LG Uplus, one of Korea’s major telecommunications carriers, said Thursday that two of its research papers on making mobile artificial intelligence (AI) run faster while consuming less smartphone battery have been accepted at NeurIPS 2026, the world’s premier AI research conference. The papers were selected for the conference’s On-Device Intelligence workshop, which focuses on AI that runs directly on phones rather than on remote servers, according to the Korean mobile carrier. NeurIPS, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, is considered one of the top three AI conferences along with ICML and ICLR. This year’s event will be held in Sydney from Dec. 6 to 12. The research centers on token optimization. Tokens are the units of data AI models use to understand questions and generate answers. Processing them more efficiently speeds up responses and cuts power use. LG Uplus developed a small language model for its call services and optimized it for smartphones with limited memory and power. The model ran about 4.5 times faster and used about 77 percent less battery th

SK Bioscience will join global partners in a U.S. government-funded project to develop and produce a vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Korean vaccine maker said Thursday. The project, carried out with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), a global nonprofit biomedical research organization, and Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories, will receive up to 130.9 billion won ($99 million) from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). BARDA is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Initial funding of $36 million has been confirmed. The money will go toward clinical and regulatory work, including a Phase 1 trial, which tests a vaccine’s safety in a small group of people, as well as outbreak-response vaccine production and supply. Development of an upgraded vaccine based on variant strains is also planned. The Congo outbreak has reached 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths as of Sunday, making it the s

Ananti has opened a new clubhouse at Ananti Jeju, integrating "gotjawal," Jeju Island’s distinctive forest ecosystem shaped by volcanic terrain, into a contemporary architectural setting. Opened on July 22, the clubhouse combines the island’s natural landscape with architecture, golf and dining, offering guests a place to unwind while experiencing Jeju’s unique environment. Located in Gujwa-eup in northeastern Jeju, Ananti Jeju sits in an evergreen forest area about 80 to 130 meters above sea level. Despite its proximity to the coast, the property is surrounded by the dense woodland characteristic of gotjawal. Rather than treating the forest as a scenic backdrop, Ananti has incorporated the natural surroundings into the clubhouse’s design. The building connects the island’s sky, water, land and woodland with its golf courses, creating a seamless transition between architecture and nature. Golf remains central to the property, which features 36 holes across two courses: the 18-hole Halla Course and the 18-hole Kimnyeong Course. Dense woodland lines the fairways, while distinct l

Korea's antitrust watchdog said Thursday it will impose a 630 million-won ($469,000) fine on Celltrion Inc., a biotechnology firm, for unfairly canceling orders and failing to provide a subcontractor with required documents on time. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said it will also issue a corrective order against the company over violations related to COVID-19 test kits with a local subcontractor. Of the total fine, 590 million won will be imposed for unfair order cancellations and 40 million won for failing to meet documentation requirements. According to the FTC, Celltrion placed seven orders for COVID-19 test kits between September 2021 and January 2022. The company failed to issue legally required documents when changing the types of products in two orders and delayed issuing documents for another. In one case, Celltrion changed some of the point-of-care (POC) test kits for medical professionals to over-the-counter (OTC) kits for general consumers before switching some of those kits back to POC products. The FTC said the Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act requires prime contracto

Gaon Cable, a Korean power cable maker, said Thursday it has secured a 120 billion-won ($90 million) cable supply deal with a U.S. cloud company. LS Cable USA (LSCUS), Gaon Cable's U.S. manufacturing subsidiary, will supply a medium-voltage power distribution cable system to the customer by the first half of next year, the company said in a press release. The company did not disclose the customer's identity. "The order will support Gaon Cable's efforts to expand its presence in the North American artificial intelligence data center (AIDC) power infrastructure market," a company official said, adding that it plans to expand production and broaden its customer base. Gaon Cable is 81.62 percent owned by LS Cable & System, Korea's leading wire and cable manufacturer.

Renault Korea is combining French design sensibilities with Korean consumers’ practical needs, blending distinctive driving pleasure with spacious interiors, quiet cabins and advanced convenience features. The approach reflects Renault's philosophy of “voitures a vivre,” or cars for living, which views vehicles as spaces where drivers and passengers spend part of their daily lives, rather than simply as means of transportation. Under this concept, exterior styling is only one part of the design process, alongside interior usability, passenger comfort and intuitive technology. Alexandre Malval, Renault's vice president of design, has outlined four core design values: Designed to be Loved, Crafted Space, Electrified by Passion and People-first Tech. The principles emphasize creating vehicles that appeal emotionally while improving the everyday experiences of those inside them, according to Renault Group. Korean consumer preferences play a key role in translating these principles into products. Demand for generous rear-seat space, passenger comfort, multimedia functions and convenient

Samsung SDI returned to operating profitability in the third quarter of 2026, driven by strong demand for energy storage system (ESS) batteries and growing sales of small batteries for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The battery maker reported Thursday an operating profit of 407.8 billion won ($285 million) for the July-September period, compared with an operating loss of 591.3 billion won a year earlier. The figure nearly doubled from 203.8 billion won in the previous quarter, marking its highest quarterly operating profit since the third quarter of 2023, when it recorded 496 billion won. Revenue rose 52.6 percent year-on-year to 4.69 trillion won, up from 3.07 trillion won a year earlier and 20.9 percent from the previous quarter. The battery business generated 4.41 trillion won in revenue, up 55.3 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit reached 361.9 billion won. Strong ESS and battery backup unit (BBU) sales amid the expansion of the global AI data center market, along with increased sales of cylindrical batteries for power tools and electric vehicles (EVs), d

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has asked prosecutors to exercise leniency for two former Coupang workers accused of leaking company data to divulge allegations that the company maintained a blacklist of people banned from rehiring, officials said Thursday. The two first raised the allegations in 2024, saying Coupang's logistics arm, Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), created a blacklist of more than 16,000 individuals deemed persona non grata. One of the two whistleblowers had worked for CFS' human resources team. The company struck back, saying the information is legitimate HR data, and filed criminal complaints accusing the two of leaking company information without authorization. As public outrage grew over the company's practices, the Coupang subsidiary apologized and dropped the complaints against the two. Still, however, the police investigation continued and the two were ultimately indicted because violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection is an offense that can be prosecuted regardless of

Transactions of repurchase agreement (RP) loans among financial institutions grew more than 3 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, data showed Thursday. The combined turnover of RP loans extended by local institutions and brokerages reached 12,862 trillion won ($9.62 trillion) as of end-September, up 3.16 percent from a year ago, according to data from the Korea Securities Depository. An RP allows a borrower to use a security as collateral for a cash loan at a fixed interest rate and buy it back from the lender at a set price at a later date. The outstanding value of RP transactions stood at 271.2 trillion won as of end-September, up 8.13 percent from a year earlier, according to the data.

Korea will ease export restrictions currently imposed on diesel starting in November on condition that domestic supply remains stable, the industry ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said the government will allow diesel exports of up to 110 percent of the volume recorded in the same month a year earlier, up from the current cap of 100 percent. The higher cap will apply only when oil refiners fulfill their domestic supply obligations and maintain adequate inventories, the ministry added. Korea adopted export restrictions on fuel products when it implemented the oil price cap system in March to maintain stable domestic supply. Local oil refiners have recently called for such restrictions to be eased. The industry ministry said crude supplies remain stable, citing crude import volumes for October and November equivalent to at least 100 percent of last year's monthly average. "With tensions in the Middle East lingering, the government will closely monitor the supply of petroleum products and immediately reinstate the previous cap should further supply conce