SouthKorea

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  South Korean rescue workers save surviving quake victims in Turkey SEOUL -- The South Korean disaster relief team rescued four people, including a baby girl, from under the debris of collapsed buildings in earthquake-stricken Turkey on February 9, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The team began its rescue operation at the site of a high school in Antakya, the capital of Turkey's southeastern Hatay province, at around 5 a.m. Then it managed to save a man in his 70s after searching through debris. The ministry said the man did not l 2023-02-09
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  S. ​Korean companies join efforts to help earthquake victims in Turkey, Syria SEOUL -- Major South Korean companies and banks have committed to helping earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria by offering rescue equipment and relief supplies as well as cash donations. Hyundai Motor's Turkish subsidiary said on February 8 that it will provide $450,000 worth of equipment and daily necessities for quake-hit people. The firm already delivered emergency rescue equipment worth $50,000 to help save people trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings. Kim S 2023-02-09
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  Northeastern county to offer hefty subsidies for agricultural drones for adoption of efficient farming method SEOUL -- The northeastern county of Cheorwon will offer hefty subsidies for farmers and private drone operators who wish to buy agricultural drones used for spraying pesticides and fertilizer pallets. The county government will provide up to 50 percent of the drone price which normally costs about 30 million won ($23,775). South Korea's farming population is rapidly decreasing to stand at 2.3 million in 2022, down 42.6 percent from four million in 2002. More than 42 percent of 2023-02-09
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  S. Korea sends 118-member rescue team to quake-hit Turkey, offering $5 million in aid SEOUL -- South Korea's 118-member search and rescue team arrived at an airport in Turkey's south-central province of Gaziantep on February 8 to help save people trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings in the earthquake-devastated country. The arrival came after the team left for Turkey aboard a KC-330 military transport airplane on February 7, a day after the country was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The rescue workers are soon to be deployed to hard-hit urban 2023-02-08
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  Resort island of Jeju to start discussion on restricting operation of 'no-kids' zones SEOUL -- The southern resort island of Jeju will start a public debate over whether "no-kids" zones should be allowed on the island visited by more than 10 million people annually. The island has some dozens of cafes and restaurants that prohibit the access of children aged 13 years and younger to provide a comforting and relaxing environment for adults. No-kids zones first appeared in South Korea about a decade ago after a series of online complaints about parents not te 2023-02-08
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  South Korea ordered to pay compensation to victim of Vietnam War mass killing SEOUL -- A South Korean court has ordered the government to pay compensation to a bereaved family of Vietnamese civilians killed by Korean troops during the Vietnam War. On February 7, the Seoul Central District Court made the first ruling that acknowledged the Korean government's liability for the mass killings of civilians during the war. The court ruled in favor of the 63-year-old plaintiff, Nguyen Thi Thanh, ordering the Seoul government to pay 30 million won ($24,680) 2023-02-07
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  Sales of facemasks decrease after government lifts compulsory indoor mask regulations SEOUL -- Sales of facemasks have decreased since the South Korean government lifted regulations on wearing masks in indoor environments on January 30. Sales of quick COVID-19 antigen test kits have also decreased. However, sales of convenient meal kits including lunchboxes and sandwiches at convenience stores have increased, reflecting that more people are starting to eat freely in indoor spaces including offices and public areas. South Korea recorded 5,850 new COVID-19 cases on Februa 2023-02-07
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  South Korea's 5G service users increase by about 600 percent since 2019 SEOUL -- The number of South Korea's 5G mobile communication service users increased by about 600 percent compared to some 4.6 million users in 2019. 5G networks that offer up to 100 times faster data transfer speed than 4G networks were commercialized in the country in early 2019. South Korea's 5G mobile communication service was first introduced in April 2019. The number of users increased to some 11.8 million in 2020 and 20.9 million in 2021. Since the latest generation 2023-02-06
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  KT's AI certificate 'AICE' to be adopted in Seoul's vocational schools' curriculum SEOUL -- To nurture artificial intelligence experts, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will adopt AI Certificate for Everyone (AICE), an artificial intelligence-related certificate program created by South Korea's major telecom company KT, at 10 vocational high schools. Students who completed the program can receive benefits when applying to several companies including KT. AICE, which has five different levels from beginner to professional, evaluates the ability to uti 2023-02-06
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  Seoul to deploy portable defibrillators to 175 convenience stores located in populated areas SEOUL -- To help people take action while waiting for rescuers to arrive in emergency situations such as cardiac arrest, Seoul will distribute automated external defibrillators to some 175 convenience stores located in areas with a lot of moving population. Store workers will be given special lessons so that they can skillfully operate the life-saving devices under emotional pressure. An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that automatically analyzes the lif 2023-02-02
