Latest News

• 
  ​Chinese man caught in Seoul two days after fleeing from quarantine facility SEOUL -- Police said on January 5 that they caught a 41-year-old Chinese man infected with COVID-19 who ran away from a quarantine facility after arriving at Incheon International Airport. He was tested positive for the coronavirus after undergoing a PCR test at the airport. The fugitive was apprehended at a Seoul hotel at 12:55 p.m. (0355 GMT), two days after he went into hiding, according to the police. He fled at 10:07 p.m. on January 3 after getting out of a car which brought 2023-01-05
• 
  Researchers develop distorted video image restoration technique for autonomous driving SEOUL -- Researchers from a prominent state research institute have developed a video image restoration technique that can correct video images distorted or partially covered by fog. The technique can be applied to autonomous cars that use cameras to detect pedestrians and other on-road obstacles. Autonomous vehicles normally use light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors or cameras to detect other cars, pedestrians, and other obstacles like animals to prevent accidents. Some car 2023-01-05
• 
  Operator of e-grocery platform Market Kurly postpones IPO plan SEOUL -- Kurly Corp., which operates e-grocery platform Market Kurly, has decided to put off an initial public offering (IPO) plan indefinitely due to dampened investor confidence amid deteriorating economic and market conditions at home and abroad. The move came more than four months after the company obtained preliminary approval for its listing on the Korea Exchange (KRX) on August 22 last year. Under its original plan, Kruly had sought to complete its listing process by next mon 2023-01-04
• 
  Thriller series 'The Glory' gains explosive popularity on Netflix SEOUL -- South Korean thriller TV series "The Glory" became the third most-watched content on Netflix's non-English chart. The series depicts a story of a woman who suffered from vicious school bullying at high school taking revenge on bullies after becoming an adult. The global streaming service giant said that the revenge series recorded some 25.4 million hours of viewing only three days after its release on December 30. The Glory was the third-most watched drama se 2023-01-04
• 
  Tesla fined $2.24 million for false advertising SEOUL -- U.S. electric carmaker Tesla and its South Korean unit were slapped with a fine of 2.85 billion won ($2.24 million) on January 3 for false and misleading advertising. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), an antitrust regulator in Korea, said that it has decided to impose the fine on Tesla, holding the global EV giant accountable for violating laws related to fair labeling and advertising as well as consumer protection in ecommerce. The KFTC said that Tesla was found t 2023-01-04
• 
  ​Korean economy to grow less than 2% this year amid global slump SEOUL -- The South Korean economy is forecast to grow less than 2 percent this year amid growing uncertainties and downside risks. The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Bank of Korea (BOK) estimated this year's growth rate at 1.6 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. These figures are lower than the International Monetary Fund's 2.0 percent projection for the Korean economy and the OECD's 1.8 percent. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) even came up with a much lo 2023-01-04
• 
  [CES 2023] LG Electronics to disclose smart sleep care solution at CES SEOUL -- At the Consumer Electronics Show, a global tech event to be held on January 5 in Las Vegas, LG Electronics will showcase a smart sleep care solution capable of helping users to sleep properly by analyzing sleep patterns. By wearing lightweight wireless earphones weighing about 0.01 pounds each, users can listen to different frequencies that would help them to fall asleep easily. The smart solution called "brid.zzz" records various sleep-related information such a 2023-01-04
• 
  Seoul's northern district establishes smart data platform for real-time population density analysis SEOUL -- Seongdong District, a northern Seoul district, has established a smart platform that can provide access to various types of data. The information can be used for the real-time safety management of large floating populations in crowded shopping areas or to help government workers maintain their work continuity when searching for city data. Seongdong with some 281,000 residents is recognized by teenagers and young people in their 20s as the heart of fashion and cultural tren 2023-01-03
• 
  NewJeans' new dance song OMG scores 6.9 mln views on YouTube in less than one day SEOUL -- OMG, a new dance song by K-pop rookie girl band NewJeans, scored more than 6.9 million views on YouTube in less than a day. The five-member band also topped major South Korean song charts with its songs OMG and Ditto, a calm melodic song released in December 2022. According to data released by iCharts, OMG entered the top 15 only three and a half hours after its release on January 2. As of 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) on January 3, Ditto was ranked first on Melon and Genie, the top t 2023-01-03
• 
  Ramyeon maker to adopt water-soluble ink-based eco-friendly packaging SEOUL -- Ottogi, a major instant noodle and food ingredient maker in South Korea, will adopt water-soluble ink-based environmentally friendly packaging material. The green packaging material emits less greenhouse gases and requires less ink during production. South Korea with an annual average instant noodle consumption of some 3.7 billion units is a heaven for Ramyeon lovers. The most popular kind of Ramyeon in 2022 is "Shinramyun" (9.8 percent) made by food ingredient m 2023-01-03
