President Moon Jae-in’s top policy aide urged business leaders on Wednesday to support a government bill drafted to expand the scope of the 52-hour-week system, amid growing concerns that the administration’s policies are imposing a financial burden on them.“The government will continue to advocate labor rights. Such a policy stance won’t change,” said Kim Sang-jo, chief policy secretary for the president, at a meeting with members of Korea Employers’ Federati

　South Korean mobile carrier KT has pledged to develop a virtual reality surgery platform with a local software company in a push to expand the use of the fifth-generation wireless network into the medical industry. 　According to the telecom firm on Sunday, it had signed a strategic partnership with Coreline Soft to integrate the 5G network into medical surgery. The signing ceremony was held Thursday at KT’s research center located in Seoul. 　The memorandum of understanding included cooper

The South Korean government has extended the bidding deadline for a digital budget accounting system called “dBrain,” after LG CNS and its partner ITCEN decided Tuesday not to enter the race.Samsung SDS’s consortium with Daewoo Information System was the only participant in the bidding for the project worth 120 billion won ($102.7 million) to build the government’s digitalized budget accounting system. According to the Public Procurement Agency on Wednesday, the new deadl

South Korean and Japanese trade officials are expected to hold their second round of working-level meetings in Switzerland later this month in an effort to resolve the two countries’ ongoing trade dispute at the World Trade Organization, the Korean government said Friday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the two countries have agreed to meet Nov. 19 in Geneva. Their previous meeting had ended with minimal results last month.The agreement came after Seoul filed a com

　South Korea’s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom said Friday it has introduced upgraded functions for its smart speaker Nugu, including a voice assistant that sounds like a popular K-pop singer.　Titled “Nugu Celeb Alarm,” Nugu’s new voice command service is based on Irene, leader of girl group Red Velvet. This was achieved via a technology that converts written text into verbal speech, the company said. 　For the service, SKT collaborated with S.M. Entertainment, one of th

　Korean internet giant Kakao announced a significant increase in its third-quarter earnings Thursday, backed by the growth of its advertisement platform on popular messenger app KakaoTalk. 　The company reported that sales in the July-September period reached a quarterly record of 783.2 billion won ($672 million) -- a 40 percent increase on-year. 　It also posted its highest operating profit since 2015 at 59.1 billion won. That was a 93 percent increase from a year earlier and 46 percent over the

While coffee outlets remain one of the most popular self-owned businesses in South Korea, one out of 10 of them suffer from losses, according to a new report Wednesday. According to KB Financial Group’s report on self-employed workers here, about 71,000 coffee shops were in operation nationwide as of July. Among them, 14,000 places opened last year, as per the data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.The number of coffee shops has increased significantly between 2011 and 2016 with

LS Cable & System and Korea Electric Power Corp. said Tuesday that they have for the first time in the world succeeded in commercializing superconducting cable technology thorough their joint projects.　The commercial service has been launched in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- in a 1-kilometer section between Heungdeok substation and Singal substation 　Including LS Cable & System, five companies in Europe, Japan and the US have obtained superconducting cable technology so far, however the S

　Seeking to diversify its portfolio, South Korea’s KB Kookmin Bank said Monday it has launched a low-cost subscription plan for telecom services. 　Smartphone users here can register for the company’s LiveM subscription plan on a trial basis. It plans to provide full-fledged, nationwide services next month. 　Subscribers can also enjoy the ultrafast 5G wireless services on compatible smartphones such as Galaxy Note 10, according to KB Kookmin Bank. 　“We expect the convergence of

Korean telecom giant KT on Monday pledged to transform its internet TV service with the technologies of artificial intelligence and virtual reality to improve the company’s standing in the paid TV market. During its press conference held in downtown Seoul, KT announced a plan to overhaul its IPTV platform to meet the consumers’ changing needs. According to KT, the innovation plan for IPTV service consists of three components: an AI-based recommendation system, VR-assisted streaming o

South Korea’s Samsung SDI has become the first Lithium-ion battery manufacturer to meet the safety standard for fire prevention test developed by a US certification firm, the battery maker said Sunday. According to the company, Samsung SDI last month fulfilled the rack-level safety standard of UL 9540A’s fire prevention test for Energy Storage System. The evaluation system was developed by the US-based safety certification company UL. Samsung SDI stressed it had gained UL recognition

South Korean mobile carrier KT is planning to establish a high-tech rescue center on a popular trekking course in the Himalayas to ensure the safety of those trekking the mountainous region in Nepal. According to the Nepal government and KT last week, the telecom firm’s information and communications technology rescue center will be built at Machhapuchhre Base Camp. The mountain campsite is located at the midpoint of 8,091-meter Annapurna mountain.Mountain climbers and rescue workers have

 　Paradise Casino Walkerhill’s chief Park Byeong-ryong held a community event with Mongolian students living in Korea, to improve their occupational aptitude and career trajectory, the company said Thursday. 　According to the foreigner-only casino operator, its employees and 60 students from International Mongolia School gathered at vocational school KidZania in Seoul on Wednesday to participate in job-searching programs. 　The students received advice about their career paths through

　South Korea and countries in Southeast Asia are seeking to join hands in developing forests in cross-border areas throughout the region to enhance their partnership for the security and environment. 　According to the Korea Forest Service, it will adopt a joint declaration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for forestry cooperation. The document will gain approval at the two groups’ high-level meeting to be held in Seoul on Thursday. 　The declaration is expected to pave the wa

 　South Korean telecom giant KT said Wednesday it will spend 300 billion won ($256 million) on developing advanced artificial intelligence technology by 2023 to expand its high-tech business at home and overseas. 　During a press briefing at its Seoul headquarters, KT introduced a four-year investment plan on promoting its AI businesses. It also pledged to hire more than 1,000 AI experts to support the initiative. 　Using its 5G wireless network and other technological prowess, KT said it wou

　With a view to enhance the efficiency of public services, the government said Tuesday citizens will soon be able to store digital versions of their important documents, including identification cards, in smartphones for verification.　During a joint press briefing in Seoul, the Ministry of Interior and Safety and other related agencies announced extensive plans for the digital transformation. The government pledged to use advanced technology in improving its public services and social welfare pr

South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom and the country’s largest chatting app operator Kakao said Monday they will enhance business partnership by exchanging stakes with one another. According to the two companies, SKT will sell 300 billion won ($256 million) of its shares to Kakao and the internet company will issue new shares to the telecom firm. The exchange will allow SKT to secure a 2.5 percent stake in Kakao, while Kakao will obtain a 1.6 percent stake in SKT.The share

South Korean internet company Naver said Monday its advanced robot technology would be incorporated into the operation of the tech giant’s second headquarters scheduled to be built by 2021. During its developer conference Deview 2019 in Seoul, Naver’s leadership announced a specific construction plan for its new business complex. The building will be located right next to Naver’s first headquarters, Green Factory, in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.In what Naver described the world&

South Korea’s major internet company Kakao said Friday that it would prevent users from posting malicious comments on its online entertainment news articles, pledging also to overhaul its search engine functionalities to address cyberbullying.During a press conference at its headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Kakao’s co-chiefs Yeo Min-soo and Joh Su-yong said the company would suspend its online comment service for entertainment news next month. The measure came after mo

　The South Korean government decided Friday that it would not seek special treatment reserved for developing countries in future negotiations at the World Trade Organization. The decision followed allegations from US President Donald Trump that some countries were unfairly taking advantage of developing nation status. 　During a nationally televised address in the morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government would no longer seek developing nation privileges