SouthKorea

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  Busan to create smart indoor gardens to purify air in multi-purpose areas SEOUL -- To help urbanites heal their mind and take a break from busy life, smart gardens with plants capable of removing indoor air pollutants will be established in South Korea's southern port city of Busan. The small-sized indoor gardens with automatic water supply systems will be provided to multi-purpose areas such as welfare centers and educational service centers. Using internet of things (IoT) technology, smart gardens control air quality, wind speed, and water distri 2023-01-13
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  Southern port city to invest $4 mln to create urban forests in 22 areas SEOUL -- The southern port city of Busan will invest five billion won ($4 million) to create urban forests over 22 areas that are equivalent to some four football fields. Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, has a population of 3.4 million over an area of 770 square kilometers. However, about 47 percent of the city consists of mountains, making the city very cramped with a small number of green areas that are easily accessible by citizens. The port city famous for it 2023-01-12
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  ​Seoul to utilize drones to monitor tile roofs of traditional Hanok buildings SEOUL -- Seoul will adopt a safety inspection service using drones to manage traditional Korean houses called "Hanok." The drone safety inspection service will check the condition of tiled roofs instead of having human inspectors climb up the old buildings. Any Hanok residents in Seoul can request the city government for a drone inspection service if they find maintenance issues such as water leaks. Seoul currently has about 8,000 Hanok buildings. According to the city, 2023-01-12
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  Rare ginseng worth some $545,000 found in S. Korea SEOUL -- An extremely rare ginseng which is estimated to be about $545,000 has been found in a mountainous area in South Korea's southwestern region by a mountain hiker. The ginseng weighing some 0.9 pounds has a high proportion of Rg3, a biological component used to treat cancer. Rg3 is a type of saponin that inhibits the growth of cancer cells, improves blood circulation and lowers blood pressure. Rg3 is easily absorbed in the body compared to other saponin substances. The 2023-01-11
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  S. Korea reveals fishing boat capacity reduction plan for nearshore fishermen SEOUL -- Due to the decreased catch affected by climate changes and overfishing, South Korea will carry out a nearshore fishing boat capacity reduction program. A total of 39 boats will be reduced in 2023 and subsidies will be provided in form of tax returns and reimbursements for estimated salvage values of boats and fishing equipment, and up to six months of salary for fishermen who lost their jobs because of the fishing boat reduction program. The reduction of fishing boat capac 2023-01-11
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  ​Southern port city starts multilingual menu board service in 50 restaurants to attract foreign customers SEOUL -- To attract more foreign customers, the southern port city of Busan started a smart menu board service that provides translated versions of restaurant menu boards. The price and name of menus are shown in four languages -- English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. Visitors can order food by simply scanning QR codes printed on menu boards. According to Busan Tourism Organization, about 2.7 million foreign tourists visited the port city in 2019, before the first wave of a c 2023-01-06
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  ​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
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  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
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  Startup incubation agency kick-starts AI-based business analysis service SEOUL -- South Korea's state startup incubation agency has kick-started an artificial intelligence and big data-based business analysis service. The service would provide analysis and estimates for business operators so that they could take preemptive actions to improve their operations. The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) said in a statement on December 30 that an AI-based business analysis service called "BizPathFinder" was released to provide multi-angle ins 2022-12-30
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  Trash incineration facilities with heat recovery system reuse up to 73% waste heat: data SEOUL -- A state environmental research institute found that trash incineration facilities with waste heat recovery systems can reuse up to 73.5 percent of the heat that is generated during the burning process. In South Korea, there are 34 waste processing facilities that receive government subsidies for operating waste heat removal equipment. Some 195.5 million tons of waste are generated in South Korea every year. While 87.4 percent including plastics and metal are recycled, 5.1 2022-12-29
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  KAI partners with state space agency to carry out demonstration environment suitability test for urban air mobility SEOUL -- Korea Aerospace Industries, the sole aircraft maker in South Korea, partnered with a state-run space agency to inspect test environments for urban air mobility, an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas. A helicopter will be deployed to collect and analyze various data. Through UAM Team Korea, a public-private consultative body, South Korea aims to commercialize manned drone taxis in 2025. Remote-controlled vehicles will be adopted in 2030 and a fully 2022-12-28
