SouthKorea

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  Smart buses to provide on-demand transport service in northern city SEOUL -- The northern city of Paju will operate new public transportation called "demand response transport" (DRT). A DRT is a bus that uses artificial intelligence to create optimal routes in real-time depending on passengers' demands. Paju said in a statement on November 1 that the city will adopt the smart bus system. Paju has issued a designated DRT license on October 27 and the test operation will begin in November 2021. Smart buses will start their test operation 2021-11-01
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  Seoul to support independent content creators' foray into Chinese video platforms SEOUL -- Seoul City teamed up with a Chinese video content creator management agency to make a foray into various Chinese video content-sharing platforms. Seoul will provide a four-week online education program for South Korean creators who hope to gain more Chinese followers. The education will be organized by Chinese video content experts. Adoba is a Chinese multi-channel networks (MCN) platform company specialized in assisting South Korean creators to enter the Chinese market. Th 2021-11-01
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  Seoul to provide safety education using virtual reality technologies SEOUL -- Seoul will provide safety education classes using virtual reality devices at urban construction sites with a high risk of safety accidents. 33 types of accident cases that frequently occur such as falling will be created into virtual classes to raise awareness of safety accidents. According to government data, 390 people died at construction sites in 2018. About 60 percent of fatal accidents were caused by falling. The Seoul Facilities Corporation (SFC), the capital city 2021-10-29
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  ​S. Korea to upgrade locomotive safety thru digital transformation SEOUL -- South Korea will upgrade the safety of its locomotive system through digital transformation by establishing various plans for the evolution of train networks in 2023. A new control tower will be set up along with the adoption of technologies including internet-of-things, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and big data. South Korea with a nationwide railroad network of some 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles) experiences an average of 91 accidents including derailing, 2021-10-29
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  S. Korea constructs pilot smart farm in Kazakhstan SEOUL -- South Korea's greenhouse-type smart farm optimized for tough climate environments was constructed in Kazakhstan where dry grasslands and deserts occupy most of the country. The smart farm was designed to promote South Korea's equipment, manpower and technologies, and also as a demonstration site for potential foreign buyers based in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. A smart farm is an automated indoor farm created by combining information and communication technol 2021-10-29
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  Southern port city launches business council to build smart city SEOUL -- The southern port city of Ulsan has formed a business council to prepare for the establishment of a smart city platform in South Korea's iconic seaside industrial city. The next-generation city infrastructure will improve citizens' quality of life and establish a sustainable urban environment. South Korea has entered an early stage of smart city development where cities are connected via wireless networks to efficiently manage various urban problems. A smart city is 2021-10-28
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  Samcheok to construct fire safety verification center for ESS and rechargeable batteries SEOUL -- Through a 69.8 billion won ($59.6 million) project, the ground was broken to build a fire safety verification center in the eastern port city of Samcheok. The fire safety technology center will research and develop efficient extinguishing systems for fires lit by large-capacity secondary batteries, also known as rechargeable batteries, used in energy storage systems. Battery fires are devastating and hard to put out. During the last few years, South Korea's emergency worke 2021-10-27
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  Seoul showcases mobile digital map containing city's various information to use as simulation SEOUL -- Seoul City has unveiled a mobile version of a three-dimensional map that duplicates the entire city in a virtual space. The mobile map will deliver the city's various information including real-time traffic conditions and real estate information to citizens anytime, anywhere. "Digital Twin S-Map," the mobile version of Seoul's digital twin, was released on October 27, Seoul said in a statement. Real-time information released by the digital map can solve v 2021-10-27
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  S. Korea to replace and remove 208 outdated public rapid chargers for EVs SEOUL -- South Korea's environment ministry will replace and remove outdated public rapid chargers for electric vehicles. Some electric vehicle drivers have trouble using outdated rapid chargers that were installed about nine years ago because some old machines were left without maintenance. Data released by the environment ministry showed that there are some 10,830 public and private rapid chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) in South Korea as of August 2021. In January, about 2021-10-26
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  Megastore franchise Homeplus operates special shopping area for vegans SEOUL -- South Korea's megastore franchise Homeplus will attract vegans by opening a special shopping area called "Vegan Zone." Vegan products such as bread made with plant-based ingredients and alternative meat, also known as artificial meat, will be sold in the area. To meet demands from the rapidly increasing vegan population of some 2 million, South Korea's alternative meat market is steadily growing. According to data released by Euromonitor, a market researc 2021-10-26
