SouthKorea

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  Seoul Mayor elated by first autonomous transportation commercial service SEOUL -- In an effort to boost the adoption of transport services involving self-driving cars, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon chaired a ceremony to open South Korea's first autonomous vehicle-hailing service in a pilot zone. A full service involving more than 50 autonomous vehicles will be introduced by 2026. From November 30, three cars will first start carrying passengers. After a month of free operation, paid transportation is to begin in January 2022. By the end of December 2021, 2021-11-29
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  Seoul's educational institute adopts artificial intelligence-based guide robot SEOUL -- LG Electronics' artificial intelligence-based autonomous service robot called "CLOi" was deployed to Seoul's education institute for citizens to guide visitors around the facility. According to Seoul on November 29, a CLOi robot equipped with liquid crystal displays (LCDs) on the front and back of their main body will be used at the city's educational institute for the first time. At the education center, the robot will play the role of docent to gui 2021-11-29
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  Police to adopt VR-based driving ability test for old people in 2025 SEOUL -- Police will embark on the research and development of a virtual reality-based driving ability evaluation solution for those aged 65 and older. The solution will become a stepping stone for the adoption of conditional driver's licenses for elderlies in a rapidly aging country where about 15 percent of the population is aged over 64. According to data compiled by the Road Traffic Authority's Traffic Accident Analysis System, out of 209,654 road accidents in 2020, 31, 2021-11-29
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  ​[INTERVIEW] Busan publicizes itself as perfect host for 2030 World Expo SEOUL -- "The World Expo can be regarded as the Olympic games for economic and cultural entities including nations, corporates, and other groups. The global event plays the role of a big stepping stone for the hosting country while it also provides various solutions for the future of men," said Kim Young-ju, who heads a committee to host World Expo 2030 in the southern port city of Busan, as he shared his own definition of the global fair. South Korea joined the race to h 2021-11-26
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  S. Korea to demonstrate drone at east coast for management of navigational beacons SEOUL -- To reduce the risks of safety accidents on the sea, an ultra-light drone will be used along the eastern coastline of South Korea to inspect and manage navigational beacons. Through the adoption of the all-weather drone, the country will establish infrastructure for the effective management of maritime road signs so that fishermen can work safely. Drones are remotely controlled flying robots equipped with optical equipment such as a camera and radar. Drones are widely used 2021-11-26
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  Seoul partners with Hyundai to reduce carbon emissions thru vehicle mileage program SEOUL -- Seoul has joined hands with South Korea's Hyundai auto group to upgrade the city's vehicle mileage program that was designed to encourage citizens to use public transports and reduce carbon emissions. The capital city will establish Hyundai's connected car capabilities to create a convenient automatic mileage registration service. The program encourages citizens to voluntarily reduce the use of personal vehicles. Participants are required to hand over mileage i 2021-11-26
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  Seoul reveals plans to establish citywide autonomous driving infrastructure by 2026 SEOUL -- Through a 148.7 billion won ($125 million) project, Seoul will carry out its five-year plan to build safe autonomous driving infrastructure throughout the city. While the city has focused on the establishment and demonstration of self-driving technology infrastructure during the last few years, Seoul will develop and demonstrate various autonomous transportation services as the next step towards the full adoption of self-driving technologies that will improve citizens' liv 2021-11-25
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  S. Korea to support 64 local city governments to build smart city infrastructure SEOUL -- Through a 256 billion won ($215 million) state project, South Korea's transport ministry will establish smart city platforms in 64 small and medium-sized cities by 2025. The government will cooperate with local residents to develop platforms and related services that match citizens' demands. A smart city is a city platform that interconnects city infrastructure including facilities and devices using mobile cable networks. A smart city platform uses artificial intel 2021-11-23
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  Busan to develop convenient one-stop tourist pass for foreign visitors SEOUL -- In an effort to establish a convenient all-in-one tourist pass service for millions of foreign tourists who will visit the southern port Busan annually in the post-pandemic era, Busan City has embarked on a project to develop a tourist pass service that will allow foreigners to visit tourist spots and use public transport using a single plastic or digital app card. According to Busan Tourism Organization, about 2.7 million foreign tourists annually visited the port city 2021-11-22
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  Busan port to produce electricity using pressure of running container trucks SEOUL -- In a government-sponsored project to generate electricity using the weight of container trucks, a piezoelectric power generation system will be developed and installed at the gate of a terminal port in Busan, the hub of South Korea's maritime transportation. Piezoelectric element modules will convert pressure and vibration generated by container trucks into electricity. Busan port operators and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will jointly finance the development and 2021-11-19
