SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — In a striking response to rising emotional isolation, Seoul’s “Hello Loneliness 120” helpline has received over 15,000 calls since its launch in April, far surpassing its annual goal by more than fivefold, according to the Seoul Welfare Foundation’s Isolation Prevention Center on Monday. Launched as South Korea’s first loneliness [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – As South Korea grapples with relentless summer heat, an unlikely battleground has emerged: the thermostat. In office buildings and on subways, debates over air-conditioning settings have intensified, exposing a deep divide in how people experience temperature — and how they express it. Commuters trade complaints online, with some lamenting [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – A government policy aimed at reducing smoking through tobacco tax increases appears to have only short-term impact, with a recent study revealing that the sales drop triggered by higher prices typically vanishes within four months. According to a new report released Monday by the Korea Institute for Health and [...]
DAEJEON, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – A South Korean research team has developed a novel AI-powered image sensor inspired by the human brain’s neural architecture, capable of recognizing visual information under extreme lighting conditions without the need for retraining or additional data correction. According to the National Research Foundation of Korea, the joint research team, led [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Korean workers are now using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the job, potentially contributing to a significant uptick in national productivity, according to a new report released by the Bank of Korea on Monday. The report, titled “Rapid Expansion of AI and Its [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — As Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo grabs global headlines with a 7 billion won diamond engagement ring, South Korea is witnessing its own wave of extravagant marriage proposals. Social media is awash with images of luxury handbags, five-star hotel suites, and designer jewelry, reflecting a growing trend of high-end courtship [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The founding family of Hyundai Motor Group has been selected by the U.S. publication Automotive News as a recipient of its Centennial Award for its contribution to the advancement of the global auto industry, according to the group Monday. Late founder Chung Ju-yung, Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo and Euisun [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The head of SK hynix Inc., South Korea’s No. 2 chipmaker, said Monday that SK Group’s bold investments and vision have enabled the company to take a leading role in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market. Kwak Noh-jung, the chief executive officer of SK hynix, made the remarks during [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major business groups on Monday called for the parliament to reflect local companies’ voices in the controversial “yellow envelope bill,” which seeks to broaden workers’ rights. “The business community has continuously emphasized the need for sufficient coordination between employers and workers, as the new bill could create [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major petrochemical companies are grappling with a deepening industry downturn, as key players reported average plant utilization rates falling below break-even thresholds during the first half of 2025, according to corporate filings reviewed on August 17. The average operating rates at leading firms—including Lotte Chemical, LG Chem, [...]