Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Lotte, Hi-mart aim for retail top spot
Lotte Shopping and Hi-mart on Thursday made their merger official by launching their new name, “Lotte Hi-mart,” an entity both parties hope will help take them to the top in the electronics and retail industries. Experts said the acquisition by Lotte Shopping is expected to bring forth a positive synergy effect, despite Moody’s credit rating agency slashing its rating on Lotte, citing likely deterioration in the company’s financial profile. “For now, the M&A is no doubt weighing on Lotte’s finan
IndustryNov. 1, 2012
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Sharapova named Samsung publicity envoy in Russia
Maria Sharapova, one of the world’s best-known tennis players, will promote Samsung electronic appliances in Russia as its goodwill ambassador.Samsung Electronics in Russia appointed the 24-year-old World No. 2 Russian player as its publicity envoy for Russia and the 2014 Sochi Olympics in a ceremony in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, officials said.Sharapova, a U.S. resident since 1994, had flown to Moscow a day earlier to attend the event. Samsung Electronics seeks to further enhance the image of S
IndustryNov. 1, 2012
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New tree-dwelling tarantulas described
Nine new species of tree-dwelling tarantulas have been identified in central and eastern Brazil, researchers say, bringing the total in the area to 16 species.Arboreal tarantulas -- known from a few tropical places in Asia, Africa, South and Central America, and the Caribbean -- generally have a lighter build, thinner bodies and longer legs than their ground-living cousins, which better suits them for their forest tree habitats, they said.The new species have been reported in the journal Zookeys
TechnologyNov. 1, 2012
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Parental stress linked to child obesity
Stressed-out parents are more likely to have obese children, U.S. researchers suggest. "Stress in parents may be an important risk factor for child obesity and related behaviors," Dr. Elizabeth Prout-Parks, a nutrition specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who was the study leader, said in a statement. "The severity and number of stressors are important."Among the parental stressors associated with childhood obesity were poor physical and mental health, financial strain and leadi
TechnologyNov. 1, 2012
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In-flight magazine to go digital, wireless
A Norwegian airline and an in-flight magazine publisher say they will use WiFi to bring airline passengers new options in in-flight entertainment.Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ink, which provides magazines for about 30 airlines around the world, said they would debut the new system next year, The New York Times reported.Using Norwegian Air Shuttle's free WiFi service, passengers will be able to access content including music, video and travel articles from the carrier's in-flight magazine on their s
IndustryNov. 1, 2012
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Korea's consumer prices gain 2.1 pct on-year in Oct.
South Korea's consumer prices grew at the fastest pace in four months in October due mainly to an increase in prices of farm products, a government report showed Thursday.The country's consumer prices index rose 2.1 percent in October from a year earlier, compared with a 2 percent on-year gain in the previous month, according to the report by Statistics Korea. The index fell 0.1 percent from September when the consumer prices rose 0.7 percent on-month.The so-called core inflation, which excludes
Nov. 1, 2012
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How far will Apple fall?
Apple Inc. has long been about infinitely more than just gadgets and devices; it became as iconic as an IT brand could get. Profit and stock prices aside, the fact that it garnered a spot on every hip youngster’s Christmas wish list was proof enough of its success.Now there are questions about whether it could follow in the footsteps of RIM and Nokia, one-time industry leaders who are now becoming mere shadows of their former selves. Apple certainly isn’t on its deathbed, far from it ― it’s stil
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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Korean passengers too pampered?
