28 S. Koreans safely return home from Sudan through military aircraft

SEOUL -- A military transport airplane carrying 28 South Koreans who escaped Sudan suffering a civil war safely arrived at an airbase in Seoul's southeastern satellite city of Seongnam. The presidential office said the aircraft called "KC-330" arrived at Seoul Air Base at 3:57 p.m. (0657 GMT) on April 25. After checking their health conditions, the rescued members will move into accommodation facilities provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The South Korean

April 25, 2023

Hyundai Wia to commercialize autonomous logistics robot in US

SEOUL -- Hyundai Wia, a parts-making unit of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, will commercialize autonomous logistics robots at a Georgia State-based electric vehicle factory operated by car parts maker Hyundai Mobis. The automated robots will roam about the factory to carry heavy cargo while evading obstacles. Autonomous robots are widely adopted at logistics centers and factories to reduce manpower and management costs. Self-driving robots equipped with various sensors inclu

April 25, 2023

LGES to invest $450 mln in construction of mother factory for pilot battery production

SEOUL -- LG Energy Solution, the battery-making wing of South Korea's LG Group, will build a mother factory that will become the main headquarters of its electric vehicle battery production plants scattered across the world. The factory will play the role of the battery maker's one-stop pilot production base for its EV batteries. A total of 600 billion won ($450.2 million) will be injected into the mother factory project. LG Energy Solution (LGES) said in a statement on Ap

April 25, 2023

President Yoon Suk-yeol welcomes Netflix's $2.5 bln investment plan in S. Korea's content industry

SEOUL -- Prior to a summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, President Yoon Suk-yeol has welcomed Netflix's $2.5 billion investment plan in South Korea's content industry. The president highlighted that the global streaming giant's four-year investment would become an opportunity for South Korean content businesses and creators as well as Netflix. According to data released by South Korea's presidential office, more than 60 percent of the 231 million households

April 25, 2023

​Imports of whisky increase by 78.2% thanks to young consumers

SEOUL -- The popularity of whisky, a type of liquor that was formerly regarded as the "old people's drink" in South Korea, has skyrocketed due to young consumers in their 20s and 30s. The number of whisky enthusiasts has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were grounded and restaurants and bars were closed early at 9:00 p.m. to prevent the spread of the infectious disease. Whisky was the icon of old people's drinking culture related to the "bom

April 24, 2023

Shinsegae's duty-free shop operator demonstrates AI chatbot service to take care of employee's inquiries

SEOUL -- The duty-free shop operator affiliated with South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae has adopted an artificial intelligence-based administrative service that takes care of human workers' inquiries such as duty-free policies and task guidelines. The chatbot capable of answering employees' questions for 24 hours is currently being demonstrated for some 1,000 workers in Seoul. Chatbot services are widely used in South Korea due to their efficiency. The artificial inte

April 24, 2023

Busan to host Asia's first World Barista Championship

SEOUL -- A global barista competition to select the best barista among 60 candidates will take place in South Korea's southern port city of Busan, well known for the city's affection for coffee. Using a coffee machine, participants will create 12 beverages such as espresso and milk-based drinks for 15 minutes in front of certified judges from all over the world. Busan said in a statement that the 2024 World Barista Championship (WBC) will be held for four days starting on

April 24, 2023

S. Korean affordable casual wear brand SPAO to beef up influence in Chinese apparel market

SEOUL -- SPAO, an affordable casual wear brand operated by South Korea's apparel giant E-Land Group, will strengthen its foothold in the Chinese clothing market by uniting the headquarters of the brand's South Korean and Chinese operations in 2023. The company made a foray into the Chinese market in 2013 but its operations were devastated due to diplomatic ties between Seoul and Beijing over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the mid-2010s and the COVID-19 pandem

April 24, 2023

Hyundai's car parts maker wing showcases crab-walking vehicle

SEOUL -- Hyundai Mobis, the parts-making unit of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, has demonstrated an electric vehicle capable of crab driving, which enables cars to move sideways like a crab to evade obstacles or move out of a tight spot. Using four wheels that move at different angles, the crab-walking vehicle can also spin around 360 degrees. The car parts maker released a video showing Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 equipped with the all-in-one electric vehicle (EV) wheel modul

April 24, 2023

President Yoon embarks on seven-day state visit to U.S.

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Geon-hee will embark on a seven-day state visit to the United States on April 24. President Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a summit to evaluate the achievements of the 70-year-old South Korea-U.S. alliance and discuss the future direction of economic and security cooperation. The state visit will take place after a classified document was leaked online suggesting that the U.S. has been spying on allies including South

April 24, 2023