South Korea has been implementing a set of educational policies aimed at helping students and teachers prepare for digital transformation in a wide array of fields. The pandemic that started last year is accelerating the shift in the educational sector toward a digital paradigm, requiring schools and policymakers to rethink the way they teach students as well as what they should teach in a new era. The Korean government, recognizing the sweeping changes sparked by the spread of COVID-19, is

Alux, a startup in the fast-growing field of educational technology, or edtech, is providing next-generation education programs based on big data, artificial intelligence and the metaverse to some 2,000 schools across the country.  Lee Chi-heon, CEO of Alux, said the Seoul-based startup is navigating a whirlwind of changes in the education market, sparked by a pandemic-induced switch from offline programs to what is called “untact” alternatives, referring mainly to contactless

Hyundai Motor’s little mini SUV, the Casper, is here, creating a buzz in the A-segment market, where the competition has long been dull. This new Casper is Hyundai’s first A-segment release in 19 years, and already it’s received record preorders. Even the president lined up to buy one. The Casper is slightly more expensive than its rivals the Chevrolet Spark and the Kia Ray, but there’s a reason for that. It comes with advanced driver assistance functions that are of

The sales volume of Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 has surpassed 1 million in South Korea, according to Samsung Electronics on Wednesday. The tech giant said the total number of units of the two foldable devices sold in the Korean market reached 1 million Monday, 39 days since their debut on Aug. 11. The foldable phones trailed only Samsung’s biggest hits of the Galaxy Note 10 and flagship Galaxy S8 in the pace of reaching the 1 million mark. Of the 1 million units, about 70 percent are

LG Innotek said Wednesday the company is taking part in an international trade show for substrates and chip packaging technologies to showcase its newest products and technologies. The electronic parts supplier of LG Group exhibited three new products -- 5G Antenna in Package, RF-System in Package and Chip On Film -- at the Korea International Electronic Circuits and Packaging Show 2021 that kicked a three-day run in Songdo, Incheon on Wednesday. The 5G AiP is a substrate for the antenna mod

To respond to the growing pressure to meet net-zero pledges, steelmakers around the world must work together to find ways to decarbonize steelmaking, mostly likely with the use of hydrogen, the chief of South Korea’s top steel manufacturer said Wednesday. Hosting the Hydrogen Iron & Steel Making Forum 2021, the world’s first international forum on hydrogen steelmaking, Posco Chairman Choi Jeong-woo highlighted the need for urgent, concerted action as an industry and an open pla

South Korea’s Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo expressed concern over the US request on Korean chipmakers to disclose sensitive information about technology, clients and inventories, during his meeting Tuesday with US counterpart Katherine Tai, officials in Seoul said Wednesday. Yeo, who is currently attending a council meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, held bilateral talks with the US trade representative, where he relayed such opinion from local

South Korean drugmaker SK Bioscience announced Wednesday the company has updated its capacity reservation contract with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Under the new agreement, CEPI can use part of SK Bioscience’s Andong production facility until 2022 for manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines. 　 SK Bioscience’s factory in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, currently has a total of nine production lines that can produce drug substances for COVID-19 vaccines. Of the to

Authorities in Mexico ordered a recall of a Buldak, or “fire chicken,” ramen product for misleading customers with its label, despite having “no trace of chicken” in it. The Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer announced the recall decision Monday there, concerning Buldak Ramen Cheese and 11 other instant noodle products from across nine manufacturers.  It targets a total of 129,937 packets distributed on shelves throughout the country. Included wer

Convenience store chain Seven Eleven has partnered with a local mobility software startup to use drones for product delivery, the company announced Wednesday. According to Seven Eleven, it will develop systems and infrastructure for delivery drones with Pablo Air, with plans to launch a pilot run later this year. The firm will open a new location outside of the greater Seoul area, possibly in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, which will act as a base for the drone’s first test flight. The

Unity Korea on Wednesday vowed to grow together with game developers as well as creators in media and entertainment sectors, offering services that go beyond the conventional gaming realm. During a press conference to mark its 10th anniversary, the Korean branch of the California-based 3D game company introduced a webtoon tablet that allows artists to draw duplicating scenes as an example of its digital solutions for creators. Dr. Frost, a piece uploaded on Naver Webtoon, illustrated massive

SK E&S Co., the energy unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Wednesday it will team up with US fuel cell maker Plug Power Inc. to make a foray into the Asian hydrogen market. The two companies struck a deal to establish a 51:49 joint venture company, nine months after SK E&S and SK Inc., the group's holding firm, invested 1.6 trillion won ($1.5 billion) to acquire a 9.9 percent stake in Plug Power.   The joint venture will build a factory to produce key component

FTC says review to be complete by end of year

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has decided to impose a combined fine of 25.1 billion won ($21.2 million) on seven poultry-processing companies for colluding to fix prices of chickens. Harim Co. and six other companies colluded to fix prices and supplies of chickens to be used for "samgyetang," or Korean ginseng chicken soup, between July 2011 and July 2017, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KTFC). Their price fixing led to a hike of chicken prices dur

Hanwha Techwin Co., a leading surveillance tech firm in South Korea, said Wednesday it will join forces with Azena, an Internet of Things company, and the country's telecommunications giant KT Corp. for artificial intelligence (AI)-powered video solutions. Under the partnership, Hanwha Techwin said its CCTV users will be able to easily add AI-powered video analytics tools to their products. Since CCTVs are built for different purpose for various locations, it is impossible to deliver all vid