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Unity Unveils AI-Driven Game Development Platform 'Unity 7' Unity has introduced a next-generation game engine that integrates generative artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the game development process. The platform aims to enhance collaboration between AI coding agents and developers, increasing the speed and productivity of game creation while marking a significant shift towards AI-driven game development.On July 21, Unity unveiled its AI-based game development platform, 'Unity 7', during its annual developer conference, Unite Seoul 2026, held in Samsung-dong, Seoul.Matthew Bromberg, Unity's CEO, stated, "In the future, the most competitive teams will not be the largest development teams, but those that leverage new technologies to create unique content and attract players." He described Unity 7 as an open platform designed for collaboration among developers, artists, producers, and AI coding agents throughout the entire game development process.A key feature of Unity 7 is its ability to enhance development speed through AI-based collaboration. It supports next-generation graphics and AI-driven monetization models. Additionally, projects created with the previous version, Unity 6, can be transitioned without the need for separate reconstruction.During the event, local game developers shared their experiences using the Unity engine. Hwang Jae-ho, CEO of Mint Rocket, presented the development case of 'Dave the Diver', noting that a small team of 30 was able to sell over 1 million copies in China. He attributed this success to the flexibility of the Unity engine, which allowed them to adapt to various platforms including Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and mobile.Kim Jong-wook, director at Line Games, showcased Unity's latest graphic technology through the game 'Amber and Blade'. He explained how the platform seamlessly transitions lighting from day to sunset to night within the same environment, while maintaining stable performance even during battles featuring hundreds of monsters.Looking ahead, Unity plans to expand the application of AI across its platform. The company aims to enhance productivity and business competitiveness for developers by integrating AI into game production, operations, and user acquisition, focusing on its AI development tools 'Unity AI' and its advertising and monetization platform 'Unity Vector'. Unity 7 is set to begin beta testing in December and will officially launch in the first quarter of next year.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:40:00 -
Goldman Sachs: Brent Crude Could Exceed $120 if Disruptions Continue in Hormuz If disruptions in oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz continue, Brent crude prices could surpass $120 per barrel in the fourth quarter of this year, according to Goldman Sachs.In a report released on July 20, Bloomberg reported that Goldman Sachs noted a decline in Persian Gulf oil transport volumes to below 45% of pre-war levels, contributing to rising oil prices. The firm warned that if transport disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz persist, Brent crude could exceed $120 per barrel in the fourth quarter.However, this scenario is not Goldman Sachs' base case. The firm anticipates that, assuming tensions in the Middle East ease, Brent crude prices will average $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 next year. Still, they acknowledged that the likelihood of actual prices exceeding these forecasts is higher due to potential disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.This month, tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated, with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels threatening to block Saudi oil shipments. As a result, Brent crude prices have risen above $90 per barrel, and they exceeded $126 per barrel in late April, during the early stages of the U.S.-Iran conflict.Goldman Sachs also analyzed that global oil inventories decreased in the second quarter, making the market more vulnerable to supply shocks. However, they noted that a decline in Chinese oil imports and a slowdown in demand due to rising prices could limit the extent of price increases.Additionally, Goldman Sachs expects continued supply instability in the diesel market. Supply has been tight since before the war, and Ukraine continues to attack Russian refineries. Hurricanes, summer heat waves, and delays in refinery maintenance are also cited as additional supply risks.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:36:00
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KB Insurance Eliminates Family Relationship Certificate Requirement for Policy Enrollment and Claims Customers will no longer need to issue and submit family relationship certificates during the insurance enrollment and claims process. KB Insurance is the first to implement this service, with other major insurers set to follow suit.The Korea Life Insurance Association, the General Insurance Association of Korea, and the Korea Credit Information Corporation announced on July 21 that they will automate the submission of documents required for insurance enrollment, maintenance, and claims by utilizing family relationship certificates through public mydata.Public mydata is a service that electronically provides personal information held by administrative agencies to financial companies with user consent. The scope of this service has been