Latest News

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  [SUMMARY] Daily News Selection by Aju Daily on March 27, 2023 The following stories are the daily summary of news in South Korea on March 27. SEOUL -- Yoo Ah-in up for interrogation regarding alleged drug use Actor Yoo Ah-in was questioned by authorities on March 27 following reports of his alleged usage of illegal drugs. The actor, whose true name is Uhm Hong-sik, entered the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency headquarters without answering any queries from the media. Yoo had been purchasing propofol on a prescription too frequently si 2023-03-27
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  N. Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles amid U.S.-S Korea landing exercise SEOUL -- North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea while South Korea is conducting a joint military exercise with the United States. This is the eighth missile launch committed by Pyeongyang only in 2023. The missiles detected by the South's military authorities were fired near Junghwa County, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Pyongyang. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) flew about 370 kilom 2023-03-27
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  Busan partners with marine science council to build world's first prototype floating community SEOUL -- A marine science council will join a United Nations project to build the world’s first prototype of a floating community in South Korea's southern port city of Busan. The academic council will offer science and technology-related advice to Busan for the establishment of floating cities which have been presented as a solution to ensure climate resilience. In November 2021, UN-Habitat, a UN agency that oversees sustainable urban development, selected Busan as a par 2023-03-27
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  Hybrid model of Hyundai's new full-sized sedan Grandeur garners popularity in S. Korea SEOUL -- About 40 percent of consumers who buy the latest model of Grandeur, Hyundai's full-sized sedan also known by the name of Azera in foreign markets, choose the hybrid option, data released by the South Korean carmaker showed. Grandeur, first released in the domestic market through collaboration with Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi in 1986, gained iconic recognition among South Koreans as the "car of a successful person." The full-sized sedan was popular among busi 2023-03-27
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  [OPINION] Japan and South Korea Reach Important Accord KENOSHA -- Japan and South Korea, increasingly powerful nations, have reached an important agreement with far-reaching positive implications. On March 16, Prime Ministers Fumio 2023-03-24
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  SK geo centric to build new ethylene acrylic acid polymer factory in China SEOUL -- SK geo centric, a chemical company affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, will build an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer acid factory with an annual production capacity of some 50,000 tons in China by 2028. SK geo centric currently has two factories running in the United States and Spain and recently signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Satellite Chemical for a third plant. Ethylene Acrylic Acid copolymer is the key adhesive material in flexible packag 2023-03-24
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  [OPINION] Xi's visit to Moscow brings hopes for the Ukraine conflict KARACHI -- To the utter dismay of the White House, though for entirely different reasons, President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow has attracted more global attention than US President Joe Biden's glamorous "anniver 2023-03-24
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  BTS Jimin releases solo album 'FACE' SEOUL -- Jimin, a member of BTS, has rolled out his first solo album titled "FACE." The 27-year-old, who expressed his feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic through the album, will interact with global fans through "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," a popular American talk show for two days starting on March 24. "As the album contains the meaning of facing my true self, I tried to showcase my honest feelings and features that I have never shown anywh 2023-03-24
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  State arms procurement agency denies news reports on mass-production plan for fighter jet KF-21 in 2024 SEOUL -- South Korea's arms procurement agency has denied major domestic media outlets' reports on its mass-production plan for the homemade fighter jet KF-21, saying that the schedule has not been confirmed. Media outlets including Yonhap News Agency reported that the agency aims to sign the mass-production contract in the first half of 2024 after carrying out the feasibility study for three months starting in May 2023. "The project's feasibility study per 2023-03-24
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  N. Korea's leader guides simulated nuclear counterattack using underwater 'secret weapon' SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a simulated nuclear counterattack drill involving Pyongyang's "secret weapon", North Korea's state-operated Korean Central News Agency said on March 24. According to Pyongyang's state news agency, a new underwater attack weapon system test was conducted at Riwon County some 345 kilometers (214 miles) northeast of Seoul from March 21 to 23. A secret weapon named "Unmanned Underwater Nuclear Attack Craft  2023-03-24
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  [SUMMARY] Daily News Selection by Aju Daily on March 23, 2023 The following stories are the daily summary of news in South Korea on March 23. SEOUL -- Religious group raided as part of the investigation into the leader's sexual assault Police and prosecutors conducted a raid on the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) facility on March 23 as part of their ongoing inquiry into claims that the sect's leader sexually molested female members. The founder of JMS, Jeong Myeong-seok, is currently being tried while in custody on charges of sexually a 2023-03-23
