The spark of the territorial dispute between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea has spread to the Korean idol group Black Pink. This is because Black Pink’s Vietnamese concert organizer defended the existence of the “Nine Dash Line” in the South China Sea, which China unilaterally claims and Vietnam opposes. A diplomatic official said, “In Korea, the host company of famous foreign singers in Korea marked the East Sea as Sea of Japan or said Dokdo as Takeshima,” adding, “It touched the most sensitive part of Vietnamese people.” Public opinion in Vietnam is raging and the government has begun an investigation. “Patriotism is more important” Fans are also angry, and if Vietnam’s social networking service (SNS) is combined, voices are growing that they will boycott the performance ahead of the first Black Pink concert in Hanoi on the 29th and 30th of this month. The beginning is an image posted on the website of iME Entertainment, the organizer of the BLACKPINK World Tour and Asia’s largest performance agency based in China.The problem was that there was a map showing nine virtual maritime border “South Sea Gudan Line” arbitrarily drawn by China to claim sovereignty over the South China Sea. China claims that the area is owned by China in the name of managing an island in the South China Sea during the Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago. According to them, 90% of the entire waters in the South China Sea will be Chinese territorial waters.These include Vietnam’s Hoangsa Islands (Chinese name Sisa Islands) and Splatley Islands (Chinese name Nansha Islands), as well as most of the Southeast Asian countries where China competes for sovereignty. The International Permanent Court of Arbitration concluded in 2016 that the Namhae District Line was groundless under international law, but China has not budged on its claim so far.Vietnam was outraged.

This is because the controversy was viewed as an “infringement of maritime sovereignty.” “If you look at BLACKPINK’s performance, it can be seen as supporting the plan to invade China,” Facebook said. It is argued that he should not go to the concert. BLACKPINK fans also turned their backs. Fans said, “BLACKPINK is good, but patriotism is more important. “I canceled my ticket reservation because I love my country,” he said, joining the boycott. Tickets for the concert were expected to be sold out for 10 minutes, but seats remain until the 9th, the second day of sales. There are also many posts on social media that say they want to resell tickets”You touch the most sensitive part of Vietnamese people”
The Vietnamese government, which is determined to deal with the issue of the Namhae-gu Danseon, has also taken a quick response. The Ministry of Culture has launched an investigation into the iME website.

Asked if the concert could be canceled, Foreign Ministry spokesman Palm Tohang declined to say, “The government is investigating the issue,” but added, “Vietnam has clarified its thoughts on the Namhae Gudan Line.” Promoting and using publications and products related to this is not allowed, he stressed.On iME Vietnam’s Facebook page, articles criticizing the posting of an image of defending the Namhae Gudan Line on the iME headquarters’ website are continuing. Given Vietnam’s precedent of suspending the broadcast of movies and dramas one after another due to the issue of the Namhae-gu Danseon, the controversy is expected to continue for the time being. The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture blocked the screening in Vietnam on the 3rd of this month because a map showing the Namhae Gudan Line was shown in the U.S. Warner Bros. film “Barbie.” In March this year, the movie “Uncharted” was also banned for the same reason, and the service of the Netflix drama “Fine Gap” was suspended in 2021.In 2019, the DreamWorks animation “About Possible” was suspended 10 days after its release due to controversy over the Namhae-gu Danseon, and Vietnam reprimanded the person in charge for poor deliberation and fined 170 million dong (about 9.37 million won) to the distributor. This is why some predict that BLACKPINK’s concert will not be easy to move on quietly. iME apologized belatedly. Brian Chow, CEO of iME, said, “We will replace the image that is not appropriate for the Vietnamese,” adding, “We respect the sovereignty and culture of all countries.” Currently, related photos have been deleted from the website.

EJ SONG

US ASIA JOURNAL

Just as a person returns to a handful of soil, a new movement in the beauty industry has been captured that allows cosmetics to return to nature. It has started to apply biodegradable plastic PLA and PHA materials to cosmetics. PLA is a plastic made from lactic acid from corn and sugarcane that is biodegradable in high temperature and humidity environments. PHA is the biodegradable plastic that has evolved one step further. It is a material that utilizes the fermentation material of microorganisms that ate canola oil, a plant-derived oil, and is also decomposed in the sea. In the case of PHA, the manufacturing process is difficult, the production speed is slow, and the price is high, so it has not yet become popular.

However, as the plastic problem becomes more serious around the world, companies such as CJ CheilJedang are focusing on developing PHA in Korea. Sooner or later, the beauty industry will be able to easily meet biodegradable plastic casesVegan products were always followed by question marks. In the case of certain colors and raw materials, color diversity was inevitably insufficient because they could only be extracted from animal ingredients, and the application was also regrettable when animal oils were excluded. However, recently, vegan brands have been trying to improve the quality of vegan makeup.