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  Can and plastic bottle collecting machines garner popularity in eastern city SEOUL -- Automatic can and plastic bottle retrieval machines gained huge popularity among citizens of Chuncheon City located east of Seoul. The usage rate of recycling machines increased by more than 40 times in 2021 compared to 2019. The machines attracted citizens by offering reward points that can be used like cash. According to Chuncheon, 32,257 kilograms of cans and 40,195 kilograms of transparent plastic bottles were collected through 14 automatic recyclable waste retrieval ma 2021-11-17
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  Seoul's satellite city to demonstrate autonomous smart librarian robot SEOUL -- To provide a pleasant break time for citizens exhausted by hectic urban life, an autonomous librarian robot that can carry some 100 books will be tested at a riverside park in Seongnam, a southeastern satellite city of Seoul. The smart librarian robot will roam around walking tracks and lend books to visitors. Seongnam said in a statement on November 16 the smart librarian robot equipped with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors will be demonstrated in December 2020. 2021-11-17
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  Busan to operate doctor buses to offer healthcare services for elderlies SEOUL -- Through a 2 billion won ($1.7 million) state project, the southern port city of Busan will operate medical buses to provide healthcare services for elderlies by visiting public facilities including daycare centers. The buses will focus on providing medical checks for old people. Busan said in a statement on November 16 that the city will operate three medical buses for elderlies and provide healthcare services. The doctor buses, equipped with health monitoring devices, will 2021-11-16
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  S. Korea demonstrates smart positioning technology for emergency situations SEOUL -- To effectively rescue citizens in case of emergency situations including fire and other natural disasters, South Korea's science ministry has developed and demonstrated smart positioning technology that can precisely locate people in need. The smart positioning technique helps rescuers effectively detect the location of people inside a building. The Ministry of Science, ICT said in a statement on November 15 that the ministry and the national fire station carried out th 2021-11-15
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  S. Korea releases Minecraft-based metaverse game to promote agricultural policies SEOUL -- South Korea's agriculture ministry has released metaverse content based on a worldwide popular "Minecraft" game. The metaverse-based game offers various experiences through virtual tours of agriculture museums, smart farms and government facilities. Minecraft, which has some 126 million monthly users as of 2020, is an open-world exploring game for PC and consoles. More than 200 million copies were sold worldwide. In May 2020, South Korean President Moon Jae-in 2021-11-15
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  Wave power plant to be demonstrated at southern resort island SEOUL -- South Korea will demonstrate a wave power plant at the southern resort island of Jeju. Unlike other renewable energy sources like wind and sunlight, ocean waves can generate electricity 24 hours a day. Wave power plants harvest electricity using the power of waves. The up-and-down motions of ocean waves are turned into continuous mechanical motions that move the turbine to generate electricity. Wave power plants use air pressure to move its turbine even during low tide. 2021-11-15
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  Seoul's satellite city to build infrastructure for flying taxis SEOUL -- A vertical takeoff and landing site for flying vehicles will be built in Goyang, a northwestern satellite city of Seoul, along with a flight control center, as part of a government project to prepare for the era of urban air mobility that incorporates drone taxis and personal flying vehicles. South Korea aims to commercialize manned drone taxis in 2025. Remote-controlled vehicles will be adopted in 2030 and a fully autonomous service in 2035. A safety manager will board eac 2021-11-11
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  Seoul provides non-face-to-face traditional cooking class SEOUL -- Seoul City will provide online non-face-to-face classes for those who want to learn how to cook traditional Korean winter dishes. Professional cooks and fermented food specialists will teach the arts of Korean cuisines through an online video conference app. According to Seoul on November 9, cooking methods and recipes for three different menus -- traditional tea, Mandu, Korean dumplings, and Cheonggukjang, fermented soybean paste, -- will be offered by Korean food speciali 2021-11-09
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  S. Korea turns public bus garage into comprehensive facility featuring charging stations and solar panels SEOUL -- Through a 2.8 billion won ($2.37 million) project, South Korea's first comprehensive eco-friendly public-purpose energy complex that features both electric vehicle chargers and a solar power plant was built in Suwon some 34 kilometers (21 miles) south of Seoul. The old garage was changed into a new facility with 24 electric bus chargers and large solar panels that work as rain shields for parked vehicles. The eco-friendly electric bus depot constructed on November 8 is 2021-11-08
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  Central city to operate 100 hydrogen fuel cell city buses by 2025 SEOUL -- In an effort to go green and achieve carbon neutrality, the central city of Daejeon will operate 100 hydrogen fuel cell city buses by 2025. The city will replace some 20 internal combustion engine buses every year and increase the number of hydrogen charging stations. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use fuel cells that produce heat, electricity and water through a thermochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Due to their eco-friendly characteristics, fuel cells are cons 2021-11-08