Going on 10 years, the municipal government of Seoul has been collecting used furniture from luxury hotels and donating it to low-income earners and homeless city residents.
Over that time, partnerships with 14 different luxury hotels in the Seoul metropolitan area have seen 120,000 used furniture items distributed to low-income housing, homeless facilities, and other shelter initiatives.
This year, the program has recruited an additional 10 hotel partners, which along with boosting the amount of furniture collections, will also maintain an employment opportunity pipeline to those who are out of work and in danger of living on the streets.
“We express our respect and gratitude to the 24 hotels that have helped create a better Seoul through sincere support beyond corporate social responsibility,” a Seoul government official said.
“Sponsored goods from the refurbishment process of luxury hotels will be provided to families with little household goods, which will play a major role in enhancing the self-esteem and satisfaction of low-income citizens.”
There’s something to be said for the value of not only supporting the bottom line of a low-income earner, but also their “self-esteem.” The sight of well-made pieces of stained wood, brushed zinc, or polished marble, may offer an intangible benefit to someone with the stresses of living near the poverty line that direct financial support may not.Once collected, the furniture pieces are held by the city government before being distributed to various locations upon request. 14 Luxury Hotels Are Donating Outdated Furniture to Low-Income Families in Need
Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience is a six-part reality show following five British trainees over 100 days as they debut as a Korean-pop (K-pop) idol boy group called Dear Alice. In collaboration with SM Entertainment, a K-pop powerhouse, the show will introduce the behind-the-scenes of making a K-pop idol through an immersive training system.
Showing a glimpse of the lives of K-pop trainees, the first episode introduces K-pop as a multi-billion global phenomenon, stating: “Six of the top 20 best-selling artists in the world were K-pop and 90 billion streams were by K-pop idols.”
K-pop is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Girl group Aespa and boy group BTS have sold out shows in the country’s largest arenas.
In 2023, the group Blackpink became the first Korean band to headline a UK festival at BST Hyde Park, where they played to an audience of 65,000. They were also awarded honorary MBEs by the king for their role in encouraging young people to engage with the global UN climate change conference at COP26 in Glasgow 2021.
There is certainly an appetite for shows about K-pop for western audiences. Netflix have released their own version of Made in Korea, Pop Star Academy: Katseye.
The docuseries follows 20 girls from Japan, South Korea, Australia and the UK going through a year of K-pop training to become the group Kasteye. It’s a collaboration between the K-pop label Hybe and US label Geffen (a subsidiary of Universal).
Generally speaking, K-pop is characterised by catchy and lively melodies and highly choreographed dance routines in perfect unison and fancy outfits. Inspired by various pop music genres – including but not limited to electronic dance, hip hop, and R&B – the genre became distinctive from the nation’s traditional music, especially after a handful of pioneers began producing idol groups in the 1990s.
I’m South Korean and I’m studying cultural industries, so it’s interesting for me to see westernerss becoming K-pop-inspired idol groups. It’s a famously competitive industry, which is already oversaturated with hopeful K-idols. Considering that the domestic market is small and highly saturated, their success will be a breakthrough for SM Entertainment and HYBE, as well as other K-pop companies, proving whether they can continue to grow beyond east Asia.
The production and delivery of this popular music genre have become more international than ever in recent years, with hundreds of choreographers, composers and producers worldwide contribute to creating K-pop songs and performances. In contrast, K-pop performers have until recently been predominantly Korean. But as the new shows demonstrate, this too is changing.
K-pop companies have hosted auditions outside the country to recruit foreign trainees to make their idols appeal to global audiences. Huge global music corporations like Sony, Universal Music Group and Virgin Records have also got in on the game, signing distribution contracts with major K-pop idols to promote their music in foreign markets.
This search isn’t because there is a lack of willing hopefuls in Korea. There were around an estimated 800 trainees waiting to debut in 2022. But Korea’s population is only around 50 million and record companies want to appeal beyond the domestic market, so they are hoping recruiting non-Korean stars will help do that.
Music agencies in the west tend to find new artists who are already gifted and then largely serve as intermediaries arranging things like tours, marketing and artists’ wider schedules. However, major K-pop companies have developed a unique system of finding and launching new artists. This involves hosting auditions with a competition of at least 1,000 to 1 odds. The winners then undergo years of of acting, vocal, and dance training before debuting.
To make the vocals flawless and the dance moves precise, trainees, known as yeonseupsaeng (연습생), are expected to spend up to 17 hours per day practising performances and training for several years – although they aren’t guaranteed to become professional artists. Even if they do become successful, their private lives – including their dating lives – are strictly controlled.
