Business / Corporate Oct 22, 2021

Tesla looks to pave the way for Chinese battery makers to come to U.S.

The two biggest economies have many disputes to resolve, and China's regulatory crackdowns in tech could pose another hurdle.

Business Aug 24, 2021

A secret weapon for self-driving car startups: human safety operators

With no end in sight to the technical and regulatory obstacles to free-range, driverless taxis, some companies are accepting the need for human minders and scaling down their ambitions.

Business Jun 30, 2021

Elon Musk touts Starlink progress as cost and demand hurdles linger

If the service is successful, it could vastly expand the reach of broadband internet around the world and even provide a new platform for traders and others with exotic internet needs.

Business Apr 21, 2021

Tesla drives on Autopilot through a regulatory gray zone

The fatal crash of a Tesla with no one apparently behind the wheel has cast a new light on the safety of semiautonomous vehicles and the nebulous U.S. regulatory terrain they navigate.

Asia Pacific / Science & Health Mar 20, 2020

Why South Korea trounced U.S. in race for coronavirus test

In late January, South Korean health officials summoned representatives from more than 20 medical companies from their Lunar New Year celebrations to a conference room tucked inside Seoul's busy train station. One of the country's top infectious disease officials delivered an urgent message: South Korea ...

Business Aug 14, 2018

South Korea's 'Hyundai Town' faces grim future with idled shipyard, rise in suicides

When Lee Dong-hee came to Ulsan to work for Hyundai Heavy Industries five years ago, shipyards in the city known as Hyundai Town operated day and night and workers could make triple South Korea's annual average salary. But the 52-year-old was laid off in January, ...

Business / Corporate Apr 20, 2018

GM Korea fails to reach wage deal, edging closer to bankruptcy filing

General Motors' South Korean unit and its labor union failed to reach a wage deal by Friday, breaching a deadline set by the U.S. automaker to seek bankruptcy protection for the loss-making unit. A source familiar with the matter said GM Korea will hold a ...

Business May 17, 2017

Hyundai engineer blows whistle on 'chaebol' culture

South Korean engineer Kim Gwang-ho flew to Washington last year to do something he never dreamed he would: report alleged safety lapses at Hyundai Motor Co., his employer of 26 years, to U.S. regulators. Citing an internal report from Hyundai's quality strategy team to management, ...

Asia Pacific / Politics Apr 2, 2017

'Chaebol' reform issue tops South Korean presidential race — again

South Korea's family-run conglomerates are facing calls for a shake-up in their governance from a leading candidate in May's presidential election, following the ouster and arrest of former President Park Geun-hye in a burgeoning influence-peddling scandal. The conglomerates known as "chaebol" have come under the ...