Aussie whiskies will be sold in Korean convenience stores

SEOUL -- South Korea's major convenience store chain, CU, announced the launch of "NED Whisky," a popular Australian brand, marking their entry into the affordable whisky market. Last year, CU saw success with the exclusive launch of "Rulett Premium Whisky" from India, priced under $23. The limited-edition bottles sold out within a week, with even the additional import batch disappearing within a month, totaling 5,000 bottles sold. This highlights th

March 6, 2024

LG Energy Solution launches battery swapping business for electric motorcycles

SEOUL -- In a move aimed at tapping into South Korea's delivery market, Kooroo, the in-house venture of battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, has launched its electric motorcycle battery swapping station business. This service allows riders to swap batteries for fully charged ones in approximately 20 seconds, eliminating the need for time-consuming waits for charging. Despite their eco-friendly features, electric motorcycles have faced reluctance from delivery workers due t

March 5, 2024

Researchers find strain capable of producing alternative meat proteins in southern island

SEOUL -- A strain capable of producing mycoprotein, one of the key alternative meat ingredients, has been discovered in a river on the southern resort island of Jeju. The extracted mycoprotein can be used for providing cultured meat products with real meat flavor. Mycoprotein (fungal protein) is a protein produced by fungi such as mold and mushrooms. The Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resource said that they have discovered a strain called "Aspergillus tubingens

March 5, 2024

S. Korea to utilize Deepfake content detection software in criminal investigations

SEOUL -- South Korea will deploy specialized software designed to detect whether video clips or image files have been manipulated using Deepfake techniques in crime investigations. This announcement comes about a month before South Korea's general election scheduled for April 10. Deepfake technology, driven by artificial intelligence, enables the alteration of videos or images by replacing the face of a person in the original content with that of another individual. This face-

March 5, 2024

Education company Visang to develop AI-based digital math textbook

SEOUL -- South Korea's Visang Education has partnered with Mathpresso, the operator of artificial intelligence-driven learning platform called "Qanda," to develop an AI app-based math textbook. This solution will suggest questions tailored to each student's academic proficiency and offer hints when they get stuck. Qanda, boasting approximately 90 million users, rapidly provides explanations within five seconds after a student snaps a photo of a challenging math

March 5, 2024

Gmarket opens low-temp logistics center targeting one-day delivery service customers

SEOUL -- In an effort to gain a competitive edge in South Korea's ecommerce market dominated by Coupang, the South Korean counterpart of Amazon, major ecommerce platform Gmarket opened a low-temperature logistics center for fresh goods delivery service. Customers can now order fresh groceries through the ecommerce giant's overnight delivery service. Overnight and one-day delivery services garnered explosive popularity in South Korea during the pandemic. When people were

March 5, 2024

Asan Medical Center ranks 22nd in global hospital ranking

SEOUL --Seoul-based Asan Medical Center has been recognized by American weekly news magazine Newsweek as the top 22nd hospital out of a pool of approximately 2,400 hospitals worldwide. Asan Medical Center achieved the highest ranking among 17 South Korean hospitals included on the prestigious list of the world's top 250 hospitals. Along with global market analyst firm Statista, Newsweek determined the global ranking based on online surveys of 85,000 medical experts in 30 count

March 5, 2024

Hanwha Ocean condemns data leak regarding Navy destroyer project

SEOUL -- Hanwha Ocean has strongly condemned the leak of confidential information related to the KDDX, a multi-billion-dollar project to build a new generation of destroyers for the South Korean Navy, by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, calling it a “serious criminal act.” The company also criticized the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)'s decision not to restrict HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ participation in the KDDX project bidding, despite the co

March 5, 2024

[INTERVIEW] S. Korean 3D geospatial map platform developer aspires to support UAE's digital twin project

SEOUL -- Techtree Innovation, a South Korean developer of 3D geospatial map platforms, hopes to play a key role in the United Arab Emirates' digital twin ecosystem project by sharing its expertise in related technologies. Techtree aims to provide its three-dimensional spatial information platform "Around" to the Middle Eastern country to create digital twin infrastructure for various tests including simulations of natural disasters such as flooding. A digital twin is

March 4, 2024

Kia reports 4.6% decrease in February sales

SEOUL -- Kia announced that it sold a total of 242,656 units in February 2024, marking a 4.6 percent decline compared to the same month last year. Domestically, Kia sold 44,076 units, while overseas sales amounted to 198,580 units this February. This reflects a 12. percent decrease domestically and a 2.8 percent decrease overseas compared to February 2023, resulting in an overall sales decline of 4.6 percent. The drop in domestic sales is attributed to a decrease in working day

March 4, 2024