SouthKorea

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  S. Korean presidential office launches task force to head off urea price shock SEOUL -- South Korea's presidential office launched a special task force to cope with a crippling shortage of Chinese raw materials that threatened to spark a logistics crisis as many cargo trucks run short of an aqueous urea solution used to cut pollution created by diesel engines. Urea can be made by adding carbon dioxide to ammonia. South Korea relies heavily on imports, with 97 percent of them coming from China. Surging coal prices have pushed up fertilizer prices, prompting 2021-11-05
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  Seoul to offer metaverse-based administrative services by 2026 SEOUL -- Through a 3.9 billion won ($3.31 million) project, Seoul will create a brand-new public service by adopting metaverse platforms in various sectors including economy, culture, tourism and education. The capital city aims to use avatar workers to deal with citizens' complaints and provide various virtual tourism experiences by 2026. The metaverse is a digital world where physical reality and virtual spaces are combined. A metaverse platform allows users to have special ha 2021-11-03
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  Offshore sites capable of storing 730 mln tons of CO2 available in S. Korea SEOUL -- South Korea can store some 730 million tons of carbon dioxide at offshore storage sites, which are available for obvious use, based on a six-month survey of territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. The survey was conducted as part of a government campaign to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 in response to a global agenda for fighting climate change. In a seminar on November 3, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that the government would 2021-11-03
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  About 10,000TB of video data consumed daily by S. Korean smartphone users : government data SEOUL -- About 10,000 terabytes of video content was consumed daily by South Koreans using smartphones and mobile devices in September 2021, thanks to a variety of content provided by over-the-top and video-on-demand services, government data showed. South Korea with a population of some 51 million has a smartphone distribution rate of about 95 percent. The Ministry of Science and ICT said in a statement on November 3 that South Koreans consumed 10,462 terabytes of video content us 2021-11-03
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  Provincial city to demonstrate AI-based pedestrian detection technology SEOUL -- A provincial city located southwest of Seoul has started the demonstration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based pedestrian detection technology to protect children crossing roads in a school zone. The AI system will warn drivers by showing warnings on display boards if there is a pedestrian ahead. Siheung City said in a statement on November 2 that the city started a seven-month demonstration of the smart pedestrian detection system at an elementary school zone located nea 2021-11-02
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  Seoul to develop and commercialize recycling technologies for discarded batteries SEOUL -- Seoul will upgrade, demonstrate and commercialize recycling technologies developed by private companies. Two kinds of technologies -- recycling technology for discarded lithium-ion batteries and food waste reduction technology -- were selected from a list of some dozen technologies submitted by local enterprises. According to Seoul on November 2, the Seoul Institute of Technology will provide support to ER, a battery recycling company, to upgrade and commercialize battery- 2021-11-02
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  Uber and T Map's joint venture releases smart integrated mobility service app SEOUL -- A joint venture set up by American ride-hailing service operator Uber and T Map, the mobility service wing of South Korea's mobile carrier SK Telecom, has launched a new ride-hailing service. The new mobility service will compete against Kakao T, the country's most popular mobility service app operated by web service giant Kakao. UT said during a press conference on November 1 that the existing Uber app has been integrated with the UT app. Passengers can use UT serv 2021-11-02
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  Smart buses to provide on-demand transport service in northern city SEOUL -- The northern city of Paju will operate new public transportation called "demand response transport" (DRT). A DRT is a bus that uses artificial intelligence to create optimal routes in real-time depending on passengers' demands. Paju said in a statement on November 1 that the city will adopt the smart bus system. Paju has issued a designated DRT license on October 27 and the test operation will begin in November 2021. Smart buses will start their test operation 2021-11-01
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  Seoul to support independent content creators' foray into Chinese video platforms SEOUL -- Seoul City teamed up with a Chinese video content creator management agency to make a foray into various Chinese video content-sharing platforms. Seoul will provide a four-week online education program for South Korean creators who hope to gain more Chinese followers. The education will be organized by Chinese video content experts. Adoba is a Chinese multi-channel networks (MCN) platform company specializing in assisting South Korean creators to enter the Chinese market. T 2021-11-01
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  Seoul to provide safety education using virtual reality technologies SEOUL -- Seoul will provide safety education classes using virtual reality devices at urban construction sites with a high risk of safety accidents. 33 types of accident cases that frequently occur such as falling will be created into virtual classes to raise awareness of safety accidents. According to government data, 390 people died at construction sites in 2018. About 60 percent of fatal accidents were caused by falling. The Seoul Facilities Corporation (SFC), the capital city 2021-10-29