It is making vegan ingredients that replace kamine pigments or animal wax extracted from softworms, and these efforts have led to a sense of use that is comparable to non-vegan makeup products without the title of vegan. It also clearly shows what vegan makeup is, which is vegan but has a variety of color lineups and soft textures. Now I can enjoy vegan makeup not only for animals but also for me. Skin Watchers has been a cosmetics manufacturing and development company for 15 years, pursuing the most creative stability in the proportion of raw materials, rather than marketing costs, and investing raw materials rather than products, reviews, or models to cleanse, moisturize, and regenerate nutrition.
These results are expected to be exported to 40 Australian stores in some European and Asian countries. It was selected as one of the top five cosmetics in the European Elle magazine in the 2000s as a brand without marketing at all, and now it is planning marketing for the consumers public and trying to reach out to consumers

▲usualdbmark Inc.
▲ CEO : EUN-JUN SONG
▲ https://usualdbmarket.com
▲ejsong@latimeskorea.com
▲ +82-70-7768-9229

KS CHOI

ASIA JOURNAL

Pandemic and climate change are rapidly changing our lives. One of the biggest changes is that it is transforming into a society that pursues meaning and value rather than material gain.

Recently, “Meaning Out” and “Greensumer,” which are often mentioned, have become new trends, and companies are focusing their efforts on brand marketing to convey value.

Then, what is the key to this? It seems difficult to rebel against ‘ESG management’. ESG management refers to a management strategy in which a company values non-financial factors such as environment, social, and governance to secure sustainability. Amid the deepening of abnormal climate and economic polarization around the world, consensus on the importance of ESG has been growing day by day since the pandemic.

Korea Water Resources Corporation announced ESG management in March last year and is preparing for a new era.

First of all, in November last year, it declared its participation in climate crisis management and RE100 for the first time as a public company, leading the transition to a carbon-neutral society as the No. 1 renewable energy company. It is taking the lead in creating a safe Korea even in the climate crisis by promoting ecological restoration projects centered on natural recovery, protecting the people from water disasters such as floods and droughts, and building an urban model that can increase hydrophilicity. In addition, it contributes to the promotion of national water welfare through the reuse of sewage and wastewater, and practices the happiness of dividing it into water.

Efforts are also being made to achieve a fair and win-win society. Using the water usage monitoring system, it is strengthening the system for a win-win society by providing social safety net services to the vulnerable and creating funds to support the growth of promising startups in the water industry. In addition, by establishing an environmental big data platform, it is increasing the convenience of using environmental data, listening to public ideas through the public participation platform “DanBiTokTok”, and using it to develop public empathy policies and services. In addition, it is taking the lead in communication and cooperation, such as the Basin Win-Win Cooperation Committee and the Community Participation Dam Flood Management Communication Conference. All of them are ESG management strategies of the Korea Water Resources Corporation to strengthen the public-centered society and publicity. In order to internalize ESG, it is also planning to complete the plan to settle ESG management within the board of directors by the end of this year.

GRIT means ‘persistence with passion and tenacity’. It is a common feature for

successful people. However, isn’t it a necessary feature for companies now? Only companies that steadily and sincerely practice ESG management, which has emerged as a game changer in the New Normal era, will eventually survive. And we promise that the Korea Water Resources Corporation will continue to be with us on the road to leading ESG management in Korea.

Nam Deok-hyun
media promotion director of the Korea Water Resources Corporation
Director of the Korea ESG Association

Korea’s total credit card approval amount in the first quarter of 2022 increased by 11.2% from the same period last year, the report showed. This is due to the recovery of overall consumer sentiment due to expectations for a daily recovery, such as measures to ease social distancing.  According to the “Analyzing Card Approval Performance in the 1st Quarter of 2022″ released by the Credit Finance Association on April 28, the total amount of card approvals and the number of approvals in the 1st quarter of this year were 249 trillion won and 5.7 billion, respectively. This is an increase of 11.2% and 9.5%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.  The Credit Finance Association explains that consumption recovery has increased significantly following the implementation of measures to ease social distancing, such as the phased lifting of quarantine passes. According to the Bank of Korea, the consumer sentiment index stood at 103.2 last month, up 2.9 points from 100.3 a year earlier.The amount of credit card approvals and the number of approvals were 196.2 trillion won and 35.4 trillion won, respectively, up 12.0% and 10.2% year-on-year. The amount of check card approval was 51.6 trillion won and the number of approval was 21.1 trillion won, up 7.4% and 7.1%, respectively, from the same period last year.  The amount of approval for personal cards in the first quarter totaled 204.9 trillion won, up 10.8% from the same period last year. The number of approvals totaled 53.6 trillion, up 9.6 percent. Corporate credit card approvals totaled 44.2 trillion won, up 13.4% year-on-year and the number of approvals increased 6.6% to 330 million. By industry, eight industries, which are highly related to consumer consumption, saw an increase year-on-year in all industries, including 15.0% in wholesale and retail, 12.1% in business facility management and business support services, and 12.5%.  However, the lodging and restaurant industries increased 5.3% year-on-year due to easing distance, but decreased 13.8% compared to the first quarter of 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19.Companies’ business sentiment rebounded in four months as expectations for a recovery in domestic demand grew due to a decrease in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and the lifting of social distancing. The manufacturing industry has improved due to increased orders for semiconductors, while the non-manufacturing industry has improved as sales of department stores and overseas travel have increased.

