SK Telecom to adopt Indonesian language for metaverse service 'Ifland'

SEOUL -- South Korea's major mobile carrier SK Telecom will adopt the Indonesian language service for its metaverse platform "Ifland" targeting the Southeast Asian country with the world's fourth-largest population. The company will also work with Indonesia's leading game developer Agate to gain a competitive edge in Indonesia with a population of some 277.5 million. Using Ifland, anyone can host lectures, business forums, and concerts in a virtual space. The p

November 28, 2023

STX partners with Mongolian investor SG Group to co-develop high-value resources and rare metal businesses

SEOUL -- STX, a Seoul-based trading company, has partnered with SG Group, a Mongolian investment company, to jointly develop high-value resources and rare metals businesses in a bid to create stable supply channels for materials that are crucial for the production of batteries and semiconductors. Mongolia is rich in various mineral resources including lithium, tungsten, copper, gold, and iron. The country has some 16 percent of the world's rare earth materials that are require

November 28, 2023

Harman acquires audio technology platform Roon to beef up connectivity capability

SEOUL -- Harman, the audio and electric parts wing of Samsung Electronics, has acquired Roon, an American audio platform company that specializes in connectivity and streaming technology, in a bid to beef up the company's future smart car infotainment system capabilities. Harman, formerly known as Harman International, was acquired by Samsung in 2016. The company focuses on the connectivity of electronic devices such as hardware used in vehicles' infotainment systems. Connec

November 28, 2023

Brazil's vice industry minister visits S. Korea to level up trade and investment cooperation

SEOUL -- Marcio Elias Rosa, Brazil's Development, Industry, Commerce and Services Vice Minister, has visited South Korea to upgrade trade and investment cooperation in various sectors such as supply chain, renewable energy, digital transformation, and biopharmaceutical technology. During his stay in Seoul, Rosa reached a consensus to promote the trade and investment promotion framework with South Korea's trade ministry. Brazil became the first South American country to si

November 28, 2023

CJ Cheiljedang develops paper coating technology using biodegradable plastic material

SEOUL -- CJ CheilJedang, a key subsidiary of South Korea's food and entertainment conglomerate CJ Group, has developed eco-friendly paper coating technology using its degradable plastic material called "polyhydroxyalkanoates." The new technique can be used for paper packaging on paper cups, cup noodles, and rice containers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are produced by bacteria during the fermentation process of sugar or lipids, including fats, oils, and waxes, for the

November 27, 2023

Vietnamese universities adopt smart Korean language learning platform 'Klass'

SEOUL -- "Klass," a digital Korean learning platform created by South Korea's education company Visang Education, was provided to about 20 Vietnamese higher education institutes that offer Korean language courses. The Southeast Asian country has at least 40 colleges and universities providing Korean language programs. Demand for the Korean language is exceptionally high in Viet Nam. As of June 2023, the number of Vietnamese students enrolled at South Korea's public

November 27, 2023

S. Korea becomes world leader in AI-based quality management technology field

SEOUL -- South Korea has become the world leader in the artificial intelligence-based video analysis smart quality management technology field with the biggest number of patent applications, the country's patent office said. Video analysis quality management is a technique that is adopted by manufacturers to selectively remove defective products from their manufacturing lines. At ordinary factories, the sorting process is done by human eyes and hands where workers manually check

November 27, 2023

Bank of Korea to announce base interest rate through monetary policy meeting in November

SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank will announce the country's base interest rate during the last monetary policy meeting on November 30. The benchmark interest rate, which is at 3.5 percent, has remained unchanged for the sixth consecutive time since February 2023 amid growth deceleration and increased uncertainties, including the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and concerns over rising household debts. The Bank of Korea (BOK) will determine the base interest rate thr

November 27, 2023

S. Korea to increase global market share in eco-friendly vessel sector to 12 percent by 2027

SEOUL -- South Korea will incubate technologies for eco-friendly vessels, autonomous vessels, and smart maritime mobility services in a bid to increase the country's global market share in those sectors to 12 percent by 2027. The global ship makers and maritime logistics companies are currently underway in their transition from fossil fuel-based vessels to eco-friendly vessels that use alternative clean energy fuels such as methanol, ammonia, liquefied natural gas, biofuels, and

November 27, 2023

Girl band aespa to perform at SM Entertainment concert in Tokyo

SEOUL -- K-pop girl band aespa will perform at Tokyo Dome, an indoor stadium regarded as a "dream stage" among Japanese artists. The four-member band will participate in SM Town Live, a concert showcasing artists of South Korea's entertainment powerhouse SM Entertainment. The group released many hit songs such as "Black Mamba" and "Next Level." In June 2020, aespa signed a contract with Warner Music, an American entertainment and record label conglo

November 27, 2023