Latest News

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  Kakao Enetertainment merges two American subsidiaries to compete with domestic rival SEOUL -- The content and entertainment wing of South Korea's web service giant Kakao expanded an unyielding turf war with its domestic archrival from Asia to North America by merging two American webtoon and web novel platform subsidiaries into a new entity to create synergy and become a leading player in the storytelling industry. Tapas Media, an American snack culture content provider known as "YouTube of Comics," and Radish Media, a U.S.-based web novel platform, wi 2022-05-19
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  Convenience store chain CU partners with drone developer to help communities SEOUL -- BGF Retail, the operator of South Korea's largest convenience store chain CU will adopt drone technology to help communities in case of disasters in cooperation with a domestic drone developer. BGF Retail will create relief goods and use its delivery vehicles as charging stations for drones. Drones designed for rescue purposes are equipped with various optical equipment such as cameras, radars and thermal imaging sensors. Some drones carry out structural safety checks 2022-05-19
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  SK Biopharmaceuticals partners with U.S. biotech company Cala to fuel innovation in neurology SEOUL -- SK Biopharmaceuticals and its parent investment company, SK Inc., will make an unspecified amount of investment in Cala Health, a Silicon Valley-based bioelectronic medicine company, to secure opportunities for potential technology collaboration and explore solutions for new indications in neurology. The two SK Group units have participated in a Series D funding round for Cala, the leader in non-invasive bioelectronic therapy via a wearable device that is proven to reduce e 2022-05-19
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  Hancom to launch S. Korea's first private satellite for integrated image analysis service SEOUL -- South Korea's first private satellite for earth observation will be launched aboard a SpaceX rocket with the aim of providing video services in high demand for satellite data in Asia and the Middle East. The ultra-small satellite weighing 10.8 kilograms would collect image data after a one-month test operation at an altitude of 500 kilometers (310 miles). The low-orbit satellite named Sejong 1, developed by Hancom Inspace, a subsidiary of South Korea's Hancom Group 2022-05-18
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  Hyundai auto group unveils massive investment plan to boost domestic electric vehicle production SEOUL -- In an unheralded announcement, South Korea's Hyundai auto group came up with the proposed investment of some 21 trillion won ($16.6 billion) to boost the domestic production of electric vehicles to 1.44 million units per year by 2030. The domestic production of electric vehicles in 2022 is estimated at 350,000 units. Without specifying where and how much their investment will be funneled, Hyundai Motor and its affiliate, Kia Motors, vowed to enhance a domestic electri 2022-05-18
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  Meal kits to be available soon at Seoul subway stations for hungry commuters SEOUL -- Targeting hungry and busy commuters, ready-to-eat meal shops will be put into service at crowded subway stations in Seoul. Students and workers who lack time to have breakfast or dinner can grab a meal kit package right after getting off the train. Meal kits are convenient heat-and-eat food packages that provide processed ingredients and seasonings so that consumers can easily complete the dish just by following the simple cooking instructions using a stove or a microwave 2022-05-18
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  Business alliance launched to speed up commercialization of self-driving robots SEOUL -- A business alliance involving LG Electronics and 17 other companies was launched to speed up the commercialization of intelligent self-driving robots, which have expanded their use in South Korea's service, delivery and other sectors thanks to rapid technological development. The self-driving robot alliance headed by the Korea Association of Robot Industry was formed on May 18 in an event sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at an exhibition center in 2022-05-18
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  S. Korea's first forensic entomology lab in service to track death time with insects SEOUL -- South Korea has opened its first forensic entomology lab to efficiently estimate the time of death by analyzing insects found in the body. The investigation technique that helps determine elapsed time after death can be used in unsolved criminal cases and for investigating elder abuse or animal cruelty. It is difficult to figure out the time of death if the body has been dead for a long time. The investigation technique can help find out the death time through the analysis 2022-05-18
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  SK Chemical establishes business platform for recycled plastic circulation ecosystem SEOUL -- SK Chemical has established a business platform for a recycled plastic circulation ecosystem that connects producers, partners, and brands online. It is a green platform that provides experience in recycling materials and AI-based digital marketing channel services. The platform will be released to the public on May 30. SK Chemicals would provide a material experience kit made of its sustainable packing solution (SPS) material to brand companies. AI image search services a 2022-05-18
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  BTS 'Dynamite' to be tested for space internet during S. Korea's first lunar exploration SEOUL -- BTS would be remembered as a space trailblazer if its global mega-hit song, "Dynamite," were streamed from Moon to Earth using an experimental wireless space internet service as part of South Korea's space program to send a lunar orbiter aboard a rocket manufactured by SpaceX. "Dynamite" aims to be the first K-pop song in space when South Korea's first lunar orbiter, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), will be launched on August 1. Fans t 2022-05-17