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  Busan to test-operate eco-friendly reusable cup rental service SEOUL -- To reduce the use of disposable cups made of plastics at coffee shops, a pilot project designed to promote the use of eco-friendly cups will be conducted in the southern port city of Busan. The multi-use cups made of renewable materials will be collected and cleaned by a reusable cup cleaning company. The test operation of multi-use cups will start in Busan on October 26, the port city government said in a statement. Each reusable cup will have a QR code so that customers c 2021-10-25
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  Busan to open upcycling center in renewable industry complex by 2024 SEOUL -- South Korea's largest upcycling center will be built in the southern port city of Busan through a 4.4 billion won ($3.78 million) project. To maximize synergy effects with nearby resource circulation infrastructure, the upcycling center will be built in a renewable industry complex that houses more than 10 related facilities and companies specialized in waste recycling and resource disposal. While recycling only focuses on collecting discarded materials and turning them 2021-10-21
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  Seoul to build integrated water sports center on Han River SEOUL -- Through a 15.7 billion won ($13.37 million) project, Seoul City will build an integrated water sports center that can house some 220 water sports equipment such as yachts, canoes and kayaks on Han River where visitors can enjoy extreme water sports. Seoul said in a statement on October 21 that the city government will open the water sports center in the first half of 2023 near the Nanji Hangang Park in western Seoul. The center will consist of a dock that will serve as a pa 2021-10-21
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  Majority of S. Koreans favor working at virtual workplace: survey SEOUL -- When the first wave of a coronavirus hit South Korea, many companies created remote working environments so that employees can reduce the chance of being infected by COVID-19. As telecommuting became a common form of work, a majority of employees favored working in virtual offices even after life returned to normal. Remote offices were established through online conference sessions to maintain a continuous workflow. Phone calls and emails have been the main communication me 2021-10-18
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  Electric double-decker buses adopted by Seoul's satellite cities to help commuters SEOUL -- Six double-decker buses will carry commuters from Gimpo, a western satellite city of Seoul, to Gangnam, a southern business district, and back. The double-decker bus can carry more passengers on a single trip because it has 70 passenger seats while normal buses have 44 seats. Data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2019 showed that about 1.3 million people commute from Gimpo and the western port city of Incheon to Seoul using public transports 2021-10-15
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  Seoul to demonstrate particulate matter reduction technology for building construction SEOUL -- Seoul will demonstrate technologies such as the reduction of photocatalyst-based particulate matter and safety analytics to measure the tensile strength of old prestressed concrete that has been used for bridges at urban motorways. Particulate matter, also known as fine dust, is a cloud of microscopic pollution particles that stay in the air. Such air pollution includes nano-sized pallets of heavy metal and other substances that can pose health hazards. Fine dust is mainly 2021-10-15
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  Daegu launches metaverse-based education program for schools SEOUL -- Metaverse-based classes will be offered to elementary, middle, high and special-education schools in a provincial city for students grounded due to a coronavirus pandemic. Students will be able to explore various club activities through the simulated digital world platform. Education authorities in Daegu some 240 kilometers (149 miles) southeast of Seoul said in a statement on October 12 that 10 schools would conduct metaverse-based classes and develop new curriculums based 2021-10-12
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  (INTERVIEW) New wind created by 'Moyamoya about Korea-Japan relationship and me as a college student' SEOUL -- A new prime minister took office in Japan on October 4, but expectations for improvement in relations with South Korea can't be seen, with key cabinet posts filled with those associated with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The prevailing view is that relations, which have deteriorated in recent years, will remain sluggish. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida served as foreign minister for about four years and eight months in a row during the Abe administration. He was the p 2021-10-08
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  Seoul Library starts automated book rental service at subway station SEOUL -- Seoul Library, operated by Seoul City, opened an unmanned library at a subway station where citizens can borrow books through an automated system. The robot librarian is always online so that book lovers can borrow and return books at any time. People can visit the automated library late at night or early in the morning to avoid coming in contact with crowds of people. Data released by Statistics Korea in September 2021 showed that public libraries were open for an average 2021-10-07
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  Seoul to team up with Itgreen to replace 54 mln disposable containers with reusable containers SEOUL -- Seoul City will work with Yogiyo, a South Korean food delivery service app, and Itgreen, a company specialized in cleaning and resupplying food containers, to encourage restaurants to use reusable food containers made of metal and other durable materials for food delivery services. Currently, almost every restaurant uses disposable products such as styrofoam containers and plastic forks for delivery orders because it is a laborsome and time-taking job for shop owners to retrie 2021-10-07