expanded to include family relationship certificates, in addition to 35 other types of documents such as resident registration and vehicle registration.As a result, customers will no longer need to submit separate documents for family discounts, child rider provisions in auto insurance, changes to policyholders and beneficiaries, and verification of insured individuals under family liability insurance. The child rider provision in auto insurance can offer discounts of up to 23.2%, depending on the insurer and enrollment conditions.KB Insurance has implemented this service as the first in the industry, applying it to claims assessments requiring family relationship verification since July 15. The service will be expanded to include child discount provisions in auto insurance and limited driver provisions by the end of this month.Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Life Insurance, NH Nonghyup Life Insurance, and DB Insurance are also set to introduce the service sequentially from August to October. If all insurers participate, it is expected to reduce the burden of submitting approximately 3 million family relationship certificates annually.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:36:00
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East Aid's 'Igloos' Sees 18-Fold Increase in AI Bot Visits After Optimization East Aid's blogging service 'Igloos' has expanded its offerings by implementing an artificial intelligence (AI) search optimization strategy.On July 21, East Aid announced that the AI-driven platform has seen an approximately 18-fold increase in visits from AI search and citation bots, reaching 250,000 visits from 14,000 in late April, just 100 days after its pre-launch. The number of partner channels has also grown to 20.In April, Igloos was completely revamped as an AI-based 'Media to Text (M2T)' content platform. Its core service automatically converts video content from platforms like YouTube into text optimized for AI search and citation.According to the company, the number of AI search and citation crawlers visiting Igloos content surged from 14,000 monthly at the end of April to about 250,000 earlier this month, with a content completion rate of 51%.The number of partners is also rapidly increasing. Following the addition of channels such as Understanding, Demo Day, Kim Deok-jin's AI Dia, and Chungko's Philosophy, recent additions include the investment channel 'Tomorrow's Investment King Kim Dante,' EBS, Gizmo, and Muracle, bringing the total to 20.East Aid explained that it has enhanced content quality by applying professional editor reviews during the AI automatic conversion process and linking Igloos content with its AI portal 'Zum's AI 1-Second Summary' data.With plans to strengthen AI search optimization and content distribution features, East Aid aims to officially launch Igloos in September. The official service will introduce paid features for business-to-business (B2B) customers to generate revenue.Kim Nam-hyun, CEO of East Aid, stated, "Igloos is proving both content quality and the effectiveness of AI search expansion. With the official launch in September, we will actively expand the ecosystem connecting AI search and content."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:36:00
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Samsung Card Expands Membership, Closing Gap with Shinhan Card Samsung Card is rapidly expanding its membership base thanks to its strategy of increasing affinity cards. The company is narrowing the gap with industry leader Shinhan Card in both membership numbers and personal credit sales.According to the financial sector on July 21, Samsung Card's membership reached 13.58 million in the first half of this year, an increase of 450,000 (4.5%) from 13.13 million in the same period last year. In comparison, Shinhan Card's membership grew by 180,000 to 14.18 million during the same timeframe, reducing the gap between the two companies to 600,000.The increase in Samsung Card's membership is attributed to its successful strategy of expanding affinity cards. Since the end of last year, Samsung Card has launched partnerships with brands such as Starbucks, Woori Bank, Musinsa, KTX, Samsung Lions, Hanwha Eagles, and Lotte Homeshopping, enhancing its lineup. Affinity cards are considered a key marketing tool for card companies as they effectively attract loyal customers of specific brands.With the launch of new products, Samsung Card has also increased its marketing investment. In the fourth quarter of last year, the company's advertising expenses surged to 43.6 billion won, a 161.7% increase from 16.6 billion won in the same period the previous year. This amount exceeded the combined advertising expenses of the other seven major card companies during that time. In the first quarter of this year, advertising expenses also tripled to 23.2 billion won compared to 7.5 billion won in the same period last year, accelerating its efforts to acquire new members.Samsung Card is also closely pursuing Shinhan Card in personal credit sales. The cumulative gap in personal credit sales between the two companies decreased significantly from 2.295 trillion won in the first half of last year to 720.3 billion won in the first half of this year. In terms of net profit, Samsung Card reported 156.2 billion won in the first quarter of this year, surpassing Shinhan Card's 116.6 billion won and maintaining its lead in the industry.As the expansion of membership becomes a core competitive advantage for card companies, the competition to secure customers through affinity cards is intensifying. With an increasing number of members, revenue sources such as credit sales, card loans, and installment financing can also expand. In response to Samsung Card's pursuit, Shinhan Card has launched several affinity cards this year in partnership with brands like E-Mart, Mercedes-Benz, and Toss to broaden its customer reach.A card industry official stated, "Affinity cards have high issuance demand among customers who frequently use specific brands, making them effective products for acquiring new members. They are actively utilized as a strategy to expand the membership base by attracting customers who use affiliated brands." 2026-07-21 15:36:00
