Economy

• 
  Hanwha Techwin to release camera-based solution with anti-COVID-19 functions SEOUL -- Hanwha Techwin, a surveillance and optoelectronics company in South Korea, will release a camera-based solution with various functions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by utilizing AI technology. AI cameras can measure the distance between people in real-time and automatically inform them when they get closer than the reference distance, Hanwha Techwin said. If the reference distance is violated, alarm devices will work with speakers and monit 2021-04-14
• 
  POSCO completes preparation for commercial production of lithium for EV battery SEOUL -- South Korea's steel group POSCO has completed preparations for the commercial production of lithium hydroxide, an inorganic compound used for electric vehicle batteries. A dedicated factory will be built in the southern industrial port city of Gwangyang by 2023. In partnership with the Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, POSCO has launched a project to acquire lithium extraction technology. By running a test facility in Gwangyang 2021-04-14
• 
  Samsung shipyard demonstrates next-generation LNG regasfication system SEOUL -- For the first time in the world, Samsung Heavy Industries, a major shipbuilder in South Korea, has successfully demonstrated a next-generation regasification system that links power generation utilizing liquefied natural gas cold energy. It is a new eco-friendly technology that can dramatically lower the cost of generating electricity. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) needs to be gasified before supplied to users. The process releases a co 2021-04-14
• 
  ​Online shopping mall 11STREET partners with postal service to launch overnight delivery service SEOUL -- Using an established network run by a state postal service, a major online shopping mall operator has launched an overnight delivery service to catch up with Coupang, the South Korean counterpart of Amazon, which has cemented its leading position in the market. Overnight delivery services became popular in South Korea in 2020 when people shopped online instead of visiting crowded shopping malls to prevent COVID-19 infection. To save time and costs, ove 2021-04-14
• 
  President Moon welcomes last-minute compromise between S. Korean battery makers SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in welcomed a last-minute compromise to end a prolonged legal dispute between two major battery makers in South Korea, saying it would serve the national interests and long-term interests of each company at a time when the stability of a supply chain is becoming more important. "It is fortunate that LG and SK, which have grown to be the world's leading players in secondary batteries, have decided to end all legal disputes," Moo 2021-04-12
• 
  SK E&C ties up with KHNP for overseas expansion of SOFC convergence business SEOUL -- SK Engineering and Construction joined hands with the operator of nuclear power plants in South Korea to push for the overseas expansion of convergence business based on solid oxide fuel cells, which are now emerging as a fast-growing fuel cell segment thanks to energy diversification and the employment of alternative energy sources. SK E&C, a builder affiliated with South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group, signed a memorandum of 2021-04-12
• 
  Hyper-local secondhand item trading service 'Daangn' garners more monthly active users SEOUL -- South Korea's mobile secondhand item trading service app platform "Daangn Market" has solidified its leading position in the domestic market with 15 million monthly active users in March, up 127 percent from 6.6 million a year ago. The runner-up is Bunjang with about 5.3 million users. Daangn attributed its success to matching local customers who are nearby through a "hyper-local" service that links customers within the limited g 2021-04-12
• 
  Researchers discover method to mass-produce carminic acid from glucose SEOUL -- Carminic acid is an aromatic polyketide widely used natural red colorant. It has long been produced by the cumbersome farming of some scale insects, such as cochineal. The path to carminic acid biosynthesis has not been fully identified, making it difficult to develop a microorganism that produces carminic acid. A research team from the state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain 2021-04-09
• 
  Daewoo shipyard gets smarter with advanced digital technologies SEOUL -- Like other South Korean shipbuilders working hard to strengthen their competitiveness with smart ship technologies, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering gets smarter by introducing advanced digital technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) into shipbuilding, management and test operation. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) said on April 8 that it has opened a digital production center at its shipyard in the southern island ci 2021-04-08
• 
  U.S. ​Bentley Systems partners with Hyundai Engineering to develop AI-based design system SEOUL -- Bentley Systems, a U.S. software developer, partnered with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering to develop an artificial intelligence-based automated design system for steel and concrete structures. The partnership will accelerate Hyundai Engineering's digital transformation. Hyundai Engineering said in a statement that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bentley Systems to cooperate in the system development of an AI-based automated cons 2021-04-08
