South Korea is seeking to focus on safety over economic development while pushing for its nuclear policy, the ICT ministry said Tuesday, amid its move to phase out commercial atomic energy generation. The long-term road map on research and development for the nuclear sector was announced by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Details of the plan will be finalized after receiving opinions from front...

JECHEON -- The city of Jecheon, central South Korea, will play host to an international exhibition focused on the Korean medicine and biotech industry in September in a bid to develop the Korean herbal medicine-based biotech industry into a future growth engine, organizers said Thursday. The upcoming World Korean Medicine-Bio Industry Expo comes six years after the Jecheon municipality in North ...

South Korea's new chief ICT policymaker made a visit to the state-run science laboratory on Tuesday, stressing that both the government and researchers should push forward reform to face various challenges under the fourth industrial revolution. You Young-min, who took office earlier this month, made his first official visit to the Korea Institute of Science and Technology located in northern Se...

A group of scientists have greatly improved the capacity and performance of lithium ion batteries based on the Nobel Prize-winning concept called "mechanical bond," the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Friday. The team led by Choi Jang-wook and Ali Coskun integrated molecular pulleys, called polyrotaxanes, into the battery -- a breakthrough in battery technology -- South K...

Scientists are divided over the new government's energy policy that aims to increase electricity output with clean, renewable energy, a survey showed Thursday. The Moon Jae-in government earlier announced that it plans to generate 20 percent of its electricity with clean, renewable energy by 2030, while reducing its reliance on fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. According to the survey condu...

Rival parties decided Thursday to change the name of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning four years after the agency was created. According to the agreement made by the vice floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, the People's Party and the Bareun Party, the ministry will be given the new name roughly translated as the Ministry of Scien...

A group of South Korean scientists have developed a method to differentiate the gambling tendencies of different rats, the science ministry said Tuesday, a finding that may contribute to studies of gambling addiction in humans. The team led by Kim Jung-hoon of Yonsei Medical University said that by observing rats they found a method to find traits and environmental factors that affect decision-m...

South Korean teenagers ranked sixth in an international chemistry competition for youth, winning two gold and two silver medals, the government said Monday. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said the achievement was made during the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, from July 6-15. The teams from the United States and Taiwan shared the first pl...

A team of South Korean scientists announced Monday it has developed a material that can be utilized to collect precious metals from sea water, which can help recycle industrial waste. The team from Pohang University of Science and Technology said the material, which took a cue from sea squirts, successfully collected 99 percent of gold liquefied in sea water, while filtering out chrome, which is...

A group of South Korean scientists will launch a venture company to commercialize their technology to more effectively manufacture microfluidic devices that can be used to detect pathogens very quickly and precisely, the ICT ministry said Sunday. The team led by Yoo Yeong-eun of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials has developed a new technology to design microfluidic device, an instru...

A group of South Korean scientists have developed high-strength and high-entropy alloys that can withstand temperatures as low as minus 196 degrees Celsius, the ICT ministry said Wednesday, a finding that can have various industrial applications. The team led by Kim Hyung-seob at Pohang University of Science and Technology developed the world's first such alloys by improving the cryogenic tensil...

South Korea's new chief ICT policymaker said Tuesday that he will push forward tough reforms as the country must deal with various challenges under the fourth industrial revolution. "The Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning should be reborn so that the ministry that can prepare for the future amid the changes," You Young-min said during his inauguration ceremony. The government has bee...

A parliamentary committee on Monday adopted a report on the outcome of a confirmation hearing for Science, ICT and Future Planning Minister nominee Yoo Young-min, clearing the way for his official appointment. The adoption of the report is a key procedure before President Moon Jae-in formally appoints him. During his hearing last Tuesday, Yoo was grilled over a series of alleged ethical lapses,...

More than 1,700 South Korean scientists and engineers gathered Friday to seek ways to capitalize on the changes as the world is transformed by the "fourth industrial revolution." The annual forum -- hosted by the country's largest scientist's group, the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies -- was held at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul. "I believe the core value of...

South Korea's nuclear power operator is set to hold a board meeting this week to touch on the issue of axing two planned nuclear power plants, officials said Thursday, as Seoul pushes forward a controversial nuclear-free energy policy of the Moon Jae-in administration. The board of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. is scheduled to convene Friday and receive briefings on Shin-Kori 5 and 6, offi...