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  Samsung Biologics Gets Third-Party Verification for Product Carbon Footprint System Samsung Biologics said Saturday that its product carbon footprint (PCF) system has completed third-party verification. The company recently received a third-party verification certificate for the system from DNV, a global certification body headquartered in Norway. PCF refers to greenhouse gas emissions generated across a product’s full life cycle, from production to disposal. DNV provides verification and certification services related to quality, environment and safety based on interna February 8, 2026
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  Hybrids Top 30% of South Korea Auto Sales for First Time in 2024 Hybrid vehicles accounted for more than 30% of South Korea’s domestic auto sales for the first time last year, government data showed. According to vehicle registration statistics released Sunday by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the five major automakers — Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea and KG Mobility — sold a combined 1,373,221 vehicles in the domestic market last year. Of those, 415,921 were hybrids. Hybrids made up 30.3% of total sales, February 8, 2026
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  South Korea Women Win First Asia Team Badminton Title Led by An Se Young An Se Young of Samsung Life Insurance led South Korea’s women’s national badminton team to its first title at the 2026 Asia Mixed Team Badminton Championships. South Korea swept host China 3-0 in the women’s final on Saturday at Conson Gymnasium in Qingdao, China. An, who rested in Friday’s semifinal against Indonesia to manage her condition, needed 39 minutes to beat Han Qianxi 21-7, 21-14 in women’s singles. The second game was tied 11-11, but An pulled ahead 15-14 and cl February 8, 2026
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  South Korea’s Internet Banks Step Up Lending to Sole Proprietors South Korea’s internet-only banks are accelerating efforts to grow lending to sole proprietors as they look for new revenue sources. With major commercial banks taking a more cautious approach to such loans to manage asset quality, online lenders are moving to capture niche demand and diversify their portfolios. According to the financial industry on Saturday, KakaoBank since Feb. 2 has added a new three-year maturity option to its real estate-backed loan for sole proprietors, whi February 8, 2026
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  Ryu Seung-wan’s ‘Humint’ Tops Advance Ticket Sales Ahead of Release The film ‘Humint’ has climbed to No. 1 in overall advance ticket sales ahead of its theatrical release. According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated box office system, ‘Humint’ ranked first as of 10:24 a.m. on Saturday, with 142,151 tickets reserved. The surge followed the first preview screening, with moviegoers calling it “pure catharsis experienced in a theater.” ‘Humint’ is a term for intelligence work that reli February 8, 2026
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  HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to Showcase Advanced Warship Technology at Saudi Defense Expo HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is taking part in the Middle East’s largest defense exhibition in Saudi Arabia as it steps up efforts to win the kingdom’s next frigate program. The company said it will attend the 2026 World Defense Show, or WDS, in Riyadh from Feb. 8 through Feb. 12. It plans to run a joint exhibition area with LIG Nex1, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and EOST to present advanced shipbuilding technology and maritime defense capabilities. Held every two years, WDS is expecte February 8, 2026
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  Snowboarder Lee Sang-ho Targets Medal at Milan-Cortina Olympics, Eyes South Korea’s 400th South Korea’s top alpine snowboarder, Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard), will try to add a milestone to the nation’s Olympic history at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Lee is scheduled to compete Sunday (Korea time) in the men’s parallel giant slalom at Livigno Snow Park in Italy’s Sondrio province. Qualifying begins at 5 p.m., and if he finishes in the top 16, he will advance to the head-to-head finals starting at 9 p.m. to decide the medals. Lee won silver in the men’s parallel giant February 8, 2026
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  Cha Jun-hwan’s jump error leaves South Korea out of Olympic figure skating team final South Korea’s top men’s figure skater, Cha Jun-hwan of Seoul City Hall, stumbled in his first appearance at his third Olympics, finishing eighth in the men’s short program of the figure skating team event. Cha scored 83.53 points on Saturday (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. He earned 41.78 points in technical elements and 41.75 in program components, placing eighth among 10 skaters. The team event is a nati February 8, 2026
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  South Korea Mixed Doubles Curlers Beat U.S. in Extra End for First Win at Milan-Cortina South Korea’s mixed doubles curling team of Kim Seon Yeong (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Yeong Seok (Gangwon Provincial Government) earned its first win of the round-robin, beating the United States in its sixth game. Kim and Jeong defeated Cory Thies and Cory Dropkin 6-5 in an extra end at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in the mixed doubles round-robin at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Thies and Dropkin are the 2023 mixed doubles wo February 8, 2026
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  Italy Sets €180,000 Bonus for Gold at Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Italy, the host of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, has set medal bonuses of 180,000 euros (about 312 million won) for gold, 90,000 euros (about 156 million won) for silver and 60,000 euros (about 100 million won) for bronze. Forbes reported on Feb. 7 (Korea time) that the Italian National Olympic Committee, known as CONI, approved the payouts, matching the amounts offered for the Paris Olympics two years ago. The first Italian athlete to earn the gold bonus was speedskat February 8, 2026