Kakao Mobility to discuss lowering service royalty fee with taxi industry officials

SEOUL -- Kakao Mobility, the mobility service wing of South Korea's web service giant Kakao, will engage in talks with taxi officials to discuss possible changes that could be made to the existing service brokerage fee of "Kakao Taxi," the country's favorite smartphone taxi-hailing service. Kakao Taxi was first introduced to South Korea in 2015. The service is now integrated into Kakao T, Kakao Mobility's one-stop mobility service app with some 12 million month

November 13, 2023

Number of camping sites in S. Korea increases to record-high in 3Q 2023

SEOUL -- The total number of camping sites in South Korea has reached a record high of some 3,600 in the third quarter of 2023, thanks to the increased population of campers who became attracted to the outdoor hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit South Korea in early 2020, the country rolled out strict quarantine guidelines that virtually prohibited groups of more than four people from gathering in indoor environments. Many people

November 13, 2023

BTS' Jungkook ranks second on Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with 'Golden'

SEOUL -- Jungkook, the youngest member of BTS, has ranked second on Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with his very first solo album "Golden." American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift took first place with "1989 (Taylor's Version)." Jungkook's album, released on November 3, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart with 210,200 equivalent album units sold in the United States in the week ending November 13. The album, containing 11 English son

November 13, 2023

Brazilian painter showcases artwork inspired by rapper Psy's Gangnam Style

SEOUL -- Sandra Rigo, a Brazilian artist specializing in acrylic painting, has showcased her artwork inspired by rapper Psy's global hit song "Gangnam Style." Using only her hands and eschewing the use of brushes or other traditional painting tools, the painter created a captivating piece displayed at an exhibition in Seoul designed to foster cultural ties between South Korea and Brazil. Gangnam Style is a fast-paced dance song that became a worldwide phenomenon after

November 11, 2023

Medical AI company Lunit joins US government's cancer prevention project

SEOUL -- South Korea's medical artificial intelligence company Lunit will participate in the United States government's Cancer Moonshot initiative, which focuses on fighting cancer through national support for drug development and early detection. Lunit will provide its AI solutions including the one specializing in detecting breast cancer. President Joe Biden is leading the Moonshot project through a public-private group called "CancerX." Along with global phar

November 10, 2023

84% of phones sold in S. Korea in 3Q 2023 are made by Samsung: market data

SEOUL -- Eight of ten smartphones sold in South Korea in the third quarter of 2023 are made by Samsung, market data released by global market research company Counterpoint showed. The market share of Apple in South Korea was 15 percent, leaving other phone makers to share one percent of South Korea's smartphone market share. According to Counterpoint, the global market share of Samsung phones stood at 20 percent in 3Q 2023 while Apple's market share stood at 16 percent. Chin

November 10, 2023

BTS' Jungkook awaits reunion with fellow BTS members in 2025

SEOUL -- Jungkook, the youngest member of BTS, anticipates his reunion with fellow BTS members in 2025 will create enormous synergy. The-seven band is set to resume its group activities in 2025 after all members complete their compulsory military service in South Korea. In South Korea, all able-bodied males who are 18 and older must fulfill their military service unless they have a valid reason for exemption. Those who joined the army should serve for at least 18 months. Currently,

November 10, 2023

[OPINION] The Continuing Threat of Nuclear Weapons

KENOSHA -- Generally, under the radar of media and public attention, representatives of China and the United States met on November 6 in Washington D.D. for the first explorator

November 9, 2023

Hyundai Motor partners with western port city to accelerate commercialization of flying taxi service

SEOUL -- The world's third-largest carmaker Hyundai Motor has partnered with the western port city of Incheon in a bid to accelerate the commercialization of urban air mobility services, also known as flying taxi services, using manned and unmanned passenger drones. Urban air mobility (UAM) is infrastructure for commercial flying passenger vehicles that includes vertiports and control towers. Aerial vehicles are required to fly through designated aerial corridors to prevent a

November 9, 2023

Hundreds of young S. Koreans flock to panda-themed event store to grab limited edition items

SEOUL -- Dressed in casual jackets and coats, young South Koreans in their 20s and 30s flocked to a pop-up store featuring Fu Bao, a three-year-old YouTube celebrity Chinese panda currently living at a zoo in South Korea. Despite the windy weather on the first day of the pop-up store event, about 800 people competitively raced to make a reservation to enter the store, filled with Fu Bao-related apparel, accessories, and cups engraved with a picture of the female panda. About 70 perce

November 9, 2023