Unity Technologies, creator of 3D game engine Unity, said Wednesday it will acquire Weta Digital, a visual effects company co-founded by director Peter Jackson, to prepare for the global metaverse transition. Weta Digital worked on movies including “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Avatar” and “Black Widow.” Under the $1.6 billion deal, Unity will obtain the firm’s technology division, including its artist tools and engineering ta

Industry Nov. 10, 2021

GS Caltex on Wednesday kicked off a livestreaming service where customers can check out in real-time how their cars are being fixed. According to the South Korean total energy company, the service, dubbed Kixx Live, will broadcast auto inspections live through a YouTube channel open exclusively for each customer. Customers can communicate with mechanics on the channel and watch the video again at any time. “Through Kixx Live, GS Caltex mechanics will communicate live with customers,

Industry Nov. 10, 2021

Korea Electric Power Corp. and its six power generation subsidiaries on Wednesday announced a gradual but complete exit from coal by 2050. Kepco and the six subsidiaries -- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea South-East Power, Korea Midland Power, Korea Western Power, Korea Southern Power and Korea East-West Power -- together discharged 269.6 million tons of carbon in 2018, accounting for a whopping 37 percent of South Korea‘s total emissions. The seven companies’ carbon neut

Industry Nov. 10, 2021

Steel emits less carbon than diapers per ton of production. Due to its staggering size of production, however, steel is responsible for roughly 8 percent of the world’s carbon emissions and has been blamed as the main polluter driving up the planet’s temperature. Posco, the South Korean steelmaker, was the country’s greatest emitter of carbon last year. It discharged more carbon than it was allowed to by regulations, and even accrued debt worth 78.6 billion won ($66.4 mil

Industry Nov. 9, 2021

While desperately searching for alternative sources of urea, a key ingredient for a liquid solution essential for diesel vehicles, South Korea is forced to reexamine its reliance on China for other materials and realize the need to preemptively respond to supply chain risks. The country’s supplies of diesel exhaust fluid are currently at dangerously low levels after Chinese authorities last month imposed a de facto export ban on DEF, an emissions control solution without which diesel c

Industry Nov. 7, 2021

SES on Thursday unveiled the world’s largest lithium-metal battery that is big enough to power an electric vehicle. According to the Singapore-based startup, the battery cell, dubbed “Apollo,” weighs just 0.98 kilogram and can deliver 107 amperes of electricity per hour. Also, it supports quick charging, taking just 12 minutes to go from 10 percent to 90 percent. SES claims that Apollo is the world’s first lithium-metal cell to have breached a 100 Ah threshold, but wh

Industry Nov. 4, 2021

In the battery world, phrases like “next-generation” and ”game-changer” have become cliche. Everyone claims to be developing a dream battery, yet no one has proven themselves with a real product. But leaders may be starting to emerge in the race to replace today’s most prolific, yet fire-prone lithium-ion cells, with cheaper, safer and longer-range batteries that use lithium metal. SES, a Singapore-based battery startup backed by General Motors, on Thursday unvei

Industry Nov. 4, 2021

Representatives of Hyundai Motor Group and Seoul National University pose for photographs after the two organizations signed an agreement to establish a joint battery research and development center at SNU’s campus in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, Wednesday.  Hyundai Motor will invest more than 30 billion won ($25.4 million) over 10 years into the research center to develop next-generation batteries with significant improvements in driving range and charging time. From left are SNU Pres

Industry Nov. 3, 2021

South Korea faces a potential retail crisis ahead of winter after China imposed a de facto export ban on diesel exhaust fluid -- an emissions control liquid solution essential for most cargo trucks here. According to industry sources Wednesday, Korea is running dangerously low on DEF supplies, after Chinese authorities last month began mandatory customs inspections and practically banned exports of the product. DEF is a liquid solution that goes inside diesel vehicles. The product has to be

Industry Nov. 3, 2021

In a world first, SK Chemicals has begun mass-producing chemically recycled copolyester, a synthetic plastic widely used in packaging, the firm said Tuesday. According to the South Korean chemical company, it will produce more than 10,000 metric tons of chemically recycled plastic and supply it to cosmetics brands at home and abroad. “Not a single company in the world has ever mass-produced plastic via chemical recycling because it requires a secure supply chain of plastic waste as wel

Industry Nov. 2, 2021

SK Innovation said Tuesday it will capture 300,000 metric tons of carbon emitted at its petrochemical plant in Ulsan and sell it as industrial gas starting next year. According to the South Korean battery-to-petrochemical giant, it is already capturing carbon generated at factory No. 1 inside its Ulsan facility and making a profit by selling it. After the carbon is collected, it is purified and then used as industrial gas for the etching process of semiconductors, welding, dry ice and plant cul

Industry Nov. 2, 2021

Hanwha Solutions said Tuesday it will go carbon neutral by 2050 by utilizing its renewable and hydrogen technologies. According to the South Korean solar-to-hydrogen energy company, it will curb carbon emissions totaling 3.58 million tons by 2050. The firm emitted 2.46 million tons last year and is expected to generate an additional 1.12 million tons in the future. “All of Hanwha Solutions’ businesses will join a Korean version of Renewable Energy 100 and use electricity genera

Industry Nov. 2, 2021

South Korean cosmetics-to-health care conglomerate Aekyung Group said Monday that it has officially launched Aekyung Chemical and appointed Pyo Kyoung-won as the inaugural CEO. Aekyung Chemical was formed by combining the group’s three chemical businesses -- Aekyung Petrochemical, AK ChemTech and the old Aekyung Chemical. In a meeting at Aekyung Tower, the group’s headquarters in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, on Monday morning, the new Aekyung Chemical’s board of directors finali

Industry Nov. 1, 2021

Even the best of intentions can fall flat without full attention to vital details. The Korea Herald looks into the flaws and shortcomings of Korea’s green policies. – Ed. South Korea is undoubtedly among the frontrunners in the global hydrogen race, with a sweeping and ambitious national strategy to utilize the cleanest fuel to power Asia’s fourth-largest economy. In its push for the hydrogen economy, the Moon Jae-in administration takes pride in having enacted the world&rsq

Industry Nov. 1, 2021

Kwon Young-soo, the newly appointed CEO of LG Energy Solution, called for an unrelenting focus on battery technology, urging executives and staff to shake off recall fears in his inaugural speech delivered on Monday. “You must have had a lot of worries due to the recent quality issues, but there is no need to be discouraged. As the saying goes, it’s darkest before the dawn, and this is an inevitable process in the long term,” Kwon said in his first message as chief of LG En

Industry Nov. 1, 2021