Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Cancer biggest cause of death in Korea
Cancer, cerebrovascular disease and heart problems claimed nearly half of all deaths in Korea last year, data showed on Thursday.According to figures released by Statistics Korea, a total of 257,396 people died last year, up 0.8 percent from the previous year.Cancer topped the list of the causes for death in 2011. The number of those who died of cancer was 142.8 per every 100,000 people. It was followed by celebrovascular disease (50.7 people) and heart problems (49.8 people). Suicides came in f
Sept. 13, 2012
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Average corporate board member pockets W850m; employee earns W57m
The average annual salary of registered board members at the nation’s top 100 companies amounted to 850 million won ($753,000) last year, data showed on Thursday.Employees at those companies received an average annual wage of 57 million won, the Financial Supervisory Service said in its report.The wage disparity was the highest in tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., where general employees received 78 million won on average last year, while board members each raked in 10.9 billion won, according
Sept. 13, 2012
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J-E Tech leads industry’s fight against dust
Technological prowess puts small Korean firm on global industry mapThe Korea Herald, in collaboration with the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, is presenting a series of articles introducing small but promising environmental tech firms. The following is the third installment. ― Ed. On the industrial battlefield, tiny dust particles can make a huge difference. They can chip away at employee productivity, optimal machine performance and even cause serious industrial accidents,
IndustrySept. 13, 2012
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Is hypotension a disease?
Is hypotension dangerous? There are several things about hypotension that many people believe to be true, but are actually urban myths. This is an example. It is possible that the medical state of “shock,” in other words, a rapid decline in the blood pressure with decreased function of the body organs ― which can be fatal ― has led to the mistaken belief that low blood pressure (hypotension) is dangerous. In cases of severe blood loss or cardiovascular malfunctions, the blood pressure decreases
TechnologySept. 13, 2012
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Review of studies casts doubt on benefits of omega-3 supplements
LOS ANGELES ― Is there something fishy going on with omega-3 fatty acids?For years, major health and medical organizations have recommended fish oil supplements rich in omega-3s to reduce the threat of heart disease. In Europe, where support is particularly enthusiastic, a doctor’s failure to recommend the supplements is viewed by some as bordering on malpractice.But several recent studies have raised questions about the benefits of fish oil, sparking no small amount of confusion. A report being
TechnologySept. 13, 2012
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Reaching for a box of tissues? Tips for runny noses in autumn
For people with allergic problems, the arrival of cool, breezy autumn days is not so pleasant. Temperature fluctuations and low humidity during fall months often cause sneezing, itchy and runny nose, and lots of discomfort, just like in springtime. Pollen from trees, grass and weeds that floats around in the air trigger allergic reactions, along with mold and dust mites. “Allergic rhinitis, often mistaken for a cold, goes untreated for a long time,” said Choi Seung-yong, a doctor at Hamsoa Child
TechnologySept. 13, 2012
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Hyundai Heavy wins $620m drill ship order
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea’s leading shipbuilder, said Thursday that it has clinched a $620 million order to build a drill ship.Under the deal with the U.S.-based Rowan, Hyundai Heavy will deliver the vessel by the end of the first quarter of 2015, the company said. The contract includes an option to build an additional drill ship.In June last year, Hyundai Heavy won a $1.12 billion deal from Rowan to build two drill ships.A drill ship is a maritime vessel with drilling apparatus
Sept. 13, 2012
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Biz lobby opposes toughening rules on chaebol
A lobby group of Korea’s large businesses on Thursday expressed its objection to a proposed bill on strengthening rules to ensure manufacturing and financial companies will not exert too much control over each other.The opposition came hours after a group of ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers committed to so-called “economic democratization” announced a plan to submit the bill to the National Assembly next week at the latest.The bill, among other things, is meant to limit voting rights of financial
Sept. 13, 2012
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NPS invests $640m in troubled eurozone nations
South Korea’s state-run pension fund has invested some $640 million in debt-stricken European countries, a report showed Thursday, sparking concern over losses due to the persistent eurozone sovereign crisis.The National Pension Service had $639.8 million of exposure to Greece, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Portugal as of June, according to the NPS report. Equity investment reached $339.8 million, with bond holdings making up the remainder.By country, investment in Italy was the largest at $310 mill
Sept. 13, 2012
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Shares end little changed ahead of U.S. announcement
South Korean stocks finished little changed on Thursday as investors turned cautious before the U.S. central bank’s decision on another round of monetary stimulus to boost the economy, analysts said. The local currency declined against the U.S. dollar.Swinging between gains and losses, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 0.66 points, or 0.03 percent, to 1,950.69. Trading volume was heavy at 956.4 million shares worth 5.97 trillion won ($5.29 billion), with gainers slightly out
