South Korean scientists said Thursday that they have developed a way to allow drugs to reach the brain that could lead to a safe and cheap treatment method for various neurological diseases. A Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) team led by bio and brain engineering professor Choi Chul-hee said it had used an ultra-high frequency laser to temporarily weaken the “blood-brai...

North Korean defectors here are strongly opposing a government plan to require them to gain approval before making remittances to relatives in the cash-strapped state. They say that the approval process could put them and their loved ones in the North in dangerous situations and make brokers demand more money for delivering funds. They also say that since their remittances are made through “com...

Four of the five Somali pirates taken alive on a South Korean carrier await their verdict Friday, possibly facing the death penalty or life imprisonment, after a week-long trial in Busan. The Busan District Court is expected to announce the verdict late Friday afternoon, after reviewing photos, interrogation material and witness examinations as evidence, officials said. Although charges of mari...

One of seven hospitalized with unknown virus dies 16 days after first death Another pregnant woman has died of acute pneumonia caused by an unidentified virus, the health authorities confirmed Thursday. She was the second death among the seven pregnant women who had been hospitalized at a Seoul hospital in April for infection with the unknown virus. The 36-year-old woman first visited the hosp...

The U.S. media has highlighted health risks related to excessive exposure to 3-D television at home, warning that it could negatively impact eyesight, especially among children. Citing expert opinions, NBC said kids’ eyes continue to develop until the age of 10, meaning the way their eyes learn to focus could be altered by too much 3-D vision. Another issue was the difference in the 3-D technol...

The government is delaying its announcement of a telecom fees discount plan until next week after fierce opposition from political circles early this week. According to the draft plan, prepared following talks between a state taskforce and local telecoms, mobile carriers are to offer 50 more free text messages every month and subscription costs for mobile phone services are to be halved for teen...

LG Uplus Corp., Korea’s smallest mobile carrier, said Thursday that it plans to begin a nationwide long term evolution service by mid-2012, moving up its schedule for the fourth-generation mobile service on booming smartphone demand. LG Uplus will begin offering the service in 82 cities around the country before the end of this year and complete its nationwide 4G network in July next year, the c...

U.S. Lone Star Funds has been suspected of omitting a significant document when it made a report to Korea’s financial regulator in March, an opposition lawmaker alleged. Rep. Lim Young-ho of the Liberty Forward Party said a unit of Lone Star owns 130 golf courses worth about 3.7 trillion won ($3.36 billion) in Japan, demanding regulatory sanction against the buyout fund. He called for the Finan...