Southwestern province to operate autonomous parking enforcement vehicle for first time

SEOUL -- The southwestern province of South Chungcheong will operate an autonomous vehicle that would notify the drivers of illegally parked vehicles to move using loudspeakers. The autonomous vehicle will be accompanied by a safety agent sitting in the driver's seat to engage in emergency situations. The South Chungcheong Provincial Office said that the operation of South Korea's first autonomous parking enforcement vehicle was kick-started in Hongseong some 120 kilometers

December 4, 2023

Number of first-grade elementary students in 2024 to drop 12.4% on-year: report

SEOUL -- The number of first-grader elementary students in South Korea is projected to fall to 357,771 in 2024, down 12.4 percent from 2023, state data showed. Due to the country's significantly decreased fertility rate, the number of children entering elementary schools could fall to less than 300,000 in 2026. South Korea is currently facing a severe aging trend, with about 30 percent of its population expected to be aged 75 and older by 2073. The nation's fertility rate in

December 4, 2023

S. Korea braces for impact for China's second export regulations on industrial urea

SEOUL -- South Korea will hold emergency meetings to discuss and prepare for the impact of a second aqueous urea solution shortage crisis after China has shut down the customs process for industrial urea material, just before the products are loaded onto carrier ships. Previously, Beijing stopped exports of urea, vital for the production of aqueous urea solution in 2021, bringing a crippling shortage of products that are critical to the operation of cargo trucks and factory machiner

December 4, 2023

Seoul's education affairs head encourages teachers to nurture students as global citizens

SEOUL -- At a lecture attended by public school teachers and instructors involved in private education, Seoul's education office chief Cho Hee-yeon encouraged audience to nurture students as global citizens. During his speech at a graduate school in eastern Seoul, Cho stressed the importance of such education, pointing out that South Korea should prepare for global challenges. "We must transform our students into global citizens in the third phase of education revolution ag

December 1, 2023

S. Korean President to visit Dutch firm ASML to upgrade semiconductor supply chain cooperation

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to visit the headquarters of ASML, a Dutch manufacturer of chip-making equipment, to strengthen semiconductor supply chain collaboration. The Dutch company is the sole maker of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machinery, which is essential for producing physical chips from silicon wafers. The EUV technique allows the production of smaller and more powerful semiconductor chips. The technique enables chipmakers to have the abil

December 1, 2023

S. Korea approves reopening of livestock markets thanks to no extra reported cases of lumpy skin disease

SEOUL -- The South Korean government has approved livestock market operators to reopen their markets and resume the trade of cattle after about one month since the country's livestock disease control tower temporarily stopped all cattle trades and closed livestock markets to prevent the spread of lumpy skin disease. Animal disease specialists predict that the cold weather slowed down the movement of bloodsucking carrier insects. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral infection th

December 1, 2023

Danish firm Orsted wins state approval to build offshore wind farm near western port city of Incheon

SEOUL -- Danish power company Orsted has won state approval to establish an offshore wind farm, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) off the coast of the western port city of Incheon. The wind farm would be South Korea's largest offshore wind-generated power plant with a generation capacity large enough to power some one million households annually. Orsted currently operates 28 offshore wind farms with a total generation capacity of 8.9 gigawatts across the globe. The company partnere

November 30, 2023

Nuclear power plants unharmed from earthquake: state nuclear power plant operator

SEOUL -- South Korea's state nuclear power plant operator has said that Wolsong nuclear power plants are all operational without any malfunctions. The announcement was released a few hours after a magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit Gyeongju some 290 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Seoul on November 30. According to South Korea's state weather service, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 occurred in the southeastern region of Gyeongju City at about 4:55 a.m. (1955 GMT) on Nov

November 30, 2023

S. Korea and Chile engage in negotiations for modernization of free trade agreement

SEOUL -- South Korea and Chile have embarked on a three-day negotiation meeting for the modernization of the South Korea-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in a bid to update new trade norms into the agreement text. In 2003, Chile became South Korea's first-ever FTA partner, opening a new door to the outside world for South Korea which maintained its protective trade stance until the late 1990s when the country was almost swept away by the wake of the Asian financial crisis. Chile

November 29, 2023

Seoul-Ulsan train tour program for pet dogs to be operated for Christmas

SEOUL -- The southern port city of Ulsan has prepared a special train tour program targeting pet dogs and their owners. The tour package will have special tour guides who will help human and canine customers enjoy various programs. South Korea's pet market which stood at 1.9 trillion won ($1.4 billion) in 2015 saw explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic to stand at eight trillion won in 2022. About 70 percent of companies had employees working at home during the pandemic a

November 29, 2023