According to the April 2022 Business Survey Index (BSI) and Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) released by the Bank of Korea on the 28th, the BSI of the entire industry rose 3 points from the previous month to 86, turning upward for the first time in four months.  BSI is an index of an entrepreneur’s judgment on the current corporate management situation and future prospects, indicating the business sentiment of a company. If the index exceeds 100, it means that more companies have responded that the business situation is good, and if it is less than 100, it means that the business situation is bad, but the BSI for all industries has never exceeded 100 since the statistics were compiled in 2003.Both non-manufacturing and manufacturing industries saw their business conditions improve. The manufacturing industry BSI rose 3 points from the previous month to 87, turning upward for the first time in a month. Non-manufacturing BSI rose 4 points from the previous month to 85. April 2011 (85)Kim Dae-jin, head of the corporate statistics team of the Bank of Korea’s Economic Statistics Bureau, said, “BSI in all industries rose 3 points from the previous month thanks to a decrease in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases, the lifting of most social distancing measures, recovery in domestic demand and strong exports.” The manufacturing industry rose due to increased sales of automobile-related electrical equipment and semiconductors. Electrical equipment increased by 10 points due to increased demand for industrial cables and automobile-related electrical equipment, while other machinery and equipment rose by 7 points due to increased orders for semiconductors and construction-related mechanical equipment. Electronic, video, and telecommunication equipment are semiconductors and related components

In the non-manufacturing industry, the information and communication industry rose 8 points due to increased software orders, while wholesale and retail businesses such as liquor and food materials and retail sales such as department stores, duty-free shops and convenience stores rose 3 points. Professional, scientific, and technology also increased by 5 points due to increased orders for civil engineering design and supervision and increased demand for tax services.

By company size, large companies rose 2 points from the previous month to 93, and small and medium-sized companies rose 5 points to 81. By type, export companies fell below 100 at 93, up 1 point from the previous month. Domestic companies stood at 84, up 5 points from the previous month.The economic sentiment index (ESI), which reflects the consumer trend index (CSI) in the business sentiment of companies, rose 2.3 points from the previous month to 105.7. ESI is an index that shows the economic sentiment of all private economic players, and if the figure exceeds 100, it is interpreted that the economy has improved from the past average. The circular fluctuation value was 103.1, down 0.9 points from the previous month.BSI for next month’s business outlook also recorded 86, up 3 points from the previous month (83). Both manufacturing and non-manufacturing rose 3 points from the previous month to 88 and 85, respectively.Students from Korean schools have started going to school all the way since May. The self-investigation of COVID-19 in elementary, middle, and high schools has also disappeared. The playground where physical education classes for students without masks were held was lively. Spring picnics and after-school classes, which began in time, were full of heat. College students are giving off their shining youth by participating in department and club activities without hesitation. Youth symbolic terms such as festivals and MT have reappeared. It’s May, everyone’s excited.

Social distancing was lifted except for the mandatory provisions for wearing masks, and even the “liberation of outdoor masks” was declared. Schools are in the normalization stage, and daily recovery is progressing rapidly throughout society. There are voices of concern about the current situation in which quarantine tensions have been resolved, such as the Korean Medical Association issuing a public recommendation that “COVID-19 has not ended.” But I’m having a busy daily life without you. After the pandemic, the landscape of the world will not be the same.

It is new to remember that the entire society has suddenly changed since January 2020, when the COVID-19 infection was first confirmed in Korea. From school, the ‘world of disconnection’ signal was raised. The scene of the front-line school graduation ceremony in February of that year was unique. The graduation ceremony was held in a broadcasting room where only a small part of the student representative, principal, and alumni president participated. Graduates watched it on a monitor screen in the classroom. Parents visited the school with a bouquet of flowers, but they had to wait outside the main gate. The entrance ceremony in March disappeared. College freshmen were entitled “COVID-19″ and could not even face their seniors and colleagues. For them, ‘campus romance’ was a stuffed word.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic in March 2020 as the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, worsened in December 2019. It is the third pandemic in history following the Hong Kong flu and swine flu crisis.

The Hong Kong flu, which was first reported in July 1968, landed in northern Australia, Europe, and California in the United States via Vietnam and Singapore, bothering people around the world. The Hong Kong flu, which spread to Japan, Africa, and South America, was rampant until the end of 1968. It is said that more than 1 million deaths occurred in the mid-20th century Pandemic, where there was no tally of infected people as it is now. In March 2009, the swine flu from the U.S. swept Mexico and spread to the world. At the time, media reports said that as of May 3, 2009, Mexico had more than 150 deaths, and the country was in a state of panic. In April 2010, the WHO announced that the minimum death toll from swine flu was 17,583. The number of confirmed patients is estimated to exceed 251 million.

