National Tax Service has hosted an in-house video contest in which contestants submitted short clips designed to help people understand complicated tax procedures, officials said Friday. The contest was held to make the agency’s digital tax service more user-friendly for those unfamiliar with online services. In videos one to five minutes long, NTS officials introduced key services such as, income tax, corporate tax, and year-end tax adjustment. The winning videos can be watched on the

South Korean tire maker Kumho Tire said Thursday that it will participate in two international tire exhibitions that will kick off in Europe. Kumho Tire will showcase its products at the Tire Cologne 2022 set to be held in Cologne, Germany between May 24 and 26, and at the Autopromotec 2022, slated to take place in Bologna, Italy, between May 25 and 28. Kumho Tire will display its high-performing, summer, winter, all season, truck and bus, electric vehicle and future concept tires, according t

Korean biotech company Lemonex said Wednesday that it will begin phase one clinical trials for its new siRNA gene therapy drug LEM-S401, following the approval of its investigational new drug application on April 15 by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. siRNA drugs inject small-interfering RNA molecules to augment or inhibit disease-related genes. LEM-S401 is a siRNA drug used to treat and prevent thick scars. The new drug is administered through DegradaBall, the company’s proprieta

Korean red ginseng improves stress resistance and alleviates fatigue, especially effective in relieving stress among the under-energetic who experience chronic fatigue and have low blood pressure, studies showed on Tuesday, At the 2022 Spring Ginseng Conference held last week by the Korean Society of Ginseng, a series of studies showed that the regular intake of red ginseng products showed an improvement in stress and fatigue management. According to a comparative study by a local family medi

Samsung Electronics said Sunday that it is launching its limited smartphone package, Galaxy Z Flip 3 Pokemon edition on Monday. The package was co-designed with the Pokemon franchise and Nintendo to include a wide range of Pokemon themed accessories such as a Pikachu key ring, a Pokemon palette, a Pokedex design pouch, a Monsterball Pop socket and a selection of five different Pokemon stickers. The electronics giant has worked with 40 different brands to create accessories for its electronic

Standard Chartered Bank Korea said on Friday that it will offer an annual before-tax interest rate of 2 percent on savings for new bank customers subscribing to its My Signature Account. The promotional event will last through May 31. My Signature Account, launched in July 2021, is a checking account that specializes in residual fund management. It has provided customers with high and stable interest rates since its release despite unstable market conditions, said bank officials. 　 Account ho

South Korea’s beloved penguin character, Pengsoo, has been featured in a campaign promoted by Asian Forest Cooperation Organization to raise public awareness of sustainable forest management in Asia. AFoCO is an intergovernmental organization which launched in 2018 to combat climate change and foster sustainable management of Asia’s forests. The organization has been hosting the #REForest2022 challenge, which stands for Rescue Earth’s Forests, since March 21 to promote publi

A video indicating that a Ukrainian soldier was saved from gun shots by a Samsung Galaxy smartphone came under the spotlight on Tuesday. Posted on social networking platform Reddit, the video shows the Ukrainian soldier reaching into his pocket to pull out what appears to be a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE or Samsung Galaxy S20. The smartphone has a bullet lodged in it, which appears to have protected the soldier from gun shots. The video didn‘t carry any text that illustrates what really happe

South Korea’s flag carrier Korean Air said Tuesday that it has celebrated its 50th anniversary of operating American routes, stressing its role of bridging the countries both physically and culturally. A Korean Air Boeing 707 was the first aircraft operated by a Korean airliner to fly across the Pacific on April 19, 1972. It then made stops in Tokyo and Honolulu before landing in Los Angeles, officials recalled.　 The airline had two destinations in the US — LA and Honolulu —

Local data replication solution provider ArkData said Monday that it has successfully completed the development of a disaster recovery system for Kyungpook National University in the southeastern city of Daegu. The project aims to protect the school’s student database and prevent business disruptions caused by data center failures or natural disasters. ArkData, specialized in data replication and integration, provides business continuity planning and disaster recovery solutions. The c

South Korean startup GameEye has signed contracts with five esports teams for them to use Deeplol Pro, the company’s artificial intelligence-based gaming data analysis program, the firm said Friday. The startup signed the deals on Thursday to five undisclosed League of Legends teams, each in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Korea and the United States. GameEye said it would target more LoL teams in North America, South America, Europe and Asia with the AI-powered service. Deeplol Pro uses the

An embedded SIM service launched by local mobile carrier LG Uplus since last year for foreign visitors to South Korea saw a 44 percent increase in the number of customers this year, the company said Thursday. The service became available since May to offer convenience to short-term foreign visitors to South Korea. More foreign visitors have been purchasing the service this year, the company said. It compared monthly average number of customers enrolled between May and December last year and the

South Korean steelmaker Posco was named Sustainability Champion of the year by the World Steel Association in recognition of its sustainable management, the company said Wednesday. Worldsteel is an international non-profit organization representing the global steel industry with memberships of 140 companies around the world.  The organization named 10 companies for their sustainable efforts. Posco was added to the list for the first time, the company said. The Worldsteel recognition is

Korea‘s Public Procurement Service is set to host an annual consultation fair in November to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises seeking entry into overseas procurement markets valued at $12.8 trillion. The annual event titled Global Public Procurement Marketplace (GPPM) has supported SMEs since 2016 to provide information concerning offshore markets such as foreign procurement laws and local market trends. According to the PPS, the event brings together Korean enterprises, forei

Korean small- and medium-sized companies certified by the governmental Public Procurement Service for their technological aptitude and product quality saw their overseas shipments grow despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The certified companies -- called Government Performance Assured (G-PASS) companies -- have recorded $1.25 billion in actual exports last year, a 69.1 percent increase from $740 million in 2020, according to PPS authorities. This far exceeds South Korea’s average expor

South Korean tire maker Kumho Tire said Monday that it has launched MajestyX Solus, a new ultra-high performance tire targeting the premium vehicle market. The latest tire is a luxury sequel to the existing Majesty Solus, and will be marketed as the tire maker’s flagship product lineup for luxury cars. 　 The tire maximizes brake performance and tread durability by utilizing precise high-dispersion silica compounds, according to the company. This technology minimizes abrasions and allows

South Korean confectionery SPC Samlip said Wednesday that it has nearly sold 10 million rolls of Pokemon Bread, less than two months after its release in February. As of Tuesday, it had sold 9.5 million rolls, and surpassing 10 million appears to be only a matter of time, as it continues to sell out. Pokemon Bread, which debuted in 1999, made its comeback two months ago, appealing to young adults who grew up watching the animation series. Amid explosive demand for the nostalgia-provoking prod

Shinsegae’s ambition to enter the soju business appears to have shifted to whiskey instead, as it reportedly submitted a trademark application last week, according to local reports Tuesday. Tentatively named Jeju Whiskey, the retailer is likely to introduce its new brand early next year, considering the application process that takes six to 12 months. According to Korea Customs Service, last year’s whiskey imports increased by 32.4 percent from 2020, on the back of rising demand fo