Samsung Electronics said Monday its joint research team with Ajou University published a paper last month on the wider adoption of artificial muscle actuators for wearables in Nature Communications, an online publisher affiliated with Nature, the science journal. The paper, titled “Actuating Compact Wearable Augmented Reality Devices by Multifunctional Artificial Muscle,” was recognized for expanding the use of artificial muscle actuators in robotics to the field of smaller wearabl

The South Korean government will introduce a new visa category called E-7-S in October to attract more global professionals into the nation’s high-tech industries. The current E-7 visa is an employment visa for foreign nationals in white collar industries, but complaints have grown because only workers in 92 specified occupations were eligible for the visa. The new E-7-S visa will be issued regardless of job type, as long as the applicants are evaluated as professionals working in high

LG Chem and GS Caltex on Thursday held a ground-breaking ceremony at GS Caltex Yeosu plant for its new bio-material demonstration plant, which would contribute to building a white ecosystem, officials said. The demo plant at GS Caltex‘s Yeosu complex will mainly produce 3-Hydroxypropionic acid prototypes, key raw material in the production of biodegradable plastics. The construction is set to be finished by 2023, after which both companies will produce various 3HP prototypes to accelera

Posco Chemical, a chemical materials unit of South Korean steel giant Posco, signed a deal to supply General Motors with 13 trillion won’s ($10 billion) worth of cathode materials on Thursday. Cathode materials determine the capacity and average voltage of batteries. With the deal, Posco will now supply high-nickel cathode materials, largely used as electric car batteries, to LG-GM joint venture Ultium Cells for three years. Posco chemical also plans to build production lines in North

The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea said Wednesday that it hosted a business breakfast for Dominic Perrotte, premier of New South Wales in Seoul, on Monday. During the event, which was attended by more than 100 senior business representatives, the premier highlighted the importance of South Korea to NSW and provided an economic update of the Australian state to the participating corporate stakeholders. The Premier also highlighted the resilience of NSW‘s economy and delivered a

French automotive parts maker Valeo will invest 73 billion won ($56 million) in Daegu to advance the autonomous driving market in the city, located 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul, officials said Tuesday. Under the deal signed with the Daegu city government, Valeo will build a factory that manufactures sensors for advanced driver assistance systems and steering at an industrial complex in the city. Sensors detect risks and warn drivers, which is essential for autonomous driving. The constr

South Korean company Daewoo Engineering & Construction will apply property technology it has developed to its construction procedures to optimize work efficiency and customer satisfaction, according to the company on Monday. Property technology is currently recognized as a game changer in the real estate market, utilizing the latest technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and virtual reality to carry out real estate-related work more efficiently. Daewoo E&C’s pro

Citigroup’s Korean unit Citibank Korea shared its foreign exchange solutions and outlook on the global economy at the Economic Outlook and Market Solutions Seminar held in Seoul on Wednesday. The seminar aimed to have specialists give their latest outlook on the volatile global economy and foreign exchange markets to improve its corporate clients using its global market platforms. Some 20 chief executive officers and finance heads of major multinational companies participated in the ev

Online game developer NCSoft’s K-pop fan community platform Universe is garnering attention with its exclusivity and communicative functions, the company said Thursday. Launched last January, Universe is currently functioning as a global K-pop fandom platform where fans can watch original content starring their favorite artists and communicate directly with them. Universe provides a variety of exclusive features such as web entertainment shows, music videos and audio for its users. As o

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday it is implementing a new clean hydrogen certification system from 2024 that evaluates corporate carbon footprints based on the amount of carbon emissions, not the type of production process. The new scheme will determine whether hydrogen can be classified as “low carbon” by analyzing the amount of carbon generated during its production -- the lower the emissions, the greater the incentives for companies. Th

Among Korean teenagers, female students made purchases mostly at coffee shops while male students spent their money on food delivery and late-night snack shops the most, data showed Tuesday. According to KB Kookmin‘s card analysis of debit card sales, 14 percent of male middle and high school students holding KB debit cards, paid for food delivery and late-night snacks, while 11 percent spent their allowances at hamburger restaurants and coffee shops. The analysis further showed that 19

SK E&S, an energy unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Monday it would invest 33 billion won ($25 million) in a clean hydrogen and materials company in US. Headquartered in Nebraska, Monolith Materials is currently the only company to have successfully commercialized turquoise hydrogen, according to SK. Turquoise hydrogen is a new addition in the hydrogen color charts that emits zero carbon dioxide during its production. Through the investment, SK aims to manage the production

Samsung Biologics, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization, signed a land sales contract worth 426 billion won ($323 million) with Incheon metropolitan city to acquire space for its second Biocampus, the company said Monday. The contract mainly focuses on building research and manufacturing facilities in the 11th district of Songdo International City, which is located within the Incheon Free Economic Zone. With the second campus, the company plans to increase its manufa

Coway, one of the nation’s leading water purifier makers, said Friday it has won an appeal against a 2015 patent infringement ruling, which ordered the company to pay its smaller rival Chungho 10 billion won ($7.53 million) in compensation. Chungho had filed a lawsuit against Coway for infringing its patented ice water purifying technology back in 2014. A year later, the Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Chungho’s claim. Coway immediately appealed. On Thursday, the court overtur

For Oh Ju-ha, a housewife in her 50s, having samgyetang, or ginseng chicken soup, has for many years been a way to endure the highest temperatures of summer. But she is having second thoughts this year. “I’m thinking about making kongguksu (soy milk noodle soup) for this chobok, instead. It’s also high in protein, and not as ridiculously expensive as samgyetang,” she said. Chobok is traditionally the beginning of the most sweltering days of the year in Korea. Oh is one

The teaser image for singer and actress Kang Ji-young‘s new single, “Lucid Dream,” was released on Monday. Kang, who co-wrote the lyrics of the melodic blues-inspired song about missing a loved one, expressed excitement about her first release in four years. She also launched the YouTube channel “My Name is Jiyoung Kang ” last Tuesday and released a video about her new single. “Lucid Dream” is a collaborative project between Kang and Unda, a shampoo

Ten concerts will start at 11 a.m. at various spots in Seoul on Thursday as the Seoul Cultural Foundation‘s concert series Seoul Stage 11 returns for the month of July. Launched in April, the concert series is held on the first Thursday of every month at venues across the city that are operated by the foundation. Under the theme of "musical heat shelter," this month’s performances have been organized to offer a bit of cool relaxation in the midday heat. Seoul Arts Edu

Jeong Da-hye became the first South Korean artist to win the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, for “A Time of Sincerity,” a basket created from woven horsehair. The awards ceremony was held at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in Jongno, central Seoul, on Thursday. Made using a 500-year-old Korean hat-making technique that had long been considered a lost art, Jeong’s piece won the prize in a unanimous decision by the panel of judges. “‘A Time of Sincerity’ exuded

BMW Group Korea said Wednesday that it has launched a digital vehicle management program, BMW Service Care Plus, last month, the first of its kind in the automobile industry. The service was launched to meet the needs of an expanding customer base, according to the company. Customers with BMW vehicles released more than six years ago cannot apply for BMW’s BSI (BMW Service Inclusive Standard), the company’s warranty system. However, BMW Service Care Plus now services customers wit