COVID-19, which has brought about a pandemic 10 years after the swine flu crisis, deserves to be recorded as a powerful virus. Compared to the previous pandemic, the contagiousness and fatality rate are higher, and the duration is already nearly twice as long. Until recently, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases around the world reached nearly 500 million and the number of deaths exceeded 6 million. As of 0 o’clock on May 2, the cumulative number of confirmed patients in Korea was 17,295,733 (22,958 deaths). As of March this year, Korea’s resident registration population was 51.61 million. There is an “official calculation” that one in three Koreans suffered from COVID-19.

Above all, the daily life of human society has been destroyed in an instant. During the previous pandemic, there were no extreme drugs such as prohibition of movement between countries. Sports events were not suspended. Although there was a temporary restriction on the use of the airport, I was able to travel abroad as usual. On the other hand, in the third pandemic, borders and airports were closed for a long time. Even during the war, the school, which was not official but kept only student classes, was virtually closed. People have experienced a completely different world.

The “post-corona era” is being talked about. This means that the aspects of the world in which people live are clearly distinguished by cutting off before and after the COVID-19 incident. Despite the swine flu crisis, people wore masks, but they were not compulsory and most of them did not wear them. This time, people are making masks that they are forced to wear unconditionally for more than two years. It seems to accept the prospect that telecommuting, online video and performance culture will become daily life without resistance.

Now, it is a path to the daily recovery of self-quarantine. Beyond this, many of the “familiar things” before the COVID-19 incident will be put behind the times. Human society has undergone daily changes after experiencing war, technological development, natural disasters, and revolutionary political situations. However, it is hard to see a sudden change in the world while people cover their noses and mouths around the world. In particular, the world that future generations will set up in the future, when they escape from the painful world of disconnection and travel through the open school site, may be a different look than imagined. It’s a natural phenomenon. It feels like the evolution of daily life that will one day come sooner than expected. It’s a job to adapt actively.

SAM KIM

ASIA JOURNAL

You might have to pay several hundred dollars to get the skin treatments regularly. However, we’re past the days when you had to make a reservation at an aesthetic spa or professional clinic to create visibly brighter, plumper, and bouncier skin. If you are looking for a cost-effective and time-saving way to improve skin texture, and reduce signs of aging, you can get it all done at home using the ‘IPLA’ which is developed by NC Techron in South Korea.

As people around the globe stay at home during the current health crisis, consumers are seeking more delicate support from beauty devices to aid their skincare routines and beauty tech is more widely used and adopted for better personal care. Beauty device manufacturers continuously struggle to develop more sophisticated and innovative beauty products in response to the increasing consumer demand for advanced skincare and haircare solutions. Above all, the ‘IPLA’, a new and highly developed device, recently hit the scene. The ‘IPLA’ is a revolution in skincare technology, helping you to achieve relaxed muscles while lifting and firming skin without difficulty. You can take care of your skin safely and easily by using the functions of the device; Plasma and IPL.

The plasma is a fourth state of matter in which electrons are stripped from atoms to form an ionized gas. The ‘IPLA’ utilizes a soft plasma – low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma with low risk of skin damage and irritation – to promote regeneration of aging skin. As ions and radicals, provided by plasma, activate fibrous cells by promoting the cell-generated cycle, collagen production is also facilitated by fibroblast cells. It also results in skin wellness, anti-aging, ingredient penetration and skin purification.

You also have to pay attention to another function of the device; the IPL, a type of light therapy which stands for intense pulsed light. You can use IPL to minimize or remove wrinkles and spots such as age spots, sun damage, freckles, birthmarks and to mitigate skin tone. The technology was widely used in the aesthetic and medical field for the reduction of fine lines and skin laxity. The ‘IPLA’ is so groundbreaking that it lets consumers experiment with these two technologies at home. It can be incorporated easily and safely into your daily at-home beauty routine.

Based on the experience in developing many hospital medical devices and automatic control systems, the NC Techron has established its own technical skills such as software development, instrument design, and product design. The company is also equipped with fully-fledged capabilities in developing products and CEO Jang always puts his efforts to develop more innovative and reliable products with his own know-how.

The global launch of ‘IPLA’, an elaborate beauty device, is just around the corner. The ‘IPLA’ can be a cost-effective solution to get this effect as compared to conventional, surgical beauty treatments. By letting the ‘IPLA’ into your house, you can treat your skin more comfortably and with minimal skin invasion and fewer side-effects. CEO Jang is looking forward to meeting global partners for far-sighted collaboration.

▲ N.C.Techron Co., Ltd

▲ CEO : Young-Jin Jang

▲ www.nctechron.co.kr

▲ nc4167@naver.com

▲ +82-10-6221-4167

Kayla Hong

Asia Journal

In September 1894, missionaries from the U.S. Presbyterian Church, including Oliver R. Avison and Underwood, who ran Jejungwon (Gwanghyewon), brought Jejungwon’s right to operate from the government to the mission. Missionaries were now able to run hospitals autonomously, but government support was cut off instead.

