KT makes strategic investment in vocal biomarker technology company Sonde Health

SEOUL -- South Korea's top telecom company KT will enhance the competitiveness of the artificial intelligence-based health diagnosis business through a strategic investment in Sonde Health, a United States-based digital medicine company specializing in the detection of various diseases such as mental health and respiratory disorders through the analysis of voices. Demands for voice-based health monitoring are steadily increasing as non-face-to-face medical treatments have gaine

November 10, 2022

Researchers develop super-compact ultrasound neuromodulation system

SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a super-compact ultrasound neuromodulation system that is the size of a finer digit capable of being worn by a freely behaving rodent's head. The neuromodulation system unit has the potential to allow explorative studies in the treatment of brain diseases and accelerate the widespread adoption of neuromodulation using ultrasound. Transcranial-focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) is an effective non-invasive treatment method for

November 10, 2022

Makeup brand LUNA makes foray into Japanese offline cosmetics market with concealer

SEOUL -- In an effort to attract more Japanese consumers and expand sales channels, Aekyung, a major hygiene and cosmetics maker in South Korea, launched LUNA, a cosmetics brand, at major offline stores in Japan. Aekyung's concealer lineup capable of hiding skin blemishes has already gained popularity in the Japanese e-commerce market. In 2021, LUNA made a foray into major online platforms in the island country including Qoo10 Japan and Amazon Japan. The cosmetics product calle

November 10, 2022

CJ Feed & Care rolls out livestock manure-based organic fertilizer in Vietnam

SEOUL -- CJ Feed & Care, a livestock feed corporation affiliated with CJ Cheil Jedang, released an organic fertilizer using pigs' excrement in Vietnam where chemical fertilizers are still mainly used. Through the eco-friendly fertilizer that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, the company aims to gain a competitive advantage in the Southeast Asian fertilizer market. The organic fertilizer called "ECO POWER1" was made by decomposing and maturing the livestock manure.

November 9, 2022

Horror web cartoon 'Island' to be recreated into TV Drama

SEOUL -- "Island," a popular horror web cartoon that portrays the story of exorcists coping with unidentified demons, will be recreated into a TV drama. Anyone can consume the content with English subtitles on "Amazon Prime Video," a global over-the-top streaming platform. In the horror cartoon that covers various social issues such as bullying and candid shooting, exorcists use their spiritual power to cast out devils in South Korea's southern resort island

November 9, 2022

​State health watchdog adopts AI chatbot service to deal with food-related inquiries

SEOUL -- South Korea's public health watchdog adopted an artificial intelligence-based administrative service that takes care of food-related inquiries such as reporting food products with contaminated substances or products that passed from their sell-by date. The chatbot deals with inquiries for 24 hours so that human assistants can focus on other tasks. Chatbots communicate with people through text conversations. Users can choose to speak directly with human assistants if ch

November 9, 2022

Norway's Equinor ties up with Hanwha E&C to build offshore wind power infrastructure in S. Korea

SEOUL -- Equinor, a Norwegian state-owned energy company, will work with Hanwha E&C, a builder affiliated with South Korea's Hanwha Group, to build offshore wind farms. The builder aims to develop a 2-gigawatt wind power generation complex by 2030. Compared to fixed offshore wind farms which are generally installed in shallow waters, floating wind turbines located in deep waters can reduce visual pollution, provide better accommodation for fishing and shipping lanes, and re

November 8, 2022

Young Poong opens waste battery recycling pilot plant with first dry melting method

SEOUL -- Young Poong, a non-ferrous metal smelting and refining company in South Korea, opened a waste battery recycling pilot plant that adopted an industrial-sized dry melting method for the first time in the world to recover more than 90 percent of valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper. It is capable of handling about 2,000 tons of waste batteries per year. In recovering metals from recycled or residual materials, pyrolysis is a process of temperature decompo

November 8, 2022

LG Uplus partners with university to create metaverse campus

SEOUL -- Targeting young students familiar with non-face-to-face activities, South Korea's mobile carrier LG Uplus will build a virtual university campus where students can take classes and receive career-related advice. Students can enjoy various events such as entrance ceremonies, festivals and games in the metaverse world. Cheongju University in Cheongju, about 112 kilometers (69 miles) south of Seoul, partnered with LG Uplus (LGU+) to break the boundary between offline and

November 8, 2022

Norway signs option contract with Hanwha Aerospace to purchase four more K9 self-propelled howitzers

SEOUL -- Norway has signed an option contract with South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace to purchase four more K9 self-propelled howitzers and eight ammunition resupply vehicles for delivery over the next two years. As the northernmost NATO member in Europe, the Nordic country sharing a land border with Russia has increased its defense budget to compensate for the shipment of howitzers and other military equipment to Ukraine. Hanwha Aerospace said that the latest contract signed on N

November 8, 2022