Latest News

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  SK Telecom to upgrade AI service 'A.' through long-term memory technology SEOUL -- South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom will upgrade its artificial intelligence service called "A." by adopting long-term memory technology to enable the AI secretary to remember its owner's crucial information for a long time. Users can form a strong friendship with the AI service as it can engage in a conversation without any difficulties even when humans bring back their old memories. A. (A dot) is a time-saving service that intelligently handles 2023-01-25
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  Shinsegae to open alternative meat store in premium food shopping mall located in Gangnam SEOUL -- The food product wing of South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae will open a store for its alternative meat product called "Better Meat" in a premium food store in Gangnam, the heart of fashion and trends, in southern Seoul. The retail giant saw a glimpse of success through Better Meat when some 13,000 customers visited a temporary pop-up store in Gangnam between July and December 2022. Alternative meat, also known as vegan meat, is made using plant-based ingr 2023-01-25
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  Falling semiconductor exports to take toll on economic growth SEOUL -- Falling exports of semiconductors are likely to lower the country’s economic growth to as low as 1 percent this year, according to a report released on January 25 by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). The report predicted that if semiconductor exports decline 10 percent, the economic growth rate will drop by 0.64 percentage point. It also said that the growth rate will decrease further by 1.27 percentage points if semiconductor exports fall 20 percent. 2023-01-25
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  South Korean battery makers struggling to reduce reliance on China for key materials SEOUL -- Domestic manufacturers of electric vehicle batteries have made little progress in reducing their reliance on China for core materials, casting a dark cloud over exports of their products to the United States which discriminates against batteries made of Chinese materials under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), South Korea imported $3.23 billion worth of lithium hydroxide, a core material for secondary batterie 2023-01-25
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  Convenience store chain CU releases meal kit brand using plant-based egg SEOUL -- Targeting South Korea's steadily growing vegan population, the country's top convenience store franchise CU released a vegan meal-kit brand using plant-based eggs. Alternative eggs created by processing mung beans, pumpkin, and soybean were included in food menus such as sandwiches. Meal kits, also known as home meal replacement (HMR) products, are convenient heat-and-eat food packages. They are favored by busy students and workers as they can easily complete the 2023-01-25
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  GS Retail makes foray into S. Korea's flower delivery service market using on-foot delivery platform SEOUL -- GS Retail, the operator of South Korea's convenience store franchise GS25, made a foray into the country's flower delivery service by forging a partnership with Songdo Flower Market, a flower wholesale marketplace located in Songdo located some 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) Seoul. The two companies will use GS Retail's on-foot delivery platform launched two years ago. According to the state statistical information service, South Korea had a 1.2 trillion won ($72.2 2023-01-25
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  ​[OPINION] President Yoon's diplomatic gaffes: Not so serious, but serious [This article was contributed by Sandip Kumar Mishra, an associate professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. NEW DELHI -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol triggered an unnecessary controversy over his remarks January 15 when he was on a four-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He told Korean troops of the Akh unit stationed there that the UAE is a "brother country." He added “the security of our brother nation 2023-01-25
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  Seoul's surrounding province to install more than 76,000 EV chargers in 2023 SEOUL -- In a bid to speed up the distribution of electric cars, more than 76,000 electric vehicle chargers will be installed in Gyeonggi Province, that surrounds Seoul, this year. The number of registered electric cars in the province stood at 77,648 as of December 2022, but there were only 48,520 chargers. South Korea is striving to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 by promoting the use of renewable energy and clean fuels. As of the third quarter of 2022, about 34 2023-01-24
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  Girl band Le Sserafim's dance song 'Antifragile' played more than 200 million times on Spotify SEOUL -- "Antifragile," the tile song of K-pop girl group Le Sserafim, has been streamed more than 200 million times for 96 days after its release on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service. The five-member band formed by Hybe's music label showcased young girls' firm stance to overcome various difficulties in life with a strong mentality through the dance song. According to Source Music, the title track was played more than 200 million times 2023-01-24
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  LG Uplus' canine psychology test platform attracts more than 150,000 dogs SEOUL -- For Dong, a dog personality analysis and training platform created by South Korea's mobile carrier LG Uplus, has attracted more than 150,000 registered dogs only six months after its launch. The operator of For Dong which provides personalized training programs depending on the pet's character will hold a special discount event to gain more users. For Dong provides a psychology test called "Dong Behavior Type Indicator (DBTI)." Pet owners can receive adv 2023-01-24
