Boy band TWS sells 200,000 copies of album 'Sparking Blue' on debut day

SEOUL -- TWS, the brother band of boy group Seventeen, has sold more than 200,000 copies of its album "Sparking Blue" on its debut day. The debut album has also topped iTunes song charts in Thailand and India. According to album sales data released by South Korea's Hanteo Chart, 206,240 copies of Sparking Blue were sold on January 22. The new album entered the iTunes song charts in 11 countries including Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, and Italy as of January 22.

January 23, 2024

35% of S. Koreans have experienced more convenient lifestyle through subscripted services: survey

SEOUL -- Survey data revealed that approximately 35 percent of South Koreans have embraced subscripted services to enhance their daily convenience. The most popular among these services was home appliance rental and hygiene management, utilized by 18 percent of the population. A subscripted service, also known as a subscription service, is a retail solution that consistently delivers products or promised services monthly without requiring users to regularly renew orders or supply

January 23, 2024

National hospital in Busan adopts three-armed surgical robot

SEOUL -- A national university hospital has adopted a three-armed robot that assists medical operations by inserting a surgical instrument into a patient's body. During the surgery, human doctors sit at a control desk and guide the robot while observing the process through a three-dimensional video. According to a statement released by Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH), the hospital is using the three-armed robot "Da Vinci SP" for operations. After creating a

January 23, 2024

Deepbrain AI releases AI memorial solution to recreate deceased parents into AI humans

SEOUL -- South Korea's artificial intelligence solution company DeepBrain AI has released an AI memorial solution "Rememory 2" to bring together sorrow-stricken children and their deceased parents. AI parents, recreated based on their photo and a 10-second-long voice recording, can communicate with family members in real-time. Rememory 2 is the upgraded version of "Rememory," an AI memorial service launched in June 2022. Rememory creates AI humans through t

January 22, 2024

Exports of kimchi reaches $155.6 mln in 2023, up 10.5% year-on-year

SEOUL -- Exports of kimchi, traditional Korean pickled vegetables, soared 10.5 percent year-on-year to $155.6 million in 2023, state data showed. The increased popularity of kimchi is accelerated thanks to the high global recognition of the salad-like spicy mixed vegetable pickles as healthy food. Kimchi is a spicy and sour, picked vegetable side dish, usually made by fermenting cabbage or radish with red chili powder, garlic, ginger, and other spices. During the last decade, kimc

January 22, 2024

S. Korea tries to increase birth rate by providing total subsidies worth $22,000

SEOUL -- The national committee, tasked with addressing the challenges of a low birth rate and an aging society, aims to encourage more couples to have children by offering government subsidies totaling 29.6 million won ($22,223) until the newborn child reaches seven years old. Recent data from South Korea's National Assembly Budget Office (NABO) reveals a projected 49.6 percent decrease in the population of young people aged 0 to 14 by 2040, dropping to approximately 3.18 mil

January 22, 2024

LG Chem partners with Italian state energy company to establish hydrotreated vegetable oil joint venture

SEOUL -- LG Chem, the chemical unit of LG Group, partnered with Enilive, a state-run energy company in Italy, to set up a joint venture targeting the hydrotreated vegetable oil market. The biofuel with an extremely low freezing point can be used as aviation and automobile fuel. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is made through either hydrocracking or hydrogenation of vegetable oil. Hydrocracking dismantles large molecules into smaller ones, while hydrogeneration is the process of a

January 19, 2024

Voltline adopts 3D spatial information platform 'Around' to develop flying passenger vehicle simulator

SEOUL -- South Korea's urban air mobility aircraft maker Voltline has adopted "Around," a three-dimensional spatial information platform created by Techtree Innovation, a domestic company specializing in geospatial visualization technology. Using Techtree's ultra-precision map platform, Voltline will develop a simulator to test the functions of flying passenger vehicles in virtual space. Urban air mobility (UAM) is a future ecosystem involving flying passenger ve

January 19, 2024

Winter Youth Olympics to be held in S. Korea's eastern province

SEOUL -- The Winter Youth Olympic Games is set to take place in South Korea's eastern province of Gangwon, well known for its mountainous and forested landscapes, on January 19, 2024. South Korea is the first Asian country to host the multi-sport event, drawing 1,803 athletes from 79 nations. The Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG), organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) encompasses a range of winter sports such as alpine skiing, curling, and biathlon. Previously

January 19, 2024

LG Innotek invests in Taiwanese lens producer to beef up autonomous vehicle business

SEOUL -- LG Innotek, the electronic component unit of South Korea's LG Group, will work with AOE Optronics, an automotive lens manufacturer based in Taiwan, to upgrade optical component solutions for autonomous vehicle cameras. The Taiwanese company will share its know-how in precision lens manufacturing technologies and provide lenses used for camera modules. Camera modules are essential for the collection of front traffic information and driving assistance. Demands for camer

January 19, 2024