SouthKorea

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  ​S. Korea to regulate styrofoam buoys at oyster and seaweed farms SEOUL -- In an effort to reduce pollution by foamed polystyrene pollution, South Korea will take steps to regulate the use of high-density styrofoam buoys used widely for aquaculture and promote the use of eco-friendly plastic products that releases less microplastic waste into the ocean. Currently, aquafarmers are allowed to use high-density styrofoam buoys. However, such buoys are easily disintegrated in a short period. When styrofoam blocks are broken down in the sea, microplasti 2021-04-05
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  University hospital selected to participate in development of mobile COVID-19 screening center SEOUL -- A university hospital has been selected for a project to develop a mobile modular COVID-19 screening center that will help contain the spread of infectious disease and accelerate diagnosis. The screening center is designed to replace makeshift screening centers set up near multi-use facilities such as subway stations and parks. Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital said it was selected by the Korea Medical Device Development Fund (KMDF), a public interest foundation e 2021-03-29
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  Ulsan to build hydrogen fuel charging station for freight trucks SEOUL -- To transform its old transport hub infrastructure based on fossil fuels into an eco-friendly one that uses hydrogen fuel, the southern port city of Ulsan will build a big hydrogen fuel charging station for freight trucks. Ulsan, which serves as the transport hub of South Korea's southeastern region, said in a statement on March 29 that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Hydrogen Industry Association (KHIA) to inject some 5.7 billion won ($5 million) 2021-03-29
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  S. Koreans show support for Myanmar protesters thru offline and online campaigns SEOUL -- Thousands of South Koreans, young and old, have joined an online relay campaign to express sympathy and support for Myanmar's "Spring Revolution" that began in early February against a coup by top army commander Min Aung Hlaing. Online protestors used various hashtags including "#미얀마_민주주의" (Myanmar democracy in Korean) and "#DemocracyForMyanmar" to upload posts including images that show a "three-finger salute" gesture, i 2021-03-25
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  Provincial government introduces battery-sharing network for electric delivery bikes SEOUL -- In an effort to reduce air pollution, a provincial government will use old telephone booths, which are hardly used, to establish a battery-sharing network for deliverymen who use motorcycles. Street telephone booths will be turned into charging depots where deliverymen can quickly replace depleted battery packs. Such a battery-sharing method is popular in Southeast Asia. Food deliverymen in an urban environment travel a daily average distance of about 100 kilometers (62 m 2021-03-24
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  S. Korea's midsized observation satellite successfully launched into orbit: Yonhap SEOUL -- South Korea's next-generation midsized observation satellite successfully entered its target orbit and made its first contact with a base station on Monday, the science ministry said, marking the country's latest step to boost its space industry. The 540-kilogram satellite made contact with the Svalbard Satellite Station in Norway around 100 minutes after its launch on Russia's Soyuz-2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at around 11:07 a.m. ( 2021-03-22
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  Provincial government proposes civilian space industry cluster in Goheung SEOUL -- Goheung, a southern coastal town that has been the center of South Korea's space program, came up with the idea of creating a civilian space industry cluster in line with a government policy shift to solid-propellant boosters that would deliver satellite payloads to low-Earth orbit. For decades, South Korea's space program has been led by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). The Seoul government is now pushing for a policy shift to foster a civil 2021-03-22
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  Samsung Display installs smart collection boxes for recycling at production base SEOUL -- Samsung Display, a major flat panel maker in South Korea, has set up smart collection boxes for recycling at its production base in the southern city of Asan. Built-in intelligent cameras recognize used cans and plastic bottles and automatically classify them by type. Samsung Display said in a statement on March 21 that smart collection boxes were installed in 11 places in its Asan complex. Users can accumulate mileage depending on their use performance. They can be refunde 2021-03-22
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  Resort island Jeju selected for commercialization of floating offshore wind farm SEOUL -- The southern resort island of Jeju, well known for strong winds, was selected for a government project to commercialize a floating offshore wind farm. Jeju will use energy generated by wind farms to power electric vehicle charging stations and commercial facilities such as convenience stores. Jeju said in a press conference on March 19 that the island would participate in the construction of an eight megawatt-class floating wind farm with a state fund of 2.7 billion won nea 2021-03-19
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  [INTERVIEW] IVI head advocates global solution and vaccination to 'tame' COVID-19 infection SEOUL -- Rich countries have stepped up efforts to ride out a COVID-19 pandemic through the quick acquisition of vaccines, or sometimes hoarding that sparked vaccine sovereignty and hampered a United Nations campaign to facilitate the transfer of technology and scientific knowledge for global production and vaccination. Several African countries have begun receiving their first doses through the UN-backed C 2021-03-17
