SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – In a tech-savvy approach to curbing public smoking, Seoul’s Seocho District is launching an innovative QR code-based service on September 9 to help residents and visitors locate designated smoking and non-smoking areas. The service, which expands on a pilot program initiated last year, allows users to scan QR codes on [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday the government will temporarily raise health insurance payments to hospitals for the upcoming Chuseok holiday to better reward their services and to prevent disruptions in emergency medical care. During a Cabinet meeting, Yoon addressed concerns over possible disruptions to the medical system during [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The financial regulator on Monday announced plans to revise related laws to require payment gateway (PG) service providers to maintain sufficient funds to settle all payments. The move follows massive payment delays by two e-commerce platforms — TMON and WeMakePrice — due to a liquidity crisis caused by their [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The transport ministry said Monday it plans to issue a legislative notice for new government regulations regarding electric vehicle (EV) safety announced last week in response to public concerns over EV fires. The ministry said the legislative notice for amendments to the enforcement regulations of the Automobile Management Act [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – With the European Union preparing to enforce stricter eco-friendly labeling guidelines starting next September, a recent survey has revealed that South Korean companies are significantly underprepared for the global crackdown on “greenwashing.” Greenwashing, a portmanteau of “green” and “whitewashing,” refers to the deceptive practice of marketing products or corporate activities [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – The government said Friday it will conduct prior safety checks on electric vehicle (EV) batteries and require EV makers to disclose their battery brands to address public concerns about spontaneous fires in EVs. The plan was finalized during a government meeting led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as part [...]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) –The United States said Thursday that it is seeking new export controls on quantum computing, advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other technologies, in what it called a national security measure that observers said would have limited ramifications on South Korean firms. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security released [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on September 4 that it will implement a new administrative telephone service improvement plan aimed at enhancing citizen convenience and protecting government employees. Under the new system, when Seoul city officials make calls to citizens’ Android smartphones, the caller ID will display not only the [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The government proposed raising the pension contribution rate to 13 percent from 9 percent and differentiating the pace of raising the contribution rate by age group, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said, in what would be the biggest overhaul of the ailing pension system in 21 years. Details of the [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) –The government on Tuesday designated Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1 as a temporary holiday this year to boost troop morale and domestic consumption. A motion to designate the holiday was passed during a Cabinet meeting and signed off by President Yoon Suk Yeol later in the day. The [...]