Now shifting gear on other news around the world,...the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been bestowed to a group of scientists for their work on developing lithium-ion batteries.
The Nobel committee said they had laid the foundation for the development of a commercial rechargeable battery.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to three scientists who each oversaw a unique set of breakthroughs in the field of lithium-ion battery technology.
"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has today decided to award the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino, for the development of lithium-ion batteries."
According to the Nobel Committee for Chemistry,... their combined work not only revolutionized portable electronics, but also long-distance electric cars.
"This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry rewards the development of Lithium-ion batteries. We have gained access to a technical revolution. The laureates developed light-weight batteries with a high enough potential to be useful in many applications, truly portable electronics, mobile phones, pacemakers, but also long-distance electric cars."
Their work dates back to the 1970s, when Whittingham first proposed a prototype. While Goodenough greatly improved the battery in the 80s, Yoshino's work dramatically improved safety and enabled the commercial production of the batteries.
At 97 years old,... Goodenough also becomes the oldest laureate to receive a Nobel prize in any category,... while Whittingham becomes the second British-born researcher to win a Nobel prize in science this year.
The trio will share a cash award of over 900-thousand U.S. dollars,... a gold medal as well as a diploma that will be conferred in Stockholm on December 10th,... the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.