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  S. Korea-Philippines economic forum holds first meeting to discuss economic effect of carbon neutrality SEOUL -- The forum for the energy development cooperation of South Korea and the Philippines held its first regular committee meeting and discussed the economic effect of carbon neutrality supported by nuclear power plant-friendly policies. The forum was established in September 2022, but meetings were postponed due to a coronavirus pandemic. KPEDCF was established to accelerate the interaction between Seoul and Manila's energy specialists and stimulate the development of nucle 2023-02-01
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  Nongshim's Shin Ramyun pop-up store captivates young spicy instant noodle lovers SEOUL -- Dressed in casual jackets and coats, young spicy food lovers flocked to an offline pop-up store filled with various games and products related to Shin Ramyun, a top South Korean brand of instant noodles well known for its spicy flavor. Despite the cold and rainy weather, some 50 people holding an umbrella visited the store where various items such as pop sockets and keyboard protectors with Shin Ramyun's brandmark engraved greeted them. Some of them took selfies with a sta 2023-01-30
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  Online secondhand market Joonggonara and 7-Eleven officially launches safe offline trading service SEOUL -- Joongonara, South Korea's largest online secondhand market platform operated by Eugene Asset Management, and convenience store franchise 7-Eleven have kicked its safe offline secondhand trading service into full gear. The service was tested in the southern Seoul district of Gangnam earlier this month. According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, South Korea's internet watchdog, the country has an online secondhand trading market standing at about 24 trill 2023-01-30
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  National pension fund to be depleted in 2055, two year earlier than previously predicted SEOUL -- South Korea’s national pension fund for salaried workers is expected to be depleted completely in 2055, 14 years after it begins to record a deficit, according to a committee evaluating the financial soundness of the fund. The finding said that the depletion will come two years earlier than the committee’s previous calculation conducted five years ago, if the current pension scheme remains unchanged. The panel, affiliated with the Ministry of Health and W 2023-01-27
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  ​S. Korea to invest $215 mln into five-year development project for AI technologies for everyday environments SEOUL -- South Korea will invest some 265 billion won ($215 million) for a five-year project that aims to develop artificial intelligence technologies that can be utilized by people in their everyday environments. AI used in various sectors including the administrative, legislative, judicial, and public sectors will eventually help boost the country's AI technology capability. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held the second National Data Policy Committee meeting on January 25 and r 2023-01-27
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  ​Unclaimed Lotto prizes top $33.54 billion won last year SEOUL -- Unclaimed Lotto prizes were estimated at 41.31 billion won ($33.54 million) last year, according to a report submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to Rep. Kim Ju-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on January 26. The sum offered by Lotto, the most popular lottery ticket in South Korea, included one of last year’s top prizes that was valued at 2.37 billion won, 23 cases of second prizes with 1.24 billion won, and 1,421 cases of thir 2023-01-26
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  Autonomous vehicles to be deployed in southern city to provide paid shuttle service SEOUL -- A fleet of autonomous vehicles will be deployed to a self-driving car demonstration zone in Daegu some 249 kilometers (149 miles) south of Seoul to offer paid shuttle service. The self-driving cars will carry passengers on a circulation route through an industrial techno-valley area. South Korea's first paid shuttle service using autonomous vehicles was launched in western Seoul in December 2021. 42dot, a domestic self-driving technology startup, operated three autonom 2023-01-26
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  Number of Korean language learners steadily increases on state-run online learning service SEOUL -- The number of foreigners learning to speak Korean through an online classroom platform called "Online King Sejong Institute," run by the state-run King Sejong Institute, has reached 61,337, up 7.7 percent on-year. English speakers accounted for the largest portion with 11,683. Using PC or a mobile phone, anyone can take Korean classes after taking a level test through the online platform. Students can receive personal advice from their online instructors. For tho 2023-01-25
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  Seoul's surrounding province to install more than 76,000 EV chargers in 2023 SEOUL -- In a bid to speed up the distribution of electric cars, more than 76,000 electric vehicle chargers will be installed in Gyeonggi Province, that surrounds Seoul, this year. The number of registered electric cars in the province stood at 77,648 as of December 2022, but there were only 48,520 chargers. South Korea is striving to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 by promoting the use of renewable energy and clean fuels. As of the third quarter of 2022, about 34 2023-01-24
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  S. Korea records $760mln in exports of Ramyeon in 2022 SEOUL -- Exports of Ramyeon, South Korean instant noodles, reached $765.4 million in 2022, up 13.5 percent from a year ago, the state customs statistics showed. According to data released by the World Instant Noodles Association, a South Korean person consumes an average of 73 packs of instant noodles per year. South Korean Ramyeon products started to gain attention in 2015 thanks to K-pop and K-dramas. Various companies sought to grab instant noodle fans worldwide. Shinsegae, Sout 2023-01-23