Renault Korea to Offer Free Vehicle Safety Checks Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday Renault Korea said Sunday it will offer free vehicle inspections nationwide to support safe driving during the Lunar New Year holiday, when many drivers travel long distances. The company will also run a giveaway for customers who pay for repairs during the period. The free-check program will run Feb. 9-13, longer than the joint schedule set by the Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association. Customers can visit any of Renault Korea’s seven company-run service centers or 364 service-network locations for the inspection. Inspection items include lamps; key fluids such as power-steering oil, engine oil, brake oil, washer fluid, coolant and automatic transmission oil; wiper operation; front and rear brake pads; tire condition and wear; and winter-safety essentials including the battery and terminals and belt cracking. Renault Korea said it will also hold an event for customers who need repairs based on the inspection results. Among customers who receive at least 50,000 won in paid repairs at service-network locations during the free-check period, the company will draw 100 winners a day, for a total of 500, and provide each a mobile fuel voucher worth 20,000 won.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 16:36:00

Ilia Malinin Lands Backflip at 2026 Milan Olympics After Ban Lifted A figure skating backflip, long treated as taboo on the Olympic stage, returned after nearly 50 years when American Ilia Malinin landed one without penalty, drawing a loud reaction from the crowd. Malinin completed the backflip late in his program in the men’s singles short program of the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, according to the report. The backflip had been effectively barred for decades. After American Terry Kubicka first attempted it at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, the International Skating Union banned the move starting the following year, citing athlete safety and injury risk. After that, skaters were assessed a two-point deduction whether or not they landed it. At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, France’s Surya Bonaly drew attention by attempting a backflip while accepting the deduction as a protest over judging. The report said Bonaly, then among the world’s top skaters, alleged discriminatory judging and left the Olympic stage after that performance. With the sport placing more emphasis on expression and spectacle, the ISU lifted the backflip ban in 2024. Malinin became the first skater to land a backflip at the Olympics without a deduction since the rule change. Malinin scored 98.00 points, combining technical and program components, to place second behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who scored 108.67. The backflip itself did not earn a separate bonus. Afterward, Malinin said, “The crowd cheered so loudly it was uncontrollable,” adding, “It was a moment when I felt the weight of the Olympic stage and gratitude.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 16:27:00

South Korea’s Big 4 Banks Post Record Profit, but Bad Loans Surge More Than 50% South Korea’s four biggest commercial banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — posted record net profit last year, but key asset-quality indicators worsened as troubled loans climbed sharply. With more borrowers struggling to repay since the COVID-19 period, the combined volume of bad loans has jumped by more than 50% in four years, raising concerns that hidden stress could surface as rate-cut expectations fade and market rates rise. According to the financial sector on Feb. 8, the four banks’ combined net profit for last year totaled 13.9919 trillion won, up 4.9% from 13.3435 trillion won a year earlier and the highest on record. The Bank of Korea cut its benchmark interest rate twice last year, in February and May. Even so, interest income kept rising as loan assets expanded. Typically, falling benchmark rates squeeze banks’ net interest margins, but last year loan growth was enough to offset the margin decline and lift interest earnings. At the same time, troubled loans grew quickly. As of the end of December last year, the four banks’ combined bad loans totaled 12.4780 trillion won. The figure includes “precautionary” loans that are one to three months overdue and nonperforming loans (NPLs) that are more than three months overdue. It was up about 52.6% from 2021. By year-end totals, bad loans were 8.1736 trillion won in 2021, 8.7892 trillion won in 2022, 9.6781 trillion won in 2023 and 11.0639 trillion won in 2024. The share of total loans that were more than three months overdue rose to 0.30% last year, the highest level in five years. Both precautionary loans and NPL balances were the highest since 2021. NPLs rose to 4.5489 trillion won at the end of last year from 2.8643 trillion won at the end of 2021, an increase of 59%. That means more than 1.6 trillion won in unpaid debt accumulated over four years. Precautionary loans reached 7.9291 trillion won at the end of last year, up about 49% from 2021. As bad loans increased, banks’ ability to absorb losses also weakened. The NPL coverage ratio, a measure of reserves relative to bad loans, fell to 171.7% last year, dropping below 200% again for the first time in four years. Banks set aside large provisions each year, but the pace of bad-loan growth has outstripped those buffers. With the Bank of Korea signaling an end to rate cuts and market rates rebounding, concerns are growing that more bad debt could emerge. Domestic demand has weakened, and rising rates have pushed small and midsize businesses and self-employed owners closer to their repayment limits, according to the report. A financial industry official said, “Since COVID-19, the pace of deterioration has been accelerating again along with the economic slowdown,” adding, “The larger the volume of bad loans, the more provisions banks must build, which will further hurt profitability.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 16:03:00

