Latest News

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  Red Velvet to represent K-pop bands at Primavera Sound 2023 SEOUL -- Girl band Red Velvet will interact with global fans at Primavera Sound, an annual music festival held in Spain, as the only K-pop group. The five-member band will perform along with global stars such as rapper Kendrick Lamar and Halsey. According to SM Entertainment, the group's agency, Red velvet will participate in the festival on June 1 in Barcelona and Madrid on June 8. This year, the event will take place between June 1 and 3 in Barcelona and in Madrid from June 2023-02-10
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  South Korean rescue workers save surviving quake victims in Turkey SEOUL -- The South Korean disaster relief team rescued five people, including a baby girl, from under the debris of collapsed buildings in earthquake-stricken Turkey on February 9, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The team began its rescue operation at the site of a high school in Antakya, the capital of Turkey's southeastern Hatay province, at around 5 a.m. Then it managed to save a man in his 70s after searching through debris. The ministry said the man did not l 2023-02-09
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  S. ​Korean companies join efforts to help earthquake victims in Turkey, Syria SEOUL -- Major South Korean companies and banks have committed to helping earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria by offering rescue equipment and relief supplies as well as cash donations. Hyundai Motor's Turkish subsidiary said on February 8 that it will provide $450,000 worth of equipment and daily necessities for quake-hit people. The firm already delivered emergency rescue equipment worth $50,000 to help save people trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings. Kim S 2023-02-09
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  Lunit provides AI-based breast cancer diagnosis solution to Dubai's public health facility SEOUL -- An artificial intelligence-based image analysis solution jointly developed by South Korea's medical AI-based solution developer Lunit and Belgium-based medical imaging company Agfa HealthCare will be used at Dubai's public health center to boost human radiologists' work performance. Lunit aims to make a foray into other regions in the Middle East. According to market research firm Data Bridge Market Research, the medical imaging market in the Middle East is exp 2023-02-09
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  Northeastern county to offer hefty subsidies for agricultural drones for adoption of efficient farming method SEOUL -- The northeastern county of Cheorwon will offer hefty subsidies for farmers and private drone operators who wish to buy agricultural drones used for spraying pesticides and fertilizer pallets. The county government will provide up to 50 percent of the drone price which normally costs about 30 million won ($23,775). South Korea's farming population is rapidly decreasing to stand at 2.3 million in 2022, down 42.6 percent from four million in 2002. More than 42 percent of 2023-02-09
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  NCSoft's operating profit jumps 49% to $442 million in 2022, driven by soaring mobile game sales SEOUL -- South Korea's top game publisher NCSoft Corp. enjoyed an operating profit of 559 billion won ($442 million) last year, up 49 percent from a year earlier on the back of soaring sales of mobile games, the company said February 9. NCSoft's sales rose 11.4 percent year-on-year to 2.57 trillion won in 2022 from 2021. Sales of mobile games surged 20 percent to 1.93 trillion won, accounting for 76.8 percent of the company's total sales. Its net profit jumped 14.4 perc 2023-02-09
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  About 70% of S. Korean teenage moviegoers visit theaters twice every month: survey SEOUL -- About 70 percent of teenage moviegoers visit theaters at least twice a month, a survey showed. Young movie enthusiasts also said that their favorite media channel they use to watch films is cinemas. Over-the-top services like Netflix and Disney Plus were their second-favorite media. South Korea's cinema industry was devastated in early 2020 when the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country with a monthly average number of moviegoers of about 9.6 million in 2 2023-02-09
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  Girl band TWICE's unit MiSaMo to release first Japanese album SEOUL -- TWICE, a nine-member K-pop girl band especially popular in Japan, will consolidate its position in the island country through its first unit consisting of three Japanese members -- Mina, Sana, and Momo. The new group called "MiSaMo" will roll out its first Japanese language-based mini album on July 26 to start its new journey. JYP Entertainment, the group's agency, disclosed an official trailer and photos of Misamo through its official website. "So happy 2023-02-09
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  South Korea to invest $41.6 million in developing technologies for materials, parts, equipment SEOUL -- The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has decided to invest 52.5 billion won ($41.6 million) in developing technologies in key materials, parts and equipment. The ministry said on February 7 that companies can apply for 96 technology development projects between February 8 and March 9 to get state R&D money. The planned investment is part of this year's state budget worth 937.6 billion won set aside for the technology development of materials, 2023-02-08
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  Kakao to emerge as second largest shareholder in SM Entertainment SEOUL -- South Korea's internet giant Kakao Corp. is expected to become the second largest shareholder in SM Entertainment, a domestic entertainment powerhouse, by purchasing a 9.05 percent stake in the agency, to secure a foothold in the music and content market. Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM credited with pioneering K-pop, heralded a legal battle against SM's executive boards for issuing new shares to sell them to Kakao. Kakao said in a statement on February 7 that the c 2023-02-08