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  SK Telecom earns carbon credit thru reduced power usage using telecom technology SEOUL -- SK Telecom has secured carbon emission rights through greenhouse gas reduction for the first time in South Korea's domestic communication technology and equipment industry. The mobile carrier has reduced power usage by integrating and upgrading 3G and LTE network equipment. It has been common to reduce electricity through changes in energy sources. However, SK Telecom (SKT) said it is the first telecom company to win certification from the Ministry of Environment with 2021-03-09
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  Young woman faces trial for eating hamberger and insulting train passenger SEOUL -- A young woman will stand trial on charges of defamation after she snubbed a request from a nearby passenger to stop eating a hamburger and beverage set aboard a high-speed train and pelted insults with her mask taken off. Video footage showing the woman's senseless behavior that apparently violated anti-epidemic rules has spread through social network services, triggering public criticism. On complaints from the passenger who felt an unbearable sense of humiliation, Sou 2021-03-05
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  Daredevil surfers to be fined for ignoring storm warning SEOUL -- Four daredevil surfers have been caught for riding the waves while a storm warning was in effect. They will be fined for violating a marine safety law that requires permission from local authorities to use marine leisure equipment including surfing boards in bad weather. The coastguard said in a statement on March 3 that the four were caught in the eastern port city of Sokcho. "Interest in marine leisure sports has increased greatly because of the COVID-19 pandemic,& 2021-03-04
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  SK Telecom releases AI-based emergency service to rescue senior customers SEOUL -- SK Telecom, a top South Korean mobile carrier that has aggressively adopted new technologies, released a 24-hour service that responds to emergency requests from senior customers, based on its artificial intelligence voice assistant platform NUGU. SK Telecom (SKT) has launched a new service called "NUGU opal" in cooperation with its physical security subsidiary, ADT Caps. "We hope that the NUGY opal security service will help senior customers live a safe an 2021-03-04
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  S. Korea's online food delivery service market thrives in 2020 SEOUL -- South Korea's food delivery market has seen rapid growth thanks to social distancing caused by COVID-19. Online food delivery transactions surged 78.6 percent on-year to 17.4 trillion won ($15.5 billion) in 2020, state data showed. The pandemic prompted even hotel restaurants and Starbucks, an American chain of coffeehouses, to break their pride and launch delivery services. Before the pandemic, food delivery services used to offer commonly-found menus such as Korean- 2021-03-02
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  Prime Minister Chung stresses importance of 'borderless communication channel' to minimize information gap SEOUL -- "Honestly, I am not really good at social media or communicating with others because I am too busy with work," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said as he introduced his experience in a national fight against COVID-19. The 70-year-old veteran politician played a pivotal role in South Korea's anti-epidemic campaign, working as the top commander of a control tower that collects and filters complex information before delivering a concerted message to minimiz 2021-02-26
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  Sajo Seafood to launch raw tuna menu delivery service SEOUL -- In an effort to ride out a business slump caused by a COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea's major seafood retailer Sajo Seafood will launch a delivery service for tuna "Hoe," a raw fish fillet served in a Korean style. Deep-sea fishing vessels catch tuna fish, a popular fish kind in Japan and South Korea, mainly in the Pacific Ocean. Bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna are bled and gutted soon after they are caught off fishnets to go through a flash-freezing process. T 2021-02-26
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  Researchers find new roundworm species near Dokdo SEOUL -- Researchers have found eight new species of roundworms as well as two other species that were not recorded in South Korea near Dokdo, a chain of rocky islets known as Liancourt Rocks, which are located in the middle of waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan. They think the newly-found species of roundworms play a vital role in the food cycle of a marine ecosystem. In a joint research project in 2020, two state-run institutes, the National Marine Biodiversity Instit 2021-02-26
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  IODP drilling approved to explore oceanic basin between Korean peninsula and Japan in 2024 SEOUL -- A scientific drilling ship used by the International Ocean Discovery Program, a multi-drilling platform research program, will be able to explore an oceanic basin between the Korean peninsula and Japan probably in 2024 on a mission to find out the cause of frequent submarine landslides. A submarine landslide transports sediment across the continental shelf and into the deep ocean. It can cause significant damage to both life and property. Common causes of marine landslides 2021-02-23
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  Health officials heave sigh of relief at early introduction of Novavax vaccine SEOUL -- South Korean health officials heaved a sigh of relief after securing new deals for the additional purchase of COVID-19 vaccines for 23 million people that included a protein-based vaccine developed by Novavax, amid growing public jitters over the delayed release of home-made vaccines and the relatively slow introduction of proven foreign products. The introduction of the Novavax vaccine for 20 million people will begin in the second quarter of this year, according to the Ko 2021-02-16