Lumpy skin disease infection case found in S. Korea's largest cattle farm central

SEOUL -- South Korea's animal disease prevention headquarters was put on high alert as a lumpy skin disease case was reported in North Gyeongsang Province, the country's largest cattle farm province, about one month after the first case of the infectious cattle disease was reported in the southwestern region for the first time in South Korea. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral infection that spreads through blood-feeding insects like flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. A cow infe

November 14, 2023

Urban hydrogen-electric tram tested in southeastern industrial city

SEOUL -- An urban hydrogen-electric tram was demonstrated in South Korea's southeastern industrial port city of Ulsan as part of a state program to commercialize hydrogen-powered trains. The project, designed to establish green mobility infrastructure and promote urban trams, is led by Hyundai Rotem, a train-making subsidiary of South Korea's Hyundai auto group. Urban trams disappeared in Korea in 1968. After the first tram line started its operation in Seoul in 1898, tram n

November 14, 2023

S. Korean President and Chinese leader to visit San Francisco for APEC summit

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will embark on a three-day journey to San Francisco to attend a summit meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, an economic forum that involves 21 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The inter-governmental forum will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Tensions between Seoul and Beijing escalated in 2017 due to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system by US troops in South

November 14, 2023

Seoul Mayor shows strong will to push commercialization of commuter water bus

SEOUL -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon showed his strong will to commercialize "Han Gang River Bus," a 199-seater commuter boat designed to carry passengers along the Han River that flows through Seoul from the east and out to the West Sea, also known as the Yellow Sea. In September 2023, Seoul City unveiled a blueprint for the so-called "water bus" that will be commercialized in 2024. The capital city promised that the commuter boat would provide improved services than

November 9, 2023

Worker killed in robot accident at sorting center during test operation

SEOUL -- A male worker in his 40s was killed in an accident that took place inside an automated sorting center when a cooperative robot mistook its human coworker for a box of paprikas. The robot fatally wounded the man when it tried to lift the worker up with its actuators. Cooperative robots are machines that are deployed to a workplace where human workers are present. They collaborate with their human coworkers to carry out chores that need quick and precise handling of products

November 9, 2023

Southern port city of Busan selected as top tourist spot with most beautiful nightscape

SEOUL -- The southern port city of Busan was selected by the culture ministry and the state tourism promotion body as the top city with the most beautiful nightscape other than Seoul. Among the list of 100 beautiful night sceneries selected across the country, eight places were located in the city well known for its food, culture, and landscape including mountains, rivers, and the sea. Busan with a population of 3.4 million is South Korea's second-largest city and main maritime

November 9, 2023

95% of cattle vaccinated to prevent spread of lumpy skin disease

SEOUL -- About 95 percent of South Korea's cattle population was vaccinated against lumpy skin disease. The country had a total of 81 infected cases in about 18 days after the infectious cattle disease was reported for the first time. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral infection that spreads through blood-feeding insects like flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. A cow infected with the virus usually shows symptoms of high fever, skin nodules, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, and lump

November 7, 2023

Young S. Koreans leave hometowns to live in Seoul and nearby cities: data

SEOUL -- Some 600,000 young South Koreans in their 20s have left their hometowns to move to Seoul and its surrounding cities during the last decade, data released by the national statistics information service showed. In South Korea with a population of about 52 million, about 25.9 million people live in Seoul and its metropolitan area. It is mainly because major companies are located in the capital city area, as well as infrastructure for the culture, society, finance, healthcare

November 7, 2023

Seoul's official Instagram becomes most-followed account among 10 major global cities

SEOUL -- Seoul City's official Instagram became the most-followed account among 10 major global cities with some 454,000 followers. The most popular content was a short-form video featuring Seoul Tower, a famous tourist attraction located near central Seoul, which was illuminated in purple, the iconic color of K-pop phenomenon BTS. Other global cities include New York, London, Tokyo, and Paris. After launching its official account in June 2014, the number of Seoul's Instagram f

November 6, 2023

Seoul's public bike rental service adopts English chatbot for foreigners

SEOUL -- Seoul's public bike rental service called "Ttareungi," also known as Seoul Bike, has adopted an English artificial intelligence-based service to handle inquiries from foreigners. The English chatbot was created to meet growing demands for the rental service from foreigners. The public bicycle rental service, launched in December 2015, has been used by urbanites who wish to travel short distances of a few kilometers instead of using crowded buses or subway trains.

November 3, 2023