Megastore franchise Emart to open third store in Viet Nam

SEOUL -- Emart, the megastore wing of South Korea's retail conglomerate Shinsegae, will open its third store in Viet Nam in about a year after the launch of its first store in November 2022. Visitors can enjoy various types of food products such as pizza and Gimbap, a Korean dish of rice and other ingredients such as vegetables and meat wrapped in sheets of laver. Emart said in a statement that the third store, located in Ho Chi Minh City, will start operations on December 7. Th

December 6, 2023

State electricity company partners with Jordan's state agency for small modular reactor project

SEOUL -- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a state operator of South Korea's nuclear power plants, will work with Jordan's state agency responsible for atomic energy projects, to provide its small modular reactor that is claimed to be smaller and safer than the conventional reactors. The South Korean company will carry out a technology exchange and feasibility study with Jordan, considering the adoption of the small modular reactor after 2030. Small modular reactors (SMRs) ha

December 5, 2023

Spicy rice cake Tteokbokki franchise Addal receives Malaysia's halal authorization

SEOUL -- South Korea's street food franchise operator Addal has secured halal certification for Tteokbokki, finger-sized rice cakes simmered in fiery-red spicy chili sauce, from the Malaysian government. Halal-certified food products are considered to be safe and clean under Islamic standards. The food maker will release three different ready-to-eat Tteokbokki products in the Southeast Asian country targeting Muslim consumers. Malaysia's Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKI

December 5, 2023

S. Korean public buses to provide faster 5G-based free Wi-Fi service

SEOUL -- South Koreans who use public buses will gain access to a 5G-based free public Wi-Fi service that is about four times faster than the currently provided 4G-based free wireless internet service starting December 6. Currently, some 29,100 public buses that carry passengers across South Korea offer 4G-based free Wi-Fi service for customers. By following the simple steps shown inside a bus, customers can use the free wireless internet service without having to use up their data

December 5, 2023

S. Korea to allow customers use ATMs without plastic cards

SEOUL -- In line with the current "walletless' trend where people no longer carry plastic cards and make payments with their smartphones, South Korea will allow customers to use automatic teller machines through QR codes shown on their smartphones' display by mobile banking apps. According to data released by the state financial watchdog, a total of 61,233,000 plastic cheque cards were issued in the first quarter of 2023, down 6.9 percent from the same period a year ago

December 5, 2023

S. Korea's defense forces to adopt Brazilian transport aircraft 'C-390'

SEOUL -- C-390 Millennium, a military transport aircraft created by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, has become the first Brazilian military plane adopted by South Korea's defense forces. South Korea's arms procurement agency has selected the transport aircraft over two other products created by American aerospace company Lockheed Martin and Airbus, a European aircraft maker. C-390 with a transport capacity of about 26 tons is designed to carry out various missions s

December 5, 2023

Lotte seeks to become gamechanger in S. Korea's grocery delivery market with new fulfillment centers

SEOUL -- Lotte Shopping, the retail wing of South Korea's Lotte Group, will seek to become the gamechanger in the country's ecommerce grocery delivery service market estimated to reach about 54 trillion won ($41.2 billion) in 2025 by establishing consumer fulfillment centers which would play the role of cold chain logistics hubs for fresh goods and groceries. South Korea's online grocery and fresh goods delivery market is dominated by Coupang, the South Korean counterpar

December 5, 2023

NewJeans' Super Shy selected as seventh best song by online music magazine Pitchfork

SEOUL -- "Super Shy," a summer-themed song by girl band NewJeans, was ranked seventh among this year's top 100 songs by American online music publication Pitchfork. The track is the only Korean language-based song chosen in the online magazine's top 100 songs list. Pitchfork is a prominent online music magazine with more than seven million monthly loyal readers. "Zero-to-hero anthem 'Super Shy' is the daydream wafting through the mind of an overlooked

December 5, 2023

S. Korea succeeds in launch of solid propellant satellite carrier rocket

SEOUL -- South Korea has succeeded in the launch of a four-stage hybrid fuel rocket carrying a commercial satellite. This is the country's third test launch of its solid propellant rocket, and the carrier was able to put a small-sized commercial satellite into low orbit. A solid propellant rocket is a type of rocket that uses a propellant in a solid form, typically in the shape of grains or a single piece. The propellant is usually a mixture of fuel and oxidizer bound together i

December 4, 2023

Boy band TXT wraps up world tour with Seoul concert

SEOUL -- TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a five-member boy band organized by the agency of top K-pop band BTS, has completed its world tour that started in March 2023. The last concert took place at Gocheok Sky Dome, an iconic domed facility in the southwestern part of Seoul. The group has attracted some 407,000 fans through 29 concerts held in 15 cities including Los Angeles, Osaka, and Jakarta. The brother band of BTS wrapped up its world tour at Gocheok Sky Dome on December 3, Big Hit

December 4, 2023