It is no exaggeration to say that the industry is labour-intensive as well as capital-intensive, built on the blood, sweat and tears of yeonseupsaeng.
The first episode of Made in Korea ends with SM’s director Hee Jun Yoon’s critique of the Britons’ first performance. It’s difficult viewing for those unfamiliar with the harsh world of K-pop. To borrow the words of BBC’s unscripted content head, Kate Phillips, it makes “Simon Cowell look like Mary Poppins.”
Some might question the prefix “K-” being used to describe these international groups but the genre will remain decidedly Korean. It is Korean companies which will lead the production mechanisms and the domestic market will continue to serve as the testbed for new artists. But the success of Dear Alice and Katseye is important if the genre is to survive and continue to grow beyond Korea.
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South Korea will conduct offensive cyber defence operations to protect critical national infrastructure from hacking attacks and counter disinformation. The National Security Council (NSC) unveiled the National Cybersecurity Basic Plan jointly drawn up with 14 government agencies, including the spy agency and police, as well as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, and Science and ICT, following the announcement of the cybersecurity strategy in February this year.
The NSC adviser Shin Won-Sik said the plan could help better defend cyberspace against hostile forces using the latest technologies, such as deep fakes.
The latest plan sets up 100 action tasks meant to expand on the National Cybersecurity Strategy announced at the beginning of February. Not all of the action tasks have been made public.
Arch Mist wins contest to revitalize the Jamsu Bridge in Seoul for pedestrians
The metropolitan government of Seoul, South Korea, has just concluded a contest to redesign the lower deck of a famous city bridge, awarding first prize to a Dutch firm that wants to turn it into an art gallery and cultural space.
Firm Arch Mist provided the most “innovative” proposal for remodeling the semi-submersible Jamsu pedestrian bridge over the Han River, with their vision of fushia metal ribbons winding between the piles of the bridge structure.
The design will offer multiple balconies and decks for the hosting of art displays and cultural events without impeding pedestrian flow.
The bridge is already a famous sight in the city—with the upper deck, called the Banpo Bridge, holding the Guinness World Record for being the longest “fountain bridge.”
It has 38 water pumps and 380 nozzles installed. It also has speakers, lights, and projectors that make it a marvel to see at night.
Arch Mist’s 8,650m2 project will transform the 795 meter-long Jamsu Bridge into the ‘longest art gallery’ that will benefit from the shade and rain cover of the Banpo Bridge above.
“We have put lots of efforts into this project, since the beginning of this competition, and we are determined to see through to the end in order to create a ‘bridge of culture’ that citizens can enjoy,” said Chang-Soo Lim, Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Future Space Planning Officer. “It will also be the first pedestrian bridge and the first waterfront cultural space over the Han River.”
Arch Mist at night
Built in 1979, the Jamsu Bridge occasionally floods, but for decades it has also hosted events including food trucks and shows, weather permitting.
Seoul, (IANS) South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday said its project to develop a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications system has passed a preliminary feasibility study and will officially begin next year.
The science ministry said that the 320 billion won ($234.3 million) LEO project, also known as South Korea's Starlink, aims to launch two LEO satellites based on the sixth-generation (6G) communications network technology by 2030, Yonhap news agency reported.
The ministry also plans to create a demonstration LEO satellite communications system network to support South Korean companies to independently develop core technologies for the system, such as satellite tracking, handover and link, and help them expand their global business.
As the project has passed the government's preliminary feasibility study, the ministry said it is allowed to allocate its budget from next year and start the project.
An LEO satellite, placed in an orbit 300 to 1,500 km in altitude, can provide high-speed communications with short latency thanks to its close distance to Earth compared with geostationary orbit satellites.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a global mobile telecommunication standards organisation, is also working to standardize the LEO satellite communications technologies as they have gained the spotlight as a non-terrestrial network, which can cover even remote areas without geographical limits.
Many global tech firms, including the US SpaceX and Amazon, have launched LEO satellite services in a bid to secure an early dominance of this highly advanced market.
SpaceX's Starlink, for instance, uses a swarm of LEO satellites to create a global broadband network.
The science ministry urged Korean companies to prepare to enter the 6G-based LEO satellite communications market considering the market is expected to begin booming in the 2030s after the 6G standardization is completed by 2029."We wish to give a fresh boost to the country's digital and space economy by bolstering our competitiveness in the satellite communications industry," Ryu Je-myung, head of the network policy department at the science ministry, said. S. Korea to develop LEO satellite communications system by 2030 | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com
Seoul, May 23 (IANS) South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday said its project to develop a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications system has passed a preliminary feasibility study and will officially begin next year.
The science ministry said that the 320 billion won ($234.3 million) LEO project, also known as South Korea's Starlink, aims to launch two LEO satellites based on the sixth-generation (6G) communications network technology by 2030, Yonhap news agency reported.