• 
  Samsung shipyard acquires independent technologies for wind turbine installation vessel SEOUL -- Samsung Heavy Industries, a major shipbuilder in South Korea, has acquired original technologies for the construction of a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) featuring eco-friendly technologies. The vessel is designed for the installation of offshore wind turbines. Similar to a jack-up rig, it is self-elevating. Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) said that the design of its low carbon-emitting WTIV concept has obtained "Approval 2021-04-08
• 
  Lotte Chemical introduces carbon capture utilization with gas separation membranes SEOUL --Lotte Chemical, a major chemical company based in South Korea, has introduced carbon capture utilization technology by using gas separation membranes to increase the purity of captured carbon dioxide and change it to essential industrial materials. Carbon dioxide can be captured directly from an industrial source by using a variety of technologies. Normally, CO2 is captured from large point sources for storage in an underground geological format 2021-04-08
• 
  SK E&C and POSCO work on floating structure for offshore wind power generation SEOUL -- SK Engineering and Construction joined hands with South Korea's leading steel group, POSCO, to develop a competitive floating structure for offshore wind power generation. With POSCO's high-performance steel, the builder will secure core technologies for the development of an independent model optimized for the domestic marine environment. A floating structure for offshore wind power generation must provide enough buoyance to support the w 2021-04-08
• 
  Fire guts batteries at energy storage system in solar power plant SEOUL -- A fire at a private solar power plant gutted an energy storage system (ESS) that used batteries from LG Energy Solution affiliated with South Korea's LG Group, which has tried to find new business opportunities in the ESS market. Financial losses caused by the fire in Hongseong some 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Seoul were estimated at about 440 million won ($393,384). An energy storage system (ESS) is a power storage system that consists of ba 2021-04-07
• 
  Naver makes strategic investment in Indonesia's media group Emtek SEOUL -- In an effort to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, Naver, a top web portal service operator and IT company in South Korea, invested $150 million in Elang Mahkota Teknologi (Emtek), an Indonesian technology, telecom and media conglomerate, to set up a strategic partnership. The investment is aimed at finding new growth opportunities in Southeast Asia, Naver said in a statement on April 7, adding webtoon-based content can create synergy with Emtek' 2021-04-07
• 
  LG Electronics unveils new solar panel with enhanced power output SEOUL -- By upgrading its NeON module line, LG Electronics unveiled a new solar panel with an enhanced power output that offers carbon-free energy and long-lasting reliability for the "most reliable and efficient" renewable energy solution. The new product will go on global sale, starting with South Korea in April. The new panel called "NeON H" features innovative N-type half-cut cells, delivers high power output, and comes with a 2 2021-04-07
• 
  Kolon Industries ties up with SK Global Chemical to produce biodegradable plastic product SEOUL -- Kolon Industries, a chemical and textile manufacturing company in South Korea, forged a strategic partnership with SK Global Chemical to produce an eco-friendly biodegradable plastic product called PBAT and promote a business model for the production of recycled products using waste plastic as raw materials., Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) is a biodegradable random copolymer marketed as a fully biodegradable alternative to low- 2021-04-07
• 
  Hanwha Q Cells to produce photovoltaic modules for simultaneous solar power and farming SEOUL -- A consortium involving Hanwha Q Cells, a major photovoltaic manufacturer in South Korea, will participate in a state project to develop a solar power system that would be used to grow crops and generate electricity simultaneously without losses in crop yields and energy production. The project was sponsored by the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (IPET), a state research body, to establ 2021-04-07
• 
  Ecommerce operator Wemakeprice launches flower subscription service SEOUL -- South Korea's major online shopping service operator Wemakeprice has launched a flower subscription service targeting consumers who buy flowers and plants regularly to refresh their living environment and relieve their mood amid a strict social distancing campaign prompted by a COVID-19 pandemic. The hobby of growing a "pet plant" or adorning homes with various plants has become a trend among single households and young couples because 2021-04-07
• 
  U.S. gas company Air Products ties up with Hyundai Oilbank to utilize hydrogen energy SEOUL -- Air Products, an American industrial gas company known for supplying liquid hydrogen for every Space Shuttle launch, tied up with Hyundai Oilbank, a refinery arm of South Korea's top shipbuilding group, to utilize hydrogen energy. The partnership is part of Hyundai Oilbank's strategy to become an eco-friendly energy business platform. Through cooperation with Air Products, which provides essential industrial gases, related equipment an 2021-04-06