General Election, April 13

The 20th election of members of the National Assembly is coming up. Anyone aged 18 or older can vote for congressmen from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on April 13. In Korea, voters should check the notice which indicates the designated place they will vote before they exercise the right to vote.

Oil Price Finally Goes up

The price of oil increased by about $36 on March 11 compared to the price of $20 in January and February. The selling price of petroleum products including diesel oil and gasoline are also increasing. Higher oil prices will cause an increase in the price of oil products sold in Korea.

Lee Se-dol Verses AlphaGo

AlphaGo is an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program designed by Google DeepMind in London to play the board game Go. Lee Se-dol is a professional Go player ranked ninth in the world. It is the first game of Go with human verses AI. The game lasted from March 9 to 14.

Increases in Consumption of Cigarettes and Alcohol

People are demanding more cigarettes and alcohol in comparison with the past despite increases in the price of cigarettes and alcohol including Soju, Makgeolli and beer. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), the amount of the expenditure on these items is over thirty thousand won per person which is an all-time high.

Financial Robot Advisor

Investment computer programs are coming into existence resembling AlphaGo, in which artificial intelligence (AI) plays the board game Go. These new programs advise people who are likely to invest with lighting speed. Also they analyze exchange rates and stock prices. Additionally, they will use the big data and make portfolio.