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  Convenience store chain CU operator to release mini-bags made by upcycling discarded banners SEOUL -- Using an eco-friendly polyester fiber produced by an upcycling company, BGF Retail, the operator of South Korea's top convenience store chain CU, will recreate discarded banners into everyday items such as bags. Currently, most banners used for special events such as the Luna New Year and Valentine's Day are being discarded. The eco-friendly polyester fiber called "regen" is normally made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles to manufactu 2023-01-24
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  S. Korea records $760mln in exports of Ramyeon in 2022 SEOUL -- Exports of Ramyeon, South Korean instant noodles, reached $765.4 million in 2022, up 13.5 percent from a year ago, the state customs statistics showed. According to data released by the World Instant Noodles Association, a South Korean person consumes an average of 73 packs of instant noodles per year. South Korean Ramyeon products started to gain attention in 2015 thanks to K-pop and K-dramas. Various companies sought to grab instant noodle fans worldwide. Shinsegae, Sout 2023-01-23
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  Smart stethoscope to be used for elderly health management in Seoul's southern satellite city SEOUL -- An artificial intelligence-based elderly health care service using smart stethoscopes will be rolled out in Anyang, the southern satellite city of Seoul. The city was selected to participate in a government project in December 2021 and was provided with 685 AI-based stethoscopes. Anyang City said in a statement on January 23 that the city will select citizens aged 65 years and older are the health management program's target patients. Those who live alone or who have c 2023-01-23
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  Seoul's northern satellite city reveals blueprint to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent in 7 years SEOUL -- Uijeongbu City, a northern satellite city of Seoul, has revealed a blueprint to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 40 percent until 2030. At the current rate, the environment ministry predicted that Uijeongbu's annual emission of greenhouse gases will reach about two million tons in 2030. The northern satellite city with a population of some 463,700 used to be the largest bed town of Seoul until the late 1990s. Uijeongbu located in the center of Gyeonggi Provin 2023-01-23
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  Retaining that loving Elvis feeling [This article was contributed by Dr. Chris Baumann and Iggy Pintado. Baumann is a professor at Macquarie University, Sydney, visiting professor at Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea and visiting associate professor at Osaka University in Japan. He has a great interest in music with a focus on Elvis Presley and the Bee Gees and scholarly, the role of music in marketing. Pintado is an influential, strategic leader with expertise in leading businesses through grow 2023-01-23
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  S. Koreans are mixed about debut of virtual K-pop girl band MAVE: SEOUL -- South Koreans are showing mixed views about the debut of MAVE:, a four-member girl band created by Metaverse Entertainment, a virtual reality content developer affiliated with South Korea's leading game publisher Netmarble. While some fans are excited to watch the rookie girl group's music video, others are skeptical as they are repulsed by the virtual humans' debut. MAVE:, whose brand concept contains the meaning of "making new waves" in the K-pop in 2023-01-20
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  South Korea to scrap mask mandate for most indoor places January 30 SEOUL -- South Korea plans to lift the mask mandate for most indoor places from January 30 as part of efforts to return to normal life three years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on January 20 that the mask guidelines will be eased from “mandatory” to “optional” except for some vulnerable indoor facilities as the daily caseload of coronavirus infections continues to fall. He added that the mask mandate, howe 2023-01-20
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  Yanolja's cloud solution wing teams up with UAE travel company AL Rais Travel targeting Mideastern market SEOUL -- The cloud solution wing of Yanolja, a leading reservation service platform for travel and leisure activity in South Korea, has teamed up with Mideastern travel companies -- Al Rais Travel and Wego -- to carry out digital transformation projects for the Middle Eastern leisure industry. The South Korean company's cloud-based hospitality solutions will be combined with the two travel firms' local networks. The tie-up was announced at a business forum while Yanolja Clo 2023-01-20
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  ​Producer prices hit 14-year high in 2022, but fall for second straight month in December SEOUL -- Producer prices hit a 14-year high last year, driven by runaway inflation arising from high global oil and gas prices and the falling value of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar. According to the Bank of Korea (BOK) on January 20, the producer price index jumped 8.4 percent in 2022 from a year before, marking the highest growth since 2008 when the index surged 8.6 percent. Prices of manufactured goods climbed 11.7 percent. Particularly coal and petroleum products 2023-01-20
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  LG Chem seeks to lead anticancer medicine market through acquisition of US biopharmaceutical company AVEO SEOUL -- To gain a competitive edge in the global anticancer medicine market, LG Chem, a chemical unit of South Korea's LG Group, will acquire AVEO Pharmaceuticals, an American oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, on January 20. By the end of 2027, the chemical company will invest about $1.6 billion in the biopharmaceuticals sector. LG Chem said the investment was made through a Boston-based life science subsidiary to establish a special purpose corporation and acquire a 2023-01-19