The ministry also plans to create a demonstration LEO satellite communications system network to support South Korean companies to independently develop core technologies for the system, such as satellite tracking, handover and link, and help them expand their global business.
As the project has passed the government's preliminary feasibility study, the ministry said it is allowed to allocate its budget from next year and start the project.
An LEO satellite, placed in an orbit 300 to 1,500 km in altitude, can provide high-speed communications with short latency thanks to its close distance to Earth compared with geostationary orbit satellites.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a global mobile telecommunication standards organisation, is also working to standardize the LEO satellite communications technologies as they have gained the spotlight as a non-terrestrial network, which can cover even remote areas without geographical limits.
Many global tech firms, including the US SpaceX and Amazon, have launched LEO satellite services in a bid to secure an early dominance of this highly advanced market.
SpaceX's Starlink, for instance, uses a swarm of LEO satellites to create a global broadband network.
The science ministry urged Korean companies to prepare to enter the 6G-based LEO satellite communications market considering the market is expected to begin booming in the 2030s after the 6G standardization is completed by 2029."We wish to give a fresh boost to the country's digital and space economy by bolstering our competitiveness in the satellite communications industry," Ryu Je-myung, head of the network policy department at the science ministry, said. S. Korea to develop LEO satellite communications system by 2030 | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com
Seoul, May 6 (IANS) South Korea's economically active population is anticipated to plunge by nearly 10 million by 2044 amid the country's critically low births, data showed on Monday.
According to a report from the Korean Peninsula Population Institute for the Future, the number of people aged 15 to 64, which stood at 36.57 million in 2023, is projected to decrease to 27.17 million in 2044, Yonhap news agency reported.
The report also showed the number of elementary school freshmen, which came to 4,30,000 last year, is set to nearly halve to 2,20,000 in 2033.
The number of deaths is expected to reach 7,46,000 in 2060, compared with births estimated at just 1,56,000, leading to a natural population decline of 5,90,000.
Accordingly, South Korea's total population, estimated at 51.71 million in 2023, was forecast to drop to 39.69 million by 2065.
"The decline in the economically active population will damage consumption, leading to the collapse of the domestic market. It will also increase the burden of supporting the senior population, leading to an economic slowdown and prolonged low growth," the institute said.
South Korea has been grappling with a chronically low birth rate, with the total fertility rate, the average number of children expected to be born per woman over her lifetime, reaching a record low of 0.72 in 2023.
Unit 1 of Turkey's Akkuyuy plant is due to start up later this year (Image: Akkuyu NPP)
Global nuclear power generation is forecast to grow by almost 3% annually on average through to 2026, reaching a new record high by 2025, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). More than half of new reactors expected to become operational during the outlook period are in China and India.
According to the IEA's Electricity 2024, which provides forecasts for electricity demand, supply and CO2 emissions up to 2026, global electricity demand is expected to grow at a faster rate over the next three years as the clean energy transition gathers speed, with all the additional demand forecast to be covered by technologies that produce low-emissions electricity.
While global growth in electricity demand eased slightly to 2.2% in 2023 due to falling electricity consumption in advanced economies, it is projected to accelerate to an average of 3.4% from 2024 through to 2026. About 85% of the increase in the world's electricity demand through to 2026 is expected to come from outside advanced economies - most notably China, India and countries in Southeast Asia.
However, record-setting electricity generation from low-emission sources - including nuclear power - should reduce the role of fossil fuels in providing power for homes and businesses. Low-emission sources are expected to account for almost half of the world's electricity generation by 2026, up from a share of 39% in 2023.
By 2025, nuclear power generation is forecast to reach an all-time high globally - exceeding the previous record set in 2021 - as output from France climbs, several plants in Japan are restarted, and new reactors begin commercial operations in many markets, including in China, India, South Korea and Europe. The IEA expects global nuclear generation to be almost 10% higher in 2026 compared with 2023.
Between 2024 and 2026, an additional 29 GW of new nuclear capacity is expected to come online globally. Asia remains the main driver of growth in nuclear power, with the region's share of global nuclear generation forecast to reach 30% in 2026.
The IEA says the increase in electricity generation from renewables and nuclear "appears to be pushing the power sector's emissions into structural decline". Over the next three years, low-emissions generation is set to rise at twice the annual growth rate between 2018 and 2023. Global emissions from electricity generation are expected to decrease by 2.4% in 2024, followed by smaller declines in 2025 and 2026.
