Dried seaweed price soars at fastest rate in 37 years

SEOUL, October 4 (AJP) – The price of dried seaweed surged by 32.7 percent in September year-on-year, marking the largest increase in nearly 37 years, according to government data. The steep rise is attributed to poor harvests caused by abnormally high sea temperatures. The average sea surface temperature from June to August reached 23.9 degrees Celsius, the highest in a decade, delaying the seeding process and reducing supply. The state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp.

October 4, 2024

Krafton to showcase new games at G-Star

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - Korean game developer Krafton said Wednesday it will showcase several new titles during Korea’s largest game exhibition, G-Star, next month. The company, known for its popular battle royale game "PUBG: Battlegrounds," will participate in the annual event for the eighth consecutive year. This year’s G-Star is scheduled to take place from Nov. 14 to 17 at BEXCO in Busan. The company will display "inZOI," a life simulation g

October 2, 2024

Naver Map offers multilingual translation for visitor reviews

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - Naver has launched a multilingual translation service for visitor reviews on Naver Map, allowing non-Korean speakers to conveniently navigate and discover locations, the largest web portal in Korea said on Wednesday. The service supports English, Chinese and Japanese, utilizing its artificial intelligence (AI)-based translation tool, Papago. The Place Filter service on the map also supports translations in those languages. Users can use this feature to c

October 2, 2024

Hanwha Q Cells sells solar project in Washington state

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - Korea's solar energy solutions provider Hanwha Q Cells has sold a 142-megawatt solar power project in Washington state to Puget Sound Energy (PSE), the largest utility company in the region, the company said on Wednesday. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hanwha said it will continue to supply equipment and provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of

October 2, 2024

Seoul court backs Korea Zinc share buyback amid control battle

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - A Seoul court on Wednesday allowed Korea Zinc Inc. to continue acquiring its own shares to defend against what it calls a hostile takeover bid by its largest shareholder, Young Poong, and the private equity firm MBK Partners. Young Poong and MBK are seeking to secure management control of the world's largest zinc smelter by acquiring an additional 7 to 14.6 percent stake through a tender offer from Sept. 13 to Oct. 4. They filed an injunction with th

October 2, 2024

SME body promotes Korean food, beauty products at US event

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - The Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) has promoted Korean food and beauty products at a major Korean cultural event in the United States. The LA Korean Festival, with around 400,000 annual attendees, is one of the largest multicultural festivals in the western U.S. It features traditional cuisine, beauty products, and K-pop entertainment. This year, the festival took place at the Seoul International Park in Los Angeles over four days, starting on Thursday.

September 30, 2024

Diet sensation Queen Wasabi named face of health supplement company Foodology

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Korean rapper Queen Wasabi, who gained attention for her recent drastic weight loss, has become the brand ambassador for local health supplement company Foodology. Queen Wasabi, whose real name is Kim So-hee, lost 16 kilograms over 2 1/2 months before performing at the Waterbomb music festival in early July. The rapper, who debuted in 2019, is known for her unique style and confident performances. Her weight loss regimen included diet, exercise and con

September 30, 2024

Samsung's AI-powered mobile devices surpass 20 million units in Korea

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics said Monday the number of its mobile devices with artificial intelligence features in South Korea have exceeded 20 million units. The company launched Galaxy AI with the Galaxy S24 smartphone series in January, followed by the Galaxy Z Flip6, and the Galaxy Z Fold6 in July. Samsung has also extended AI capabilities to previous models, including the S23 and S22 series, Z Flip5, Z Fold5, Z Flip4, Z Fold4, and select Galaxy Tab model

September 30, 2024

Telegram pledges stern action against illegal content

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Messaging app service Telegram has promised to take stern action against illegal content on its platform, South Korea's Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) said Monday. The telecom regulator and Telegram held their first face-to-face talks on Friday following a massive deepfake porn scandal involving Telegram in August. KCSC Chairman Ryu Hee-lim said Telegram has committed to a zero-tolerance approach to crimes and agreed to cooperate

September 30, 2024

Qoo10 CEO questioned in e-commerce fraud probe

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) -- The prosecution investigating a payment delay scandal involving e-commerce platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice on Monday questioned the chief executive officer of their Singapore-based parent company, Qoo10 Group. The two Korean firms have been embroiled in a financial crisis since July, unable to settle payments with merchants on their platforms. Qoo10 CEO Koo Young-bae is suspected of diverting funds from the companies to assist with corporate acquisitio

September 30, 2024