SouthKorea

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  Seoul to improve energy efficiency by remodeling senior centers and daycare centers SEOUL -- In an effort to improve the energy efficiency of senior centers and daycare centers, Seoul City will invest some 119.6 billion won ($12.65 million) until 2025 through its green remodeling project which is done by reinforcing high-quality insulation, and installing high-efficiency boilers and eco-friendly ventilation systems. Green remodeling is a process designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and upgrade the quality of old buildings by improving energy efficiency. Acco 2021-09-08
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  S. Korea to diversify utilization of animal manure for developing efficient biogas SEOUL -- South Korea will embark on a state project to develop an efficient method of utilizing animal manure as renewable resources including biogas. The mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane and carbon dioxide, can be used as fuel for vehicles and other equipment such as power plant turbines. Biogas is normally produced by anaerobic digestion with anaerobic organisms inside a bioreactor filled with biowastes including animal manure and other biomasses such as sludge co 2021-09-06
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  Artificial nests set up in southeastern province to prevent endangered bird from being electrocuted SEOUL -- Two artificial nest towers will be installed in Taean County some 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of Seoul to prevent storks, endangered bird species, from being electrocuted. Birds often cause blackouts when nests short circuit power poles. In South Korea, blackouts occur frequently due to birds' nests every year, with the most electric accidents caused by magpies. Data released by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), a state utility company, shows that ma 2021-08-30
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  Seoul launches metaverse-based science education program for 2,100 students SEOUL -- The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will offer virtual science classes for elementary and middle school students that are grounded due to a COVID-19 pandemic. The online classes will be based on a metaverse platform, a simulated digital world platform. Students can improve learning skills by exploring the interactive virtual world. The metaverse is a digital world that connects physical reality to virtual spaces. Users can have hands-on experiences through virtual re 2021-08-26
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  Seoul City installs free public WiFi service to some 2,340 bus stops SEOUL -- In an effort to lessen the financial burden of communication costs and narrow the information gap among citizens, Seoul City has installed free public wireless access points in more than 2,300 bus stops in Jongno, an office district located at the heart of Seoul, and the southern district of Gangnam, South Korea's center of finance and fashion trends. Seoul City said on August 24 that it has finished the installation of wireless access points (AP) a year earlier than th 2021-08-24
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  S. Korea's agricultural ministry to establish microbiome resource center to create database SEOUL -- South Korea's agriculture ministry will build a microbiome resource center to create a database of microorganisms by collecting resources and genetic information. The database will be shared with various sectors including the medical and food sectors to help enterprises beef up their capabilities. The microbiome refers to a cluster of all types of microscopic organisms that co-exist with humans such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. Many of them live inside our 2021-08-23
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  First commercial service of food drone delivery to be showcased in Sejong SEOUL -- In a state-sponsored pilot project aimed at rolling out a commercial service, citizens in South Korea's central administrative city of Sejong can receive pizza delivered by drones using smartphone apps from their homes without risking the infection of COVID-19 at offline stores. If successful, the pilot service would lead to the first commercial food delivery service using drones in urban areas in South Korea. The pilot service through an app called Domino's Pizza o 2021-08-20
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  Samsung's de facto leader released from jail on parole amid split public opinions SEOUL -- The de facto leader of South Korea's top conglomerate, Samsung, bowed his head and apologized for causing public concern as he walked out of jail detention on parole, ending his prison life for 207 days on bribery charges stemming from a corruption scandal involving jailed ex-president Park Geun-hye. "I've caused great concern to my fellow citizens. I am really sorry," Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee said, deeply bowing his head before a wall 2021-08-13
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  Seoul partners with ADT Caps to offer home security service for single households SEOUL -- In an effort to protect single households living in South Korea's capital city, Seoul has partnered with ADT Caps, a security service company, to offer home security services at very low prices. The city government will provide subsidies so that users can receive protection for as little as about 1,000 won ($0.86) per month. Government census data released in 2020 showed that single households account for about 30.4 percent of total households in South Korea with a popu 2021-08-13
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  WAN-IFRA sides with S. Korean media organizations in opposing changes to media law SEOUL -- An international association of newspapers and news publishers urged South Korea's ruling camp to retract hastily proposed changes to a media law that would impose greater punitive damages on media companies for what are deemed as malicious false reporting or fake news. The proposed revision sparked a strong backlash from media organizations which expressed concern about the risk of silencing critical journalism and harming South Korea's democratic traditions. In a 2021-08-12