"The power sector currently produces more CO2 emissions than any other in the world economy, so it's encouraging that the rapid growth of renewables and a steady expansion of nuclear power are together on course to match all the increase in global electricity demand over the next three years," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "This is largely thanks to the huge momentum behind renewables, with ever cheaper solar leading the way, and support from the important comeback of nuclear power, whose generation is set to reach a historic high by 2025. While more progress is needed, and fast, these are very promising trends."
In its updated Net Zero Roadmap, released in September last year, the IEA revised upwards the role of nuclear power. In the updated net-zero emissions (NZE) scenario, nuclear generating capacity more than doubles to reach 916 GWe in 2050.
At the COP28 climate change conference that concluded in December 2023, more than 20 countries signed a joint declaration to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050. Globally, that would mean an addition of 740 GW of nuclear capacity to the current stock of 370 GW.
According to the IEA, achieving this goal will require tackling the key challenge of reducing construction and financing risks in the nuclear sector. It also notes that momentum is also growing behind small modular reactor (SMR) technology. While technology's development and deployment "remains modest and is not without its difficulties", R&D is starting to pick up, it said.Researched and written by World Nuclear News. Nuclear output to reach new record by 2025, says IEA : Energy & Environment - World Nuclear News
A US district court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Westinghouse Electric Company seeking to prevent Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and its parent company Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) from exporting the APR1400 reactor design without its permission.
Westinghouse filed the case on 21 October last year with the District Court for the District of Columbia. The suit claimed that the APR1400 design includes intellectual property licensed by Westinghouse and requires its permission before being transferred to other countries considering deploying the design.
The APR1400 is an evolutionary pressurised water reactor with its origins in the CE System 80+ design, which Westinghouse acquired in 2000. Principally designed by Korea Engineering Company, it produces 1400 MWe and has a 60-year design life. It supersedes the standardised 995 MWe OPR-1000 design, of which South Korea built 12. The APR1400 features improvements in operation, safety, maintenance and affordability based on accumulated experience as well as technological development.
In its lawsuit, Westinghouse said KHNP and KEPCO needed its support to comply with US laws restricting nuclear power technology sharing. Under these rules - known as Part 810 requirements - the US Department of Energy must approve the sharing of certain technologies with other countries. Part 810 sets out regulations governing the transfer of technology for development, production or use of nuclear reactors, equipment and materials.
In response, KHNP filed countersuits in the USA calling for Westinghouse to withdraw the case. It claimed that the US Atomic Energy Act grants authority to enforce the law exclusively to the US Attorney General and not to entities as a means of claiming rights through litigation.
In an 18 September ruling, the District Court for the District of Columbia accepted the defendants' argument and dismissed the case.
"The court holds that Westinghouse lacks a private cause of action to enforce Part 810 and therefore has failed to state a claim," the ruling read.
"Westinghouse's dispute with KEPCO/KHNP crosses multiple jurisdictions and covers two issues: compliance with US nuclear technology export control requirements; and KEPCO/KHNP's long-standing obligations to comply with Westinghouse's intellectual property rights that they agreed to contractually," said David Durham, President, Energy Systems, Westinghouse. "The use of Westinghouse intellectual property outside of Korea is the principal dispute between the parties.
"The decision by the US District Court merely holds that export control enforcement resides with the US government. Westinghouse intends to appeal the decision. The decision has no bearing on the ongoing arbitration proceeding against KEPCO/KHNP involving KEPCO/KHNP's non-allowed transfer of Westinghouse's intellectual property outside Korea. Westinghouse is committed to protecting our intellectual property and we fully expect to be successful in the arbitration on all issues."
He noted that the arbitration panel has confirmed that a final ruling is not expected until late 2025.
Under a USD20 billion deal announced in December 2009, four Korean-designed APR1400 reactors have been built at the Barakah site in the UAE by a consortium led by KEPCO. The first three of these units were connected to the grid in August 2020, September 2021 and October 2022, respectively.
On 28 October 2022, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Westinghouse had been selected for the first part of the country's six-reactor plan to build up to 9 GWe of capacity by 2040.
On 31 October last year, Poland's Ministry of State Assets, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, ZE PAK, PGE and KHNP signed a letter of intent to develop plans for a nuclear power plant consisting of at least two Korean-supplied APR1400 reactors in Pątnów. Researched and written by World Nuclear News. US court dismisses Westinghouse case against Korea : Corporate - World Nuclear New
Past Lives is Celine Song’s debut film about Nora and Hae Sung who were deeply connected in childhood. The film focuses on them reuniting as adults after a long separation.
The film introduces global audiences to the Korean Buddhist concept of In-Yun – the connection, fate or destiny of two people. Past Lives takes this millennia-old philosophical idea of human relationships and transposes it into the digital age through the young Korean diaspora.
