Buddhism meets new audience

Buddhism is doing all it can to make itself more relatable and relevant. An AI chatbot that reads Buddhist scriptures and gives answers to whatever questions users enter is the latest effort by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism to reach the nonreligious. The man behind this artificial technology creation is Kim Young-chan, a 26-year-old Buddhist, who landed a job as a public relations counselor for Korea’s largest Buddhist sect in June, four months after graduating from college. “I&

CultureJuly 31, 2024

KT&G, Philip Morris team up on US filings

South Korean tobacco maker KT&G said Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Philip Morris International, the global leader in smoke-free cigarettes, to collaborate on regulatory submissions in the US prior to officially launching its products there. Focused on KT&G's heated tobacco products, this agreement demonstrates both companies’ commitment to collaborating on the premarket tobacco product application process with the US Food and Drug Administration, a

CompaniesJuly 31, 2024

Yoon advises Han to embrace political allies

President Yoon Suk Yeol told the ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon to embrace his political allies as they sat down for closed-door talks for about 1 1/2 hours Tuesday morning, the president's office said Wednesday. It was among the agenda items discussed at the highly anticipated meeting of Yoon and Han that took place in the presidential office from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. -- 30 minutes longer than initially planned. Yoon's chief of staff Chung Jin-suk was also in attendanc

PoliticsJuly 31, 2024

7 in 10 S. Korean seniors want to keep working: data

Nearly 70 percent of South Koreans aged 55 to 79 are willing to work past retirement, data showed, reflecting the ongoing financial insecurities among the country's senior population. The figure, coming from a May survey by the government’s statistics body, represents an increase of 0.9 percentage point from the previous month. Additionally, 20.7 percent of seniors actively sought employment in the past year, also up 0.9 percentage point from April. The data was released Tuesday. Resp

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2024

Global IP alliances propel Korea’s patent office to new heights

The Korean Intellectual Property Office is stepping up its international efforts to protect intellectual property rights for export enterprises. From July 9 to 11, KIPO took part in the 65th World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. There, KIPO held bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the event with ten different intellectual property bodies, including offices from Brazil, Denmark, Germany, India, Australia, the UK, France, Canada, Argentina, and the

IndustryJuly 31, 2024

Korean Intellectual Property Office chief vows bold steps to safeguard export innovations

The Korean Intellectual Property Office is accelerating global efforts to enhance intellectual property rights for Korean export companies. At the recent World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, KIPO engaged in bilateral meetings with representatives from 10 countries. KIPO Commissioner Kim Wan-ki shared the key outcomes in an interview with The Korea Herald. "We signed two IP cooperation MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with the heads of patent offices from 10 countrie

IndustryJuly 31, 2024

Hanwha Aerospace logs record profit in Q2

Hanwha Aerospace posted record operating profit of 358.8 billion won ($260 million) in the second quarter thanks to arms exports to Poland, the Korean defense firm said Wednesday. According to the company, operating profit surged by 357 percent compared to the second quarter of last year. Hanwha Aerospace logged 2.79 trillion won in revenue, up 46 percent on year. The earnings exceeded market expectations. Hanwha explained that the delivery of six units of K9 self-propelled howitzers and 18 unit

CompaniesJuly 31, 2024

[Photo News] Hyundai Group chair named honorary governor

Hyundai Group Chairperson Hyun Jeong-eun (right) has been reappointed as honorary governor of North Chungcheong Province, recognizing her contributions to the region's development. This marks Hyun’s second term in the position, following her first in 2022. This recognition highlights Hyundai Group’s engagements in the region, including the relocation of Hyundai Elevator’s headquarters to the area and corporate social responsibility activities in collaboration with the loca

CompaniesJuly 31, 2024

Rapper apparently fakes own death on Instagram

A South Korean rapper confirmed that he is alive and well, bringing to a close commotion over a rumor he had died, believed to have been orchestrated by either him or his girlfriend. Rapper Ch1tkey, whose real name is Jeong Jun-hyeok, uploaded a video on his Instagram account on Tuesday afternoon with the caption, "Nice to meet you," in Korean. It showed him posing on a rooftop, in a bathroom holding a knife and an electric saw, dancing in an elevator, walking up stairs and sitting on

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2024

TXT premieres VR concert

K-pop boy group TXT has announced its first virtual reality concert. From July 31 to Aug. 27, TXT is presenting its first VR concert, “Hyperfocus: Tomorrow X Together VR Concert,” at Megabox Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This VR concert will feature prefilmed performances of hit songs such as “Sugar Rush Ride” and “Deja Vu,” and run for approximately 60 minutes. For the virtual concert experience, the audience will wear VR headsets, immersing themselves in perfor

