Latest News

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  Samsung urges employees not to use generative AI services to prevent data leak SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics has banned its employees from using generative artificial intelligence services in a bid to stop data leaks and protect company secrets. The South Korean tech giant would develop its own AI solution models to help its workers automate and simplify their work processes. Generative AI services including Chat GPT, a chatbot service, use machine-learned data to provide solutions and answers for users. The AI services collect and analyze data inserted by use 2023-05-03
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  SK geo centric partners with Canada's Loop Industries to build plastic recycling factory SEOUL -- Through a joint venture with Canadian plastic technology company Loop Industries, SK geo centric, a chemical company affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, will build a plastic recycling factory in South Korea's southern industrial city of Ulsan. The joint venture will establish the plant capable of recycling 70,000 tons of plastic every year using the Canadian firm’s depolymerization technology. Depolymerization is a process that decomposes the polymerizati 2023-05-03
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  S. Korea to set new standards and guidelines on copyrights of AI-generated content SEOUL -- In an effort to minimize public confusion and disputes over intellectual property rights of artificial intelligence-generated content, the South Korean government will set new standards and guidelines on content generated based on machine-learned data by September 2023. The government's action was taken swiftly after President Yoon Suk-yeol urged related administrative bodies to come up with new guidelines and orders that will be ideal for the future digital age. Thank 2023-05-03
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  Girl band NewJeans listed on 100 most influential Asians in US SEOUL -- K-pop girl band NewJeans was included in the list of 100 most influential Asians in the United States by Gold House, a nonprofit organization that supports Asian and Pacific artists and creators. The five-member band that captivated global fans through dance songs such as Attention, Ditto, and OMG was listed along with American fashion designer Anna Sui and Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese baseball pitcher. "Just like a pair of jeans that has been a staple of every wardrobe 2023-05-02
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  Seoul launches virtual pet service through metaverse world SEOUL -- Seoul has created a metaverse world where users can adopt pets and raise them in the virtual space. Using an avatar, anyone can choose one animal among 10 different kinds including a dog, a cat, a rabbit, and a lizard. Users can receive points after completing training missions and purchase various items such as headbands and shoes. Metaverse enables humans to engage in different social, cultural, and economic activities in simulated virtual spaces. The virtual world, whic 2023-05-02
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  Japanese Prime Minister to visit Seoul for summit meeting on May 7 SEOUL -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be in Seoul for two days for a summit meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on May 7, the presidential office said. Kishida will be the first prime minister to visit South Korea since Yoshihiko Noda, a former Japanese prime Minister who visited Seoul in October 2011. According to the presidential office on May 2, Kishida will visit Seoul with his wife Yuko Kishida for two days starting May 7. Yoon and Kishida will disc 2023-05-02
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  Kakao Talk adopts AI solution capable of providing nutritional information based on food pictures SEOUL -- South Korea's favorite smartphone messenger app Kakao Talk has adopted an artificial intelligence-based solution capable of providing nutritional information based on pictures of food. The solution called "FoodLens" also suggests various types of recipes depending on dietary goals and eating habits. To add the dietary management function to Kakao Talk, domestic AI startup Upstage has worked with Doing Lab, an AI healthcare startup that developed FoodLens. If a 2023-05-01
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  S. Korea's exports in April 2023 declines 14.2% year-on-year SEOUL -- South Korea’s total exports have declined for seven consecutive months while domestic firms suffer from a steep fall in exports of semiconductors. The country has also experienced a trade deficit for 14 months since March 2022. Data released by South Korea's trade ministry showed said that exports this month were tallied at $49.62 billion, down 14.2 percent from the same period in 2022. Exports of semiconductors plunged 41 percent and information technology-relat 2023-05-01
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  ​Vietnamese envoy participates in lecture designed to encourage interpreter trainees in S. Korea SEOUL -- At a lecture designed to encourage interpretation school students, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung lectured that trust between humans plays a key role in interpretation even in an era in which translator devices are gaining popularity. The ambassador interacted with students majoring in Korean-Vietnamese at a graduate school in southern Seoul. "The ambassador told students that demands for talented human interpreters will be still high as artificia 2023-04-28
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  President Yoon pledges S. Korea would play role of 'compass for freedom' at US Congress SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol has told members of the U.S. Congress that South Korea would play the role of "compass for freedom" along with the United States. The statement was made during a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress designed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the two nations' alliance in Washington, DC. The keyword of Yoon's speech on April 27 was "freedom," which was mentioned a total of 45 times. Yoon said during the speech: "T 2023-04-28