Audiences meet Nora and Hae Sung when they are 12-year-olds in Korea. They are sweetly obsessed with each other in the way children of that age can be. Just as their young love is blossoming, however, Nora emigrates with her family to Canada. They reunite 22 years later when Hae Sung visits Nora in New York, where she now lives with her American husband.
The film asks what would you do if someone from your past, especially your first love, reappeared later in your life. Would your perception of this person change? Would they still be a lover or could you be friends? What impact would it have on your current relationship? Would you always be wondering what life could have been like?
These questions take on double meanings when considered from a diaspora perspective. Nora’s first love, Hae Sung, is Korean but by the time the pair meet she has lost some of her connection to that side of herself. She has let her Korean name, Na-Young, totally go, she only speaks Korean with her mother and she talks about Korean culture from a distanced perspective. She is Korean but Hae Sung is Korean, Nora explains to her American husband in one particularly funny scene.
Their In-Yun (reunion) and the questions it brings up are as much about love as they are about identity and Nora’s connection, or disconnection, to parts of herself and her past.
Past Lives, then, is not about Korean culture in its entirety but about the Korean diaspora, here represented by an author and playwright who may well see herself as an American woman. In this way, it is a staunchly Korean-American film.
Korean masculinity through a woman’s eyes
Korean film is becoming increasingly transnational today and there is a growing body of work by the Korean diaspora. Past Lives joins films such as the award-winning Minari, which is about a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in search of its American dream.
Past Lives is notable, however, as a Korean diaspora film made by a woman. One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is its female perspective.
Like Minari, Past Lives allows viewers an insight into Korea and Korean-ness from the diaspora perspective. This is all tied up in the very Korean character of Hae Sung. Here, Celine Song has employed the rare female gaze to portray her leading man.
The camera sees him the way Nora (played by Greta Lee) does: as a small-minded Korean man of middle or lower middle-class who does not even dare to fight for her. The camera looks upon him not sexually but lovingly as it lingers over him in a sort of appreciation, highlighting his sensitivity through close ups, like how he readjusts his hair or backpack. It tends to highlight the boyish qualities he maintains because, in my eyes, Nora loved little 12-year-old Hae Sung, but adult Hae Sung is too Korean.
Hae Sung is explosively portrayed by the actor Teo Yoo, a member of the diaspora himself as German-Korean. When Nora and Hae Sung meet in New York, he speaks only the broken English of a typical young middle-class Korean engineer. Yoo does a wonderful job of communicating Hae Sung’s complex feelings through a very physical performance. His nervousness and hopefulness can be read on his face and the way he holds his whole body.
Showing emotion rather than telling
Past Lives is full of extremely long lingering shots and close-ups that highlight the emotions of its characters. Song is invested in showing how characters feel rather than telling. This is heightened by the minimal use of music, acoustics and carefully chosen dialogue by a small number of actors.
The same can be said for her establishment of place as audiences are shown long shots of the landscapes and streets of Seoul. This sort of camera work is steeped in a sense of remembrance of past lives and evokes a lost time and space in a cool, emotionally charged, nostalgic way. Again, Past Lives deftly translates emotions through visuals for audiences who might not fully understand the diaspora experience in words but might through feeling.
Such stylistic choices, in my opinion, recall slow cinema – an atmospheric form of filmmaking steeped in long takes which favours silence over long dialogue.
Past Lives is a romantic tribute to the longing of the Korean diaspora for a lost past and homeland, a captivating and sensitively constructed film that will be enjoyed by many.
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Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment has given a decision-in-principle for Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) to construct a nuclear power plant in Pomerania. It is a formal confirmation that the company's investment project is in line with the public interest and the policies pursued by the state, including energy policy.
PEJ - a special purpose vehicle 100% owned by the State Treasury - applied to the ministry on 13 April this year for a decision-in-principle. The application included a description of project characteristics, indicating the maximum total installed capacity, the planned operating period and details of the Westinghouse AP1000 technology to be used in the construction of the plant.
The ministry has now issued a decision-in-principle, enabling the investor, PEJ, to apply for a number of further administrative decisions, including a siting decision and subsequently the construction licence.
In the justification for issuing the decision-in-principle, the Minister of Climate and Environment emphasised the importance of this investment project for securing Poland's electricity needs, as well as its compliance with the Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 and the climate policy of the European Union.
"The fact that the Ministry of Climate and Environment issued the decision-in-principle for the first nuclear power plant means that the government project reached another important milestone," said Minister Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure. "Today's decision brings us closer to the moment, when the first Polish nuclear power plant will start operating and producing electricity, ensuring appropriate volume of power working in the base of the electricity system in the 2030.”
