Korea Central News Net

Must Read News Updates from Korea You May Have Not Heard Before

  • [Global AI] LIKELION USA concludes global AI hackathon with 400 AI talents from around the world

    Participants try out AI demos during the 2025 Dream AI Hackathon held in Cambridge, Massachusetts | Photo by LIKELION

    Edtech startup LIKELION (멋쟁이사자처럼) announced that it successfully hosted the “2025 Dream AI Hackathon” from June 21 to 22 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, bringing together over 400 AI talents from around the world.

    The global AI hackathon was co-hosted with the Founder Institute, a U.S.-based startup accelerator. Participants included students from top universities such as Harvard and MIT, professionals from major tech companies, AI startup founders, and developers. Under the theme “Solving Real-World Problems with AI,” the event spurred the creation of various innovative AI-based solutions.

    Teams tackled challenges across industries including healthcare, education, sustainability, and finance. Their projects were judged based on criteria such as problem fit, market potential, business model, go-to-market strategy, and social impact.

    The judging panel comprised Harvard and MIT alumni who now work as investors and tech experts across Silicon Valley and other parts of the U.S. They evaluated the AI maturity of each project along with its potential influence and feasibility in the global market.

    Leading AI companies including ElevenLabs, Glimpse, BizCrush, Clix, UClone, Branch and Bound, vespexx, Zorder, and Typecast supported the event. They provided technical resources and mentorship, significantly contributing to the practical growth of the participating projects.

    Max Min, Head of LIKELION USA, said, “This hackathon was a meaningful opportunity to witness how rapidly advancing AI technologies can be applied to real-world problems. It reaffirmed our belief that AI can be a practical tool for everyday challenges.” He added, “We will continue building platforms where global AI talents can connect, collaborate, and grow beyond borders and backgrounds.”

    Founded in 2013, LIKELION believes in “connecting people with technology” and providing opportunities for anyone with the will to grow. The company offers a range of education programs from basic IT literacy to full-scale bootcamps for career transitions into tech. Going forward, it aims to deliver globally relevant education in programming, design, planning, and business, along with community support, to help aspiring tech creators build real products and achieve their goals on a global stage.

  • L&F accelerates digital innovation with in-house generative AI ‘Lucid’

    AI-powered internal chatbot ‘Lucid’ supports smart work environment | Photo courtesy of L&F

    L&F, a global advanced materials company specializing in secondary batteries, announced the full-scale implementation of its in-house developed generative AI platform, marking a major step forward in its digital transformation strategy. The adoption of AI aims to enhance employee productivity and strengthen the company’s organizational competitiveness by streamlining work processes.

    Lucid, the company’s proprietary generative AI chatbot, is designed to support internal operations by learning from L&F’s corporate knowledge base and providing employees with customized responses. It significantly reduces time spent on information search and retrieval, facilitates interdepartmental collaboration, and shortens onboarding time for new employees—ultimately promoting knowledge sharing across the company. By automating repetitive and simple tasks, Lucid enables employees to focus on critical decision-making and core responsibilities.

    L&F is implementing a four-phase AI innovation strategy: AI Preparation (analysis and strategy development), AI Insight (enhancing AI capabilities), AI Integration (enterprise-wide platform deployment), and AI Advancement (AI sophistication). This systematic approach is already producing tangible results, such as improved work quality and reduced error rates, by enabling more accurate data-driven decisions in real-world operations.

    To strengthen employees’ AI literacy and application capabilities, L&F also operates training programs focused on generative AI and workflow automation. The company provides hands-on training tailored to departmental needs, as well as opportunities to share best practices, allowing staff to quickly adopt AI technology and apply it in their daily work.

    Moreover, L&F plans to extend its use of generative AI beyond administrative tasks and into smart factory operations. The company will leverage its in-house AI talent to tackle repetitive work and improvement projects, with the goal of achieving AI self-sufficiency and leading digital transformation. Ultimately, L&F aims to build an agentic AI platform that enables data-driven decision-making and supports the transition to an integrated AX (Advanced eXperience) automation environment.

    Donghwan Kim, Head of IT Operations at L&F, stated, “In the rapidly changing secondary battery market, generative AI is a core driver of future competitiveness. With our in-house solution, we’ve secured security and specialized functionality, and we’ll continue expanding AI adoption across manufacturing, R&D, and quality control to reinforce our technological leadership in the global battery materials sector.”

  • Foreign Investment in Chungnam Exceeds $3.9 Billion Under 8th Civil Administration: Air Products and Bava Advanced Materials Sign $120 Million Agreement

    Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Chungcheongnam-do (Chungnam) under the 8th civil administration has surpassed $3.9 billion (approximately KRW 5.2841 trillion), bringing the province closer to its 2025 goal of attracting $4 billion in foreign investment.

    On June 18, the provincial government signed a $120 million (about KRW 170 billion) investment agreement with two global companies: U.S.-based industrial gas leader Air Products and India-based semiconductor materials manufacturer Bava Advanced Materials. The signing ceremony took place in the main conference room of the provincial government office.

    Attendees included Chungcheongnam-do Governor Tae-heum Kim, Kurt Lefevere, President of Air Products Asia, Naresh Patel, CEO of Bava Advanced Materials, Cheonan Acting Mayor Seok-pil Kim, and Gongju Deputy Mayor Moo-kyung Song, along with around 20 other representatives. The event featured company introductions, investment presentations, agreement signing, and gift exchanges.

    The agreement solidifies mutual cooperation on implementing and administratively supporting foreign investment in the Cheonan and Gongju areas.

    Air Products, a global supplier of industrial gases, equipment, and applications, already operates production facilities in Cheonan and Asan, supplying specialty gases for semiconductor and display manufacturing. The new investment includes expanding its Cheonan Plant 3 and introducing Korea’s first specialized facility for producing ultra-high-purity industrial gases.

    Air Products cited the region’s proximity to Korea’s semiconductor cluster and the business-friendly administration as key factors in its investment decision.

    Bava Advanced Materials, a subsidiary of Indian pharmaceutical intermediate company Acutas Chemicals, was founded in 2023 to expand into semiconductor raw materials manufacturing and distribution. Bava plans to establish a joint venture, Indichem, with Korean company J&Materials. The goal is to stabilize the supply of raw materials for semiconductor photoresists and gradually replace Japan’s dominance in this market by refining and distributing these materials domestically.

    To achieve this, Bava will construct a factory in the Namgongju General Industrial Complex, with operations scheduled to begin next year.

    This marks the province’s first FDI agreement with an Indian company since its foreign investment initiatives began in 2010.

    The provincial government expects the agreement to diversify Korea’s semiconductor raw material supply chain, which currently relies heavily on China, and to foster the growth of a new materials startup in Gongju.

    Governor Kim stated, “Under the 8th civil administration, we have attracted KRW 34.3 trillion in investment, including more than $3.9 billion in foreign capital. This agreement will elevate Chungnam’s industrial competitiveness to the next level.”

    He added, “I am confident that the province and both companies will continue to grow together in a win-win relationship. We will support their efforts to find new opportunities and achieve greater growth and success in Chungnam.”

    Source : Chungchungnam-do Press Release