Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Seoul Semiconductor LED enhances crop yield

Lettuce is grown under Seoul Semiconductor's SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs in this photo provided by the company, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Seoul Semiconductor
By Baek Byung-yeul
Seoul Semiconductor's SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs improve plant cultivation compared to other white LED products and have a stronger nutritional effect, the LED maker said Tuesday.
The company said it conducted a two-week-long experiment on lettuce using its LED lighting and standard white LED lighting of the same color temperature and light intensity.
The test results showed that the weight of lettuce cultivated by LED lights of Seoul Semiconductor was 43 grams or 13.5 percent higher than that produced by standard white LEDs. Also, the lettuce grown under the SunLike Series was flavonoid-rich as it had 41 percent more flavonoid content which has an antioxidant effect.
Recognized for producing better outcomes, the SunLike Series LEDs have been widely used by horticulture lighting manufacturers such as Rofianda B.V.
The LED maker said the test results proved its LED light products help crops grow to be larger and more nutritious than those of its competitors.
“Growers using greenhouses and indoor farms will benefit by selecting horticulture LED lighting from Seoul Semiconductor that offers a natural spectrum close to real sunlight ― one of the key factors in the growth cycle of plants,” said Nam Ki-bum, sales executive vice-president of the company.