Latest News

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  Social media platform Cyworld to hold public survey on exempting BTS from obligatory military service SEOUL -- Discussions on whether BTS members should be exempted from compulsory military service will be held at a metaverse platform. Although many people regard BTS members as valuable national assets, military officials are reluctant to give them special treatment for fear of a backlash from young men in the run-up to military duty, which has been an extremely sensitive social issue in South Korea still technically at war with North Korea. South Korea's social media platform 2022-09-14
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  SK Telecom consortium aims to launch UAM pilot service in Jeju in 2025 SEOUL -- A consortium involving SK Telecom and Hanwha Systems aims to launch a pilot service for urban air mobility in 2025 on South Korea's main resort island of Jeju by linking its airport and tourist attractions. As a leading tourist destination, the island was seen as an ideal test bed for air taxis due to its good airport facilities and well-maintained traffic infrastructure. Urban air mobility (UAM) is an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas. SK Tel 2022-09-14
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  KAIST researchers develop AR appcessory to project inside of object from surface SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed "WonderScope," an augmented reality appcessory that projects the inside of an object from its surface. It is a cylindrical module with a diameter of 5cm and a height of 4.5cm, and can be easily attached to a smartphone or can be put inside exhibits. Appcessory is a new word that combined smartphone apps and accessories, and it collectively refers to smartphone peripherals that operate as applications. By attaching or embedd 2022-09-13
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  ​Hyundai Steel produces low-carbon high-quality auto steel sheets using electric furnace SEOUL -- The steel-making unit of South Korea's Hyundai auto group has succeeded in the pilot production of premium steel sheets that can significantly reduce carbon emissions. Because direct reduced iron and iron scrap are used in an electric furnace, carbon emissions can be reduced by more than 30 percent compared to a conventional method that used iron ore and coal in furnaces. Direct reduced iron (DRI) is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore into metallic iron by a 2022-09-13
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  Jeongseok Chemical ready for commercial production of high-purity lithium sulfide for solid-state batteries SEOUL -- Jeongseok Chemical, a provider of various line marking paint products in South Korea, has localized the production of high-purity lithium sulfide (Li2S), which is used as a core material for solid-state batteries. A plant capable of producing 24 tons of lithium sulfide per year will be put into commercial operation in September. Jeongseok is to hold a ceremony on September 15 to complete a lithium sulfide production facility in Wanju, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) south 2022-09-13
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  ​LG releases cone-shaped wireless speaker capable of producing various sounds in all directions SEOUL -- LG Electronics will release a new wireless speaker that lets listeners enjoy high-pitched, midrange and low-pitched sounds from every angle without being distracted. The cone-shaped wireless speaker changes the color of lighting depending on the vibe of music using a mood lighting function. "LG XBOOM Speaker 360" will be released in three colors -- charcoal black, coral haze and beige on September 14. The maximum output is 50 watts. A speaker weighs 3.2 kilogra 2022-09-13
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  LIG Nex1 consortium selected for development of technologies for cyber electronic warfare SEOUL -- A consortium involving LIG Nex1, a defense contractor in South Korea, was selected for a state project to develop core technologies for cyber electronic warfare that has gained attention due to a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It is a concept of "soft-kill" operations capable of paralyzing North Korean missiles and networks in wartime and peacetime. Cyber warfare involves hackers using information systems and the internet to disrupt or attack states or comp 2022-09-13
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  LG's research center works with Parsons to use hyperscale AI for new design methodologies SEOUL -- The research center operated by South Korea's LG Group tied up with Parsons School of Design, an art and design college in New York City, to conduct joint research for the development of new design methodologies beyond visualizing the ideas of designers, based on a hyperscale artificial intelligence. LG's AI research center unveiled "EXAONE" in December 2021. The lab also launched an alliance called "Expert AI Alliances" with Google and other com 2022-09-13
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  BGF Retail seeks 'onlineization' of offline convenience stores to win competition SEOUL -- South Korea's convenience store industry has diversified customer-friendly services to attract customers. They never close and get rooted deeper into everyday lives as a place to buy groceries, snacks, simple meal packages and non-food products. A COVID-19 pandemic has boosted sales at convenience stores as people shun crowded shopping malls. In a market crowded with tens of thousands of corner shops, BGF Retail, the operator of South Korea's major convenience sto 2022-09-13
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  Guzzi allowed to go ahead with rare fashion event at S. Korea's royal palace in November SEOUL -- Gucci, a high-end luxury fashion house in Italy, will not miss a rare opportunity to hold a fashion show at South Korea's tradition royal palace with the consent of a hesitant government agency charged with preserving cultural heritages and escaped falling victim to a public uproar triggered by Vogue Korea's photo shoot. The green light came from the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), which has scratched its head over whether to approve Gucci's Cosmogonie 2022-09-08