Sept. 13, 2012
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Vogo Fund to acquire Burger King unit from SRS Korea for $88m
South Korean private equity fund Vogo Fund will take over the local chain of Burger King from franchise restaurant operator SRS Korea Co. for about 100 billion won ($88.7 million) this year, industry sources said Thursday. According to the sources, the local fund has completed negotiations to buy the chain of global fast food restaurant Burger King in South Korea with Doosan Group that has SRS Korea under its wing and will sign a preliminary deal for the acquisition some time soon. The deal is e
Sept. 13, 2012
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‘Korea best example for FTA success’
Chilean trade chief visits Seoul to share ‘flavors of Chile’Chile was the first country with which Korea signed a free trade pact, back in 2003. Amid a 4.5-fold growth in trade volume between the two countries, the Chile FTA has paved the way for Korea to seek new deals with other countries in recent years. For Chile, Korea, especially its agricultural sector, is still one of the hardest markets to enter, said Felix de Vicente, chairman of Chile’s Export Promotion Bureau. “We make jokes that if
IndustrySept. 13, 2012
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FSS to probe firms that have frequent customer complaints
Financial companies which drew a relatively high number of complaints from customers will be subject to full-fledged investigations by regulators.The Financial Supervisory Service said Thursday that it has decided to conduct a large-scale probe into the overall sector including banks, brokerages, credit card firms, insurance firms and savings banks.This will mark the first time that the FSS will probe the overall financial sector simultaneously in terms of customer complaints over each company,
Sept. 13, 2012
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BOK freezes key rate at 3%
Central bank wants room to maneuver in case economic conditions worsen, analysts sayThe South Korean central bank unexpectedly froze the key interest rate for two consecutive months, dashing market expectations that it would cut the rate to boost sagging domestic demand and exports. The Bank of Korea announced on Thursday that it will keep the rate at 3 percent for September. The decision came as a surprise as many expected that the bank would cut the rate as an additional measure to bolster the
Sept. 13, 2012
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New iPhone lacks ‘wow’ factor: investors
HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone unveiled Wednesday is lacking the so-called “wow” factor, as most of the new features introduced have already been expected, foreign investors said Thursday.Apple introduced the iPhone 5, of which new features include a faster network, a more efficient processor, a thinner design and a bigger 4-inch screen. The product will hit nine countries on Sept. 21 and 100 countries by the end of 2012.“In our view, the key difference against other recent
TechnologySept. 13, 2012
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Local players confident of beating iPhone 5 with high-tech features
New iPhone meets chip plant in Xian industry expectations but lacks new conceptsLocal handset makers have expressed their delight to join the LTE handset race with the new iPhone 5 as the new gadget has failed to offer knockout features to the awaiting crowd.Apple presented its new iPhone 5 to the world early Thursday with the LTE-enabled handset to go head-to-head with contenders such as the already-released Galaxy S3 of Samsung Electronics.The latest iPhone will also have to battle with Samsun
IndustrySept. 13, 2012
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Crisis looms large in Korea’s housing sector
Lee Ji-sun managed to sell off her small apartment in southern Seoul last month amid rising concern that a prolonged economic slowdown could send home prices into a downward spiral down the road.The price of the 73-square-meter apartment rose to its record high of 600 million won ($530,000) in late 2009, but it tumbled to 450 million won in August, a steep decline that analysts blamed on a litany of economic woes.“I sold my apartment out of fear that its price could drop further,” the 40-year-ol
Sept. 13, 2012
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Samsung ready to strike back at Apple with LTE patent suit
Apple to roll out iPhone 5 LTE through SKT, KTWith Apple publicly unveiling its plan to launch the iPhone 5 LTE worldwide, Samsung Electronics is on the verge of pushing the battlefront against the U.S. firm further to include LTE patents.Apple announced at its iPhone 5 event in San Francisco early Thursday, Korean time, that it will roll out the new gadget here through the top two mobile carriers SK Telecom and KT.Although it did not specify the release date for Korea, the Cupertino-based tech
IndustrySept. 13, 2012
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Samsung launches construction for chip plant in Xian
Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest memory chipmaker, started work on a semiconductor plant in central China on Wednesday as part of its move to diversify production lines and meet growing demand for chips.The company said earlier it will initially inject $2.3 billion to build the plant in Xian, China. The spending on the construction will reach up to $7.0 billion in the coming years, making the project Samsung’s single largest overseas investment for a chipmaking plant, according to th
Sept. 13, 2012
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Malaysian children celebrate graduation in Korean style
Kuala Lumpur invites Booyoung to graduation ceremony to thank Korean builder for donationsPUTRAJAYA, Malaysia ― Rows of Malaysian primary school students dressed in pink and light blue traditional costumes sing the Korean song “Spring of My Hometown” in the Korean language.They sing to the music played from digital pianos donated by Korea’s Booyoung Housing Co. Ltd. to celebrate their friends’ graduation on Thursday in the Southeast Asian country’s administrative center. Visually impaired studen
IndustrySept. 13, 2012