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 international standards. The verification covered biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes at the company’s first Bio Campus in Songdo, Incheon. The review found that Samsung Biologics’ in-house PCF system accurately calculates greenhouse gas emissions tied to energy and raw-material use across drug production, as well as emissions from waste and wastewater output. The company said the result formally recognizes the system’s objectivity and reliability and shows it is carrying out activities aligned with environmental strategies sought by global customers under environmental, social and governance, or ESG, requirements. CEO John Rim said, “This verification provides an opportunity to meet global customers’ requirements and further strengthen trust,” adding that the company will continue working to achieve its carbon-neutrality goals as an ESG leader in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 15:45:00

Samsung Elec on track roll out HBM4 chips this month SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is set to begin mass shipments of the the sixth generation high bandwidth memory chips dubbed HBM4 later this month, according to industry sources Sunday. The chips will be rolled out from the third week of February after the Lunar New Year holiday break, thrusting the HBM laggard into the front tier as HMB4 is expected to become the standard from next-generation AI chips. The shipment schedule has been finalized to align with the production of Nvidia's next-generation AI accelerator, known as Vera Rubin. Samsung has reportedly completed quality verification and received purchase orders, with the latest order including a significant increase in sample volumes for final module testing. Kim Jae-jun, vice president of Samsung's memory business, confirmed the production timeline during a fourth-quarter earnings call last month. He stated that mass production of HBM4 chips with speeds of 11.7Gbps was already underway for scheduled delivery in February. Nvidia is expected to officially unveil the Vera Rubin platform featuring Samsung's HBM4 at the GTC 2026 conference next month. The HBM4 chips feature specifications that exceed current industry standards. While the JEDEC standard is set at 8Gbps, Samsung's product achieves transfer speeds of 11.7Gbps, a 22 percent improvement over the previous HBM3E generation. The memory bandwidth per single stack has increased to 3 terabytes per second, while a 12-stack configuration provides a 36GB capacity. The company plans to expand this to 48GB using 16-stack technology in the future. To achieve these performance gains, Samsung integrated its 10-nanometer-class sixth-generation DRAM with its 4-nanometer foundry process. The company is promoting a one-stop solution that combines logic, memory, foundry, and packaging to streamline production and improve energy efficiency, which is expected to lower power consumption and cooling costs in data centers. The move comes as competition for the AI memory market intensifies. Samsung expects its HBM shipment volume to more than triple this year compared to last year and is currently building a new production line at its Pyeongtaek Campus. Its local peer and HBM leader, SK hynix, is ramping up its HBM4 capacity to meet potential additional demand from Nvidia. With Micron currently trailing in the supply chain competition, analysts expect Samsung and SK hynix to split the majority of HBM orders for the Vera Rubin chips. 2026-02-08 15:40:45

