SouthKorea

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  Researchers develop eco-friendly method to slow down embankment collapse caused by unexpected flood SEOUL -- Due to climate change, unexpected torrential rains are more frequent than before, heightening the risk of floods. To slow down or prevent the collapse of river and stream embankments, South Korean researchers have developed a technology to reinforce the surface of embankments by mixing aggregates and eco-friendly biopolymers extracted from plants. Biopolymers act as an adhesive and coating agent to secure strength and prevent soil loss even at high water pressure and fast 2022-08-23
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  Cryogenic vacuum chamber shipped for ground test of NASA's space telescope SEOUL -- A cryogenic vacuum chamber produced by South Korea's national research institute for NASA's space telescope project has been installed at a U.S. ground test site to verify the performance of SPHEREx, a near-infrared space observatory that will use a spectrophotometer to perform an all-sky survey. The chamber is an important device in the SPHEREx project. It has been developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). SPHEREx, which is designed to 2022-08-17
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  About 70 percent of S. Koreans regard smartphones as essential medium: survey SEOUL -- About 70 percent of South Koreans consider smartphones as an essential medium for daily life because of various content such as over-the-top and video-on-demand services. Those in their 30s and younger regard smartphones as alternatives to TVs, while smartphones and TVs are complementary for the elderly. A survey of 6,834 people aged 13 or over showed that 70.3 percent chose smartphones as an essential medium for daily life in 2021, up from 55.5 percent in 2016. About 27 2022-08-16
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  Shinsegae's ready-to-cook frozen bakery products garner popularity among younger generations SEOUL -- Frozen bakery products released by Shinsegae Food, a food company affiliated with South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae Group, are gaining popularity thanks to the increasing number of South Korean millennials and generation Z who prefer bakery products to rice. Rice is regarded as South Korea's staple food. Data released by Euromonitor, a market research firm, showed that South Korea's bakery market grew from 3.7 trillion won ($2.86 billion) in 2015 to 4.3 tri 2022-08-08
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  Pest control drone demonstrated on corn field in northeastern county SEOUL -- A pest control drone designed to reduce labor costs and time was demonstrated on a corn farm in the northeastern county of Yeongwol famous for crops such as corn, chili pepper, and potatoes. The demand for pest control drones is rapidly increasing in Yeongwol, an aging county suffering from manpower shortages. Yeongwol with a population of some 38,000 is a super-aging society in which about 22 percent of the population consisted of elderlies aged 65 or older as of August 2 2022-08-05
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  Researchers implement photonic quantum engine driven by super-radiance SEOUL -- In quantum optics, superradiance is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of N emitters, such as excited atoms, interact with a common light field. The performance of nano and microscale heat engines can be improved with the help of quantum-mechanical phenomena. Heat reservoirs with quantum coherence have been proposed to enhance engine performance, but no physical realizations have been achieved so far. South Korean researchers have implemented a photonic quantum engine 2022-07-22
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  Researchers develop smart shading control system to reduce lighting and cooling energy at school buildings SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a smart system that can reduce lighting and cooling energy by automatically controlling the brightness of indoor lighting equipment according to the amount of light while appropriately blocking direct sunlight. An optical sensor dimming control system was linked with an automatic indoor shading control to save indoor lighting energy, according to the Korea Photonics Technology Institute (KOPTI). The system has reached a control accur 2022-07-11
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  New energy roadmap sounds death knell of 'nuclear-exit' policy in S. Korea SEOUL -- South Korea's broad new energy roadmap was unveiled to jack up the ratio of electricity generated by nuclear power plants in South Korea's energy mix to more than 30 percent by 2030, tolling the death knell for a "nuclear-exit" policy adopted by the previous liberal government to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. The new energy roadmap endorsed at a cabinet meeting on July 5 highlighted internal and external uncertainties such as the Russ 2022-07-05
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  Pterosaur footprints provide evidence for gregarious gathering in mixed-age groups SEOUL -- An assemblage of pterosaur footprints from the early Upper Cretaceous track site in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula provided new evidence for gregarious behavior, hinting at the possibility that pterosaurs gathered in mixed-age groups some 90 million years ago. The Seoyuri track site in Hwasun, some 260 kilometers (161 miles) southwest of Seoul, yielded numerous footprints made by individuals ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 meters in wingspan, representing a not yet kno 2022-06-28
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  Ariane rocket carries satellite into space for S. Korea's accurate location information service SEOUL -- South Korea took an important step to provide accurate location information services with the successful launch of a rocket carrying the first satellite for its independent satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that can correct GPS errors in real-time. European heavy-lift space launch vehicle Ariane carrying the satellite blasted off at a space center in French Guiana. South Korea has leased Malaysia's MEASAT-3d communication satellite for its satellite-based augme 2022-06-23