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  SK Group ties up with U.S. company TerraPower for SMR cooperation SEOUL -- South Korea's SK Group tied up with TerraPower, an American nuclear reactor design and development engineering company, for comprehensive business cooperation in the development and commercialization of next-generation mall modular reactor technology. Small modular reactors (SMRs) can address the limitations of light-water reactors using low-enriched uranium that cost a lot to replace nuclear fuel and require a vast emergency evacuation zone, nonproliferation and waste 2022-05-17
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  SeAH Besteel allies with American partner Orano for cooperation in nuclear fuel dry storage SEOUL -- Orano TN, an American provider of total system solutions for used nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management, forged a business alliance with two South Korean companies to find new business opportunities in the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power stations. SeAH Besteel, a special steel producer in South Korea, signed a memorandum of understanding with its American partner, Orano, and KEPCO E&C, the power plant design and engineering wing of South Ko 2022-05-17
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  Daewoong Pharmaceutical uses HD Junction's cloud EMR for entry into Southeat Asia SEOUL -- Daewoong Pharmaceutical, a bioengineering company in South Korea, tied up with HD Junction, a domestic provider of healthcare information technology solutions, for their joint entry into Southeast Asian healthcare markets using a cloud-based electronic medical record (EMR) platform. Daewoong will build a local business model using existing infrastructure, and HD Junction will provide cloud EMR technology to support business expansion. "HD Junction and Daewoong Pharmac 2022-05-17
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  Hyundai Motor works with domestic firm to develop lidar for self-driving robots SEOUL -- As part of its strategy to implement a new "Mobility of Things" ecosystem using robots, South Korea's Hyundai auto group will work with a domestic company to develop a miniaturized lidar system for mobile robots. The goal is to develop a self-driving robot that can move stably between obstacles or on uneven roads by expanding the range of object recognition. Hyundai Motor Group said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Smart Optical Sensors 2022-05-17
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  Next-generation wire-guided heavyweight torpedo ready for mass production SEOUL -- The improved version of Bumsangeo (Tiger Shark), a wire-guided heavyweight torpedo for submarine loading to strike enemy surface ships and submarines from a distance, is ready for mass production and field deployment after it succeeded in underwater test-firing for quality certification. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), an arms procurement agency controlled by the defense ministry, has launched a project to develop Bumsangeo-II, the next generation o 2022-05-17
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  SK Telecom launches new growth-type AI service with cute characters SEOUL -- SK Telecom has launched a new growth-type artificial intelligence service with cute characters that handles the cumbersome behavior that customers face using smartphones and recommends and plays what they may like. Unlike other hard and cold AI brands, it aims to become a brand that grows with customers. The new AI service called "A. (A dot)" is initially available as an open beta version to Android smartphone users. To help customers use their time for more valua 2022-05-16
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  Researchers succeed in dissociation of amyloid-beta proteins involved in development of Alzheimer's disease SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have discovered a technique to safely dissociate beta-amyloid peptides, which are toxic proteins that form amyloid plaques in the brain to cause Alzheimer's disease. The technique uses low-frequency magnetoelectric-reactive nanoparticles that do not generate heat during operation. Beta-amyloid peptides are misfolded proteins that accumulate and form plaques in the brain. The misfolding of proteins occurs throughout the lifetime of a cell caused 2022-05-16
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  Hyundai's future mobility concept envisages Ondol underfloor heating method SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group has released a future mobility concept that would allow passengers to fully rest while on the move in the era of self-driving by applying a specially designed "full-flat" seat and a unique heating system inspired by the underfloor heating method of Ondol that can maintain heat for an extended period and keeps both the floor and the air warm. In traditional Korean architecture, Ondol used heat from kitchen furnaces to warm the 2022-05-16
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  Naver's webtoon wing partners with Japanese media companies to launch joint venture SEOUL -- The web comics wing of South Korea's internet service giant Naver has partnered with TBS, a media enterprise in Japan, and Japan's webtoon publisher Shine Partners to launch a joint venture that would create synergy by recreating popular web cartoons into dramas, films, and other content. The joint venture will target Japan's rapidly growing webtoon market which stood at $4.7 billion in 2020. Webtoons, also known as web comics, are digital comic books opti 2022-05-16
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  Bell 505 light helicopter selected for military pilot training in S. Korea SEOUL -- B505, a glass cockpit light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter, has been selected for South Korea's military project to replace decades-old training helicopters for Army and Navy pilots. The single-engine five-seat turbine helicopter will be installed with the latest digital instrument panel and tactical navigation equipment. South Korea will invest some 170 billion won ($133 million) to introduce 40 training helicopters by 2025. Bell has modified its Bell 505 Jet R 2022-05-16