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, the highest share on record. The hybrid share has climbed steadily in recent years, rising from 10.4% in 2021 to 13.2% in 2022, 19.5% in 2023 and 26.5% in 2024. Hybrid sales volume also nearly tripled, from 149,489 vehicles in 2021 to 415,921 last year. With the shift to full electrification moving more slowly than expected, hybrids have emerged as a mainstream alternative that offers some benefits of electric vehicles without the burden of charging infrastructure, the report said. The report cited fuel efficiency, quiet operation, driving convenience and lower upkeep costs as strengths that help offset drawbacks such as higher prices and long wait times. By model, the Kia Sorento Hybrid led the market with 69,862 sold last year. It was followed by the Kia Carnival Hybrid with 46,458 and the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid with 43,064. Renault Korea’s Grand Koleos Hybrid sold 35,352 units, ranking sixth and making it the only non-Hyundai-Kia brand to place in the top 10, the data showed. The auto industry expects the hybrid market to expand further this year. Genesis plans to introduce its first hybrid lineup, and Kia plans to launch a new Seltos Hybrid to strengthen its position in the small SUV segment. Interest in hybrid models is also growing in the imported-car market. Global brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Chinese brands including BYD and Zeekr, are stepping up efforts to target South Korea by emphasizing efficiency and value, the report said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 15:00:00

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 closed it out by winning the next six points. In women’s doubles, Baek Ha Na (Incheon International Airport)-Kim Hye Jeong (Samsung Life Insurance) defeated Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian 24-22, 21-8. Kim Ga Eun (Samsung Life Insurance), ranked No. 17 in the world, then beat Xu Wenjing (No. 127) 19-21, 21-10, 21-17 to clinch the title under the best-of-five, first-to-three format. The men’s team, without ace Seo Seung Jae because of a shoulder injury, finished tied for third after losing 2-3 to China in Friday’s semifinals. Despite missing the final, the men’s team earned a berth in the finals of the BWF World Men’s Team Championship, the Thomas Cup, by reaching the semifinals. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 14:30:00

South Korea captures first win in mixed doubles curling at Winter Games SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - South Korea recorded its first victory in the mixed doubles curling tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 7, as the main medal competitions got underway. Kim Sun-young and Jeong Yeong-seok defeated the United States pair of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin 6-5 in an extra end at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. The South Korean duo, who had suffered five consecutive losses to open the round-robin stage, held off a late surge from the Americans to secure the win. South Korea led 5-2 heading into the final end of regulation, but the U.S. team, the 2023 world champions, scored three points to force the match into overtime. Kim Sun-young and Jeong Yeong-seok regained their composure in the extra end, outmaneuvering their opponents to clinch the deciding point. Despite the win, the South Korean pair remains at the bottom of the 10-team standings with a 1-5 record, making a top-four finish to qualify for the semifinals unlikely. In figure skating, Cha Jun-hwan struggled in his opening performance during the team event at the Milan Ice Skating Arena. Competing in the men's short program, Cha Jun-hwan finished eighth out of 10 skaters with a total score of 83.53 points. He received 41.78 for technical elements and 41.75 for program components after a mistake on his final jump, a triple axel. The result left South Korea in seventh place overall in the team event with 14 points, failing to advance to the free skating portion reserved for the top five nations. The United States, Japan, Italy, Canada, and Georgia progressed to the next round. In cross-country skiing, Lee Eui-jin and Han Da-som finished 54th and 65th, respectively, in the women's 10-plus-10-kilometer skiathlon. Both athletes were unable to complete the full distance before being lapped. Elsewhere on the first full day of medal competition, gold medals were awarded to athletes from Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Japan, and Norway. 2026-02-08 14:20:53