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  S. Korean pet supplies companies offer discount events on Puppy Day SEOUL -- South Korean pet supplies companies are hosting various events and offering discounts on Puppy Day to attract dog owners. The domestic pet market, which stood at about $1.4 billion in 2021, is projected to reach $3.5 billion in 2023. Dogs are currently the most owned pet type in South Korea. Puppy Day, which is celebrated on March 23, was created by American pet expert Colin Page to raise awareness about abandoned dogs. On March 23, LabiVet, a nutritional supplement br 2023-03-23
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  Policemen and firemen chase zebra in residential area east of central Seoul SEOUL -- A never-seen-before scene of hide and seek between emergency workers and a zebra at a residential area some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of central Seoul. The striped horse escaped from the Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo to roam about a nearby area. According to police, the zebra escaped from the zoo at about 2:40 p.m. (0540 GMT) on March 23 and was seen running and jogging around a residential area near the zoo. The police said that policemen and firemen are rollin 2023-03-23
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  South Korea to accelerate development of new materials in bid to reduce dependency on foreign products SEOUL -- South Korea revealed a blueprint to nurture future technology laboratories specializing in the development of new materials in a bid to boost the growth of the country's growth engines such as semiconductors, future vehicles, and electric components, and reduce dependency on foreign products. The government has designated 100 prioritized future materials that should be focused on. South Korea was pushed to a risky position in 2019 when Japan took retaliatory steps to r 2023-03-23
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  SK innovation leads $139 mln funding in US ammonia-based energy solutions developer Amogy SEOUL -- As part of its strategy to establish a green portfolio, SK innovation affiliated with South Korea's SK group invested an additional $50 million in Amogy, an ammonia-based energy storage system developer based in New York. The U.S. startup has secured $139 million through the second round of investment led by SK Innovation. Ammonia, which is produced through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and nitrogen, is considered an important part of a sustainable ecosystem. It 2023-03-23
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  Samsung to collaborate with Naver by interlocking digital payment services SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics has interlocked its Samsung Pay, a smartphone payment system mainly used at the point-of-service at offline stores, with Naver Pay, an online payment service operated by South Korea's web service giant Naver, to help digital payment users make simple and convenient payments at online and offline stores. Samsung Pay introduced in 2015 uses a magnetic secure transmission (MST) technique to have a Samsung smartphone mimic the magnetic strips of differe 2023-03-23
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  LG Chem provides reverse osmosis filters for China's salt lake lithium extraction project SEOUL -- LG Chem has supplied some 10,000 reverse osmosis membrane filters for a lithium extraction project led by CITIC Group, a state investment firm in China. Using LG Chem's filters, the project operator can produce about 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate, which can be used to manufacture batteries for about 500,000 electric vehicles. Reverse osmosis (RO) is a process of removing salt and other substances from water through a semi-permeable membrane. RO membranes are favored 2023-03-23
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  South Korea's online luxury goods market shrinks due to inflation and change in consumer trends SEOUL -- South Korea's online luxury goods market which thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic has shrunk after the country took steps such as lifting regulations on compulsory face masks at public places to normalize people's lives through the so-called "reopening" process. South Korea's online luxury goods market mainly comprised of online commerce platforms and secondhand luxury goods trading services hit its prime in March 2022. The number of monthly active 2023-03-22
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  KT partners with parking control system provider to make foray into smart parking business SEOUL -- South Korea's major telecom company KT has partnered with Amano Korea, a parking control system provider, to make its first step into the smart parking service market. Although the adoption of autonomous vehicles has gained momentum in South Korea, human drivers are mainly still in charge of parking to prevent unexpected situations. Smart parking incorporates artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud computing to improve parking efficiency. The solution connect 2023-03-22
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  ​Ecommerce giant Coupang to adopt more tailor-made electric delivery trucks SEOUL -- In a bid to reduce operating costs and carbon emissions, Coupang, the South Korean counterpart of Amazon, will adopt more electric delivery trucks that are tailor-made to meet the ecommerce giant's special requirements. Coupang, popular among busy working people and housewives for its overnight fresh grocery deliveries, rolled out electric delivery trucks in the southeastern parts of South Korea for the first time as an ecommerce delivery service operator in 2019. The 2023-03-22