There was a huge shortage of manpower and poor facilities. In response, Avison and Underwood traveled back and forth to the United States to get donations for the operation of the Jejungwon, and as a result in 1899, Louis Severance (1838-1913), one of the most famous businessmen in the United States, donated a large amount of subsidies to Jejungwon. Accordingly, Jejungwon completed a new hospital in front of Seoul Station on September 23, 1904, and named it Severance Hospital after its sponsor.

Severance Hospital was the first modern general hospital in Joseon. Severance Hospital could take the form of a modern general hospital because of the expansion through Severance’s donation. In addition, since the first medical education was conducted by Allen and Underwood in Jejungwon in 1886, apprenticeship medical education has been conducted in Jejungwon by Avison and others, and in 1899, university-style medical education began in earnest. In 1909, Jejungwon Medical Center was renamed Severance School, and the Japanese colonial days operated Severance Medical School. Meanwhile, a new university course was established in 1915 at the Kyungshin Academy established by Underwood, and the University of Korean Christianity (English Munmyeong) was established, and Underwood was the principal, and Severance Hospital director Evison was the vice principal. In 1917, the Japanese approved the school as a “Yeonhee College.”

Severance Hospital and Yeonhee College, where the core management was the same, have been aiming for integration since its establishment. However, the integration was slow because it was difficult to reach an agreement between various professors and directors. Meanwhile, with the establishment of Kyungsung Imperial University in 1924, the integration of Severance’ exhibition and performance specialists took a rapid rise, and a proposal for the integration of both schools came out in 1926. However, the integration failed due to Japanese interference.

After liberation, in 1946, the Severance Exhibition was Severance Medical School, and Yeonhee College became Yeonhee University, and integrated discussions between the two schools resumed. On the premise of the integration of both schools, freshmen from Severance Medical School completed the preliminary course at Yeonhee University from 1949. However, due to the outbreak of the Korean War, the integration of the two schools was stopped. After the ceasefire, the launch of the integrated Yonsei University was formalized in 1955, and the foundation was established in 1956, followed by the official opening of Yonsei University from the new semester on January 5, 1957. Severance Medical School has become a new Yonsei University medical school named after Yeon-hee and Severance.

Since then, construction has begun to expand and relocate the saturated Severance Hospital from a narrow site at Seoul Station to Sinchon, and in 1962, the new hospital and medical school building were completed and relocated. The Yonsei Foundation Severance Building was built in 1993 at the site of an old hospital in front of Seoul Station. The building itself is not a hospital, but a general office building or a health check-up center called Severance Check-up.

Hospital buildings are now divided into quite a large area by continuing to add wards and hospital buildings around the old main building (Jejunggwan), which was built in 1962.

Around 1990, new hospitals boasting state-of-the-art facilities such as Asan Hospital and Samsung Hospital were opened in Seoul, causing some changes in the positions of Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, and St. Mary’s Hospital, which were the big three in Seoul in the past. Outpatient treatment was still conducted around the main building built in 1962, but the problem of aging facilities and lack of space was serious, so a separate “Ophthalmology Hospital” building was built next to the main building in 1996.

Severance Hospital built a new main building to replace the old main building and completed it in 2005. Since then, old buildings have been sequentially demolished and new buildings have been built there.

Severance Hospital signed a contract in January 2022 to introduce artificial intelligence solution programs to 150 wards with Infomining’s Hatti Hearti Solution Health Watch Device (blood pressure/electrocardiogram/blood sugar/body temperature). Severance said it will gradually push for 2,000 wards and 1,500 wards newly built on Songdo, Incheon, following 150 wards. Now that non-face-to-face treatment and patient care around the world have become an inevitable reality, it is thought that this solution is used because the efficiency and accuracy of infomining are comparable to those of general medical devices.Currently, Infomining’s health watch device is about to be reviewed as a medical grade device in Korea, and is being introduced and promoted by large university hospitals such as Yeungnam University Medical Center and Chungnam National University Hospital.

Telemedicine allows patients to use video call equipment at home without going directly to the hospital, or to connect to a doctor at a uniformly installed telemedicine facility to conduct face-to-face examinations such as interviews. Diagnosis and prescription are made without facilitation. If an imaging test was performed or a blood test was performed, all of them must be available to the doctor at the same time for complete remote treatment.

The original purpose is to first receive telemedicine if a patient occurs in remote areas, and to avoid the hassle of having to go to the hospital every time in managing chronic diseases, even if it is not a wallpaper.

If medicine develops and imaging technology develops as it is now and leads to the world, you can see a foreign doctor remotely, or if you use robotic surgery, you can have a foreign renowned doctor undergo surgery in another country. In fact, the reading of the Department of Radiology can be read by a doctor in any country in the world by sending only pictures. In the case of hospitalization, it is thought that it will be an intensive patient, urgent treatment due to an acute disease, or surgery.

