LG Innotek develops wireless battery management system for electric vehicles

SEOUL -- LG Innotek, the electrical component-making wing of South Korea's LG Group, has developed a wireless battery management system for electric vehicles. The battery management system (BMS) is the core of EV technology that manages the safety, charging, and discharge of electricity. The electric component maker said that the company developed a new wireless battery management system with upgraded battery performance. The BMS is the heart of an EV. It monitors the voltage, c

December 18, 2023

BTS member V to join special counter-terrorism unit

SEOUL -- BTS member V is set to join South Korea's military police unit specializing in counter-terrorism operations and protecting high-profile individuals. The 27-year-old would be deployed to the "Special Duty Team" after completing a five-week basic military training at an army boot camp and an additional three-week training related to the military police missions. Males aged 18 or older must fulfill their mandatory military service of about 18 months unless th

December 18, 2023

N. Korea fires projectile suspected of ICBM into East Sea

SEOUL -- North Korea has fired a projectile, suspected of an intercontinental ballistic missile, into the East Sea, one day after Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile on December 17, the 12th anniversary of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death. In 2023, Pyongyang fired a total of five intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including "Hawseong-18," a solid-propellant rocket launched in July. A solid-propellant rocket uses solid-type fuels instead of li

December 18, 2023

East Asian esports competition takes place in S. Korea's southern port city

SEOUL -- "Esports Championships East Asia," a cybersport competition between South Korea, Japan, and China, has started in Yeosu, South Korea's southern port city known for its scenic surroundings. A total of 69 professional gamers from the three countries will compete in four different games -- League of Legends, Battlegrounds Mobile, Apex Legends, and eFootball. The annual tournament started in 2021 is hosted by the governments of the three East Asian nations. China

December 16, 2023

S. Korea to stop operation of COVID-19 screening centers

SEOUL -- South Korea will stop the operation of COVID-19 screening centers, about four years after the country was hit by the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. South Korea operated some 500 screening centers across the country since February 2020 to establish a frontline against the infectious disease that infected more than 34 million people and killed more than 35,000 people. The centers offered free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for anyone who showed s

December 15, 2023

SM BEXEL starts mass production of micro lithium ampoule military batteries

SEOUL -- SM BEXEL, the battery-making wing of South Korea's No. 2 bulk carrier operator SM Group, has started the mass production of micro lithium ampoule military batteries. The South Korean battery maker well known for its long-lasting AA and AAA batteries as well as lithium-ion cells injected some seven billion won ($5.4 million) in March 2023 to establish a military battery-making facility with an annual capacity of 2.5 million cells. The battery maker said that the mass

December 15, 2023

Samsung Electronics to release AI laptop 'Galaxy Book4 series' in January 2024

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics will release an artificial intelligence-based laptop "Galaxy Book4" in January 2024. The new laptop series, equipped with U.S. technology giant Intel's neural processing unit processor, can autonomously process various computational tasks without depending on cloud services. Without network or communication, AI laptops can handle computation using AI chips, which incorporate AI deep learning compilers to create the best working code for max

December 15, 2023

KAVKAS appoints Jeonbuk University Professor Ryu Kown-ha as new president

SEOUL -- Koreanischer Altstipendiaten Verein der Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAVKAS), an organization of South Korean scholars who obtained their doctoral degrees with scholarships from Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation, has appointed a new president. Through a general meeting, KAVKAS said on December 15 that Professor Ryu Kwon-ha was appointed as the scholar association's new president. The 62-year-old professor from Jeonbuk University's Department of Media Communicati

December 15, 2023

Committee launched to list Korean rice wine Makgeolli as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

SEOUL -- A special committee of 30 specialists from various fields was launched to list Makgeolli, a Korean rice wine, as UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) 's Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2013, Kimjang, the collective process of making and sharing kimchi in South Korea, was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Makgeolli, also known as Korean rice wine or rice beer, is a milky-white alcoholic beverage that was c

December 15, 2023

S. Korean military to revise enlistment criteria for conscription of excessively obese men

SEOUL -- South Korea's defense forces would draft severely obese men to follow suit with the revised eligibility criteria for mandatory military service. Based on the proposed criteria, a 174-centimeter-(5'8.5")-tall overweight man weighing 120 kilograms (265 pounds) can also be conscripted. Unless they have valid reasons for exemption, males aged 18 or older must complete their military service in South Korea, which is still technically at war with North Korea. Those

December 15, 2023