​44% of S. Koreans when choose travel destinations based on friends' recommendations: survey

SEOUL -- South Koreans prefer to receive travel recommendations from friends and relatives rather than to seek travel spots themselves, a survey showed. The second-most preferred source for travel destinations was online blogs. According to a July 2023 summary for a weekly survey of 500 South Korean people aged 19 years and older, released by global market research firm Consumer Insight on August 30, 43.5 percent of people chose their travel destinations in July based on recommendation

August 30, 2023

French K-pop dance group RISIN' to perform at 'Busan Day in Paris'

SEOUL -- French K-pop dance group RISIN' will participate in an event in Paris designed to support Busan's bid for the World Expo 2030. The dance crew, consisting of only French members, will showcase its talents in the capital city where the Bureau International des Expositions, an intergovernmental organization in charge of the World Expo, is located. The group with 60 members from France covers various dance performances of famous K-pop groups such as BTS, NewJeans, EXO, and

August 30, 2023

S. Korea to lower classification of COVID-19's infection capability to same level as seasonal flu

SEOUL -- In September 2023, South Korea will classify the COVID-19 infection category as the lowest level which is the same as seasonal flu. When the infectious disease category of the coronavirus is lowered, rapid antigen tests at hospitals and clinics will no longer be provided for free. Government financial support for expensive polymerase chain reaction tests will also be cut, transferring the financial burden to ordinary citizens. When the first wave of the pandemic hit South Ko

August 30, 2023

Annual sales of Pulmuone's alternative meat brand reach $32.4 mln

SEOUL -- "Vegetable Earth Diet," an alternative meat brand by South Korea's food company Pulmuone, has recorded about 43 billion won ($32.4 million) in sales only a year after its release in August 2022. The vegan meat brand contains food items made with plant-based ingredients such as alternative meat and tofu noodles. Pulmuone said in a statement that the company gained around 43 billion won through the Vegetable Earth Diet brand. The brand also includes an alternative

August 29, 2023

KT's learning analysis solution receives certification from US online learning standardization group

SEOUL -- South Korea's major telecom company KT has secured certification from the Advanced Distributed Learning, a United States-based electronic learning standardization group, for its learning analysis solution. Based on various data collected during a student's learning process, KT's solution analyzes study habits and academic performances to find more effective study methods for each student. Such solutions can improve the quality of education services that incorpo

August 29, 2023

S. Korean food industry likely to be affected by increased milk prices

SEOUL -- Seoul Milk, one of South Korea's major dairy product makers, has announced that the company will increase the price of its white milk product by three percent due to increased prices of crude milk, or raw milk produced by cows. Milk prices are affected by various economic variables such as prices of fuel, stock feed, animal medicine, and human labor. According to the consumer price trends released by the national statistics information service, the consumer price index for

August 29, 2023

Hybe reveals final 20 contestants for global girl group audition 'The Debut: Dream Academy'

SEOUL -- The agency of BTS has revealed the final 20 contenders for "The Debut: Dream Academy," a global audition program to launch a new girl band with K-pop features. The 20 members were picked among about 120,000 applicants from all over the world. Starting on September 2, the twelve-week final audition process will be uploaded on YouTube and other social media platforms. Hybe has worked with Geffen Records, a major music label of Universal Music Group (UMG) since 2021 to

August 29, 2023

Generative AI could increase S. Korea's productive capacity by up to $476 mln: study

SEOUL -- Generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence, has the potential to unlock South Korea's productive capacity by up to $476.6 million, equivalent to 29 percent of the country's gross domestic product in 2022, a joint study conducted by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, American tech giant Microsoft, and Access Partnership, a London-based technology-focused public policy consultancy, showed. Generative AI is a type of AI that can produce new content, such a

August 29, 2023

S. Koreans seek to visit foreign countries during autumn harvest festival holiday

SEOUL -- South Koreans are racing to book flight tickets to Asian and Southeast Asian countries including Japan, Viet Nam, and Thailand to spend their golden six-day "Chuseok," Korean traditional autumn harvest festival, scheduled for the last week of September. As a result, tickets for some popular routes have already been sold out. Chuseok is the largest traditional festival holiday in Korea where family members gather to celebrate the full moon, based on the lunar calendar

August 29, 2023

S. Korean fighter jet 'FA-50' performs aerial acrobatics in Poland

SEOUL -- South Korean aircraft maker Korea Aerospace Industries has showcased its light fighter jet called "FA-50" at an international airshow in Poland. At the exhibition, hosted by Poland's military property agency, 20 types of fighter jets from European nations including Britain and Germany performed aerial acrobatics in front of more than 200,000 spectators. Without disclosing the number of aircraft, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said FA-50 took part in the

August 29, 2023