Hyundai appointed Dr. Jaiwon Shin as head of its new UAM division. Most recently, Shin led NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. At Hyundai, Shin and his team will be tasked with developing the core technologies behind the company’s flying vehicles. Shin’s experience working on the supersonic X-plane, electric aircraft, unmanned aircraft system could give Hyundai an edge over its competition. -Engadget ..read more

South Korea passport holders now are able to clear immigration faster when they arrive in Singapore.  South Korean visitors aged six and above who have visited Singapore at least twice in the past two years can apply to use the automated clearance facilities at Singapore checkpoints.  Their passports must also have more than six months’ validity.  The Frequent Traveller Programme allows eligible travellers to clear immigration via automated clearance facilities, also known as the enhanced immigration automated clearance system or eIACS. Enrolment is voluntary and free. Those intere ..read more

American ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s launched in Korea with the opening of a pop-up store in Hongdae, western Seoul, on Thursday. The ice cream brand, known for its use of natural ingredients, opened its fifth Ben & Jerry’s House in Asia here, following branches in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has actually already been sold at convenience store chain GS25 since August, but the pop-up store in Hongdae marks the start of the brand’s formal expansion here. Ben & Jerry’s said it originally planned to debut in Korea in October but deci ..read more

Behold, you will be able to watch one of the world-renowned musicals, The Phantom of the Opera. The musical is planned to land in Korea in December. The South Korean leg of the world tour will kick off at Dream Theater in Busan, with its first performance in December. It will then move to Blue Square in Seoul, with its last show in Korea at Kyeimyung Art Center in Daegu. The cast and the schedule for the performance has not been confirmed. It is estimated that the musical is seen by around 145 million people in over 172 cities in 37 countries. It is the longest running show of all ..read more

The human desire to travel in good company, eat good food and observe celebrities has existed since the beginning of time. Following the boom and rise of culinary tourism and entertainment shows in Korea that meet all these demands, there has been, for some time now, increased competition between major broadcasting companies that produce a large number of infotainment (:a buzzword for content that delivers both information and entertainment) shows combining travel, cuisine and cultural discovery. Three ongoing shows were selected for review based on how contemporary they are, the season or the ..read more

South Korea is projected to surpass Japan in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power, stated by International Monetary Fund (IMF) Korea’s GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) rates is expected to rise from $37,542 this year to $41,362 by 2023, moving up two notches to 30th out of 193 countries, according to the IMF World Economic Outlook database.  During the same period, Japan’s GDP per capita is estimated to expand from $39,795 to $41,253. It would maintain its ranking at 31st but fall behind Korea in PPP terms for the first time since the ..read more

South Korea said Thursday it will set up the world’s first 5G-based autonomous car driving test bed in the capital city as it strives to take the lead in future mobility technology. The Sangam test bed in western Seoul, to officially open Saturday, will have all the necessary infrastructure, such as a recharging station for electric vehicles (EVs), 3-D detailed maps of the road and a “future mobility center” that will act as the overall control tower, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. The test bed, to be fully opened to the public and be operated 24 hours a day, will be ..read more

Saudi Arabia`s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is expected to stop by Seoul to meet with the Korean government and business leaders on his way to the Group of 20 Summit next week in Osaka, Japan. MBS, nicknamed as “Mr. Everything,” is one of the most influential figures of Saudi Arabia, making major decisions on state matters on behalf of his aged father King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Prior to attending the G20 summit that is due to be held in Osaka, Japan on June 28-29, MBS reportedly will be meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on June 26. According to diplomatic source ..read more

Free Wi-Fi services will be available on 4,200 public city buses nationwide. n an effort to improve information accessibility and reduce telecommunication costs, the ministry will provide 100 gigabytes of data per bus every month for public use. Buses with Wi-Fi services will have a ministry-issued sticker attached for easy recognition. Free WiFi zones will be set up on some 4,200 buses — one-eighth of all buses across the country — starting in September in the first phase of the project, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. President Moon Jae-in has announced that it will add more fr ..read more