SouthKorea

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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
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  ​Giant folk painting to be displayed in central square as talisman to ward off bad luck and pandemic SEOUL -- A set of giant folk paintings showing two warlords clad in golden armor will be on display at a public square in central Seoul during the Korean Lunar New Year holidays. The traditional paintings used to be displayed on the gates of public places as a talisman to ward off bad luck and evil spirits. The Cultural Heritage Administration said in a statement that "Moonbaedo" paintings will be displayed in the heart of Seoul for three days from February 11 in an event 2021-02-08
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  [INTERVIEW] Survey company predicts greater spending on household appliances, digital content SEOUL -- A COVID-19 pandemic has brought up epochal changes in the pattern of consumption as social distancing, an act of not engaging in social activities or not visiting populated places, became a social trend. Content services have gained popularity as many people abandoned outdoor activities. The pandemic is accelerating digital transformation and social changes. However, the prediction that digital transformation will gain in speed as a whole from daily life to corporate prod 2021-02-02
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  Moon visits announces potential deal with Novavax for 20 mln people: Yonhap SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in visited a coronavirus vaccine production plant in South Korea and announced that the government could potentially secure additional new coronavirus vaccines for 20 million people from U.S. drug manufacturer Novavax Inc. "The possibility has opened for us to secure additional vaccines for 20 million people, in addition to the already secured volume for 56 million, amid the pursuit of a deal between Novavax and SK Bioscience Co. recently," Mo 2021-01-20
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  New negative-pressure ambulances to be used by S. Korean fire stations SEOUL -- South Korean fire stations will operate new negative-pressure ambulances installed with an oxygen concentration monitor and an automatic ventilation system to prevent a decrease in oxygen concentration while carrying COVID-19 patients. Ambulance workers can selectively operate a negative-pressure system depending on the type of patients. Negative pressure plays a vital part in COVID-19 screening and treatment as it prevents cross-contamination inside an enclosed space by 2021-01-19
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  Samsung supports smart production of COVID-19 vaccine syringes SEOUL -- With the help of Samsung Electronics, a South Korean medical device manufacturer has established a smart production system capable of manufacturing more than 10 million syringes per month for COVID-19. Poonglim Pharmatech has submitted a request for emergency use authorization to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It can be injected up to five times per bottle of vaccine with a regular syringe, but a Poonglim syringe enables the safe injection of COVID-19 vaccine more 2021-01-19
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  S. Korea's high-speed electrical train 'KTX-Eum' makes commercial debut. SEOUL -- South Korea's high-speed electrical multiple unit called "KTX-Eum" made its commercial debut. It is an eco-friendly train that was designed to provide pleasant travel with every seat aligned with the window and featured a distributed power system. The six-car unit train with 381 seats was manufactured by Hyundai Rotem and operated by Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL). From January 5, it will run at a maximum speed of 260 kilometers (162 miles) per hour on a rout 2021-01-04
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  S. Korea establishes long-distance maritime digital network to safely manage fishing boats SEOUL -- In an effort to prevent fishermen from straying into prohibited areas, South Korea will establish a long-distance maritime digital network that can safely manage fishing boats and secure information about their exact location in real-time even in waters more than 100 kilometers away from land. The safe management system will be fully operated from 2021. Until now, only voice communication was possible in seas more than 100 kilometers away from land. However, the long-distan 2020-12-16
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  Space antenna reflector installed for S. Korea's lunar exploration mission SEOUL -- South Korea's lunar exploration mission to launch a lunar orbiter in 2022 made important progress by installing the reflector of a space antenna at a ground control tower. The lunar orbiter will search for a candidate site for landing and test space internet communication during its one-year mission. SK Broadband, which is in charge of establishing an antenna system, installed the hemispherical antenna reflector with a diameter of 35 meters and a weight of 100 tons on 2020-12-11
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  Anti-epidemic center considers introducing rapid antigen inspection SEOUL -- South Korea's state anti-epidemic center is under pressure to ease its tough stance and introduce a rapid antigen inspection of vulnerable facilities such as nursing and mental hospitals that require frequent pre-emptive checks to thwart the invasion of COVID-19. At least one rapid antigen test kit has been approved for commercial use in South Korea, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). "We are preparing for a pilot project in or 2020-11-30
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  [INTERVIEW] Expert urges strong government steps in enforcing quarantine rules SEOUL -- A critical voice came out about a nonvirulent government crackdown for experts to feel as the daily number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 500 at the beginning of winter, threatening to taint the reputation of South Korea which has been lauded as an example of quarantine. More worrisome, many new cases originated from Seoul and surrounding areas. As a short-term response to cope with a new nationwide wave of COVID-19 that began in November, Jung Ki-suck, a respiratory dise 2020-11-27
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  Anti-epidemic center warns of silent community infection by young untraceable virus carriers SEOUL -- The risk of silent community infection caused by untraceable patients who unknowingly recovered after being infected with COVID-19 is higher than before in South Korea, a state anti-epidemic center said, calling for the strengthened quarantine management and inspection of facilities frequented by young people. The rate of antibody formation among young people conscripted for obligatory military service was significantly higher than that of the general public, according to 2020-11-23