Economy

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  LG Uplus develops 5G antenna module for business-to-business service market SEOUL -- South Korea's mobile carrier LG Uplus partnered with Ace Technologies, a domestic wireless communication technology developer, to develop a 5G antenna module for the business-to-business service market. The module can upgrade the data transfer speed of a 5G communication network for drones, smart factories, and other network-based businesses at a lower cost than adding more antennae. Unlike 5G-based business-to-consumer (B2C) models designed for sm 2021-05-06
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  S. Korea's first floating wind farm project passes preliminary feasibility study A concept image shows a floating wind farm. SEOUL -- A pioneering project to generate electricity from South Korea's first floating wind farm in 2026 has finally passed a preliminary feasibility study conducted by a national think tank, almost three years after a state company moved first by installing equipment to measure wind energy at a useless offshore gas platform. Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC), which operates oil and gas fields, we 2021-05-06
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  Biosolution's skin irritation test model wins preliminary approval at OECD program SEOUL -- An animal replacement test method, that does not involve any animal, developed by "BioSolution," a domestic cell-based biotechnology company, has been registered in the OECD Test Guideline. Animal replacement experiments are attracting great attention as a test method capable of solving ethical problems such as animal welfare and overcoming disadvantages such as the inability to predict side effects resulting from differences between animal and 2021-05-04
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  S. Korea's work safety watchdog uses drones to inspect construction sites SEOUL -- South Korea's work safety watchdog will demonstrate drones to inspect the safety of work environments at construction sites. The drones will monitor sites to see if workers use proper safety gear and safety equipment such as fall-proof nets and guard rails are properly installed to help reduce safety accidents. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) said in a statement on May 4 that it would demonstrate a special drone control tower 2021-05-04
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  LG Electronics and GS 25 launch robot grocery delivery service in southern Seoul SEOUL -- LG Electronics has expanded cooperation with GS25, a convenience store franchise operator, to introduce a robot delivery service at a convenience store as South Korea accelerates the adoption of service robots in its grocery delivery sector. The tie-up began in November 2020 when a pilot service using LG's closet-type service robot called "CLOi ServeBot" was launched at LG's research and development complex in western Seoul. Whe 2021-05-04
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  Research body to demonstrate power generation with high-altitute winds SEOUL -- Winds at higher altitudes are steadier, more persistent and of higher velocity. A government-funded research body has teamed up with South Korea's state electric utility KEPCO to demonstrate aerial wind power generation on an artificial island in the southeastern city of Changwon. Various mechanisms are proposed for capturing the kinetic energy of high-altitude winds such as kites, kytoons, aerostats, gliders 2021-05-04
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  Beauty product maker Amore launches custom-made bath balm production service using robot SEOUL -- South Korea's leading beauty product maker Amore Pacific has adopted robots to offer an instant tailor-made bath balm service based on the mood and the psychological status of customers. Amore uses robots to instantly create beauty products at offline stores targeting trend-wise young female consumers who want differentiated and personalized services. A bath balm is a mixture of wet and dry ingredients compacted to the shape of a ball or a b 2021-05-03
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  Blockchain technology used for commercialization of mobile driver's license service SEOUL -- South Korea will demonstrate and commercialize a mobile driver's license service using blockchain technology. Unlike other similar smartphone-based digital identification services, the app-based license will have the same authenticity as the physical plastic card version that is accepted anywhere as a personal verification tool. Three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus -- have launched a digital driver&# 2021-05-03
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  LG Uplus works on 5G-connected smart system to ease container bottleneck in port SEOUL -- South Korea's mobile carrier LG Uplus will set up a 5G-connected smart port system that will accelerate the digital transformation of Busan Port. The mobile carrier will add remote control features for container cranes to allow operators to monitor and examine open-air storage yards from different angles using cameras and stack containers efficiently with minimized idle spaces. A container crane, also known as a container handl 2021-05-03
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  Mobile fashion retail platform Musinsa to open first offline store in Seoul SEOUL -- South Korea's mobile fashion retailer Musinsa will open its very first offline store in Hongdae, the western Seoul district of music and culture, in May. The store will sell Musinsa brand products, including seasonal apparel as well as men's and women's clothing. Musinsa said in a statement that its flagship store would open on May 26. The store would operate special fitting rooms where customers can try clothes on and take photographs. The 2021-04-30