"The decision-in-principle is the first key administrative decision obtained for the nuclear project of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe," noted Łukasz Młynarkiewicz, acting President of PEJ's Management Board. "This shows that the company is step-by-step achieving objectives set for this year, which bring us closer to the commencement of the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland."
Poland currently has large-scale plans to develop nuclear energy capacity. In September 2021, it was announced that six large pressurised water reactors with a combined installed capacity of 6-9 GWe could be built by 2040 as part of the country's plan to reduce its reliance on coal. According to the adopted schedule, the construction of the first nuclear power plant will start in 2026, with the first reactor - with a capacity of 1.0-1.6 GWe - being commissioned in 2033. Subsequent units will be implemented every 2-3 years. The coastal towns of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Poland's Choczewo municipality in the province of Pomerania were named as the preferred location for the country's first large nuclear power plant.
In November 2022, the Polish government announced the first plant, with a capacity of 3750 MWe, will be built in Pomerania using AP1000 technology from the US company Westinghouse. An agreement setting a plan for the delivery of the plant was signed in May by Westinghouse, Bechtel and PEJ.
ZE PAK, Polska Grupa Energetyczna and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power have signed a letter of intent to cooperate on a nuclear power plant project in Patnow, in central Poland, assessing the viability of building South Korean APR1400 reactors on the site.
Applications have also been submitted for small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland. In April, copper and silver producer KGHM Polska Miedź SA submitted an application for a decision-in-principle on the construction of a NuScale VOYGR SMR power plant in Poland. Later that month, Orlen Synthos Green Energy applied for a decision-in-principle on the construction of power plants based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 at six locations.Researched and written by World Nuclear News Source: World Nuclear News
The Power Barges are modular and can produce from 200-800 MW of electricity (Image: SHI/Seaborg)
South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has completed the conceptual design for the CMSR Power Barge - a floating nuclear power plant based on compact molten salt reactors - and obtained the basic certification of the design from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).
In December 2020, ABS said it had completed a new technology qualification of a compact molten salt reactor (CMSR) developed by Danish company Seaborg Technologies. The concept was found to satisfy the Feasibility Stage, the first milestone in the ABS New Technology Qualification process.
In April last year, SHI and Seaborg signed a Memorandum of Understanding to manufacture and sell turnkey power plants combining SHI's ship-building expertise and Seaborg's CMSR. It also covered the development of hydrogen production plants and ammonia plants.
Seaborg's design is for modular CMSR power barges that can produce between 200 MW and 800 MW of electricity, with an operational life of 24 years. Instead of having solid fuel rods that need constant cooling, the CMSR's fuel is mixed in a liquid salt that acts as a coolant, which means that it will simply shut down and solidify in case of emergency.
ABS has now issued an Approval In Principle (AIP) to SHI for using the CMSR design in the CMSR Power Barge.
As part of the Novel Concept Class Approval process, ABS grants an AIP at an early conceptual design phase to assist the client in demonstrating project feasibility to its project partners and regulatory bodies. AIP confirms that the proposed novel concept that includes the new technology complies with the intent of the most applicable ABS Rules and Guides as well as required appropriate industry codes and standards, subject to a list of conditions.
SHI said the CMSR Power Barge can be equipped with two to eight 100 MW CMSRs in accordance with demand for power production. It describes the CMSR Power Barge as "a fusion of nuclear power and shipbuilding technology", adding that it is "a 'nuclear power plant on the sea' with steam turbine generators and transmission/distribution facilities in the floating body". The company says that compared with conventional land-based nuclear power plants, "the site selection and facility constraints are relatively less demanding, the construction period is as short as about two years, and the cost is low".
SHI plans to commercialise the CMSR Power Barge by 2028 once the detailed design of all of the plant's power generation facilities has been completed.
It noted Seaborg is actively conducting sales activities targeting developing countries that lack permanent electricity.
SHI said it expects the CMSR Power Barge to "expand demand not only as an alternative demand for existing fossil fuel power generation facilities, but also as an electricity and thermal energy source for industrial heating systems, hydrogen production, and seawater desalination facilities".
"We will complete the product that will lead the future new market through continuous technology development and commercialisation efforts for floating nuclear power plants," said Yeo Dong-il, head of offshore design at SHI.Researched and written by World Nuclear News Source: World Nuclear News
As Japan and Taiwan have serious defense threats from 🇨🇳 China, even China is country who is always looking for the land of neighbor's, China used to show its dominance to move beyond the defense boundaries of its neighbor country. Like India, Taiwan, Japan, Tibet are the examples of the same, India is nuclear power so any war of china against India is not possible, with respect to attack against Taiwan and Japan from China is very much possible as these countries are not being with nuclear power but with limited defense capabilities as compare to China. and Chinese air-force use to move unauthorized in the territory of Taiwan and Japan.