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  ​S. Korea to upgrade locomotive safety thru digital transformation SEOUL -- South Korea will upgrade the safety of its locomotive system through digital transformation by establishing various plans for the evolution of train networks in 2023. A new control tower will be set up along with the adoption of technologies including internet-of-things, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and big data. South Korea with a nationwide railroad network of some 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles) experiences an average of 91 accidents including derailing, 2021-10-29
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  S. Korea constructs pilot smart farm in Kazakhstan SEOUL -- South Korea's greenhouse-type smart farm optimized for tough climate environments was constructed in Kazakhstan where dry grasslands and deserts occupy most of the country. The smart farm was designed to promote South Korea's equipment, manpower and technologies, and also as a demonstration site for potential foreign buyers based in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. A smart farm is an automated indoor farm created by combining information and communication technol 2021-10-29
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  Southern port city launches business council to build smart city SEOUL -- The southern port city of Ulsan has formed a business council to prepare for the establishment of a smart city platform in South Korea's iconic seaside industrial city. The next-generation city infrastructure will improve citizens' quality of life and establish a sustainable urban environment. South Korea has entered an early stage of smart city development where cities are connected via wireless networks to efficiently manage various urban problems. A smart city is 2021-10-28
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  Samcheok to construct fire safety verification center for ESS and rechargeable batteries SEOUL -- Through a 69.8 billion won ($59.6 million) project, the ground was broken to build a fire safety verification center in the eastern port city of Samcheok. The fire safety technology center will research and develop efficient extinguishing systems for fires lit by large-capacity secondary batteries, also known as rechargeable batteries, used in energy storage systems. Battery fires are devastating and hard to put out. During the last few years, South Korea's emergency worke 2021-10-27
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  Seoul showcases mobile digital map containing city's various information to use as simulation SEOUL -- Seoul City has unveiled a mobile version of a three-dimensional map that duplicates the entire city in a virtual space. The mobile map will deliver the city's various information including real-time traffic conditions and real estate information to citizens anytime, anywhere. "Digital Twin S-Map," the mobile version of Seoul's digital twin, was released on October 27, Seoul said in a statement. Real-time information released by the digital map can solve v 2021-10-27
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  S. Korea to replace and remove 208 outdated public rapid chargers for EVs SEOUL -- South Korea's environment ministry will replace and remove outdated public rapid chargers for electric vehicles. Some electric vehicle drivers have trouble using outdated rapid chargers that were installed about nine years ago because some old machines were left without maintenance. Data released by the environment ministry showed that there are some 10,830 public and private rapid chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) in South Korea as of August 2021. In January, about 2021-10-26
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  Megastore franchise Homeplus operates special shopping area for vegans SEOUL -- South Korea's megastore franchise Homeplus will attract vegans by opening a special shopping area called "Vegan Zone." Vegan products such as bread made with plant-based ingredients and alternative meat, also known as artificial meat, will be sold in the area. To meet demands from the rapidly increasing vegan population of some 2 million, South Korea's alternative meat market is steadily growing. According to data released by Euromonitor, a market researc 2021-10-26
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  Busan to test-operate eco-friendly reusable cup rental service SEOUL -- To reduce the use of disposable cups made of plastics at coffee shops, a pilot project designed to promote the use of eco-friendly cups will be conducted in the southern port city of Busan. The multi-use cups made of renewable materials will be collected and cleaned by a reusable cup cleaning company. The test operation of multi-use cups will start in Busan on October 26, the port city government said in a statement. Each reusable cup will have a QR code so that customers c 2021-10-25
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  Busan to open upcycling center in renewable industry complex by 2024 SEOUL -- South Korea's largest upcycling center will be built in the southern port city of Busan through a 4.4 billion won ($3.78 million) project. To maximize synergy effects with nearby resource circulation infrastructure, the upcycling center will be built in a renewable industry complex that houses more than 10 related facilities and companies specializing in waste recycling and resource disposal. While recycling only focuses on collecting discarded materials and turning the 2021-10-21
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  Seoul to build integrated water sports center on Han River SEOUL -- Through a 15.7 billion won ($13.37 million) project, Seoul City will build an integrated water sports center that can house some 220 water sports equipment such as yachts, canoes and kayaks on Han River where visitors can enjoy extreme water sports. Seoul said in a statement on October 21 that the city government will open the water sports center in the first half of 2023 near the Nanji Hangang Park in western Seoul. The center will consist of a dock that will serve as a pa 2021-10-21