Number of accumulated pet insurance contracts increases by 51.7% on-year in 2023

SEOUL -- South Korea witnessed a remarkable surge of over 50 percent in the number of total pet insurance contracts in 2023. This increase can be attributed to the growing recognition of pets as cherished companions or even family members in a country where one out of four households owns a pet During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pets adopted by new families surged significantly. People sought comfort and companionship from animals as they faced isolation due to strict so

March 6, 2024

Top trade negotiator will head to Washington for talks

SEOUL -- South Korea's trade chief, Jeong In-kyo, plans to visit Washington, D.C. next week for discussions with Katherine Tai, the U.S. trade representative. Jeong, who leads the trade department at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will use the visit to address various trade concerns between the two countries, including the implementation of their existing free trade agreement (FTA). With the U.S. presidential election looming in November, Jeong plans

March 6, 2024

Action-comedy film 'The Roundup: Punishment' to hit theaters in April

SEOUL -- Action-comedy film "The Roundup: Punishment," directed by Heo Myung-haeng, is about to be released in South Korea. This action film serves as the fourth installment of the detective series that began in 2017 with the hit movie "The Outlaws." Starring Ma Dong-seok, also known by his English name Don Lee, the film depicts the story of a tough detective who tackles an illegal online gambling organization. According to South Korean film production company

March 6, 2024

Game publisher NCSoft kicks into full gear to accelerate research and development of AI

SEOUL -- To diversify its main business channels and nurture a new future growth engine, South Korea's major game publisher NCSoft has merged its centers for artificial intelligence and natural language processing to a single research and development headquarters for AI technologies. NCSoft is recognized as the creator of South Korea's iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) "Lineage." The company established in 1997 is now a strong player

March 6, 2024

Global EV battery firms to showcase new tech at 'InterBattery' exhibition in Seoul

SEOUL -- A total of 579 electric vehicle battery companies from 18 countries will participate in the InterBattery, an annual battery exhibition held in Seoul from March 6 to March 8. Exhibitors will showcase new battery-related technologies and products at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center located in Gangnam District, the fashion and finance hub of Seoul. The annual battery event, organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is one of the largest battery exhi

March 6, 2024

Aussie whiskies will be sold in Korean convenience stores

SEOUL -- South Korea's major convenience store chain, CU, announced the launch of "NED Whisky," a popular Australian brand, marking their entry into the affordable whisky market. Last year, CU saw success with the exclusive launch of "Rulett Premium Whisky" from India, priced under $23. The limited-edition bottles sold out within a week, with even the additional import batch disappearing within a month, totaling 5,000 bottles sold. This highlights th

March 6, 2024

LG Energy Solution launches battery swapping business for electric motorcycles

SEOUL -- In a move aimed at tapping into South Korea's delivery market, Kooroo, the in-house venture of battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, has launched its electric motorcycle battery swapping station business. This service allows riders to swap batteries for fully charged ones in approximately 20 seconds, eliminating the need for time-consuming waits for charging. Despite their eco-friendly features, electric motorcycles have faced reluctance from delivery workers due t

March 5, 2024

Researchers find strain capable of producing alternative meat proteins in southern island

SEOUL -- A strain capable of producing mycoprotein, one of the key alternative meat ingredients, has been discovered in a river on the southern resort island of Jeju. The extracted mycoprotein can be used for providing cultured meat products with real meat flavor. Mycoprotein (fungal protein) is a protein produced by fungi such as mold and mushrooms. The Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resource said that they have discovered a strain called "Aspergillus tubingens

March 5, 2024

S. Korea to utilize Deepfake content detection software in criminal investigations

SEOUL -- South Korea will deploy specialized software designed to detect whether video clips or image files have been manipulated using Deepfake techniques in crime investigations. This announcement comes about a month before South Korea's general election scheduled for April 10. Deepfake technology, driven by artificial intelligence, enables the alteration of videos or images by replacing the face of a person in the original content with that of another individual. This face-

March 5, 2024

Education company Visang to develop AI-based digital math textbook

SEOUL -- South Korea's Visang Education has partnered with Mathpresso, the operator of artificial intelligence-driven learning platform called "Qanda," to develop an AI app-based math textbook. This solution will suggest questions tailored to each student's academic proficiency and offer hints when they get stuck. Qanda, boasting approximately 90 million users, rapidly provides explanations within five seconds after a student snaps a photo of a challenging math

March 5, 2024