For maintaining world 🌎 defense balance its crucial, USA and NATO Countries must need to provide atomic power to Japan and Taiwan.
As well North Korea is a very unauthorized atomic power which a great threat for South Korea as well for united states 🇺🇸 of America.
For maintaining the world defense balance its must for USA and NATO to provide atomic weapons to South Korea.
All such actions need to take urgently. As all such makes defense balance in the 🌎 world and will be diminished the chances of any war, as now world is suffering from Russia and Ukraine war so USA & NATO must need to learn from the same and try to make world war free.
As world has to be nuclear weapons free and as per Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.[3] Between 1965 and 1968, the treaty was negotiated by the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament, a United Nations-sponsored organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons. NPT is important but some of nuclear powers are taking advantage of their large defence capacities and try to utilise their power in unauthorised assis in other country's land and try to capture the same, as they don't has fear of nuclear attacks from the country's of limited defence capacity and china is the biggest example of the same mean time if USA, NATO supports such victim country behalf of their military weapons supply and support of their limited soilders but they can't stop to limit the huge lose to victim country. Only the supply of nuclear weapons to such victim country can mange the balance of defence as well create fear in unauthorised attacking country and that will make the defence balance in world by supplying the nuclear weapons to victim country's. Image Source: https://pixabay.com, https://pixabay.com/service/license/
Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol Ju at a concert to mark the birthday of Kim`s late father and former leader Kim Jong-il. Photo: Collected
Ri Sol Ju, the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made her first public appearance for the first time in more than a year.
She joined her husband at a concert on Tuesday to mark the birthday of Kim's late father and former leader Kim Jong-il. The official newspaper Rodong Sinmun released photos of the pair at the event.
Ri has often accompanied Kim to major events in the past but had not been seen since January last year. Her absence stoked speculation over her health or potential pregnancy.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) had reportedly told congressmen yesterday that Ri was avoiding appearing in public due to concerns over Covid-19 and may have been spending time with her children. The NIS believes Ri and Kim have three children but little is publicly known about them.
Photos showed the couple laughing as well as a conspicuous lack of masks or social distancing measures.
North Korea has not officially reported any Covid-19 cases - though experts say this is unlikely.
According to the Rodong Sinmun, the couple entered the Mansudae Art Theatre together on Tuesday to "thunderous cheers". Photos showed the couple laughing - as well as a conspicuous lack of masks or social distancing measures.
Kim had earlier in the day also visited the Kumusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his father and grandfather lie, to lay wreaths for their anniversary, known as the Day of the Shining Star.
State media also once again referred to Kim as "President" - a departure from his usual official title, which is "Chairman". The title of president was first used by North Korea's Central News Agency last week.
Typically, the title of president in North Korea is usually reserved for the late Kim Il-sung - the state's founder and grandfather of Kim. - BBCDailyBangladesh/AN, Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
Lee Jae-yong, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, was jailed for two and a half years on Monday over a sprawling corruption scandal; Photo: Collected
Lee Jae-yong, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement and was immediately taken into custody.
The de facto chief of South Korea’s Samsung business empire was jailed for two and a half years on Monday over a sprawling corruption scandal, news agency Yonhap reported.
The Seoul High Court first jailed Lee in 2017 after convicting him for his role in a corruption scandal that toppled former president Park Guen-Hye.
The Samsung Group’s de facto leader served a year in prison but was released in February 2018 after his original five-year term was halved and suspended. However, the Supreme Court overturned that verdict and ordered a retrial in 2019.
Lee, 52, has been involved in a legal fight that started four years ago and stemmed from a controversial merger in 2015. He was accused of offering horses and other payments to a friend of the former president to win support for his formal succession at the corporation. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un said the United States is his country’s “biggest enemy”, state media reported on Saturday.
He made this remarks on Friday, less than two weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president, and after a tumultuous relationship between Kim and the outgoing Donald Trump.
“Our foreign political activities should be focused and redirected on subduing the US, our biggest enemy and main obstacle to our innovated development,” Kim said, according to state news agency KCNA.
“No matter who is in power in the US, the true nature of the US and its fundamental policies towards North Korea never change,” Kim said, pledging to expand ties with “anti-imperialist, independent forces” and calling for expanded nuclear capabilities.
North Korea would not “misuse” its nuclear weapons, Kim said but the country is expanding its nuclear arsenal, including “preemptive” and “retaliatory” strike capabilities and warheads of varying sizes.
Kim called for developing equipment including hypersonic weapons, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), spy satellites, and drones.
