Mareum Design to make foray into Chinese pickup market with electric trucks

SEOUL -- Mareum Design, a car design company in South Korea, aims to secure its foothold in the Chinese small-sized pickup truck market through its two electric truck models -- a one-ton class model and a 0.5-ton class model. The vehicles set to be commercialized in China in the first half of 2024 would be manufactured by a Chinese company through a consignment production method. IR3 E-Pickup weighing about 0.5 tons and the one-ton truck called IR5 E-Light were showcased at Seoul M

March 31, 2023

S. Korea to set safety standards on EV batteries recycled for ESS and portable power banks

SEOUL -- South Korea will set new safety standards on discarded electric vehicles that are recycled and reused in the construction of energy storage systems or power banks, which are portable battery packs for outdoor use. The number of discarded batteries is expected to skyrocket in the late 2020s and is to cause serious environmental and safety issues if no preemptive actions are taken. According to the Ministry of Environment, about 31,700 units of electric vehicle (EV) batterie

March 31, 2023

Boy band ENHYPEN collaborates with Baby Shark creator for child animation film

SEOUL -- K-pop boy band ENHYPEN has collaborated with a South Korean educational entertainment company that created famous characters such as Baby Shark, to make a foray into the United States' animation movie market. The seven-member band was recreated into animated characters in the English-dubbed content where group members participated as voice actors. The Pinkfong Company, the creator of Baby Shark, said in a statement that the movie titled "Baby Shark's Big Mo

March 31, 2023

​LG Chem breaks ground for plastic recycling and aerogel insulation plant in southwestern port city

SEOUL -- In an effort to create a sustainable production cycle for recycled plastic products, LG Chem, the chemical unit of South Korea's LG Group, has broken ground for a 310-billion-won ($230 million) plant in the southwestern port city of Dangjin. The plant will have a super-critical pyrolysis facility to break down plastics to create oil and a production facility for the company's aerogel insulation product. Pyrolysis involves extreme heat and pressure to break down pla

March 30, 2023

First British export finance expert in Seoul appointed to facilitate trade deals with S. Korean companies

SEOUL -- To boost trade relations with South Korea, Britain's export credit agency has appointed an export finance expert who will serve as a middleman between British exporters and South Korean companies. The finance executive will also work closely with Britain's industry ministry to facilitate trade activities in South Korea, which is London's 18th largest export market. According to data released by the British Embassy in Seoul, Britain's total exports to South

March 30, 2023

S. Korea likely to lift quarantine regulations for isolation of COVID-19 patients in July

SEOUL -- South Korea is likely to take a step-by-step procedure to normalize the lives of people heavily suppressed by the pandemic and related regulations. The government will start by reducing the number of days required for compulsory quarantine isolation of COVID-19 patients to five days in May and completely remove the isolation procedure in July. It has been a long time since the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit South Korea in February 2023 and people had to go thro

March 30, 2023

SK Biopharmaceuticals receive drug ministry's approval for clinical phase 3 trial plan for anti--epileptic drug

SEOUL -- SK Biopharmaceuticals said that the company has received approval from the drug ministry for the clinical phase 3 trial plan for its investigational new drug -- the anti-epileptic drug Cenobamate. The drug is specially designed for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adolescents. This clinical trial is part of a multinational clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Cenobamate in patients with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures aged between 11

March 30, 2023

​Eastern city to monitor forest fire accidents using safety drones

SEOUL -- Using safety drones, South Korea's eastern city of Wonju will monitor forest fire-related incidents. The remotely controlled flying robots will be mainly used in blind spots where humans are unable to reach. The drones can also broadcast prevention measures against unexpected accidents. Wonju said in a statement on March 29 that drones owned by members of a regional drone association will be used to carry out surveillance activities. The unmanned aerial vehicles will b

March 29, 2023

LG Electronics wins top ESG award at 2023 Energy Star

SEOUL -- LG Electronics has received the top sustainability-related awards at an annual event hosted by the United States' environmental protection agency and the Department of Energy, which is in charge of the US energy policy. The ceremony titled "The Energy Star Awards" has been held to reward companies that contributed to the environment and energy sector since 1993. According to data released by LG, the company has sold Energy Star-certified items every six secon

March 29, 2023

[OPINION] Depleted uranium controversy and Ukraine war

KARACHI -- “If all this happens, Russian will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component,” was the blunt reaction of Russian President

March 29, 2023