PerformanceJuly 31, 2024

LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI get closer to 46-series battery mass-production

LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are nearing mass production of the 46-series cylindrical battery, which is anticipated to be the next generation in battery technology. Samsung SDI is accelerating its timeline, aiming to start mass production of the 46-series cylindrical batteries in early 2025, over a year ahead of the initial schedule. The company has already set up a production line at its plant in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, and is rolling out prototypes for major clients, includi

IndustryJuly 31, 2024

Seoul mayor suggests revival of urban diplomacy with Beijing, Tokyo

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met his Beijing counterpart Mayor Yin Yong in the Chinese capital on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral economic and cultural cooperation between the two megacities, his office said Wednesday. In the mayoral meeting held for the first time in six years, Oh addressed the need to revive the trilateral partnership among Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo, stressing the importance of urban diplomacy to discuss the challenges and opportunities of metropolitan cities at a sub

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2024

Military exemption, irresistible perk for young Korean male Olympians

The South Korean duo of Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon took the bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, ending the country's 12-year Olympic table tennis medal drought. The win over Hong Kong not only extended the medal streak for the Koreans but also had a personal significance for 27-year-old Lim, who will now be exempted from his mandatory military service that was to commence next month. "I tried to think of it (bronze medal match) as

More SportsJuly 31, 2024

APQA uses video abstract to globally promote research

The state-run Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has begun a video abstract service to promote its research output, with top articles already promoted via the new service. According to the agency, an affiliate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the APQA library has also made a section for the video abstract on its website. It expects that the research output of APQA will spread to research institutes in other countries, opening doors for more research collaboration opportu

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2024

Ex-Gyeonggi governor named new labor minister, but faces opposition

President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Kim Moon-soo, a seasoned conservative politician and a former labor activist who recently served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, as the new labor minister on Wednesday. Kim, who is currently a chair of the presidential advisory body the Economic, Social and Labor Council, will succeed Lee Jung-sik once he gets Yoon's final approval after going through a parliamentary hearing. Yoon is likely to push for appointing the former Gyeonggi governor without t

PoliticsJuly 31, 2024

WFP extends gratitude for Korean government’s rice support

The United Nations World Food Program expressed its appreciation to the Korean government for its rice support amid the global food crisis during a meeting between WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain and Korean Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung in Seoul on Tuesday. McCain conveyed her gratitude to the Korean government and its citizens for doubling the provision of rice aid in 2024 amid a worsening global food crisis caused by conflicts, diseases, and climate change. "I am deeply thankful

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2024

[Photo News] The two Koreas in the Olympics

South Korean table tennis player Lim Jong-hoon (2nd from left) briefly shakes hands with North Korean player Ri Jong-sik during the awarding ceremony for the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. In the games, where a female and a male player form a team, Lim (27) and Shin Yu-bin (20) captured bronze medals, and the North Korean team, which consisted of Ri (24) and Kim Kum-yong (23), won silver medals. There had been some concerns over the South and North Koreans i

More SportsJuly 31, 2024

[KH Explains] How Balaan bucks luxury slowdown

Korean luxury fashion platform Balaan is getting fresh attention from investors, bucking the trend among global rivals reeling from sluggish sales and lukewarm investor appetite. According to industry sources on Wednesday, Balaan has been in talks with multiple investors in its Series D funding round. Among the investors are Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group and fashion platform operators, including China’s Poison and Japan’s Zozotown. They are said to be eyeing investments in the Kor

IndustryJuly 31, 2024

[Korea Quiz] Gold medal sport

Find the answer at the bottom. South Korea consistently dominates the sport of archery at the Summer Olympics in a way that not many other countries have, particularly the women's team competition. Ever since the introduction of the women's archery team event at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Korea's female archers have never failed to win gold, including at the ongoing Paris Games. Korea's male archers are also among the world’s finest, both in team and individual c

Hashtag KoreaJuly 31, 2024

Appellate court dismisses compensation collection bid by victims of Japan's sexual enslavement

An attempt by victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery to collect court-ordered compensation from the Japanese government has fallen through as Tokyo refused to submit a list of its assets in South Korea. The case involves several Korean victims of Japan's sexual enslavement during World War II, who won a damages suit against the Japanese government in early 2021, securing a claim of 100 million won ($72,364) in compensation per person. However, Japan refused to pay the ordered compen

Foreign AffairsJuly 31, 2024