Author: GIKorea

As more FCEV’s hit the road in Korea, more hydrogen production facilities will have to be built that will hopefully reduce the vulnerability from one plant having a maintenance issue:

The recent shortage of hydrogen for vehicles in Korea has prompted a controversy about the country’s readiness to popularize hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), cars that run on electricity genreated by using oxygen from the air and compressed hydrogen, according to industry officials, Sunday.

Since a malfunction last week at hydrogen production facilities at Hyundai Steel’s Dangjin factory in South Chungcheong Province, charging stations in interior parts of Korea have faced difficulties securing hydrogen. As a result, FCEV drivers have had to line up for several hours to fuel their cars.

Earlier this month, passenger cars and buses using hydrogen had engine troubles after fueling from a charging station in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, because of impurities in the station’s hydrogen supply. In August last year, an oil price hike reduced hydrogen production, forcing a maximum on hydrogen purchases of 1 kilogram per driver at each station.

The series of problems caused skepticism about switching from diesel-powered buses and trucks to hydrogen-powered vehicles, as well as over Hyundai Motor’s plan to launch the next version of the NEXO, its hydrogen passenger car.

“The government’s rapidly changing roadmap for the hydrogen economy has caused confusion, delaying the private sector’s investments,” Korea Energy Economics Institute research fellow Kim Jae-kyung said in a recent forum.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The North Koreans are gloating about their supposed spy satellite, but the fact they haven’t shown any photos leads me to believe it either doesn’t work or the technology is very old:

North Korea claimed Saturday its leader Kim Jong-un observed photos taken by the country’s recently launched military spy satellite of “major target regions” in South Korea, where U.S. Army bases are located, and parts of Hawaii.

Kim visited the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) on Friday to “learn about the operational preparation of the reconnaissance satellite” and looked at the aerospace photos, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans celebrating the holiday this weekend.

This is just another reason why smartphones should be banned in schools. Social media just encourages these kids to be confrontational with teachers in order to get online views:

A female student and a middle-aged male teacher are seen arguing at a school in Korea in a video that has gone viral online. (Screenshot from inssahumor2’s Instagram account)

A video showing a quarrel between a female student and a male teacher has sparked online controversy.

The video shows a female student, believed to be a high schooler, arguing loudly in the hallway with a middle-aged male teacher.

The quarrel between the two begins when the teacher loudly instructs the student to go inside the classroom. The student argues back, saying “Why are you yelling at me? Don’t you think I’m a precious daughter of our family?”

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Trilateral exercises between the U.S., ROK, and Japan are becoming very normalized which is a good thing:

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (L) meets Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of carrier strike group one, (R) during his visit to the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Nov. 22, 2023, in this photo provided by the defense ministry.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Wednesday South Korea plans to hold joint maritime drills with the United States and Japan involving a U.S. aircraft carrier to bolster military readiness and show their resolve against North Korea’s provocations.

Shin visited the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier currently docked in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, a day after North Korea claimed it successfully placed a spy satellite into orbit in its third launch following two failed attempts earlier this year. 

“North Korea’s spy satellite launch last night clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban missile launches using ballistic missile technology and is a provocative act that hampers the national security,” Shin said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.