Hanwha Aerospace secures contract to build 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles for Australia

SEOUL -- Hanwha Aerospace, a South Korean defense contractor, has secured a contract to build 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles for the Australian government. The South Korean company had been locked in a competition for about five years with Rheinmetall Defense of Germany for Australia's Land 400 Phase 3 program to acquire armored vehicles that would replace old M113AS3 armored personnel carriers. Redback, a 42-ton IFV with a 40mm caliber automatic cannon specially develope

July 27, 2023

Hyundai and Kia join hands with global automakers to build EV charging network in N. America

SEOUL -- To gain a competitive edge in North America's electric vehicle charging market, Hyundai and Kia will establish a joint venture with five major automakers -- BMW, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. Without disclosing details on the investment amount, the seven carmakers said they would install at least 30,000 fast chargers in urban areas and highways in the United States and later expand its infrastructure to Canada. The deal can help the South Korean compa

July 27, 2023

New Zealand's governor-general visits SM Entertainment to explore Korean Wave

SEOUL -- New Zealand's governor-general Dame Cindy Kiro visited the office of South Korea's entertainment powerhouse SM Entertainment to explore the country's music industry. During the meeting with the agency, the New Zealand delegate of Maori descent suggested discussing collaboration methods with artists of traditional Maori music performance "kapa haka." Kapa haka is a traditional Maori performing art that involves singing, dancing, and chanting. It is

July 26, 2023

Lunit to provide AI solution for breast cancer to Middle East

SEOUL -- "Lunit INSIGHT MMG," a solution specializing in detecting breast cancer created by South Korea's medical artificial intelligence company Lunit, will be supplied to hospitals operated by Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, a major healthcare provider in the Middle East. The Saudi Arabia-based group runs more than 20 hospitals in various regions including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Lunit INSIGHT MMG compares and analyzes medical images of breast can

July 26, 2023

Hyundai Motor and Seoul National University open joint research center for next-generation batteries

SEOUL -- In a bid to acquire homemade technology for next-generation high-performance batteries that are used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems, Hyundai Motor and the Seoul National University have opened a joint research center. The establishment of the joint battery research center has been discussed since November 2021 when the South Korean carmaker and the prominent university signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the mid and long-term research of bat

July 26, 2023

Virtual model Lucy to make foray into Thailand's live commerce market

SEOUL -- Lucy, a 29-year-old virtual model created by the home shopping channel of South Korea's conglomerate Lotte, will make her make a foray into Thiland's live commerce market through Lazada, one of the leading e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia. The virtual influencer with more than 175,000 Instagram followers will promote various fashion items in Thai targeting young consumers in the Southeast Asian country. The virtual human was created by synthesizing a face wit

July 26, 2023

Seoul provides Asia-Pacific region's top 5G mobile download speed: data

SEOUL -- Recent market research data by OOKLA, an internet access performance analysis firm, showed that Seoul provides the fastest 5G mobile download speed in the Asia-Pacific region. South Korea, which commercialized 5G mobile data communication in 2019, has some 30 million 5G mobile phone service subscribers. According to OOKLA, the average download speed of 5G data communication in Seoul stood at 533.95 megabits per second while the average 5G download speed in Kuala Lumpur stood

July 26, 2023

NewJeans' mini album 'Get Up' gains explosive popularity on Spotify

SEOUL -- K-pop super rookie band NewJeans has garnered explosive popularity on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service, through its new mini-album "Get Up." All six songs in the album entered the top 50 on Spotify's daily chart which ranks most streamed songs in the United States. Six songs in the album entered the US Daily Top Song Chart on Spotify on July 24, the five-member band's agency said. "Super Shy" landed at number 10, &qu

July 25, 2023

2023 World Scout Jamboree to be held on S. Korea's reclaimed land

SEOUL -- About 36,000 teenagers from 158 countries will participate in a global Scouting event designed to link up young people from all around the world through various camping activities. The event held every four years will take place in Saemangeum, an industrial zone set up on reclaimed land near the southwestern port city of Gunsan. Along with about 36,000 members aged between 14 and 18, 7,000 instructors and safety guards will take part in the event called the "World Sc

July 25, 2023

BTS' Jungkook tops Billboard's top 100 popular song chart with 'Seven'

SEOUL -- Jungkook, the youngest artist of BTS, has topped Billboard's top 100 popular song chart with the title track for his first solo album "Seven." The 25-year-old became the second BTS member who ranked first with a solo song in Billboard's weekly chart, after Jimin who topped the song chart with "Like Crazy" in April 2023. "'Seven (feat. Latto)' debuted #1 on the HOT 100! We're always grateful for your love and support," Big H

July 25, 2023