South Korea 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

ENTERTAINMENT 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

South Korea 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

ECONOMY 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

Tech 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

People 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

South Korea 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-(6,850 inch)-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 enlist

Music 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 on 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" showcases promising artists of the year and broadcasts the countdown event at Times Square in New York. The group's agency said on December 14 NewJeans will appear on New Year's Rockin' Eve. The fiv

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