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  LG Electronics shows off good performances in home appliances and electric parts to record earnings surprise SEOUL -- LG Electronics has recorded an earnings surprise in the first quarter of 2023, thanks to good performances in the home appliances and electric parts sectors, the company said during an earnings call. This is the first time LG Electronics' quarterly operating profit overtook Samsung Electronics' since 2009 when South Korea adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The South Korean electronics maker, well known for its refrigerators and televisi 2023-04-28
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  BTS agency to showcase collaboration project with AI voice synthesis tech startup Supertone in May SEOUL -- During an exclusive interview with Billboard, BTS creator Bang Si-hyuk announced that he would showcase a collaboration project with Supertone, an AI voice synthesis technology startup in South Korea. The AI company earlier acquired by Hybe has provided sound technology for Disney+'s drama series "Big Bet" to reproduce the voice of Choi Min-sik, a 60-year-old veteran actor who was playing a role of a young character in his 30s. In an interview released on Apr 2023-04-27
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  S. Korea recovers number of domestic travelers 1Q 2023 compared to pre-pandemic era: survey SEOUL -- A survey showed that the number of South Koreans who traveled to at least one tourist spot in South Korea in the first quarter of 2023 has recovered to the level of the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period while the number of those who have traveled overseas has not reached the half of the people who traveled abroad before the pandemic in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Consumer Insight, a domestic market research firm, analyzed that overseas travelers' satisfaction rate was also low due to 2023-04-27
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  KG Mobility selected as preferred negotiator for acquisition of domestic electric bus maker SEOUL -- KG Mobility, formerly known as Ssangyong Motor, has set out to negotiate with Edison Motor, a domestic electric bus maker to meet an agreement in an acquisition deal. Edison Motor creates electric buses with up to 85 percent localized parts. The South Korean carmaker well-known for its lineup of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) said in a statement on April 26 that the company has been selected by a bankruptcy court in Changwon some 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Seoul as 2023-04-27
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  Yoon and Biden affirm strong commitment to defense of people and territories of S. Korea and US SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and United States President Joe Biden affirmed their strong, shared commitment to the defense of the people and territories of South Korea and the United States, through the deployment of the U.S. strategic assets including U.S. nuclear-capable platforms around the Korean peninsula as deterrence against Pyongyang's nuclear attack. Outlining the joint statement called "Washington Declaration," Yoon said during a joint press 2023-04-27
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  Seoul launches English language-based subway application for foreign passengers SEOUL -- To help foreigners reach their destinations without difficulties, Seoul has launched an English-language-based subway app that provides various train-related information such as a line map and direction guidance inside stations. Users can find the nearest station just by entering their destinations even if they don't know station names. The smart app notifies users if they get on the wrong train on the opposite side. The English language-based app called "Seoul Su 2023-04-27
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  Samsung records deficit of $3.4 bln in semiconductor sector in 1Q 2023 SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics recorded a deficit of 4.58 trillion won ($3.4 billion) in the semiconductor sector for the first quarter of 2023. While profitability improved in the smartphone and home appliance sectors, overall operating profit decreased by more than 90 percent compared to the same period last year. Samsung Electronics said on April 27 that the company recorded sales of 63.75 trillion won and operating profit of 640 billion won based on consolidated results for the f 2023-04-27
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  Baby Shark's creator to host drone show in Seoul on Children's Day SEOUL -- A gigantic shape of a Baby Shark created using some 500 drones will greet Seoulites on the sky of Gwanghwamun Square, an iconic square located in central Seoul featuring beautiful scenery on May 5's Children's Day. During the event, visitors can also enjoy magic shows, concerts, and try on Baby Shark costumes. Gwanghwaun Square is favored by Seoulites and tourists as there are many museums and attractions nearby. Around the square, there are many tea houses and fanc 2023-04-26
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  SK E&S to work with General Electric for establishment of blue hydrogen infrastructure in S. Korea SEOUL -- SK E&S, an energy company affiliated with SK Group, joined hands with General Electric to establish a blue hydrogen ecosystem that can produce, distribute, and utilize 250,000 tons of eco-friendly hydrogen in South Korea. Blue hydrogen is favored by industries because of its reasonable production cost compared to green hydrogen based on renewable energy. Green hydrogen uses electrolysis to split water and release only hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen produced by steam ref 2023-04-26
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  Seoul partners with SK geo centric to recycle discarded banners into industrial materials SEOUL -- Seoul will collaborate with SK geo centric, a chemical company affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, to recycle some 24,000 discarded advertisement and promotion banners. After removing nylon strings and wood blocks from the used banners, the capital city will send the discarded materials to SK geo centric so the chemical firm can verify whether they can be recycled using its chemical recycling technology. Chemical recycling is used to decompose and refine waste PET 2023-04-26