This telemedicine is likely to be activated indefinitely in the future. Almost all hospitals are connected to each other by electronic systems, so anyone can see their personal medical experience anywhere, and no matter which hospital they treat, the records will remain in the national health care institution. In this case, how to manage personal privacy will emerge as a big problem.

No matter what illness you receive at home, you will be able to install a medical monitoring device provided by the company at home, observe the patient on video at all times in the hospital, or check the details of the monitor instrument.

Unlike the above, recently referred to untact medical treatment is a telephone treatment that simply asks over the phone and administers drugs, and is generally difficult to change and especially issues prescriptions for additional medication or informs the test results over the phone.

A typical non-face-to-face treatment is to stay at home and treat people with mild symptoms during the recent implementation of With Corona. It would be possible for a doctor to regularly check the patient over the phone, but it would not be easy to talk to the doctor when the patient suddenly changes or has doubts. I think there will be many difficulties.

Now, in many countries, individual life and individual health are being transformed into a system managed by the state. These telemedicine systems are required to be gradually implemented as national research institutes are established to establish the system. Mammoth research is needed that requires joint participation of medical institutions, doctors, governments, electronic companies, medical insurance organizations, and patients.

Sam Kim

Asia Journal

The term ‘new media’ refers to media that are computational and rely on computers for redistribution. As the technology of mobile devices and telecommunication advances, video content is being optimized for the mobile environment. This led to a fall of legacy media such as TV, and the emergence of various platforms that can broadcast creative content. Among them, in Korea, a lot of entertainment show programs have been successful on YouTube and other mobile platforms. The MZ generation, those who are born after 1980, is especially an active consumer of this new type of video content.

YouTube-based entertainment shows have a shorter video length than TV shows. This is related to the change in the place where content is consumed. Viewers now watch videos on the move or before bed rather than spending a separate time watching content. So it should not be too long. This type of video develops in a fast flow so that viewers can quickly immerse themselves.

The pandemic made people stay home, and it led to an upsurge in entertainment video content. So, now there are more YouTube shows produced in small indie studios or YouTubers. “Nego King” which means the king of negotiation, was a much loved YouTube show in 2020. Most episodes have more than 1 million views, and even some of them are close to 10 million. The companies that appeared on the show often hit the top of real-time search terms, and their websites were flooded with visitors.

The reasons that this content has succeeded come from the characteristics of the MZ generation. The MZ generation shows different characteristics from the older generation. They are more familiar with self-expression, value honesty, and consensus, and prioritize their tastes. As they tend to choose which content they will enjoy according to their values, these contents satisfy their various preferences. As for “Nego King”, the whole content is a paid ad, but the viewers never mind this. Rather, if the CEO seems to care about consumers, they actively buy the company’s products. Therefore, targeting the MZ generation can lead to increased sales and increased brand preference.

In 2019, McKinsey & Co. conducted detailed research of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z in six Asia-Pacific countries including Korea. According to the survey, 58 percent of millennials and 70 percent of Gen Zers said that they learned about new brands via video-based social media at least once a month while 46 percent of Gen Xers said they do so. Video influences the MZ generation not only in brand awareness but also in purchase decisions. In Korea, about 30 percent of millennials and 45 percent of Gen Zers responded that video sources are among top 3 influences for brand and product selection while only 15% of Gen Xers did.

For this reason, companies are making great efforts to fascinate the cohort. More and more companies targeting the MZ generation are expected to carry out marketing using this trend. Even the e-commerce industry and the distribution industry are also focusing on producing online shows using their products. They not only improve brand affinity by providing information and fun at the same time but also encourage the purchase of the MZ generation.

The viewers who are the cohort of the MZ generation directly communicate with other viewers or producers using the comment function. In the process of sharing their reactions, new memes or buzzwords are often created. This interactive communication makes the content more enjoyable, and viewers of Generation MZ naturally participate in the process.

Legacy media is trying to follow this new trend, too. MBC, Korea’s major broadcasting station, recently aired a survival show named “Game of Blood”. What’s special about the show is that a famous YouTuber participated in the production. Furthermore, the show was aired not only on TV (MBC) but also on YouTube and OTT platforms. This special collaboration with a YouTube celebrity fascinated those who are bored with typical TV shows.

The success of these various types of entertainment shows encourages the emergence of more creative narratives that break away from the existing narrative structure. Unlike TV shows, YouTube-based shows are less regulated by law. Also, viewers can spread the content further through sharing and reproduction. So, this change not only provides viewers with a variety of options but also guarantees content creators more opportunities to create. A ton of online-originated video shows are being released even at this moment, so Korea’s online entertainment content market is expected to expand further.

K-UNIV Reporter

Hansaem Lee

Sweden has been in a long, deep relationship with South Korea ever since the Korean War. So the friendship between these two countries is very special and strong. This naturally leads to sharing the memories, history and cultures of each other’s countries up to this date.

