G-Dragon's agency sends out deadline warning towards cyberbullies

SEOUL -- The agency representing singer Kwon Ji-yong, known by his stage name G-Dragon, has issued a deadline warning to cyberbullies spreading malicious rumors about the 35-year-old artist's drug scandal. The agency will take legal action if such comments are not deleted or corrected by December 28. Meanwhile, G-Dragon plans to establish a foundation to combat drug abuse. Along with Lee Sun-kyun, who gained worldwide popularity after appearing in the Oscar-winning film "Pa

December 21, 2023

Market share of Hyundai and Kia cars in Europe stands at 8.6% in November 2023: data

SEOUL -- Sales of Hyundai and Kia cars in the European market continued to rise in November 2023 to have a market share of 8.3 percent, up 0.1 percent compared to the same period in 2022, data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association showed. The European car market stood at about $15 billion with some 13 million newly-registered units in 2022. The number of newly-registered vehicles dropped by 10.4 percent compared to a year ago, but remained larger than the Nor

December 21, 2023

BTS' Jimin to drop solo digital single 'Closer Than This'

SEOUL -- BTS member Jimin's solo digital single will be released while he fulfills his mandatory military service in South Korea. The 28-year-old will deliver his sincere feelings toward his fan club, "ARMY," through the song titled "Closer Than This." Big Hit, the agency of BTS, said the digital single will be rolled out at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT) on December 21. "As we approach the final days of 2023, we hope that 'Closer Than This,' with its lyri

December 21, 2023

LG Chem breaks ground on largest cathode material plant in US

SEOUL -- South Korea's major chemical company LG Chem has started the construction of the largest cathode plant in the United States. By 2026, the factory in Tennessee will have an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons of cathodes for high-performance batteries that can power about 600,000 electric vehicles with a range of 500 kilometers (310 miles). Along with anodes, cathodes are used to help the conduction of electricity through electrolyte materials. Demands for cathodes

December 20, 2023

Chinese shopping app Aliexpress garners largest number of new users in S. Korea in 2023

SEOUL -- The smartphone application of Aliexpress, the business-to-consumer ecommerce platform operated by China's online shopping giant Alibaba Group, has become the ecommerce app service that garnered the largest number of users in South Korea in 2023. The culture of "Jikgoo," direct buying in the Korean language, became popular among smart consumers about a decade ago. Some South Korean shoppers mainly used online shopping platforms such as Amazon and eBay to gain a

December 20, 2023

S. Korea to build 10,000 smart buildings for urban air mobility and robots

SEOUL -- South Korea aims to build 10,000 smart buildings with easy access to robots, autonomous vehicles, and urban air mobility by 2035. Various policies will be adopted to create infrastructure for advanced mobility solutions such as vertiports that serve as landing and takeoff facilities for flying vehicles. Smart buildings should have enough space for easy operation of flying passenger vehicles and other advanced mobility solutions. Building structures must be modified to i

December 20, 2023

LS Cable develops copper flake-based foil material for high-performance batteries

SEOUL -- South Korea's major electrical cable manufacturer LS Cable has developed a new copper foil material for high-performance batteries used in electric vehicles. Unlike conventional foil material made using copper wires, the new material can be made using copper flakes, including leftover scrap copper pieces created during the process of electrical cable and wire production. Copper foils are used in high-performance batteries as current collectors and coatings for electrode

December 20, 2023

Seoul and Beijing foreign ministry directors meet in Shenzhen to discuss S. Korea-China relations

SEOUL -- Foreign ministry directors from Seoul and Beijing met in China's southern city of Shenzhen to discuss South Korea-China international relations and other international issues that revolve around the Korean Peninsula. The meeting took place amid a thawing atmosphere between the two countries since Seoul-Beijing relations became frozen after the election of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in May 2022. After taking office, President Yoon aligned South Korea's dipl

December 20, 2023

S. Korea to host Winter Youth Olympics for first time in Asia

SEOUL -- The Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place in South Korea's eastern province of Gangwon, well known for its mountainous and forested landscapes, in January 2024. South Korea has become the first Asian country to host the international sports event that would be attended by some 1,800 athletes from about 80 nations. The Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG), designed for young athletes aged between 15 and 18, is held every four years. The multi-sport event organized by t

December 20, 2023

Number of S. Koreans with families in North continues to decrease

SEOUL -- The number of South Koreans separated from their family members due to the Korean War (1950~1953) dropped to 39,881 as of November 2023, down 32.5 percent from 2017. Divided families have been unable to reunite since the last family reunion event in 2018 due to escalating tensions between the two Koreas. Millions of Koreans were displaced by the sweep of the Korean conflict, which concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas still technical

December 19, 2023