South Korea expected to secure three golds at Milano Cortina Winter Games SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - South Korea is projected to win three gold medals and finish 15th in the overall standings at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, according to a forecast released by Sports Illustrated on February 8. The 2026 Winter Games, which officially opened on February 6 and run through February 22, are being held across several clusters in Northern Italy, including Milano and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Approximately 2,900 athletes from 92 nations are competing for 116 gold medals in eight sports. This year's program features the Olympic debut of ski mountaineering and the return of NHL players to the men's ice hockey tournament. Sports Illustrated expects South Korea's gold medal haul to come entirely from short track speed skating. Lim Jong-eon is tipped for the title in the men's 1,000 meters, while Kim Gil-li is favored in the women's 1,500 meters. The third gold is projected for the men's 5,000-meter relay team. Beyond the top of the podium, the magazine predicts silver medals for Choi Min-jeong in the women's 1,500-meter short track and the mixed 2,000-meter relay team. The women's curling team and the women's 3,000-meter short track relay are both listed as bronze medal candidates. The projections largely mirror a February 4 report from Shoreview Sports Analytics. The Canadian firm also predicted a seven-medal total for South Korea—comprising three gold, two silver, and two bronze—though it placed the nation one spot higher at 14th place overall. Despite the identical total medal counts, the two outlets differ on where the gold medals will be won. Shoreview Sports Analytics expects Choi Ga-on to take gold in the women's snowboard halfpipe, an event in which Sports Illustrated did not list her as a medalist. Instead, Sports Illustrated projected Japan's Shimizu Sara for gold and American Chloe Kim for silver. The firms also disagree on Lim Jong-eon's prospects; while Sports Illustrated sees him as a champion, Shoreview Sports Analytics placed him sixth. Conversely, the Canadian firm projects gold for the women's 3,000-meter relay team, an event Sports Illustrated marked for bronze. In the race for the overall lead, Sports Illustrated puts Norway in the top spot with 16 golds, followed by the United States with 12 and Japan with nine. Shoreview Sports Analytics also lists Norway first with 14 golds, with the United States and Germany following with 13 and 12, respectively. 2026-02-08 14:11:26

S. Korean researchers capture electricity-switching moment in next-gen memory materials SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Kyungpook National University have developed a technique to observe the real-time electrical switching process within nano-devices. By rapidly melting and freezing tellurium at cryogenic temperatures, the team successfully created and stabilized amorphous tellurium, a material essential for high-speed, low-power memory. This research provides a foundational understanding of how and when electrical switching occurs, offering a new blueprint for designing efficient semiconductor materials. As artificial intelligence applications expand, computers require faster and more energy-efficient memory. The performance of these semiconductors depends on the switching principle, the mechanism by which memory materials turn electricity on and off. Tellurium has gained attention as a candidate for next-generation memory due to its ability to transition between high and low resistance states. However, tellurium is highly sensitive to heat, making it difficult to maintain its amorphous state—a disordered atomic structure similar to glass—under normal operating conditions. The research team, led by Professor Seo Jun-gi of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Professor Lee Tae-hoon of Kyungpook National University (KNU), addressed this instability by lowering the surrounding temperature to cryogenic levels. In this environment, they applied electrical current to momentarily melt tellurium and then cooled it rapidly to lock it into an amorphous state. This method allowed the researchers to compare the electrical flow of disordered amorphous tellurium with that of regularly arranged crystalline tellurium within the same device. Through this comparative analysis, the team identified that microscopic defects within the amorphous tellurium play a critical role in electrical conduction. The study revealed that switching occurs in two distinct stages: first, current increases sharply along these defects when a specific voltage is reached, and second, heat accumulates until the material melts. Previously, it was believed that the sudden increase in current was caused primarily by the melting process itself, but this research clarifies the specific roles of defects and thermal energy. The researchers also successfully demonstrated a self-oscillation phenomenon, where voltage repeatedly rises and falls while maintaining the amorphous state without excessive current. This finding indicates that stable electrical switching can be achieved using only tellurium, a single-element material, without the need for complex chemical compositions. Professor Seo Jun-gi stated that this is the first study to implement amorphous tellurium in an actual device environment and clarify the switching principle. He noted that the research sets a new standard for the study of next-generation memory and switching materials. Heo Nam-uk, a student in the integrated master's and doctoral program at KAIST, served as the lead author. The study was published online in Nature Communications on January 13. (Paper information) Journal: Nature Communications Title: On-device cryogenic quenching enables robust amorphous tellurium for threshold switching DOI: https://bit.ly/4knBqqs 2026-02-08 12:00:00