Sweden is one of the few countries that has a Royal Family. There is a Stockholm Palace (Kungliga Slottet), the official residence of Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia), in the center of the city. The Northern row of the palace represents “Royal Power,” the Southern row represents “The Nation,” the Eastern row shows “The Female Qualities,” and the Queen. Lastly, the Western row represents “The Male Qualities” and the King. This palace has a lot of meaning to Sweden with its deep history and role. It actually has been in the exact same location since the 13th century and has been treated with great care since it is used for various official events with other countries. It can be said that the Royal Palace serves as not only a 3 residence but also as a center of the Swedish government.

In 2019, the president of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in and the first lady visited the Royal Palace. This event was to strengthen and celebrate the relations between Sweden and South Korea, which turned 60 years in 2019. The Royal Family and Korea president’s family had meetings and a dinner gala at the palace.

The history of Sweden and Korea goes way back to 1953. In 1953, the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) was established following the Armistice Agreement to monitor the relations between South and North Korea. The NNSC consisted of these four countries, Sweden and Switzerland, selected by South Korea and UNC (United Nations Command). The other two were Poland and Czechoslovakia designated by North Korea and China. These four countries had several tasks such as supervising the military personnel, military weapons and vehicles. They also took care of the issues that were related to violations of the Armistice Agreement. However, even after the war ended, they didn’t end their duty right away. They kept doing what they’ve been doing and even now, Sweden’s office still remains in South Korea. Five Swedish delegates are stationed at Panmunjom, near the DMZ line.

In 1958, the Korean government requested for medical personnel to Sweden due to the catastrophic outcome from the Korean War. So the governments of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the UN Korean Reconstruction Agency have decided to operate a National Medical Center for five years in South Korea. As a result, medical services and technology were very much taken into advance and a Nursing School was established in South Korea.

The relations between South Korea and Sweden just kept growing. It was not only limited to medical areas, but also influenced music, businesses, films and games. When President Moon visited Sweden in 2019, the King and President Moon went to talk about a partnership with Ericsson, which focuses on 5G technology. Then they went on to watch e-sports between Sweden and South Korea. E-sports is pretty famous in South Korea, since they are known to be one of the best in the world.

In regards to music, the Kpop wave also hit Sweden and the young generation became attracted. Ironically, a lot of famous Kpop music is actually composed by Swedish producers. For example, songs from Girl’s Generation and Boa are some of them. They’re one of the top singers who have opened the Kpop wave to the global society. Boa was the first generation, mostly in Asia like Japan and Girl’s Generation started to hit America and Europe before Psy threw a bomb globally. In the area of film, Sweden actually hosts an annual film festival in South Korea. This is in order to get to know each other’s culture better. In 2018, the festival commemorated the 100 years of the birth of a great film director, Ingmar Bergman and it was seen by 10,000 people in South Korea.

Korean traditional food has also become somewhat trendy among the young Swedes and now can find many Korean restaurants in Stockholm. According to the official Swedish ambassador to Korea, Jakob Hallgren, not only the restaurants, but also just by going to the nearest supermarkets nowadays, kimchi, a traditional Korean food, can be easily spotted and is enjoyed by the local people.

Due to the long history between the two countries, South Korea and Sweden, they have a lot of joint collateral areas ongoing even to this day. From a long history to the current trend and culture, the relationship between Sweden and Korea is strong and will remain firm.

K-UNIV Reporter

Yewon Shim

“Beauty of Blowing Calories Away” is a product founded on the tragicomic truism that only death awaits those who do not eat. Its developers at On S’aime On T’aime were looking for genuine ways to care for health when they realized that a lot of health problems arise from eating habits. Since obesity is the most common cause of diseases, they decided to make this premium weight loss supplement.

The product takes a multi-angled approach to dieting via its two components: the “Like This On” pill and the “Like That On” pill. “Like That On” is meant to be taken after meals. It helps the body break down and digest fats from food.  “Like This On”, on the other hand, is meant to be taken before bedtime. It contains detoxifying lactobacilli that help reset and improve the body’s intestinal health. Like so, “Beauty of Blowing Calories Away” tackles dieting systemically.

Other weight loss supplements on the market tend to focus on suppressing fat absorption or forcing body fat elimination. While this may look effective in the short term, there is a great diversity of opinion on the side effects of long-term consumption of such supplements. Attempting to lose weight quickly through them can ruin one’s hormonal balance. Moreover, they are ineffective against weight-loss plateaus.

Our bodies are very sensitive. A diet that ignores the process of digestion can be ineffective and even detrimental to our health. We must always consider the sustainability of a diet because a diet is not a temporary event, but rather a lifelong quest. We do not need to obsess over changes in our body shape, because the essence of a diet is to create and maintain a healthy body. This is the philosophy underlying On S’aime On T’aime’s products. They believe that just as the slow and steady tortoise won the race in the fable, so will the slow and steady dieters win the race of weight loss.

On S’aime On T’aime understands that weight gain is often a result of slower metabolism caused by poor eating habits. This is why the brand is so uniquely focused on tackling the cause of obesity and creating healthy, sustainable eating habits.