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  American toddler music entertainer lodges appeal in suit against Korean Baby Shark video SEOUL -- Johnny Only, an American toddler music entertainer known for his rendition of "Baby Shark," showed no intention of giving up a legal battle against a Korean YouTube video containing the same song that went viral worldwide and lodged an appeal against a court decision that children's songs handed down by oral tradition are not copyrighted. Only filed a suit seeking damage compensation in March 2019, accusing South Korea's education and entertainment compa 2021-08-11
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  S. Korean media organizations blame ruling party for imposing 'unconstitutional' anti-fake news bill SEOUL -- A bill pushed by the ruling party of President Moon Jae-in to impose greater punitive damages on media companies for malicious false reporting or fake news sparked a strong backlash from South Korea's media organizations, which condemned it as unconstitutional. A campaign has been launched to obtain signatures from journalists. Six major media organizations joined hands to criticize the ruling Democratic Party (DP) for pressing ahead with a revision to the Media Arbitra 2021-08-11
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  ​Seoul to adopt AI-based automated system for water treatment center by 2030 SEOUL -- Seoul will adopt an artificial intelligence-based automated management system for its four water treatment centers to minimize labor and operation costs. The management system will increase the efficiency of sewage treatment and reduce the time taken to respond to emergency situations. Currently, water treatment centers are 100 percent managed by human workers. Survey data is sorted and analyzed by hand. It takes time for workers to make decisions and respond to emergency s 2021-08-10
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  Busan presents itself as suitable UN partner to build prototype of sustainable floating city SEOUL -- Busan, a main maritime gateway in South Korea, hopes to participate in a United Nations project to build sustainable floating cities which have been presented as a solution to ensure climate resilience. The port city was enthusiastic, saying it would seek to conclude a partnership agreement early with UN-Habitat, a UN agency responsible for sustainable urban development. In a video conference with Victor Kisob, the deputy executive director of UN-Habitat, on August 5, May 2021-08-06
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  Economic groups regard S. Korea's energy transition roadmap as excessive SEOUL -- A draft road map presented by a special presidential committee contained a broad national goal to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 in response to a global agenda for fighting climate change. Economic groups acknowledged the need for specific action plans but opposed any radical steps that could undermine the competitiveness of South Korean industries. The committee chaired by Yun Sun-jin, a Seoul National University professor, serves as the control tower 2021-08-05
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  Excavation confirms world’s largest dolmen as Bronze Age graveyard SEOUL -- South Korea's largest Bronze Age dolmen discovered in 2007 during the construction of a residential development zone has been officially recognized as a graveyard, not an altar, ending years of debate in the academic community over its purpose. The dolmen in Gimhae is 7.3 meters long, 5.0 meters wide, and 4.0 meters thick, and weighs 350 tons. Gimhae City said on July 30 that the dolmen in Gusan-dong turned out to be a graveyard built around the 1st century BC. Through 2021-08-02
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  S. Korea to lead international standardization of green hydrogen production technology SEOUL -- South Korea will lead the international standardization of green hydrogen production technology. The country’s standards agency predicted that the standardization will boost South Korea’s presence in the global hydrogen economy. Green hydrogen does not generate greenhouse gases during its production process. It is created using a water electrolysis technique based on renewable energy sources. Many hydrogen companies have adopted water electrolysis technologies t 2021-07-30
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  S. Korea approves fast-track commercialization of artificial corneal transplant SEOUL -- South Korea’s drug ministry paved a way for a new treatment of corneal disorders by approving artificial corneas as an innovative medical device for the first time. The ministry said the device will provide new treatment opportunities for patients suffering from severe eye problems which can lead to blindness. Through a series of evaluations, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety designates innovative medical devices with better capabilities than conventional equipment 2021-07-29
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  ​S. Korea launches state project to create disaster risk map for land creep SEOUL -- South Korea will create a digital disaster risk map for land creeping, which is the slow downslope movement of soil layers due to the influence of groundwater and external impacts in the mountain slope. There were no latest figures, but some 35 land creep cases were reported in 2018. While devastating landslides occur on the top layer of soil to sweep down the mountain slope at fast speeds, a land creep phenomenon literally takes place at a creeping speed. Trees and other i 2021-07-28
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  S. Korea to demonstrate smartphone alarm service to warn citizens about nearby sex offenders SEOUL -- South Korea will demonstrate a smartphone alarm service that can warn users about the presence of nearby sex offenders. When a person shakes his or her smartphone three times, location information will be uploaded onto a control tower so that monitoring agents can look for offenders wearing digital ankle bracelets in the vicinity of 20 meters (65 feet). According to the Ministry of Justice, there are some 4,830 sex offenders wearing ankle bracelets equipped with a GPS track 2021-07-26