SouthKorea

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  Unmanned mail delivery service showcased on college campus in S. Korea SEOUL -- An unmanned mail delivery service using an autonomous vehicle and robots was demonstrated on a South Korean college campus to see if they are efficient in helping human workers with tasks such as the collection and delivery of mails and parcels. The demonstration in Chochiwon, about 104 kilometers (64 miles) south of Seoul, was arranged by South Korea's state postal service and the Ministry of Science and ICT. The unmanned service will be tested on t 2020-10-28
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  COVID-19 blue keeps camping season going on despite autumn chill in S. Korea SEOUL -- The camping season usually ends with the cold wind of autumn. South Korean consumers are reluctant to adapt themselves to the change of weather and keep going out for camping in a desperate attempt to chase away "COVID blue," a sign of depression triggered by a coronavirus pandemic. Emart, South Korea's top megastore franchise, said in a statement on October 20 that sales of camping products were up 117.4 percent on-year in the first 18 days 2020-10-20
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  S. Koreans pick spicy rice cake menu Tteokbokki as favorite comfort food: survey SEOUL -- Tteokbokki, a menu of finger-sized rice cakes simmered in fiery-red spicy chili sauce, was picked as South Koreas' favorite comfort food, a survey showed. Fried chicken stood second, followed by Kimchi stew. In a September survey of about 10,000 people, conducted by Seoul City, Tteokbokki received the largest number of votes to become the menu favored by people who feel the need to be comforted. "Whenever life tries to bite me, I co 2020-10-16
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  Seoul launches forestation project to create wind tunnels SEOUL -- To cope with global warming that led to a rise in the temperature of urban areas, Seoul unveiled a forestation project to create wind tunnels that also provide fresh air. Cool air will naturally be created using temperature differences and more trees will be planted to help eliminate particulate matter, also known as fine dust. The Seoul city government said in a statement on October 14 that it would work with the state-run Korea Forest Service for a 17 bi 2020-10-14
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  Smartphone app becomes popular channel for buying train tickets Hundreds of people stand in long lines to buy train tickets to their hometowns before Seollal, the Korean New Years' holidays. SEOUL -- More and more train travelers in South Korea chose to use a convenient smartphone reservation system instead of standing in a queue at stations to buy tickets, data released by the state railway operator showed. The number of tickets purchased by train travelers with smartphones accounted for 76.8 percent of total tickets sold in 20 2020-10-14
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  Coronavirus pandemic boosts popularity of golf in S. Korea SEOUL -- Golf is not a hobby of middle-aged people any longer in South Korea. As the population of golfers grows younger, there has been a noticeable increase in the demand for golf wear and golf-related items among fashion-conscious people in their 30s who have led the generalization of golf. Shinsegae, a major department store franchise, said that sales at shops selling golf clubs and related items in August rose 39.7 percent from a year ago. Sales of golf cl 2020-10-13
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  LGBTQ bar visitor given six-month jail term for deceiving COVID-19 trackers SEOUL -- A 24-year-old man was sentenced to six months in prison for making false statements that hampered an accurate epidemiological investigation, leading to the dissemination of a novel coronavirus to about 80 people. He tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting an LGBTQ bar in Seoul in May. A criminal court in the western port city of Incheon ruled on October 8 that the man deserved punishment for causing "great social and economic losses" by ly 2020-10-08
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  Vietnam's coal-fired power plant becomes subject of debate in S. Korean parliament SEOUL -- A coal-fired power plant project in Vietnam has become the subject of debate in South Korea's parliament, with legislators pointing to a backlash from environmental activists and local residents who are worried about pollution, days after a state electricity company was allowed to push ahead with its investment. South Korean and Japanese companies are involved in the construction of a 1,200MW coal-fired power plant called Vung Ang 2 in Vie 2020-10-08
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  S. Korea reports two confirmed cases of pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome SEOUL -- South Korea's state anti-epidemic center reported two confirmed cases of pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome from two children, including an 11-year-old boy who had been suspected of being infected with Kawasaki disease that causes inflammation in blood vessels throughout the body, not COVID-19. Two boys have conformed to the multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDC 2020-10-05
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  Employment in accommodation and food industry hit hard by resurgence in COVID-19: data Used kitchen facility collectors pick up used tableware from a closed down restaurant in Seoul. SEOUL -- The resurgence in COVID-19 cases that began in August after an anti-government rally involving thousands of right-wing Christians has led to a decrease in South Korea's employment rate in the accommodation and food sectors, a survey showed. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said in a statement on September 28 that the number of people employed in the accommod 2020-09-28
