Game developer Krafton reports record revenue, profits driven by 'PUBG' success

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - Korean gaming company Krafton on Monday announced record sales and profits for the second quarter, driven by the success of its flagship title, “PUBG: Battlegrounds.” Consolidated operating profit reached 332.1 billion won ($242 million), a 152.6 percent increase year-on-year, the company said in a regulatory filing. Revenue jumped 82.7 percent to 707 billion won, while net profit soared 165.7 percent to 341.4 billion won. Krafton a

August 12, 2024

Upgraded 1,200-ton submarine delivered to Korean Navy

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - The South Korean defense procurement agency on Monday delivered an upgraded 1,200-ton submarine to the Navy following a refurbishment that enhanced its combat and detection capabilities. The submarine, ROKS Jung Woon, is the sixth Jang Bogo I-class submarine, commissioned in August 1997. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the submarine was handed over to the Navy in a ceremony at Hanwha Ocean's headquarters on the souther

August 12, 2024

Korea's power demand hits third-highest level last week

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's hourly electricity consumption surpassed 100 gigawatts (GW) during peak summer periods for the second consecutive year, the Korea Power Exchange said Monday. Last Wednesday, the average power demand reached 100.203 GW between 2 and 3 p.m., marking the third-highest power usage in the nation's history, following records set on Aug. 7 (100.571 GW) and Aug. 8 (100.254 GW) last year, when power demand first exceeded 100 GW. The company r

August 12, 2024

Korean Army tests 4-legged robot for counter-terrorism operations

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - The South Korean Army has deployed a four-legged walking robot for counter-terrorism operations on a trial basis for the first time, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday. Hyundai Rotem and Rainbow Robotics participated in developing the system, which was completed on Aug. 5, two years after it was selected for the military's rapid pilot program in August 2022. The robot can move at speeds exceeding 4 kilometers per hour an

August 12, 2024

LG Chem's flame-retardant plastic earns top-tier US certification

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - LG Chem, a leading Korean chemical company, said Monday that its new flame-retardant plastic material has achieved top-tier certification in U.S. safety standards. The company's PFAS-free flame-retardant PC/ABS compound, developed in the first half of 2024, has received the highest V-0 rating in the UL94 flame-retardant test, a U.S. certification standard. The new material, made with recycled plastic, is free from perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS

August 12, 2024

Electric vehicle explosion sparks safety concerns in Korea

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Concerns are growing among Korean consumers about the safety of electric vehicles following a recent EV explosion in Incheon, west of Seoul. On August 1, a Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan exploded in the underground parking garage of an apartment complex, sparking a fire that injured about 20 people and damaged over 100 cars. Investigations are still underway to determine the exact cause of the fire. Experts have suggested overcharging or initial defects in

August 8, 2024

New compound may block coronavirus entry into cells

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Korean scientists have discovered a compound that could potentially block the entry of coronaviruses and other viruses into human cells. The compound, named UNI418, regulates genome homeostasis and maintains a stable immune system to inhibit virus infiltration, according to the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) on Wednesday. The findings were published online in the Nature Publishing Group's journal Experimental & Mol

August 7, 2024

GI Innovation shifts focus to obesity drug development

SEOUL, August 6 (AJU PRESS) - Korean biotechnology company GI Innovation announced on Tuesday its plans to develop a new obesity treatment, GI-213, as its next flagship pipeline product. The company has completed a patent application for the dual-fusion protein compound, which promotes fat breakdown, increases energy expenditure and enhances muscle mass. In preclinical trials, mice fed a high-fat diet and treated with GI-213 showed a 36.1 percent reduction in body weight after six w

August 6, 2024

Korea's electric vehicle registrations surpasses 600,000

SEOUL, August 1 (AJU PRESS) — Korea's cumulative electric vehicle (EV) registrations have surpassed 600,000 units for the first time in the first half of this year, data showed Thursday. According to the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA), EV registrations reached 606,610 by the end of June, a 24-fold increase since official EV statistics began in 2017. The adoption of EVs has accelerated rapidly since 2020, when registrations first exceeded 100,000 un

August 1, 2024

Korean researchers discover dark state of electrons in solid matter

SEOUL, July 30 (AJU PRESS) - A team of Korean scientists has identified the existence of a dark state of electrons in solid matter for the first time, potentially advancing the understanding of high-temperature superconductivity. The research, led by Professor Kim Keun-su of Yonsei University, was published in the international journal Nature Physics on Monday. Dark-state electrons, which neither absorb nor emit light, have previously been observed in atoms and molecules. However, t

July 30, 2024