LG Chem develops flame-retardant material to prevent battery explosion

SEOUL -- South Korea's major chemical company LG Chem has developed a material that can delay thermal runaway in electric vehicle batteries. The material called "Special Flame-Retardant CFT" withstands heat and pressure at 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,732 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than 20 minutes without any damage. Thermal runaway is a chain reaction that can be extremely challenging to halt once initiated inside a battery cell. During thermal runaway, the temperature of

October 27, 2023

[OPINION] Another economic crisis in the making?

KARACHI -- The incessant procession of interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve has aggravated the myriad challenges facing the global economy, particularly emerging nations are expected to face the brunt of the burden.

October 27, 2023

​S. Korea to cull some 3,300 cattle infected with lumpy skin disease

SEOUL -- South Korea will cull a total of 3,321 cows infected with lumpy skin disease after 47 cattle farms were infected by the unexpected animal pandemic that was reported for the first time in the country in mid-October. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease transmitted by blood-feeding insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. When a cow is infected with the virus, the animal would show symptoms of high fever, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, and multiple nodules, lumps

October 27, 2023

Big Hit vows to take legal action against malicious drug rumors about BTS members

SEOUL -- Big Hit Music, K-pop wonder BTS' label, has vowed to take legal action against a media report that claimed BTS members were frequent visitors of a private adult bar in Seoul's southern district of Gangnam. Currently, actor Lee Sun-kyun and boy band BIGBANG member G-Dragon were booked by law enforcers on suspicion of drug abuse and the bar was pointed as the main venue for drug parties. South Korea's entertainment scene was suddenly engulfed in shock in late Octob

October 27, 2023

CJ Cheiljedang releases Spam product made of chicken breast

SEOUL -- South Korea's major food maker CJ Cheiljedang has released a new Spam product made of chicken breast targeting consumers who favor high protein, low-calorie foods. The canned food brand, currently available in 48 countries, is originally made using pork. The canned pork brand, made by American food processing company Hormel Foods, is widely consumed in South Korea. According to CJ Cheiljedang, more than 1.9 billion 200-gram (0.4 pounds) Spam products were sold in the coun

October 27, 2023

​Fans express anger over rumors of BTS members visiting drug case-related adult bar

SEOUL -- Fans of K-pop wonder BTS have expressed anger over rumors of BTS members being frequent visitors of an adult entertainment bar that was related to alleged drug abuse cases involving actor Lee Sun-kyun and K-pop band BIGBANG member G-Dragon. The fans warned the media and cyberbullies that strong legal action would be taken if rumors and fake news continued to spread. South Korea's entertainment scene was engulfed in terror and shock in late October after prosecutors booke

October 26, 2023

LG Chem to produce car seat material with discarded PET bottles

SEOUL -- South Korea's major chemical company LG Chem will produce a raw material for flooring and car seats using discarded polyethylene terephthalate bottles. The conglomerate developed green material called "plasticizer" to meet the demands of its clients striving to export products to North America. Plasticizers are essential in improving the flexibility and elasticity of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a synthetic polymer of plastic simply known as vinyl. Compared to conve

October 26, 2023

Lunit upgrades partnership with Saudi Arabia for virtual hospital project

SEOUL -- South Korea's medical artificial intelligence company Lunit will strengthen a partnership with the Saudi Arabian government to realize virtual hospitals in the Middle Eastern country. The virtual hospital project is part of Saudi Vision 2030, a national project to diversify the nation's economy and nurture its public service sectors such as health, education, and tourism rather than relying solely on the oil business. A virtual hospital incorporates various advance

October 26, 2023

S. Korea to share disease control know-how with Dubai's health authority

SEOUL -- South Korea will share its disease control know-how with health authorities from Dubai in an effort to help the emirate in the United Arab Emirates establish an independent disease-controlling body. South Korea is one of the very few countries that managed to minimize damage to human lives and the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Korean government provided the administrative power and authority to its disease control body and health officials diligently and quick

October 26, 2023

Accumulated global streams of K-pop increase by 42% on-year: market data

SEOUL -- Accumulated number of K-pop songs that were streamed globally between January and October 2023 has increased by 42 percent compared to the same period in 2022, market data released by American entertainment market research firm Luminate showed. Other than listening to the radio, the means of enjoying music changed from vinyl records to cassette tapes, compact discs (CDs), and digital mp3 files over some six decades. Now, the mainstream method for listening to music is to use o

October 26, 2023