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  SK Biopharm JV, Samjin Pharma, Hecto Group, Medytox and Gil Medical Center updates SK Biopharm JV Mentis Care begins joint research with Emory School of Medicine on AI seizure detection and real-time prediction SK Biopharm said March 17 that its joint venture, Mentis Care, has started a joint study with Emory University School of Medicine to develop an artificial intelligence model to detect seizures and predict them in real time. The two-year project aims to build a general-purpose AI model that can be used across settings, from precision hospital equipment to wearabl March 17, 2026
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  Hong Myung-bo’s South Korea to use Ivory Coast, Austria friendlies as final World Cup audition With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America about three months away, competition inside Hong Myung-bo’s South Korea squad is intensifying. Hong has repeatedly stressed that the final roster is not set, setting up what amounts to a last-round audition for players seeking a World Cup place. South Korea (No. 22 in the FIFA rankings) will play Ivory Coast (No. 37) at 11 p.m. March 28 (Korea time) at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England. The team then faces Austria (No. 24) at 3:45 a.m. April March 17, 2026
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  Daehan Shipbuilding Wins $1.3 Billion Won Order for One Suezmax Crude Oil Tanker Daehan Shipbuilding said it is continuing a strong run of new orders since the start of the year. The company said Tuesday it signed a shipbuilding contract on March 16 with an Oceania-based shipping company to build one Suezmax-class crude oil tanker worth about 130 billion won. Including the latest deal, Daehan Shipbuilding said it has won orders for a total of nine vessels so far this year, surpassing 82% of its annual order target. The customer first signed with Daehan Shipbuilding March 17, 2026
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  KB Kookmin, Shinhan to Launch Online Refinancing for Sole Proprietor Credit Loans Online refinancing for sole proprietors’ credit loans is now allowed, and competition among banks is picking up.  According to the financial industry on the 17th, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank will begin offering refinancing services for sole proprietors’ credit loans starting on the 18th.  At KB Kookmin Bank, the maximum loan amount eligible for refinancing is 300 million won through branches and 200 million won through non-face-to-face channels. All customers who refinance into KB K March 17, 2026
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  Korea’s Hwarang Art Fair to Open at Record Scale With 169 Galleries South Korea’s longest-running art fair, the Hwarang Art Fair, will return this spring at its largest scale yet, with 169 leading domestic galleries taking part. Lee Seong-hoon, chairman of the Korea Galleries Association, said at a news conference Tuesday at the Seoul Press Center that the fair will “spotlight 19 artists through expanded solo booths.” He added, “We have prepared docent programs and special exhibitions so visitors can appreciate the works more deeply.” The fair, March 17, 2026
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  IBK Industrial Bank of Korea launches dedicated review team for productive finance IBK Industrial Bank of Korea said Tuesday it will operate a dedicated review team for “productive finance” to support innovative growth among small and midsize companies. The new team was created to respond quickly to funding needs at innovative firms in semiconductors, secondary batteries, biotech and artificial intelligence, the bank said. It is staffed by 40 specialists, including credit reviewers, certified public accountants and analysts, to speed and streamline lending decisions. T March 17, 2026
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  South Korea to Inspect 2,100 Restaurants Near BTS Event Sites Ahead of Comeback South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said March 17 it will conduct advance hygiene inspections and food-poisoning prevention outreach at about 2,100 restaurants near BTS comeback event sites, including Gwanghwamun, Namdaemun and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), through March 21. The ministry said the effort is aimed at raising sanitation standards ahead of an expected surge in visitors during the events and preventing consumer harm, including overcharging. Inspectors will focus March 17, 2026
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  S-OIL, Samsung SDS Launch Integrated IT Outsourcing Partnership S-OIL said Tuesday it held a kickoff event with Samsung SDS to mark the full launch of their integrated ITO (IT outsourcing) project. The event was organized to commemorate the recent completion of S-OIL’s IT infrastructure data center migration and to signal the start of the joint ITO effort. The gathering was held Monday at Samsung SDS’ Sangam data center, with S-OIL CEO Ryu Yeol and Samsung SDS CEO Lee Jun-hee among the executives attending. The companies said they have successfully m March 17, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor, Kia expand Nvidia partnership for autonomous driving tech Hyundai Motor and Kia have joined hands with Nvidia to cooperate on autonomous mobility technology, with Nvidia capabilities set to be used in Hyundai vehicles offering Level 2 or higher automated driving. Industry officials said the expanded cooperation follows a recent meeting between Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Euisun and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and now extends to autonomous driving, a key future growth area for automakers. According to the industry on March 17, the two sides began j March 17, 2026
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  Hana Bank to Provide $1.56 Billion in Liquidity to Foster Gwangju-Jeolla Hub Firms Hana Bank is launching financial support to help foster hub companies in the Gwangju-Jeolla region, in line with the government’s “5 hubs, 3 special zones” strategy. The bank said it signed a business agreement on March 16 with the city of Gwangju, the Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund and the Korea Technology Finance Corp. to support the development of hub companies in the region. The agreement is aimed at strengthening the growth base for small an March 17, 2026