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Hwang Byeong-woo of iM Financial: AI is Transforming Finance Hwang Byeong-woo, chairman of iM Financial Group, stated that "the advancement of AI represents a significant turning point that will shake the paradigm of finance, and we must lead market changes through a comprehensive AI transformation (AX)." During the '2026 Group Executive Workshop' held on July 20, Hwang emphasized the need to establish a robust risk management system and secure differentiated future growth drivers to solidify the group's foundation for sustainable growth.The workshop, themed 'iM Financial in the Age of AI,' was attended by Hwang, along with Kang Jeong-hoon, president of iM Bank, and other executives from the holding company and its subsidiaries, who reviewed the management performance for the first half of the year.Discussions at the workshop focused on key topics in the financial sector, including AI, AX, and security token offerings (STO). External experts were invited to give lectures on responding to the STO market, and the direction of financial companies' responses was also discussed.In the digital session, strategies for advancing AX, a core task for the group, were shared, and step-by-step execution plans for applying AI across key infrastructure and services were reviewed. An iM Bank employee demonstrated innovative work practices utilizing AI, showcasing the practical results of its application in the field.Hwang stated, "We will expand financial support for innovative companies and future industries through productive and inclusive finance, while reinforcing the social responsibility of financial companies and solidifying the role of finance in growing alongside local communities."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:28:00
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Seegene USA Receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Syndromic PCR Diagnostic Product Seegene USA has obtained Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its syndromic PCR diagnostic product that can simultaneously identify viruses causing skin and mucosal lesions. This approval is significant as it allows for a competitive edge in the market where appropriate treatments are lacking.On July 21, Seegene announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Seegene USA, received the EUA for the Allplex™ HSV-1&2/VZV/MPXV Assay.The Allplex HSV-1&2/VZV/MPXV Assay is a real-time syndromic PCR diagnostic product designed to detect multiple viral pathogens that cause similar clinical manifestations in skin and mucosal lesions. Previously, there were products available to diagnose herpes simplex virus (HSV-1, HSV-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and monkeypox virus (MPXV) individually, but none could test for these viruses simultaneously. This integrated diagnostic solution received FDA EUA to enhance diagnostic accuracy and facilitate rapid identification of infection sources.The product is designed to detect MPXV clades I and II, as well as HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV in a single test, utilizing Seegene's proprietary syndromic PCR technology. Infections from these viruses often present similar clinical symptoms, such as vesicular or pustular lesions on the skin, making it challenging to distinguish between them with single-pathogen tests alone.A study presented at the 2024 Clinical Virology Symposium revealed that among 966 samples previously confirmed negative by single-pathogen tests, 54 were found to contain undetected HSV, VZV, or MPXV clades I and II upon reanalysis with multiplex PCR testing. This indicates that single-target tests may miss some infection cases, according to the company.Notably, this product is the first FDA EUA product capable of detecting both MPXV clades I and II and providing separate confirmation of clade II, offering essential information for patient management and infection control.Kim Jun-beom, CEO of Seegene USA, stated, "Seegene's syndromic PCR technology is already widely utilized in global markets. This emergency use authorization marks a significant milestone for Seegene USA, allowing for a more robust application of this technology in the U.S. market and laying the groundwork for the development of localized syndromic molecular diagnostic products to support clinical laboratories and public health needs in the United States."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:28:00