AirAsia, the world’s largest budget carrier, recently launched a new route connecting Incheon and Narita, offering a special price for a one-way ticket at 30,000 won (less than $28) with all taxes included. The 4,000 prepared tickets sold out immediately via the company’s website between Oct. 11-17. But intense competition aside, some complaints surfaced even among the lucky customers who purchased the tickets. They didn’t know that they could be charged to use additional services like a meal on
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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‘House poor’ become social issue
The number of so-called “house poor,” or burdened by mortgage and loan debt, has emerged as a social woe amid the protracted slump in the property market.When real estate prices surged between 2005 and 2006, many middle-income earners purchased houses that were out of their budget and have been financially pinched after housing prices plummeted following the 2008 global crisis.The number of “high-risk” house poor, or those with no ability to pay off their mortgage debt in full even if they sell
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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KEPCO unit wins $1b deal from Jordan
KEPCO Plant Service & Engineering Co., a South Korean industrial plant builder, said Wednesday that it has signed a $1 billion deal for the operation and maintenance of a power plant in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Under the deal with Amman Asia Electric Power Company, KPS said it will operate and maintain the power plant for 25 years and six months for the AAEPC.KPS is a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corp., South Korea’s state-run power provider. The power plant is located in an area 30 k
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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STX to sell 43.1% stake in energy unit to Orix
STX Group said on Tuesday it has signed a contact with Orix Corp., a Japanese financial company, to sell a 43.1 percent stake in STX Energy, the group’s energy business arm. Under the deal, the group aims to raise 360.1 billion won ($330 million).Despite a hefty sell-off, STX Group will continue to keep its management rights in the affiliate with a more than 50 percent stake, the company said. The main businesses of STX Energy are power plant construction and energy development. Orix has investe
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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Samsung, LG win top spots on Consumer Reports
A smartphone produced by Samsung Electronics Co. and household appliances made by LG Electronics Inc. have been chosen as the best products of the year by an authoritative U.S. magazine, industry sources said Wednesday.Consumer Reports gave the South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy S3 smartphone the highest marks out of similar products tested.Samsung’s two-door refrigerator and 32-inch and 60-inch liquid crystal display TVs and 60- to 64-inch plasma display panel TVs also received the highest rankin
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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Nation’s IT giants to hire more overseas Koreans
The nation’s big enterprises and information technology-oriented venture firms will hold a job fair in Silicon Valley in the United States in November to recruit overseas Koreans.The job fair, slated for Nov. 12-13 in Santa Clara, California, is part of the first premier technology conference organized by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.Among the estimated 30 sponsors and recruiters are Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Hynix and Asiana Airlines.Ministry officials said the recruitment ta
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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Shares gain on institutional buying
South Korean stocks closed 0.66 percent higher on institutional buying on Wednesday, despite the market fretting over the U.S. presidential election next week, analysts said. The local currency gathered ground against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index finished up 12.50 points to 1,912.08. Trading volume was moderate at 391.7 million shares worth 3.76 trillion won ($3.44 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 562 to 257. “The new U.S. administration will most likely
Oct. 31, 2012
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BOK warns against potential outflow of foreign capital
South Korea’s central bank on Wednesday warned against an increase in volatility of cross-border capital movements as the prolonged economic slowdown could spark a reversal of foreign funds inflows.A series of credit rating upgrades on Korea and quantitative easing by major central banks are helping more foreign capital flow to into Asia’s fourth-largest economy, making the won appreciate more than 5 percent to the U.S. dollar so far this year.The warning came as risks of a sudden reversal of fo
Oct. 31, 2012
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S-Oil’s earnings rise 25% on prices, margin
S-Oil, the nation’s third-largest oil refiner, said on Tuesday that its operating profit rose 24.8 percent to 518.4 billion won ($475.2 million) in the third quarter on-year thanks to rising international oil prices and improved refining margin.The company’s revenue increased 8.9 percent to 8.5 trillion won and net profit surged 625.5 percent to 456.1 billion won for the three months up to Sept. 30 compared to the same period last year.By business area, the company’s oil refining and petrochemic
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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Hana Academy and KEB union in legal battle
A squabble between the union of a local bank and a private academy may escalate into a full-scale legal war. Kim Seung-yu, head of the Hana Academy School’s board of directors, and Yoon Kyo-jung, a board member, said on Tuesday that the school would take legal action against the union at Korea Exchange Bank for slander, and also seek compensation for damages. Earlier last month, the KEB union took out an ad in a local newspaper lambasting Hana for accepting 25 billion won ($23 million) in donat
IndustryOct. 31, 2012
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More Koreans spending heavily overseas
More South Koreans are swiping their cards outside the country. Overseas credit card spending is increasing every year, according to Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, and over 60,000 spent more than $20,000 (21.8 million won) last year.The biggest spenders reached 63,727 in number in 2011, a jump of 16.9 percent compared to 2010 and 64 percent compared to 2009, when the won-dollar exchange rate hit the ceiling right after the global financial crisis, KCS’s report on 2008-2011 credit card spend
Oct. 31, 2012
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Microsoft unveils Windows 8, PC makers roll out smart PCs
As Microsoft globally launched its latest Windows 8 operating system in New York last Friday, a number of computer makers rushed to ride the wave of its publicity.Windows 8 was available nationwide on Oct. 26, the same day of its global premiere, and about 70 new PCs running on the new OS were displayed at over 3,000 online and offline stores, according to Microsoft officials. PC makers like Samsung Electronics, Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba took turns in unveiling new portable PCs featuring converti
TechnologyOct. 31, 2012
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‘Time to seed’ for service robot boom
Considering the rapid shift in trends in information technology businesses, the demand for service robots will start to boom in 2020, according to a French service robotics industry expert.Bruno Bonnell, chairman of Europe’s largest service robotics company Robopolis, said the industrial trend changes every 10 years. We’re now living in the time of smartphones ― but that will change by 2020.“In 1981, computers were fun but they were machines for geeks. People said the devices were not so excitin
TechnologyOct. 31, 2012