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  S. Korea achieves goal of putting actual satellites into orbit with homegrown space rocket SEOUL -- South Korea launched its homegrown space rocket that put satellites into target orbit, becoming the seventh country in the world to have developed a space launch vehicle that can carry a more than one-ton satellite. It was South Korea's first successful launch of a satellite with actual functions. The three-stage rocket called "Nuri," also known as KSLV-II, blasted off from the Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung on June 2022-06-21
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  Tiny 8th-century gold artifact wows experts over how it's crafted without microscope SEOUL -- An exquisite and delicate eighth-century relic depicting two birds and flowers by drawing countless thin lines about half the thickness of hair on a paper-thin gold foil has been restored for public exhibition. It is almost impossible to identify with the naked eye and can only be examined using a microscope, wowing modern craftsmen. The tiny pure gold artifact was shown in a media event on June 16, a day before it was to be displayed at an exhibition hall of the Gyeongju N 2022-06-17
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  Rapid fire suppression system developed to spray water to fire origins like firefighters SEOUL -- South Korea's state research body has developed a new system that can recognize a fire in the early stages and automatically spray water to fire origins like firefighters for the quick suppression of fires in ships, marine plants, and high-rise apartments. It can compensate for the drawback of existing fire extinguishing facilities such as sprinklers that spray water to the entire place. The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) said that the autonomous fir 2022-06-13
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  Seoul expands establishment of EV chargers to hidden spots in residential areas SEOUL -- In a bid to speed up the distribution of electric vehicles, chargers will be installed in hidden spots such as old apartments and hillside residential areas. By the end of June 2022, some 12,000 chargers will be set up in areas selected through a public survey. As a state project to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, Seoul will replace 10 percent of diesel vehicles with EVs by 2026. About 45,000 EVs were registered in Seoul. The number of chargers in Seoul 2022-05-31
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  State researchers extract biomaterial from microalgae for dementia treatment SEOUL -- South Korea's state research body has used spirulina, which is a biomass of blue-green algae, to extract a biomaterial that can significantly improve the cognitive functions of dementia patients. Related technology was transferred to a private company for commercial production. As an ecologically sound, nutrient-rich dietary supplement, spirulina is being investigated to address food security and malnutrition. It has been used as a raw material for healthy functional fo 2022-05-25
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  Meal kits to be available soon at Seoul subway stations for hungry commuters SEOUL -- Targeting hungry and busy commuters, ready-to-eat meal shops will be put into service at crowded subway stations in Seoul. Students and workers who lack time to have breakfast or dinner can grab a meal kit package right after getting off the train. Meal kits are convenient heat-and-eat food packages that provide processed ingredients and seasonings so that consumers can easily complete the dish just by following the simple cooking instructions using a stove or a microwave 2022-05-18
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  S. Korea's first forensic entomology lab in service to track death time with insects SEOUL -- South Korea has opened its first forensic entomology lab to efficiently estimate the time of death by analyzing insects found in the body. The investigation technique that helps determine elapsed time after death can be used in unsolved criminal cases and for investigating elder abuse or animal cruelty. It is difficult to figure out the time of death if the body has been dead for a long time. The investigation technique can help find out the death time through the analysis 2022-05-18
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  BTS 'Dynamite' to be tested for space internet during S. Korea's first lunar exploration SEOUL -- BTS would be remembered as a space trailblazer if its global mega-hit song, "Dynamite," were streamed from Moon to Earth using an experimental wireless space internet service as part of South Korea's space program to send a lunar orbiter aboard a rocket manufactured by SpaceX. "Dynamite" aims to be the first K-pop song in space when South Korea's first lunar orbiter, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), will be launched on August 1. Fans t 2022-05-17
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  Development of next-generation space launch vehicle proposed for deep space exploration SEOUL -- Unswayed by a slight technical glitch exposed in the launch of its first three-stage indigenous rocket in 2021, South Korea will push ahead with the development of a next-generation launch vehicle capable of thrusting bigger payloads for lunar or Mars exploration using a mixed fuel of liquid oxygen and kerosene. A blueprint drawn out by the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of South Korea's next-generation space launch vehicle called "KSLV-III" w 2022-05-11
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  Southwestern coastal city to distribute biodegradable fishnets SEOUL -- Biodegradable fishnets will be distributed to encourage South Korean fishermen to reduce their dependency on nylon or plastic products that could pose a grieve threat to the ocean ecosystem. With subsidies, crab fishermen can purchase eco-friendly nets for about 60 percent of their original price. Lost or abandoned plastic fishnets and fishing equipment are called ghost fishnets that seriously pollute the ocean by trapping living organisms including fish and seaweeds. The 2022-05-10