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Shin Jin-seo beats KataGo, echoes Lee Se-dol's AI win SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Nine years ago, a South Korean Go master sat across a board from a machine that was not supposed to be beatable. On March 13, 2016, in the fourth game of a five-game match against Google DeepMind's AlphaGo in Seoul, Lee Sedol became the only human ever to defeat that particular artificial intelligence, snapping three straight losses along the way. He would go on to lose the fifth game and the series overall, four games to one. But that one win, built around a move at position 78 so unexpected that Go commentators later nicknamed it the "divine move," became one of the defining moments in the early public understanding of what AI could and could not do. Lee retired from professional play in 2019, saying that even the best human could never again claim the top spot in Go, calling AI "an entity that cannot be defeated." Nine years later, another South Korean player picked up where Lee left off, and went further. Shin Jin-seo, the world's top-ranked Go player since 2019 and, at 26, the sport's most dominant active figure, defeated KataGo, one of the strongest Go-playing AI systems in the world, in the deciding third game of a three-game match held Tuesday in Seoul. Since turning professional at age 12 as the youngest player ever to do so in South Korea, Shin has built a career defined by consistency rather than single dramatic upsets. He has held the world number one ranking by rating points continuously since 2019 and has won nine major international titles, including three LG Cups and the 2023 Ing Cup, one of Go's most prestigious world championships. Shin won two games to one, closing out the series with an 11.5-point victory after 221 moves and roughly three hours and twenty minutes of play. The event, called the SSEN and KED Go Match, was staged at a KED TV studio in central Seoul. KataGo is a free, open-source Go program built by American developer David Wu and first released in 2019, three years after AlphaGo's match against Lee. Unlike AlphaGo, which was developed and run internally by Google DeepMind on proprietary hardware, KataGo was designed to reach superhuman strength through self-play alone, learning purely by playing itself millions of times rather than studying human game records, and to do so on far more modest computing power. It has since become one of the most widely used Go engines in the world, adopted by players and researchers alike for its ability to estimate territory and score in addition to simple win probability. The margin of victory, in some ways, was less remarkable than the terms under which it happened. AlphaGo played Lee in 2016 with no handicap at all, meeting him as a true equal on the board. KataGo, by 2025 standards a far more advanced program, needed to give Shin a two-stone head start just to play him even, and still lost the match. Most Go experts had expected Shin would be doing well to win a single game. Instead, he won two. The symbolism was not lost on the Go world. Where Lee's 2016 win stood as a lone flicker of resistance in an otherwise total defeat, a single game salvaged from a series he had no real chance of winning, Shin's performance nine years later looked more like an argument that the gap between human and machine, while still real, had not closed in the AI's favor alone. If anything, the fact that KataGo needed a handicap to stay competitive suggested developers themselves have come to treat an unhandicapped human loss as close to a foregone conclusion, making Shin's win with a head start a different kind of statement than Lee's had been. Shin's road to the win was not smooth. He lost the opening game after being caught off guard early, then rallied to take the second and third. In the deciding game, playing with the two-stone advantage, he entered with a projected win probability of 99 percent, a number that had collapsed dramatically late in each of the two earlier games, at move 70 in game one and move 160 in game two, as KataGo clawed back territory. This time, Shin held that 99 percent probability from start to finish. He had said before the match that he intended to avoid heavy fighting and win on territory instead, a more conservative approach than his usual style. He kept that promise. KataGo opened game three differently than it had the first two, taking an unfamiliar corner point that left Shin thinking for roughly two minutes before he responded. From there, both sides settled into a quiet, territorial contest with little direct confrontation. By move 80, Shin had begun pressing KataGo's white stones and building a large formation of black territory stretching from the upper side of the board toward the center, a foundation that held for the rest of the game. Shin played with five hours on the clock plus one 30-second overtime period. KataGo, running without an overall time limit, was required to move within 20 seconds each turn on a dedicated system built from four Nvidia RTX 3090 graphics cards hosted on the Tygem online Go server. Because KataGo is software, its moves were physically placed on the board by a human proxy, Lee Dan-bi, a professional with the Korea Baduk Association. For the win, Shin received 250 million won, about $169,000, including his match fee, along with a luxury Genesis G90 sedan as a victory prize. 2026-07-21 15:27:22 -