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  Companies agree to study supplying 900 megawatts of renewable power for Malaysia's H2biscus energy project SEOUL -- South Korean companies, including Samsung Engineering, and their Malaysian partners agreed to study the potential of supplying at least 900 megawatts of hydro-based renewable power for Malaysia's H2biscus energy project in Sarawak, a state located in northwest Borneo Island. Samsung Engineering, a construction and project management company in South Korea, said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with SEDC Energy, a subsidiary of Malaysia's Sarawak Economic 2022-09-08
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  Baby Shark creator partners with digital IP platform operator IPX to showcase new content SEOUL -- The Pinkfong Company, a South Korean educational entertainment company that created a catchy cartoon song called "Baby Shark," partnered with IPX, a digital IP platform known for a character brand, to target global markets, especially Southeast Asia and China, through collaborative content. Pinkfong's famous character Baby Shark will meet IPX's Line Friends in the new content. "We will present a different type of excitement through the collaboration 2022-09-08
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  Hyundai auto group bolsters strategic alliance with KT to develop future mobility technologies SEOUL -- Through a swap of shares worth about 750 billion won ($542 million), South Korea's Hyundai auto group bolstered its strategic alliance with KT, a top domestic telecom company, to develop future mobility technologies such as 6G autonomous driving and a satellite-based communication network for advanced air mobility. Urban air mobility (UAM) is an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas. Advanced air mobility (AAM) builds upon the UAM concept by inco 2022-09-08
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  Hanwha Solutions discloses fresh investment to strengthen solar cell material business SEOUL -- Hanwha Solutions, a chemical and energy company affiliated with South Korea's Hanwha Group, disclosed a fresh injection of 760 billion won ($549 million) to strengthen its solar cell material business and secure a base for producing high-power solar core products. The new investment comes on the heels of fierce competition with Chinese companies. Through its new investment, Hanwha Group's total production capacity of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) will increase to 920 2022-09-07
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  British electricity utility company National Grid to receive $34.17 mln worth of transformers from Hyundai Electric SEOUL -- Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems, a domestic electrical equipment manufacturer and energy solution provider, has sealed an order worth 47.4 billion won ($34.17 million) to supply transformers to National Grid, a London-based electricity and gas utility company. The transformers will be installed at five substations starting in 2024. Hyundai Electric said Britain's demand for electricity has significantly increased due to an unprecedented heat wave. However, the co 2022-09-07
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  Chile's SQM to receive Korea Eximbank's $100 million fund for stable lithium supply to S. Korean firms SEOUL -- Korea Eximbank, an official export credit agency in South Korea, will provide a fund of $100 million to SQM, a Chilean supplier of plant nutrients, iodine, lithium and industrial chemicals, to help ensure a stable supply of lithium for domestic battery and cathode material makers. The fund including $55 million in loans and $45 million in guarantees will be used to invest in SQM's development of lithium mines in Australia and the renovation and expansion of production 2022-09-07
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  Researchers prove efficacy of illite mineral extract for development of premium functional cosmetics SEOUL -- Illite is a secondary mineral precipitate that occurs as an altered product of muscovite and feldspar in weathering and hydrothermal environments. South Korean researchers have proved the efficacy of an illite mineral extract that can be used for the development of premium functional cosmetics. There have been studies to utilize about 500 million tons of illite buried in Yeongdong, a county about 160 kilometers (99 miles) south of Seoul. However, illite has lacked scientifi 2022-09-07
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  SK Group's lube-making wing to release carbon offset lubricant SEOUL -- SK Lubricants, the lube-making wing of South Korea's SK Group, will release carbon-neutral lubricants that offset carbon emissions generated during production, transportation, consumption and disposal. This product calculates greenhouse gas emissions generated during the entire process and compensates by purchasing carbon emission rights from afforestation and other green projects that aim to reduce environmental pollution. SK Lubricants would purchase carbon emissi 2022-09-07
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  EcoPro to receive lithium hydroxide for lithium-ion battery cathode material from Germany's AMG SEOUL -- In a bid to secure a stable supply of crucial raw materials, EcoPro BM, a leading producer of core materials for batteries in South Korea, will receive some 5,000 tons of lithium hydroxide, an inorganic compound used for the production of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, annually from AMG Lithium, a Frankfurt-based producer of lithium-containing materials. Lithium hydroxide is preferred over lithium carbonate because lithium hydroxide battery cathodes have more 2022-09-07
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  Hyundai auto group wins state approval to demonstrate autonomous delivery robot at apartment complex SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group won government approval to demonstrate an autonomous robot capable of delivering convenience store items and pizza to apartment residents by going up and down stairs and hills without any difficulties. The robot will be able to maintain balance even on stairs because it changes the shape of its wheel. Traffic and data privacy regulations were suspended for the demonstration of Hyundai's delivery robot through a regulatory sandbox pol 2022-09-07