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  Jeju airport offers unmanned electric scooter rental service for tourists SEOUL -- To promote tourism, the operator of an airport on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju launched an unmanned rental service. Travelers can rent electric scooters and electric bicycles and place them anywhere after use so that a local smart mobility company can pick up for charging. Jeju, a scenic semitropical island that draws about 15 million visitors annually, has a vast network of tourism infrastructure including sightseeing, hiking and many 2020-09-25
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  Asiana uses new A380 for non-landing scenic flight to help ease COVID-19 stress SEOUL -- In a bid to offer an experience similar to that of international flights for regular overseas travelers grounded by a COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea's second-largest flag carrier Asiana Airlines will utilize its Airbus A380, dubbed the "hotel of the sky," to non-landing scenic flights. Non-landing scenic flights were adopted in many countries to ease the stress of travelers who are frustrated by the pandemic that forced many countr 2020-09-24
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  Firefighter drones to be used for extinguishing high-rise building fires SEOUL -- Through a "New Deal" project designed to upgrade outdated laws and regulations, South Korea's ruling camp approved the use of firefighting drones for extinguishing fires at high-rise buildings. High-rise buildings are one of the toughest environments for firefighters as elevators normally go offline when a fire alarm goes off for safety reasons. Firefighters have to carry heavy hoses and equipment using stairs. Firefighting drones can fly up 2020-09-23
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  S. Korean bathing beaches report no COVID-19 cases this summer SEOUL -- South Korean beaches for bathing and swimming have built their reputation as a perfect safe zone with no COVID-19 cases this summer by introducing various quarantine measures such as the mandatory use of masks, drones, wristbands, online congestion traffic lights and a reservation system. South Korean bathing beaches opened in late June and shut down on August 23. Preliminary government data showed that some 26.8 million people visited 251 bathing beach 2020-09-22
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  S. Korea's anti-epidemic center cautious about COVID-19 re-infection SEOUL -- The head of South Korea's state anti-epidemic center was cautious about COVID-19 re-infection, saying an elaborate clinical and epidemiological investigation has yet to be completed to see if a patient can be re-infected after being cured once. If re-infection confirmed to be true, it would affect the development of vaccines. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has investigated the suspected case of re-infection involving an unidentifi 2020-09-21
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  S. Korea has no chance of stemming pandemic through collective immunity South Korean baseball players wear masks during play. SEOUL -- There is almost no chance for South Korea to stem a new coronavirus pandemic through collective immunity as there are not many "hidden" or untraceable patients who unknowingly recovered after being infected with COVID-19, according to a state anti-epidemic center. For its second survey in two months, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) collected blood samples from 1,440 people 2020-09-14
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  Regulator hints at blocking access to website for digital punishment of crimes SEOUL -- South Korea's top media regulator has pledged action to block access to an anonymous website titled "Digital Prison," which discloses the personal information of notorious sex offenders, child abusers and murderers, amid growing concerns about privacy and false accusations. Korea Communications Commission (KCC) chairman Han Sang-hyuk said in a parliamentary committee session on September 8 that the watchdog would take a 2020-09-09
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  S. Korea proposes new kit to simultaneously test flu and COVID-19 SEOUL -- South Korea has led a global anti-epidemic campaign with innovative quarantine technologies such as drive-thru or walk-thru systems to reduce the time for the screening of COVID-19 patients. As the flu season comes near, the country's state anti-epidemic center came up with the new idea of testing flu and COVID-19 simultaneously with one diagnostic kit. Several reagents for simultaneous testing await approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Saf 2020-09-07
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  Pandemic boosts growth of coffee imports and consumption in S. Korea SEOUL -- A prolonged coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated a global economic slump and put a damper on trade and consumption. However, it's far from dampening South Koreas' thirst for coffee, leading to an increase in imports of coffee beans this year. According to data released by the Korea Customs Office on September 1, South Korea imported 90,355 tons of coffee in the first seven months of this year, up 5.37 percent from 85,749 tons a year earlier. Ther 2020-09-01
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  S. Korea uses digital payment more frequently to offer condolence money amid pandemic SEOUL -- A coronavirus pandemic prompted South Koreans to use digital payment as gift or condolence money for weddings and funerals more frequently as the level of social distancing was heightened due to a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases that followed an anti-government rally by thousands of right-wing Christian activists in the center of Seoul. Kakao Pay, the digital service wing of South Korean web service giant Kakao, said in a statement on August 25 2020-08-25