In January 2022, they introduced “Beauty of Blowing Calories Away” on a live television show (along with another product that complements it, “The Year of the Flower”). Even during this brief appearance, many consumers responded to On S’aime On T’aime sincerity and dedication to healthy dieting.

“Beauty of Blowing Calories Away” is set to undergo a renewal in March 2022. In a world where so many people seek to lead a healthier life, it is exciting what this product has to offer and how much it will continue to grow.

Eun Sok Choi
Grace & Honest

CES, the world’s largest technology show, opened on January 5, 2022.

Though the event returned as an offline event for the first time in two years, the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant had caused many American tech giants to change course and attend virtually. Among these companies were Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta (Facebook). Accordingly, the in-person presence of Korean companies was especially highlighted at CES 2022.

The Consumer Technology Association hosted the event in Las Vegas, from January 5 to January 7, 2022 (local time). Though it was originally scheduled to run through January 8, the closing date was moved up in light of the pandemic.

The number of attending companies, at around 2200, was down by half from the pre-pandemic CES of 2020. On the other hand, Korean companies made their largest ever appearance, with over 500 exhibitors. This was an increase of around 29% from 390 in 2020. Not only the automobile industry but also the hollow industry attended this year’s CES to showcase advanced technologies.

◆Hyundai Motors, Robotics, and Future Mobility Technology.

At CES 2022, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun presented a vision for robotics under the theme of “Expanding Human Reach” and explained new concept robots. Chairman Chung had shown a demonstrable interest in the robotics industry of late; in December of last year, he acquired an 80% stake in Boston Dynamics, the world’s top robot company, for about 1 trillion won.

Hyundai Motor unveiled “Mobility of Things (MoT)”, which gives mobility to all objects, as well as “Plug & Drive (PnD) modules” based on core robotics technology to realize the ecosystem for the first time.

It also introduced “MobED”, an innovative small mobility platform. MobED combines Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics technology to drive objects freely in complex urban environments. It can be used for such various purposes as strollers, courier and cargo transportation, and special filming.

M.Vision POP & M.Vision 2GO, a city-sharing mobility concept, was also unveiled for the first time to global visitors. Under the theme of Joyful Life in M.VISION Town, Hyundai Mobis delivers Mobis’ technology and vision in a new space that transcends Metabus.

Model Solutions, a total solutions company affiliated with Korea & Company Group (Hankook Tire Group), participated for the second consecutive year following CES 2021. Model Solutions is an innovative company that provides total solutions from design to mass production. It also operates a hardware accelerator program that supports planning, design, development, prototypes, and mass production for start-up companies with future-oriented and creative ideas.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group participated in CES for the first time. Chung Ki-sun, president of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, revealed his blueprint for the company’s future. Avikus, a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries, presented a vision of how its autonomous operation technology can transform the marine mobility sector.

Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, a holding company in the shipbuilding sector, introduced its marine hydrogen value chain to cope with the climate change crisis.

Clue Insights, Hyundai Doosan Infracore’s big data-based equipment management solution developer, presented plans for a safe and efficient future construction site.

Also participating in the booth on site was Hyundai Genuine, the holding company of Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Construction Machinery.

◆ Doosan Group celebrated its second consecutive year of participation at CES.

Doosan, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Doosan Bobcat, Doosan Pure Cell, Doosan Industrial Vehicle, Doosan Robotics, and Doosan Mobility Innovation presented at CES 2022. Chairman Park Jung-won did not attend in person, in light of the spread of the Omicron variant.

This year, Doosan set up a 450 m2 booth in the West Hall to join the congregation of other companies in the automobile and autonomous vehicle industries. The booth allowed visitors to experience how advanced future technologies could be applied to daily life.

At the centre of the booth was a 3.5-meter-high model of the Tri-Gen system. Tri-Gen, currently being developed by Doosan Pure Cell, is a system that uses fuel cells to produce hydrogen, electricity, and heat at the same time.

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction also presented its hydrogen utilization technology. It introduced the process of electrolyzing water with electricity produced by offshore wind turbines, producing green hydrogen and hydrogenating waste resources.

Doosan Robotics presented various ways in which robots could help with daily life activities and entertainment.

Doosan Bobcat held a media day event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on the 4th, a day before the opening of CES. Here, they unveiled the “All-Electric” compact track loader T7X for the first time.

POSCO Group introduced POSCO’s venture platform and venture companies fostered by POSCO. POSCO set up a joint exhibition hall with POSTECH and Pohang Institute of Industrial Science (RIST) to introduce a POSCO-type venture platform that discovers and invests in new growth projects, using POSCO’s unique industry, academia, and research infrastructure. It also set up an exhibition hall with promising venture companies discovered through POSCO Idea MarketPlace (IMP).

A total of 13 corporate briefing sessions were also held, including six venture companies fostered by POSCO, two venture companies fostering POSCO International, and five venture companies starting POSTECH.

Sam Kim

Asia Journal