Hyundai Sonata Popular Amid Declining Sales

Sales of Hyundai's mid-size sedan Sonata in the U.S. last month rose around 19 percent compared to October.

Hyundai in a press release Wednesday said its improved sales record was mostly due to strong sales of its newly-modified LF Sontata which was rolled out in the U.S. in May and sold some 18,515 units in November alone.

The sales were helped by stellar reviews by U.S. media and market researchers. USA Today compared 10 mid-sized sedans, including the Volkswagen Passat and Toyota Camry, and ranked the LF Sonata top.

Auto industry website Edmunds.com said it has probably the best safety features in its class.

However, overall sales of Hyundai and affiliate Kia in the U.S. were down around three percent on year to 98,608 vehicles.

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Dried Seaweed Gets Popular Overseas

Laver, or dried seaweed, is gaining popularity overseas.

According to the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday, exports of processed laver rose 14 percent on-year to US$166.94 million between January and October. Prices also jumped 14 percent on-year to $18,117 per ton.

Korea saw double-digit growth in exports of laver for the past ten years. Last year, exports reached $180.02 million, rising 5-fold compared to a decade ago.

The number of exporting countries also doubled from 38 countries in 2004 to 76 this year. In particular, exports to North America grew significantly in the past few years, with those to the U.S. soaring from $20 million in 2010 to $63 million last year.

The rise is attributed to laver's health benefits, a market insider said. In September, NBC introduced Korean laver as a healthy snack for children, giving it more publicity, he added.

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