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  S. Korea sends 118-member rescue team to quake-hit Turkey, offering $5 million in aid SEOUL -- South Korea's 118-member search and rescue team arrived at an airport in Turkey's south-central province of Gaziantep on February 8 to help save people trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings in the earthquake-devastated country. The arrival came after the team left for Turkey aboard a KC-330 military transport airplane on February 7, a day after the country was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The rescue workers are soon to be deployed to hard-hit urban 2023-02-08
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  ​Apple to release long-awaited digital payment service in S. Korea SEOUL -- American tech company Apple, famous for its iPhone and iPad models, will release its digital payment service in South Korea, about eight years after it was first released in the United States in October 2014. Apple is the last mover in South Korea where digital payment services including Samsung Pay have become part of people's everyday lives. The rumor about Apple Pay coming to South Korea has been around for years and the unproven story became real in early February 2023-02-08
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  7-Eleven's non-face-to-face offline secondhand trading service gains popularity among women SEOUL -- Convenience store franchise 7-Eleven's offline non-face-to-face secondhand item trading service is gaining popularity among women, which accounts for about 70 percent of total users. The convenience store operator said that women who are likely to be sensitive to safety issues favored non-face-to-face transactions. In most cases, secondhand trades in South Korea are done by selecting a place to meet and trade between a seller and buyer. Remote trading using local parce 2023-02-08
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  Current account swings back to surplus in December, helped by growing dividend income SEOUL -- South Korea's current account returned to a surplus in December on the back of growing dividend income after recording a deficit in November, according to data released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on February 8. The country posted a $2.68 billion surplus in the current account in December, marking a reversal from a deficit of $220 million a month earlier. The sum, however, plunged 57.9 percent from $6.37 billion a year earlier. The current account is a broad measure o 2023-02-08
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  Resort island of Jeju to start discussion on restricting operation of 'no-kids' zones SEOUL -- The southern resort island of Jeju will start a public debate over whether "no-kids" zones should be allowed on the island visited by more than 10 million people annually. The island has some dozens of cafes and restaurants that prohibit the access of children aged 13 years and younger to provide a comforting and relaxing environment for adults. No-kids zones first appeared in South Korea about a decade ago after a series of online complaints about parents not te 2023-02-08
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  ​Cosmax develops texture perception solution capable of predicting cosmetic usability SEOUL -- Cosmax, a cosmetics original development manufacturer in South Korea, developed texture perception technology capable of predicting the performance of cosmetic products without actually using them. The solution can be used to create personalized products as it evaluates beauty products' spreadability through quantified values without involving subjective opinions. It's been difficult to evaluate the degree of spreadability and moisture as the usability of cosmetic 2023-02-07
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  South Korea ordered to pay compensation to victim of Vietnam War mass killing SEOUL -- A South Korean court has ordered the government to pay compensation to a bereaved family of Vietnamese civilians killed by Korean troops during the Vietnam War. On February 7, the Seoul Central District Court made the first ruling that acknowledged the Korean government's liability for the mass killings of civilians during the war. The court ruled in favor of the 63-year-old plaintiff, Nguyen Thi Thanh, ordering the Seoul government to pay 30 million won ($24,680) 2023-02-07
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  AI care speakers to be provided in western coastal city for dementia patients SEOUL -- South Korea's western coastal city of Boryeong will provide artificial intelligence-based speech recognition speakers for mild dementia patients. The care robots will monitor patients and offer personalized services such as playing music and providing memory tests. In case of emergency, the solution will notify human caregivers. Dementia is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to degenerate and die. Patients often suffer from memory decline. Government data s 2023-02-07
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  Researchers develop 3D-printed membrane capable of producing electricity and drinking water SEOUL -- South Korean researchers developed a special membrane that can simultaneously filter water and create electricity. The membrane can be used in water purification plants, sewage processing facilities and other water-related facilities to produce drinking water and electricity. The membrane produced using a 3D-printing method can be created into various sizes. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) said that its research team created an electricity generation a 2023-02-07
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  Simens Gamesa partners with Doosan Enerbility for offshore wind power projects in S. Korea SEOUL -- Doosan Enerbility, a key player in South Korea's power industry, teamed up with Siemens Gamesa, a Spanish-German wind power solution producer, to carry out various offshore wind projects in South Korea. The South Korean manufacturer will adopt the Spanish-German company's offshore direct drive nacelle technology. A nacelle is a component of a wind turbine that houses various equipment including a shaft, gearbox, and generator. Although most wind turbines use a gear 2023-02-07