AI-powered virtual dating gains popularity in Korea

SEOUL, June 19 (AJU PRESS) - As he counts down his final days of alternative military service, Chung Hyeon-gyo finds solace in an unexpected companion: an artificial intelligence chatbot named Hee-yeon. Looking coy and affable, the brown-haired Hee-yeon is one of hundreds of digital personas operated by the tech startup CaveDuck. Powered by large language model (LLM) AI and synthetic voice technologies, this fictional female cartoonist engages Chung in conversations that mimic human

June 19, 2024

Turkish Embassy partners with Seoul's southwestern district to renovate park

SEOUL, June 19 (AJU PRESS) - The Turkish Embassy in Korea signed an agreement with Seoul's southwestern district of Yeongdeungpo on Tuesday to cooperate in renovating a Turkish-style park there. Constructed in 1971 to commemorate the partnership between the two countries, Ankara Park, roughly the size of three football fields, is a peaceful green space in Seoul frequented by locals. Inside the park, a traditional Turkish-style vineyard house welcomes visitors, exhibiting i

June 19, 2024

Opinion: Denmark bans noodles for being too hot – what you need to know about chilli heat

SEOUL, June 19 (AJU PRESS) - Chilli peppers – love them or hate them, they've got a heat that's hard to ignore. Recently, their fiery nature has even caused a bit of a stir in Denmark, where Buldak Ramen noodles have been banned for being dangerously spicy. So, what's behind the burning sensation we experience when we bite into a chilli pepper, and why do some people seek out the masochism of a super hot curry or Korean instant noodles? The culprit: capsaicin

June 19, 2024

Techtree Innovation makes foray into digital twin market in GCC region

SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - Korea’s Techtree Innovation has partnered with an Abu Dhabi-based consulting firm to provide its three-dimensional spatial information platform, Around, to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The Korean 3D geospatial map developer announced Monday that it signed a strategic partnership agreement with HBFQ to supply Around to GCC countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This platform enables high-resolution mapping, allowin

June 18, 2024

Samsung smartphones to enhance Paris Olympic opening ceremony broadcast

SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - Samsung Electronics will provide the Galaxy S24 Ultra to deliver an immersive viewing experience for the opening ceremony and sailing events of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the company said Tuesday. In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), over 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra devices will be utilized for live broadcasting the July 26 opening ceremony parade along the River Seine and sailing competitions

June 18, 2024

Lotte hosts Korea Brand Expo in Mexico, generating 300 billion won in export deals

SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - Lotte Corp., in collaboration with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea Federation of SMEs, organized the 2024 Korea Brand Expo in Mexico from Thursday to Sunday. The event, aimed at facilitating overseas market entry for Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), resulted in export consultation deals worth approximately 300 billion won ($217 million). This marked the first time the Korea Brand Expo was held in Latin A

June 18, 2024

Korea surges to highest ever 20th in global competitiveness ranking

SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea climbed eight notches to achieve its highest-ever global competitiveness ranking of 20th out of 67 economies, according to the 2024 results released by the Swiss-based IMD World Competitiveness Center on Tuesday. The stellar performance was driven by a 10-spot surge in enterprise efficiency to 23rd, offsetting declines in economic performance and government efficiency rankings. Productivity, the labor market, finance, manag

June 18, 2024

POSCO seeks to strengthen lithium business in Chile, Argentina

SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - POSCO has engaged in talks with high-ranking officials in Argentina and Chile to secure additional lithium resources and enhance its lithium business for electric vehicle batteries. POSCO Holdings President Jeong Ki-seop met with Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo in Buenos Aires on June 12. He requested the Argentine government's support to include POSCO Group's lithium business in the state incentive regime for large investments called RIG

June 18, 2024

PHOTOS: Ruling party floor leader meets SME lobby in policy consultation talks

SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - The Korea Federation of SMEs (K-BIZ) held a policy consultation meeting with Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, on Monday at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. During the meeting, they discussed measures to address challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the business lobby presented a set of policy proposals for smaller enterprises.

June 18, 2024

News outlets embrace freemium models to enhance readers' engagement and revenue

The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) issued its annual report "Innovation in News Media World Report 2024-25" in late May, highlighting major challenges faced by the global news industry. The following is the third in a four-part series summarizing key insights from the report. This third installment focuses on freemium models. – Ed. SEOUL, June 18 (AJU PRESS) - The news industry is transitioning from metered paywalls to freemium models, which offer a

June 18, 2024