North Korea is preparing for the test and production of various new weapons, including a “multi-warhead rocket” and “supersonic gliding flight warheads for new type ballistic rockets,” while research on a nuclear submarine is nearly complete, he said.
There was no immediate comment from the US State Department. A spokesman for the Biden campaign declined to comment. Biden, who was vice president under President Barack Obama, called Kim a “thug” during the election campaign. In 2019 North Korea called Biden a “rabid dog” that needed to be “beaten to death with a stick.” - Reuters, AFP, Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has admitted his five-year economic development plans for the isolated country failed to achieve its goals in "almost every sector".
He was speaking at the opening of a rare congress of his ruling Workers' Party - only the eighth in its history.
It is not unusual for Kim to admit mistakes - in fact, it is quickly becoming one of his trademarks.
TV footage showed a conference hall in the capital, Pyongyang, filled with thousands of party delegates, none of them wearing masks, rising to their feet to applaud as Kim arrived.
In his speech, Kim said the five-year strategy he announced in 2016 had "immensely underachieved in almost all sectors" and mistakes had to be "boldly admitted". He called for greater self-reliance and praised party workers for combating the threat of the coronavirus.
North Korea has reported thousands of suspected infections to the World Health Organization (WHO), although it has not admitted to having any confirmed cases.
It is unclear how he will overcome one of his country's bleakest years in decades. Kim is expected to use the congress to announce a new five-year economic plan.
North Korea closed its borders last January to prevent the spread of Covid-19, despite claiming to have no cases of the virus. That has left it cut off from its neighbour and ally, China.
Trade between the two has plummeted by about 80%. Typhoons and floods have devastated homes and crops in North Korea, which remains under strict international sanctions, including over its nuclear programme. DailyBangladesh/AN, Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
South Korea recorded more deaths than births in 2020 for the first time ever, raising fresh alarm in the country which already has the world's lowest birth rate.
Only 275,800 babies were born last year, down 10% from 2019. Around 307,764 people died.
The figures prompted the interior ministry to call for "fundamental changes" to its policies.
A declining population puts immense strain on a country.
Apart from increased pressure on public spending as demand for healthcare systems and pensions rise, a declining youth population also leads to labour shortages that have a direct impact on the economy.
Last month, President Moon Jae-in launched several policies aimed at addressing the low birth rate, including cash incentives for families.
Under the scheme, from 2022, every child born will receive a cash bonus of 2 million won ($1,850; £1,350) to help cover prenatal expenses, on top of a monthly payout of 300,000 won handed out until the baby turns one. The incentive will increase to 500,000 won every month from 2025.
Largely, it's because women in South Korea struggle to achieve a balance between work and other life demands.
Hyun-yu Kim is one of them. The oldest of four, she dreamed of having a big family of her own. But faced with conditions that are not family-friendly in South Korea, she is reconsidering her plans to have children.
She recently accepted a new job and had felt anxious about taking time off for maternity leave. "People tell me that it's safer to build my career first," she told the BBC.
Soaring real estate prices are another major issue. Ms Kim points out that rapidly rising property prices also discourage young couples.
"In order to have children, you need to have your own home. But this has become an impossible dream in Korea."
She is also unconvinced by the incentives being offered by the government.
"It's expensive to raise a child. The government providing an extra couple hundred thousand won won't solve our problems."
South Korea ranks 27th globally by population and its neighbours China and Japan are also ageing rapidly. - BBC, AFPDailyBangladesh/AN, Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
According to the data of the International Federation of Robotics, within four years the units of installed industrial robots have been jumped to 113 from 74 as the pace of industrial automation is accelerating across much of the developed world.
It has been reported that there was a total of 74 installed industrial robots per 10,000 employees globally in 2016 while that increased to 113 across the manufacturing sector by 2020.
Asia now has a robot density of 118 units per 10,000 workers with pushing the Europe and Americas back for carrying the figures of 114 and 103 respectively.
South Korea leads the way in the use of robots, with 855 installed per 10,000 employees, followed by Japan (364) and Germany (346), however, China is one of the countries recording the highest growth levels in industrial automation.
Let's have a look at the 10 countries with the highest density of robot workers.
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is on a three-day visit to the Republic of Korea on Monday aimed to strengthen military ties between both the countries.
Gen Naravane will visit the Korea Combat Training Centre in Inje Country, Gangwon Province and Advance Defence Development (ADD) at Daejeon.
Earlier in the month, General Naravane made a historic visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation. It was the first visit by a head of the Indian Army to the two strategically important Gulf countries.
The visit by the Army chief was seen as a reflection of India's growing strategic ties with the two countries and to further open up new avenues for cooperation in the defence and security sphere. Source: https://southasiamonitor.org
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