South Korea

마스오토, 자율주행 데이터 1천만km 달성

ZD Net Korea | Local Language | News | Dec. 2, 2025 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

Masauto, led by CEO Park Il-su, has surpassed 10 million kilometers of real-world driving data through its vision-based End-to-End (E2E) AI autonomous driving trucks and data collection devices. This includes 2 million kilometers from autonomous freight transport and 8 million kilometers from its camera-based data collection device, MasBox, installed on trucks of major domestic logistics partners operating nationwide across highways, provincial roads, and urban areas.

The company's autonomous freight trunk-line transport service commenced in 2023 following a regulatory sandbox exemption from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2022. Masauto collaborates with major logistics firms such as Hyundai Glovis, Lotte Global Logistics, CJ Logistics, Hyundai Mobis, and others. So far, paid transport trips have exceeded 5,000, with an average round-trip distance of approximately 540 km. The collected data encompasses diverse real-world scenarios including various weather conditions, traffic congestion, and accident situations, used to train a single neural network-based E2E heavy-truck autonomous driving AI system.

Masauto’s data acquisition supports the South Korean government’s “K-Mobility Global Leading Strategy,” which promotes a shift toward AI-centered autonomous driving using large-scale real-world data rather than traditional LiDAR-based, rule-driven approaches. The company plans to scale MasBox installations to over 1,000 units among partners to collect around 100 million kilometers of data, further advancing its autonomous driving AI.

In early November 2025, Masauto was appointed lead organization for an 18.2 billion won government project titled “Development of unmanned autonomous driving commercialization technology for large-truck freight transport.” The project involves a 13-organization consortium from industry, academia, research, and government, targeting the commercialization of large-truck autonomous driving by 2027.

인도네시아·태국·스리랑카 대홍수…사망자 800명 넘었다

Hankyung | Local Language | News | Dec. 2, 2025 | Natural Disasters

Heavy rains over the past week have caused severe flooding and landslides across Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, resulting in a death toll exceeding 800. Indonesia has been the hardest hit, with 442 deaths and 402 missing reported in three northern Sumatra provinces. The casualty figure rose sharply from 303 the previous day as rescue efforts continue amid difficult conditions due to damaged infrastructure. Approximately 297,000 people have lost their homes, and thousands remain injured. The government has deployed naval ships to transport relief supplies, and officials warn the death toll may rise as many bodies are still unaccounted for.

In southern Thailand, record-breaking rains have killed 170 people across eight provinces, with Songkhla province suffering the highest fatalities at 131. Flooding persists in some areas, slowing recovery. Power has been restored to around 80% of affected districts, while rescue operations continue to clear debris and search for missing persons. Approximately 3 million people in Thailand and 1.1 million in Indonesia have been impacted by the extreme weather.

Sri Lanka has also faced significant flooding and landslides, with 193 deaths and 228 people missing. The disaster has affected around 790,000 people, leaving 148,000 displaced in shelters and damaging over 20,000 homes. The government declared a state of emergency and has called for international help, with India sending helicopters, rescue teams, and relief supplies.

Experts attribute the widespread heavy rains and flooding to an unusual tropical storm near the Malacca Strait, noting that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of such storms in Southeast Asia. This year’s monsoon season has brought unprecedented rainfall and damage compared to previous years.

Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Dec. 2, 2025 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

South Korea's nominal GDP is projected to grow by 2.1 percent in won terms for 2025, reaching 2.61 quadrillion won, up from 2.56 quadrillion won in 2024. However, when measured in U.S. dollars, the GDP is expected to contract by 0.9 percent to $1.86 trillion, down from $1.88 trillion in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This reflects near-stagnant growth over two years, with dollar-denominated GDP rising only 0.7 percent from $1.84 trillion in 2023.

The discrepancy between won and dollar GDP figures is due to an unusually weak Korean won, which averaged 1,417.68 won per dollar in 2025, surpassing the previous record set during the 1998 Asian financial crisis. In November alone, the won depreciated to 1,460.44 won per dollar, marking the weakest level since March 1998. Analysts warn that this sustained currency weakness may delay South Korea’s milestones of achieving a $2 trillion economy and reaching $40,000 per capita GDP, goals initially expected by 2027.

Political instability last December, including martial law and the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, contributed to increased exchange rate volatility. The IMF highlighted that while exchange rate fluctuations alone are unlikely to cause major economic risks, periods of global financial uncertainty may lead to thinner liquidity in foreign exchange markets and more pronounced currency movements.