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  Samwha Electric develops hybrid capacitor optimized for telecom equipment SEOUL -- Telecom equipment at mobile communication base stations must withstand rapid changes in temperature, and electronic components need to secure high reliability and durability. Samwha Electric, an electrolytic capacitor producer in South Korea, has developed a hybrid capacitor that can be used at 80 degrees Celsius for more than 10 years. A capacitor stores electric charge in an electric field. It is a passive electronic component designed to ad 2021-04-30
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  SK Innovation to develop AI service for safe and long use of EV batteries SEOUL -- SK Innovation teamed up with a rental and leasing wing of South Korea's SK Group to develop an artificial intelligence-based service that evolves data analysis algorithms on its own, using a system that analyzes real-time data on batteries for electric vehicles. SK Innovation (SKI), a major battery producer in South Korea, will work with SK Rent-a-Car to create an automatic management system that can always keep batteries in good conditions 2021-04-30
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  New government guidelines issued for using drones to inspect mega-sized vessels SEOUL -- New government guidelines were issued on the operation of drones and unmanned robots in inspecting a mega-sized vessel. Demands for affordable vessel inspection methods are growing in South Korea's logistics industry, and the new guidelines would help ship operators save time and costs. South Korean docks want different vessel inspections because of a coronavirus pandemic that prompted docks around the world to suspend i 2021-04-30
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  LG Chem partners with state research body to commercialize carbon capture and utilization SEOUL -- LG Chem, a chemical unit of South Korea's LG Group, joined hands with a state research body to develop source technologies and promote the commercialization of carbon capture and utilization as well as hydrogen energy technologies, which are essential for realizing carbon neutrality. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) to be recycled for further usage. It may offer a response to the global challen 2021-04-29
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  CJ Group bolsters mobile shopping thru combination of TV and online shopping brands SEOUL -- South Korea's food and entertainment conglomerate CJ Group made a strategic choice to reform its TV and online shopping service brands into a mobile-focused one in a desperate attempt to survive in the so-called "mobile era" where everything is done through smartphones. The mobile shopping market is growing at a breakneck speed thanks to a high smartphone penetration rate of 95 percent. According to data released by a state statistica 2021-04-29
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  EOFlow's subsidiary uses MXene material for development of wearable dialysis system SEOUL -- For improved dialysis therapy, the American subsidiary of EOFlow, a provider of wearable drug delivery solutions in South Korea, will go ahead with the development of an innovative wearable dialysis system, using MXenes, a two-dimensional material that showed a good performance in filtering urea. MXenes, composed of titanium and carbon atoms, have been developed by Yury Gogotsi and Michel Barsoum at Drexel University, a private research university in P 2021-04-29
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  S. Korea eases regulations for early use of autonomous robots capable of boarding elevators SEOUL -- South Korea's top economic official promised to ease robot-related regulations and allow delivery robots to travel between floors using elevators sometime this year. The move underlines government efforts to realize the early commercial use of self-driving robots at apartments and office buildings ahead of other countries. The good news for the developers of intelligent service robots and self-driving algorithms like Woowa Brothers, the opera 2021-04-29
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  S. Korea launches project to develop universal test platform for ship propulsion systems SEOUL -- As part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas and create an eco-friendly ship industry ecosystem, South Korea will develop a universal platform by 2025 that can test and demonstrate various propulsion systems such as electricity and hydrogen with one ship. A test and research center will be built in the southwestern port of Mokpo. The test platform can dramatically reduce costs because only one demonstration vessel needs to 2021-04-28
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  China's TransThera commercializes LG Chem's drug candidate for autoimmune diseases SEOUL -- TransThera Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotech company in China, will develop and commercialize LG Chem's new drug candidate for autoimmune diseases in the Chinese market. The two companies would strengthen their strategic partnership and accelerate the development of new drugs. LG Chem, a chemical wing of South Korea's LG Group, has developed LC510255, a new orally administered drug that promotes the expression of an S1P1 protein that contr 2021-04-28
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  SK E&C demonstrates solid oxide fuel cell generation with byproduct hydrogen SEOUL -- SK E&C, a builder affiliated with South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group, has embarked on the demonstration of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power generation facility running on byproduct hydrogen. The demonstration aims to see if the fuel cell generator system is fully self-sustainable and carbon-free. The builder will accelerate its SOFC business through the commercialization of related technologies. Polymer electrolyte membrane 2021-04-28