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  Number of wild boars captured in Seoul increases by 70 percent on-year SEOUL -- The number of wild boars captured or hunted in South Korea's capital city was 155, up 70.3 percent from a year ago. Wild pigs have become a major threat to South Koreans since the 1980s as there are no natural predators that could reduce the number of wild boars. Wild pigs are indigenous to the Korean peninsula. Along with other top-tier predators like tigers, leopards, and black bears, wild pigs almost became extinct during the Korean War which crippled the mountains 2022-12-27
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  ​S. Korea to demonstrate two autonomous intercity buses for first time SEOUL -- Two self-driving buses will carry commuters from the central city of Sejong to Cheongju some 22.4 kilometers (13.9 miles) north of Sejong, and back. The level 3 autonomous vehicles that can travel at up to 80 kilometers per hour will become the first self-driving buses to run on a bus rapid transit route designed to quickly transport large numbers of passengers. Level 3 autonomous cars can detect their environment and make decisions such as slowing down or evading an obsta 2022-12-27
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  ICT-based children's rehabilitation device demonstration center to be built in southeastern city SEOUL -- To help young children quickly recover from various types of disorders and traumatic memories, an information and communication technology-based children's rehabilitation device demonstration center will be established in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan. The 1,600-square-meter-wide facility, which is about the size of eight tennis courts, will be used for clinical tests, development, and verification of rehabilitation products, and provide educational programs for paren 2022-12-26
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  ​State wildlife disease control body finds African Swine Fever vaccine stock candidate effective SEOUL -- To prevent the mass culling of pigs and protect farmers from the African Swine Fever disease with a 100 percent case fatality rate, a wildlife disease control body operated by the environment ministry has found a possible vaccine stock candidate that can be applied to wild pigs through bait-type medicines. African Swine Fever (ASF) virus causes hemorrhagic fever with about a 100 percent fatality rate in domestic pigs. The disease is spread by wild pigs that come down to pi 2022-12-26
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  SK Group chairman's wife brings divorce case to appeals court, demands greater property division SEOUL -- The estranged wife of Chey Tae-won, a business tycoon who controls South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group, challenged a court ruling that excluded Chey's stocks from the division of property and refused to recognize her role in the formation, maintenance, and value increase of business property. The high-profile divorce suit would go to a court of appeal. Chey's 61-year-old wife, Roh Soh-yeong, submitted a petition of appeal through her lawyers, citin 2022-12-19
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  State mint rolls out BTS medals in gold and silver to commemorate 10th anniversary SEOUL -- To commemorate the 10th anniversary of global superstar BTS' debut, South Korea's state mint rolled out a special medal with the seven members' English names engraved on the front. Global fans can purchase medals in gold and silver through the global website of Gmarket, a major domestic online shopping mall. The Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO) said in a statement that a total of 87,777 commemorative medals were released on December 16. 2022-12-16
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  State postal service tests multi-point drone delivery in western islands SEOUL -- South Korea's state postal delivery service Korea Post has tested a multi-point delivery in seven islands located on the west coast for the first time in the country. The postal service had been testing drones to deliver medicines and other necessities to islands without a hospital or supermarket since 2018. South Korea's western and southern coastlines are dotted with hundreds of small islands with a small number of residents each. The islands are often used as sm 2022-12-15
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  Colorful light sculptures to be displayed in Seoul's iconic square to celebrate end of 2022 SEOUL -- Gwanghwamun Square, an iconic square located in central Seoul featuring beautiful scenery, will be created into a night view attraction with various colorful lights to provide a pleasant festive mood ideal for the end-of-the-year season. Light sculptures will be installed near a popular statue and park visited by many Seoulites to relax and spend time with their family members or friends. Gwanghwaun Square is favored by Seoulites and tourists as there are many museums and 2022-12-14
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  About 30% of young children experience developmental delays during pandemic: survey SEOUL -- About 30 percent of children aged five and younger who grew up during a coronavirus pandemic experience developmental delays in their cognitive, motor, social, emotional, and behavioral abilities. Some 15 percent needed continuous care to develop the required skills. When the first wave of a coronavirus struck South Korea in February 2020, the country's society chose isolation. Social distancing campaigns were rolled out. Although South Korea did not go into a lock 2022-12-14