[Photo News] Dancing robots

Boston Dynamics' four-legged industrial surveillance robot Spot dazzled the audience and judges at this year's America's Got Talent by performing a group dancing act. Five Spots carried out synchronized choreography as they moved their legs and bodies to the tune of "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen while using their robot arms to lip-sync the lyrics of the song. The robots, which are developed by Hyundai Motor-backed Boston Dynamics, received unanimous "yes" votes from the four judges to advance to the next stage. (Screen capture from America's Got Talent YouTube channel)

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Korea Herald

2 days ago

• Korea Herald

Kakao Bank wins approval for Thailand's first virtual bank

Korean lender sets sights on second-half 2026 launch under SCBX-led joint venture Kakao Bank, South Korea's leading internet-only lender, has secured final approval to establish Thailand's first digital bank, marking the official launch of its joint venture with Thai financial giant SCBX to roll out services next year. The Bank of Thailand on Thursday announced the winners of its long-awaited virtual banking licenses, selecting three applicants from five contenders. The SCBX-led consortium — whose members include Kakao Bank and Tencent-backed Chinese digital lender WeBank — was among those granted a license. The other winners were ACM Holding Company and a consortium led by state-run Krung Thai Bank. The licenses were issued following a review by Thailand's Ministry of Finance, based on central bank recommendations. Authorities assessed business models, digital capabilities and each group's potential to boost financial inclusion, particularly for underserved consumers and small businesses. Thailand's central bank said the digital lenders are expected to enhance customer experience, increase efficiency, and drive healthy competition through innovation and better pricing. Regulators also weighed the optimal number of new banks to foster healthy competition while maintaining financial system stability. The approved candidates are required to establish a corporate entity in the third quarter and commence operations within one year, setting the stage for operations to begin in the second half of 2026. The milestone comes two years after Kakao Bank, a subsidiary of Korea's IT giant Kakao, signed a memorandum of understanding with SCBX in June 2023 to collaborate on developing Thailand's first digital bank. SCBX is the holding company of major Thai lender Siam Commercial Bank. This marks Kakao Bank's second overseas venture after launching Superbank in Indonesia through a joint venture with Grab. It remains the only Korean internet-only bank with international operations. The move also signals a meaningful return of Korean banking to Thailand, nearly three decades after Korean lenders exited the market during the 1998 Asian financial crisis. 'Drawing on its experience in shaping Korea's digital banking landscape, Kakao Bank will play a leading role in building the new Thai digital bank, overseeing the development of its technology infrastructure and service design,' a company official told The Korea Herald. Once established, Kakao Bank will become the second-largest shareholder in the new online lender. In response to the approval, Kakao Bank CEO Yun Ho-young called the license "a stepping stone into a new market and a valuable opportunity to showcase the strength of Korea's digital finance technology," adding that the firm aims to serve as a bridgehead for Korean banks and companies seeking entry into the Thai market.

Korea Herald

2 days ago

• Korea Herald

Hyundai, Kia drive digital upgrade for commercial vehicle safety

Auto conglomerate to develop next-gen digital tachograph for buses, trucks Hyundai Motor and Kia will develop a next-generation connected digital tachograph, or DTG, for commercial vehicles in collaboration with Korea's transport authorities to enhance convenience for drivers and road safety, the automakers said Thursday. The automakers signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Transportation Safety Authority to develop the advanced DTG system at the Hyundai Motor Group Namyang R&D Center earlier in the day. DTG is a device that automatically records vehicle data in real time, including speed, driving distance and GPS signals. Under Korea's Road Traffic Act, the installation and regular submission of DTG data is mandatory for commercial vehicles such as buses, trucks and school transport vehicles. The authorities analyze the data to address risky driving behaviors and prevent traffic accidents. The current DTG submission process, however, is inconvenient as it requires drivers to manually extract the data via USB for submission or subscribe to paid submission services. Calls for a more convenient solution have grown since the government expanded the DTG mandate to include heavy-duty trucks over 25 tons and special vehicles weighing over 10 tons in October last year. For the next-generation DTG project, Hyundai and Kia will integrate their connected car services, such as Bluelink and Kia Connect, with the safety authority's driving data analysis system, eTAS, to enable fully automated data collection, eliminating the need for separate hardware or manual input. The automakers plan to complete the development of the new DTG service by the end of this year and roll it out with new commercial vehicles to be released next year. Once the service is launched, commercial vehicles will no longer have to install standalone DTG devices, which can cost up to 400,000 won ($289) per unit. Moreover, Hyundai and Kia will collaborate with the authorities on data-sharing projects to develop new services for their commercial vehicle management solutions — including driving pattern analysis and rest time compliance monitoring — using traffic-related big data. 'Public-private data sharing and technological collaboration are essential to build a robust mobility service ecosystem,' said Park Sang-hyeon, executive vice president at Hyundai and Kia. 'Through continuous technological exchange (with the public authorities), we will develop vehicle data-driven services that maximize convenience for commercial vehicle customers and fulfill our social responsibility for road safety.'