Public Employees to Receive Compensation for Actual Overtime Hours Worked Public employees will now be recognized for actual overtime hours worked, even if it exceeds the previous limit of four hours per day. Additionally, a new 'overtime compensation allowance' will be established for level 4 public employees.The Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on July 21 that they will propose amendments to the 'Regulations on Public Employee Allowances' and 'Regulations on Local Public Employee Allowances.'This amendment follows a directive from President Lee Jae-myung during a senior advisor meeting in April, where he instructed officials to ensure that necessary overtime is recognized and to address unnecessary formal overtime practices.Under the proposed changes, the previous daily limit of four hours for overtime will be eliminated. Previously, even if employees worked more than four hours of overtime during busy periods, only four hours were recognized regardless of actual hours worked.Moving forward, employees will be credited for the actual hours they work. However, to protect employees' right to rest, a monthly cap of 57 hours will remain in place. This aims to prevent excessive overtime while managing total working hours within a reasonable range.Kim Seong-hoon, Deputy Minister of Personnel Management, stated, "Last year, public employees averaged about 22 hours of overtime per month. We expect that even during peak times, employees will remain within the '57-hour' limit."Furthermore, the system that previously allowed for a maximum of 100 hours of overtime with special approval for urgent issues will be revised. From now on, there will be no cap on overtime, and the authority to approve exceptions will be adjusted from department heads to directors.A new 'overtime compensation allowance' will also be introduced for level 4 public employees. Currently, these employees do not receive overtime pay due to receiving management allowances, even when they perform practical duties before being assigned to managerial positions. Considering the reality that many level 4 employees handle practical tasks, they will now be eligible for this allowance.However, since level 4 employees already receive management allowances, only those designated by their respective ministers who exceed 25 hours of overtime in a month will receive additional compensation for the excess hours.Management and oversight of unnecessary formal overtime practices will also be strengthened. The electronic personnel management systems for national and local employees will be improved to require employees to log their working hours at regular intervals, allowing department heads to verify this information.Local governments will also implement total overtime management functions, and those that operate these systems will receive administrative and financial incentives.On the other hand, the criteria for penalties will be tightened. Currently, disciplinary action is mandatory only for those who improperly receive overtime pay more than twice. In the future, even a single instance of improper receipt exceeding 500,000 won will trigger mandatory disciplinary action.The standards for disciplinary action will also be strengthened from the current threshold of 1 million won to 500,000 won, and the supervisory responsibilities of managers will be clearly defined. Additionally, when improper receipt is detected, criminal charges may be filed, and disciplinary actions related to improper receipt will include a six-month extension on promotion and salary increase restrictions. The Ministry of Personnel Management plans to clarify these potential sanctions in the 'Guidelines for Public Employee Compensation' to raise awareness of improper receipt.Choi Dong-seok, Minister of Personnel Management, emphasized, "This is not about normalizing long working hours but ensuring fair compensation for unavoidable work hours. As we enhance compensation, we will also strengthen management against improper receipt."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:24:00
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Woman Arrested for Blocking Jamsil Ballot Counting Center; Junior Handball Player Searched Illegally A woman in her 30s appeared in court on July 21 for a warrant review after allegedly blocking access to the Olympic Park handball venue, which was used as a ballot counting center for the June 3 local elections.Judge Seo Beom-jun of the Seoul Eastern District Court began the warrant review for the woman, identified as A, at 2:30 p.m. on charges of obstructing business.Earlier, police applied for a pre-arrest warrant for A on July 16, and prosecutors filed for the arrest on the same day.Upon arriving at the court at 2:24 p.m., A declined to answer reporters' questions about what she would present during the review and whether she acknowledged the charges against her, proceeding directly into the courtroom.A is accused of obstructing business for approximately two hours on June 16, when she and other protesters prevented members of a sports organization, including the leader of the People Power Party, Jang Dong-hyuk, from entering the venue. Despite attempts by Jang and Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sports Council, to persuade her, A insisted that procedures to secure the ballots and ballot boxes must be completed first, ultimately preventing access to the handball venue.Some have referred to A as the 'Joan of Arc of Olympic Park,' coining the term 'Oldark.'The court is also reviewing warrants for a man in his 30s accused of illegally searching the junior women's handball team that entered the venue and for three men in their 20s who insulted police officers and blocked their path at the ballot counting site on July 6.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-21 15:24:00