• 
  Income disparity widens amid COVID-19 pandemic SEOUL -- Households at the top 10 percent of the income bracket were found to earn 22 times more than what the poorest 10 percent made last year, according to Statistics Korea. The finding indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the income disparity amid declining household income, especially among the poor, and growing financial difficulties among the self-employed. This also raised concerns that the middle class has been shrinking at an alarming rate. The statistical o 2023-01-03
• 
  Sales of overseas tour package reservations soared by more than 2,000% in 2022: data SEOUL -- Thanks to eased regulations on overseas travel amid a prolonged coronavirus pandemic, sales of overseas tour packages have soared by more than 2,000 percent in 2022, according to data released by South Korea's largest online tour package and flight ticket reservation platforms. South Korea, struck by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020, has strictly regulated people from coming into the country to prevent the spread of the highly infectious virus. 2023-01-03
• 
  Chemical material maker Kumyang to build secondary battery plant in southern port city SEOUL -- Kumyang, a chemical material maker based in the southern port city of Busan, will build a secondary battery plant with a total annual production capability of 300 million battery cells in the eastern area of the company's hometown. The company said batteries will be used for smart mobility businesses without disclosing the specific purpose. Battery cells will be mainly supplied to domestic companies but they will be exported to other countries if global demands are high. 2023-01-03
• 
  Super rookie girl group NewJeans to release single album OMG SEOUL -- NewJeans, a super rookie girl group formed by ADOR, a subsidiary label of the agency of K-pop superstar BTS, will release OMG, a single album that has surpassed 800,000 pre-orders. Through the album's title track with hip-hop and R&B features, the five-member band will express their cautious and distant feelings with their loved ones while portraying winter vibes. ADOR said in a statement that the new album will be released at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on January 2. OMG 2023-01-02
• 
  [CES 2023] S. Korean AI-based solution company DEEPNOID to showcase products at CES SEOUL -- DEEPNOID, a Seoul-based artificial intelligence solution company, will showcase various solutions including an AI medical image analysis solution at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the world's largest annual electronics show held in Las Vegas from January 5 until January 8. According to the AI solution developer, the company will showcase various AI medical image-based disease detection solutions linked with "DEEP:PACS PRO," a medical image storage 2023-01-02
• 
  ​Convenience store franchise GS25 to demonstrate currency exchange kiosks for foreign tourists SEOUL -- To create a convenient money exchange environment for foreign tourists, the operator of South Korea's convenience store franchise GS25 will install digital money exchange kiosks in 10 stores located in tourist hot spots in Seoul. A total of 15 foreign currencies including the U.S. dollar and euro can be exchanged into Korean won through the automated machine created by currency management system developer Ooddy. Most tourists exchange their currency at banks, private c 2023-01-02
• 
  BLACKPINK's Jisoo to release solo album for first time SEOUL -- K-pop girl band BLACKPINK member Jisoo will release her very first solo album, the band's agency said in a statement without disclosing the release date. Previously, three other members of the four-member band have successfully released solo albums and Jisoo is the last member to go solo. BLACKPINK, which debuted in August 2016, is South Korea's most successful K-pop girl band with a total of some five million album sales worldwide. While BTS pulled the popularity 2023-01-02
• 
  SK earthon partners with British carbon capture & storage company to seek new businesses SEOUL -- SK earthon, the eco-friendly energy business wing of South Korea's SK Group, has partnered with Azuli, a British carbon capture and storage company, in an effort to seek new global business opportunities and create new carbon reduction technology-related markets. The carbon capture and storage (CCS) technique uses special equipment to collect carbon dioxide created after burning fossil fuels or biomass before it enters the atmosphere. Using CCS, up to about 70 percent 2023-01-02
• 
  [CES 2023] Korea Seven works with VR content developer Caliverse to showcase metaverse convenience store at CES SEOUL -- At the Consumer Electronics Show, a global tech event to be held on January 5 in Las Vegas, the South Korean operator of global convenience store franchise 7-Eleven will disclose a real-world-like metaverse store where users can experience various food items using avatars. In the virtual world created by VR content developer Caliverse, digital humans will show different responses and facial expressions depending on the taste of snacks and drinks. The metaverse is a virtual 2023-01-02
• 
  Southern resort island Jeju to operate nine green hydrogen buses SEOUL -- Nine hydrogen buses will carry commuters from Hamdeok, the northeastern area of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, to a forested park area some 17.7 kilometers (10.9 miles) west of Hamdeok, and back. Green hydrogen is a type of hydrogen fuel that does not use any fossil fuel during its manufacturing process. Green hydrogen uses electrolysis to split water and release only hydrogen and oxygen. It is regarded as an important part of a sustainable ecosystem. Je 2022-12-30