Korea Herald

3 days ago

• Korea Herald

How Dongtan turned into an online punching bag

Caricatured for its stylish moms and chore-sharing dads, a new town in a Seoul suburb has become target of both aspiration and mockery While a fitted knit or cotton dress may be seen as everyday wear in most places, in South Korea, it has come to symbolize one particular neighborhood: Dongtan. Nicknamed the 'Dongtan look,' this casual yet sensual style is frequently linked to women in their 30s and 40s living in the fast-growing suburban area south of Seoul known for its corporate hubs and high proportion of young married couples. What began as an internet joke has recently sparked social controversy, as some online marketplaces here and in Japan are selling figurines named after the district, portraying women in overtly sexualized dresses that accentuate their curves and cleavage. "This isn't just about a meme anymore. It's blatant discrimination based on region and gender. A lot of foreigners live in Dongtan, and it's embarrassing to see the area tied to such a sexualized image," one user wrote in a post on Naver Blog. There is also a male-centered meme for young married men in Dongtan -- 'Ppongppong-nam' which is a satirical Korean term that combines the name of a well-known local dish soap brand with the Korean word for man. The expression, which has gained popularity across online forums and social media, has been used to mock Dongtan husbands in single-income households who are perceived as submissive to their stay-at-home wives. They are often depicted doing chores like washing dishes and cleaning, while their spouses take the lead in family matters. Jealousy turned into hatred? Dongtan, a planned urban district about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, has experienced rapid population growth since its development in the early 2000s, driven by the construction of major corporate facilities by firms such as Samsung and Hyundai Motor. The youthful district -- with its population averaging 35 years old as of last year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety -- is home to many high-income parents with children, shaping a community driven by a strong zeal for education. Although Dongtan falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Hwaseong, its residents often see themselves not as citizens of Hwaseong, but as citizens of a de facto city of their own. Regarding the online memes disparaging their neighborhood, some Dongtan residents say they are the distorted expressions of outsiders' aspirations. Ahn, a working mom in her 40s who has lived in Dongtan for seven years, believes that the Dongtan dress meme reflects 'jealousy' toward Dongtan mothers who can afford both the time and money to maintain their appearance. 'Honestly, it's not easy to wear a tight dress like that when you're taking care of kids. You've really got to stay in shape. A lot of moms in Dongtan can manage that. They have both the time and money to take care of themselves, whether it's working out or getting facial treatments,' she told The Korea Herald. 'I think some people are just envious of the moms here, so they make fun of them online. It's not like anyone can just wear a dress like that.' Kong, 34, a middle school teacher in Dongtan who interacts frequently with local parents, partly agreed with Ahn's view that the memes may be rooted in jealousy, noting that people in Dongtan, on average, have relatively high incomes. Some argue that while Dongtan memes may appear to target women and men separately, they are more likely directed at parents as a whole, often spread by those who have had negative experiences with the area's tight-knit parenting culture. 'There are a lot of newly built, brand-name apartment complexes here. Each complex usually has its own group chat where parents come together to organize events and quickly share information on parenting and education. Even the kids tend to remember each other's apartment names and form groups based on that,' said an English teacher surnamed Kong who has taught at a middle school in Dongtan for the past eight years. 'Some parents form cliques based on economic status, but they're not the majority. It's just a small number of people who have made Dongtan look bad, and that kind of reputation spread through memes,' she added. How spaces shape cliquishness Describing Dongtan as a 'gated community,' Kim Jina, a research associate professor of the College of Liberal Studies at Seoul National University and an expert in anthropology and landscape architecture, explained that planned areas like Dongtan are structurally designed to create a sense of cliquishness, which often leads to feelings of alienation among outsiders. 'Dongtan is structured around large brand-name apartment complexes with high walls and security systems that keep them separate from the outside. This setup makes residents feel safe and gives them a sense of belonging, while also creating communities of people with similar backgrounds,' Kim said. She also pointed out that Dongtan's homogeneous commercial landscape, including large shopping malls, cafe streets and clusters of private academies, encourages residents to develop similar spending patterns, further reinforcing its cliquishness. Living and spending in such similarly structured spaces naturally fosters shared lifestyles and creates the impression that the community is difficult for outsiders to enter, she added. 'In planned cities that lack historical or cultural roots, people tend to express identity through lifestyle and consumption. This is often portrayed in misleading ways online.' A new class divide? Kim analyzed the Dongtan memes as an indication of a shift in Korean regionalism, from stereotypes linked to one's birthplace to class distinctions based on current residential areas that function as markers of socioeconomic status. Widely used distinctions such as Gangnam and Gangbuk, old city centers and new towns, and apartment and non-apartment housing often imply class differences. Memes about Dongtan are seen as an extension of these region-based social divisions, according to Kim. 'Online memes often target areas like Dongtan or Seoul's famous Daechidong in Gangnam District, where the cost of living creates a significant barrier to entry. To those unable to afford to live in such areas, online memes provide a way to express frustration behind the mask of anonymity.' She warned of the negative psychological effects that online memes targeting certain regions may place on their residents. "Social stigma fueled by region-based memes often leaves residents feeling the need to defend themselves, which can weaken their emotional attachment to the community. In some cases, people may begin to conform to the stereotypes, or react in exaggerated ways to reject them," she said.