Russian star ballerina's Seoul performance cancelled

SEOUL --Svetlana Zakharova's scheduled ballet performance in Seoul has been cancelled, the organizer announced on March 15. Zakharova, a Ukrainian-born prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet, was set to perform in "Modanse," a ballet depicting the life of fashion icon Coco Chanel, at the Seoul Arts Center's Opera House from April 17 to 21. The cancellation follows growing worldwide backlash against Russian artists and cultural institutions due to the ongoing

March 15, 2024

Seoul's southern satellite city resumes operation of robot-driven mobile library

SEOUL -- Seongnam City, a southern satellite city of Seoul, is set to resume the service of its robot-operated mobile library called "Carbook." The robot will traverse the Tancheon Riverside Park to lend books. Carbook, which commenced operations in 2022, is a car-shaped robot measuring 1.8 meters (5.8 feet) in length, 1.2 meters in height, and 1.1 meters in width. Its operation was temporarily suspended during the winter season for routine inspection and maintenance. Eq

March 15, 2024

K-beauty company targets Indonesian food market with Halal-certified supplements

SEOUL -- COSMAX NBT, the health supplement original design manufacturer wing of South Korea's beauty product maker COSMAX, is targeting the Indonesian functional food market with Halal-certified products. Indonesia with a population of 278.7 million has the world's biggest Halal market that is growing at an average annual growth rate of 6.7 percent to stand at $258 billion by 2030, according to global market analyst firm Inkwood Research. In 2019, Shinsegae Food, a subs

March 15, 2024

Multilingual singer-songwriter Stella Jang to hold solo concert on Seoul's artificial island

SEOUL -- South Korean singer-songwriter Stella Jang is set to hold a solo concert on Nodeul Island, an artificial island known as a cultural space in Seoul. The 32-year-old, who has spent 11 years in France, has previously mesmerized fans with her performance in six different languages -- English, Korean, French, Chinese, German, and Spanish. Debuting in 2014, Jang specializes in a range of genres, including indie music, ballad, and jazz. She garnered widespread attention in 201

March 15, 2024

CJ's canteen service wing partners with Hanwha Robotics to upgrade food services

SEOUL -- CJ Freshway, the canteen service and food ingredient distributor wing of South Korea's CJ Group, has partnered with Hanwha Robotics, Hanwha Group's robot-specialized subsidiary, to upgrade the food service value chain through the commercialization of autonomous cooperative robots, also known as collaborative robots. The adoption of cooperative robots in South Korea is accelerating as more business operators who seek to lower their operating costs are choosing robo

March 14, 2024

Boy band Seventeen to headline music festival 'Lollapalooza' in Berlin

SEOUL -- Multinational boy band Seventeen is set to engage with global fans in Berlin through Lollapalooza, a renowned international music event, as its headliner. The 13-member band will participate in the annual music festival along with English singer-songwriter Sam Smith and Martin Garrix, a Dutch DJ and record producer. According to Pledis Entertainment, the group's agency, Seventeen will headline the Lollapalooza Berlin, a two-day event scheduled to take place starting

March 14, 2024

Spending on private tutoring breaks record again

SEOUL -- South Korean families are shelling out more than ever for private tutoring, with costs exceeding 27 trillion won ($20.5 billion) in 2023. This marks a 4.5 percent increase from the previous year and the third consecutive year of record-breaking spending. High school students are the main drivers of this growth, according to the Ministry of Education and Statistics Korea. Their private education costs surged by 8.2 percent. The high cost of private education is a majo

March 14, 2024

LG joins global accord to prevent deceptive AI content from interfering with elections

SEOUL -- LG AI Research, the artificial intelligence technology wing of South Korea's LG Group, has joined the ranks of global tech companies that formed an accord to prevent the use of deceptive AI content from interfering with elections across the world in 2024. While various types of AI technologies are utilized globally to make people's lives better, some are used to deceive and create chaos in societies by spreading false or misleading information. Malicious AI conten

March 14, 2024

Seoul to expand AI-based translation service for foreign subway passengers

SEOUL -- Seoul's subway operator will expand its artificial intelligence-based translation service that can help non-Korean-speaking foreigners communicate with subway workers. The real-time translation service uses a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display which shows spoken words translated and converted into text. The AI-based service that provides 13 languages including English, Chinese, and Japanese, will be installed at 11 stations in the capital city.

March 14, 2024

Virtual artist 'iaaa' performs debut song 'Our Season' at SXSW event in Texas

SEOUL -- iaaa, a virtual artist created by South Korean content startup Studio Meta-K, was showcased at the South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin. The virtual human performed her debut song titled "Our Season" at the event designed to celebrate the fusion of various fields, including technology, film, music, and education. iaaa is a member of Studio Meta-K's virtual artist group "Season." She made her debut in February 2024 as a special host on "R

March 13, 2024