric cars than before. This is evidenced by solid sales from such models, including Audi Korea’s Q4 e-tron and Porsche Korea’s Macan Electric. Mercedes-Benz Korea and BMW Korea are also expanding their push into the electric SUV market, so they can secure a bigger share in the emerging yet lucrative premium electric SUV segment. Of particular interest is that what was once a competitive landscape dominated by the three German luxury carmakers is now evolving into a more intense battleground, with Volvo and emerging Chinese brands, such as Zeekr, joining the fray. BMW Korea is set to launch its strategic electric SUV — the iX3 — in the third quarter of this year. The vehicle made headlines as the carmaker’s first model under the Neue Klasse electric-only platf

Apr 3, 2026By Lee Min-hyung
Premium electric SUV segment becomes increasingly contested in Korea

Korean Air vows faithful response to US lawsuit over in-flight death

Korean Air said Friday it will faithfully respond to legal procedures in the United States, where a lawsuit was filed in Virginia on behalf of the estate of Porscha Tynisha Brown, who died at age 33 in March 2024 during a flight from Washington to Incheon operated by the airline. Burns Charest, the law firm representing the complainants, claimed her death resulted from a series of critical failures by Korean Air flight personnel. According to the complaint, Brown experienced sudden respiratory distress about 12 hours into the flight, telling her traveling companions and crew members, "I can't breathe," before collapsing. "Although flight attendants provided what they claimed to be an oxygen mask, after the flight, eyewitnesses discovered the mask was never connected to an oxygen supply, leaving Ms. Brown without the life-saving oxygen she urgently needed," the complaint reads. The law firm said flight personnel stood by and watched as untrained passengers were unable to operate the machine, even after the aircraft's automated external defibrillator indicated that a shock was necessary to

Apr 3, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk
Korean Air vows faithful response to US lawsuit over in-flight death
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