Digital celebrity Sua makes international debut through modeling contract with Thai company

SEOUL -- Sua, a digital human modeled after a K-pop star, made its international debut as an advertising model who will appear on large billboards and electronic boards installed in landmarks in Thailand. Sua is South Korea's first virtual human to enter Thailand. Sua's founder, On Mind, said that it has signed a three-year exclusive contract with Dynamic Digital Display (DDD), a digital signage display supplier based in Thailand, to actively support Sua's activities in

October 14, 2022

Shinsegae Group de facto head makes fresh challenge with Jrilla character business

SEOUL -- Chung Yong-jin, the de facto head of South Korean retail giant Shinsegae, who is well known for ingenious ideas, is making a fresh challenge with Jrilla, a character resembling himself, to launch a character business, starting with a golf fashion brand. Shinsegae Food, the food business arm of Shinsegae Group, said it has released golf wear targeting young golfers to expand its character business using Jrilla, through cooperation with an online golf select shop. Sales wi

October 14, 2022

[COLUMN] What is sacred about Korean national identity?

PROFILE Michael Breen is the CEO of Insight Communications which advises companies on managing PR crises and on local and international PR issues. A former foreign correspondent, he is the author of four books on Korea, most recently The New Koreans. SEOUL -- When the news came last month that Queen Elizabeth had died, like many British people, I cried. Being res

October 14, 2022

[FOCUS] Starlink raises awareness in S. Korea's low-orbit satellite industry

SEOUL -- Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, aroused awareness about active government action to improve systems and foster talent in South Korea's low-orbit satellite industry, which is in its infancy due to the slow accumulation of independent core technologies, unprepared for competition with a giant foreign company. South Korea was seized with confidence when its homegrown space rocket put satellites into target orbit in June 2022 as the seventh

October 14, 2022

Professional baseball and basketball games to be broadcast live on SKT's AI video service

SEOUL -- All professional postseason baseball and basketball games will be broadcast live on "A.tv," a video service created by SK Telecom, a leading mobile carrier in South Korea. The video service will add a function that automatically organizes games which mainly show teams and players favored by viewers. A. is a video service of an artificial intelligence-based voice recognition assistant that recommends channels or programs based on viewing history and preferences. F

October 13, 2022

Researchers develop skin-attachable, untethered telehaptic system for vivid tactile experience

SEOUL -- Telehaptics refers to the transmission of computer-generated tactile sensations over networks. Telehaptic systems transmit a sophisticated and near-realistic sense of touch from one user to another. The core capability of telehaptic transducers depends on precisely monitoring the spatiotemporal and physical deformations occurring on soft skin surfaces and reproducing them from a distance. Telehaptic systems must satisfy the collection and reproduction performance of soph

October 13, 2022

Researchers develop semi-solid batteries with improved safety against fire and explosion

SEOUL -- Researchers have developed manufacturing technology for semi-solid batteries with improved safety against fire and explosion that showed the same performance as existing batteries using electronic wires. Conventional batteries contain liquid electrolytes, but flammable liquid electrolytes can leak out, causing significant damage in case of fire. Electron beams cause chemical reactions at room temperature. Due to their high penetrating power, they can reach the inside

October 13, 2022

Hyundai E&C's technology to remove radioactive materials wins state certification

SEOUL -- A method developed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, a major builder affiliated with South Korea's Hyundai auto group, to remove radioactive materials at the site of dismantled nuclear facilities has won state approval for commercialization. Potassium chloride was used as cleaning water to remove cesium, which is one of the most reactive elements. The accumulation of cesium-137 in lakes has been a great concern after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukrain

October 13, 2022

SK Telecom partners with UAE's e& to push for metaverse business in Middle East

SEOUL -- SK Telecom, a leading mobile carrier in South Korea, partnered with e&, a telecom operator based in the United Arab Emirates, to push for a metaverse business in the Middle East. Using e&'s customer analysis and service provision know-how, SKT said it would create metaverse services tailored to customer demands. Famous buildings and digital costumes reflecting Middle Eastern culture can be actualized in the virtual world where users can interact with others usi

October 12, 2022

Hyundai auto group reveals new roadmap to convert all cars to software-defined vehicles by 2025

SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group revealed a new roadmap to convert all cars to software-defined vehicles by 2025 that can allow customers to remotely upgrade the performance and functionality of their vehicles anywhere at any time. The group expects 20 million vehicles to be registered to its connected car service worldwide by 2025. Connected vehicles provide personalized services such as software subscriptions. All models, including those already purchased, will be ap

October 12, 2022