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

NewJeans to perform on US broadcaster ABC's special New Year's Eve show

SEOUL -- Girl band NewJeans will become the first K-pop girl band to interact with American fans through a popular New Year's Eve show hosted by the United States broadcaster ABC. The program titled "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" broadcasts the countdown event at Times Square in New York and showcases promising artists of the year. The group's agency said on December 14 NewJeans will appear on New Year's Rockin' Eve. Th

December 14, 2023

Indian Embassy holds special event to celebrate 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with S. Korea

SEOUL -- The Indian Embassy in Seoul has held a special event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with South Korea. At the Indian cultural center in Seoul's central district of Yongsan, India's ambassador has reached an agreement with South Korea's deputy minister for political affairs to upgrade strategic cooperation in various sectors. Government data showed that South Korea's exports to India reached $18.8 billion in 2022, up 21 from a year a

December 14, 2023

S. Korea's artificial sun project kicks into new test phase through upgraded parts

SEOUL -- South Korea's artificial sun project called "Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR)" has kicked into a new test phase through upgraded parts. KSTAR is a magnetic fusion device run by South Korean researchers to study aspects of magnetic fusion energy. KSTAR is an experimental tokamak device designed to harness the energy of nuclear fusion. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and other stars, where two light atomic nuclei combine to form

December 14, 2023

POSCO's digital transformation wing to develop robots for steel production

SEOUL -- POSCO DX, the digital transformation wing of South Korea's steel group POSCO has partnered with Chosun Refractories, a domestic refractory product maker, to create robots for steel production. The robots will be used for dangerous tasks such as handling high-temperature molten iron generated in a blast furnace. POSCO DX said on December 13 that it partnered with Chosun Refractories to develop new robots. The robots will be deployed to steel mills to assist the casting p

December 14, 2023

Korean pork broth menu selected as New York's top dish of 2023

SEOUL -- Dweji Gomtang, a pork broth menu served with rice and cabbage kimchi, was selected by the New York Times as one of the "Top 8 New York City Dishes of 2023." The Korean pork soup is available at the Big Apple branch of a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in Seoul. Gomtang means Korean-style soup or broth that is simmered for hours using ingredients such as the spine, leg bones, the tail, and the meat of an animal. While Gomtang is normally made with cow bones and be

December 14, 2023

LG Unicharm builds solar power facility to produce sanitary pads and diapers

SEOUL -- Through a joint venture with Japan’s hygiene product maker Unicharm, South Korea's consumer goods company LG Household & Health Care has built a solar power generation facility with an annual capacity of 348-megawatt electricity. The joint venture "LG Unicharm" uses solar energy to produce sanitary pads and diapers. LG Household & Health Care said on December 13 that the joint venture completed the construction of the solar facility on the roofto

December 13, 2023

S. Korea to provide autonomous vehicle safety training for driver's license test  

SEOUL -- South Korea will incorporate autonomous vehicle safety training for the national driver's license test in 2024. The country aims to set up various rules and policies to prepare for the operation of fully autonomous vehicles that don't require a human driver. South Korea unveiled its plan to commercialize level-4 self-driving in 2027. Unlike autonomous levels 1, 2, and 3 which assist human drivers to conveniently reach their destinations, a level 4 self-driving veh

December 13, 2023

Samsung adds free movie VOD service to digital TVs

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics has added movie video-on-demand service to Samsung TV Plus, the company's free video content service for Samsung TV users. The tech giant partnered with the ecommerce wing of South Korea's largest telecom service provider KT to gradually increase the number of serviced films to up to 1,000 by the end of 2024. Video-on-demand (VOD) services are internet-based video content services in which viewers can search and select films they wish to watch on

December 13, 2023