Most Popular
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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NCsoft posts loss in Q2
NCsoft said Wednesday that it recorded an operating loss of 7.6 billion won ($6.73 million) in the second quarter, going into the red for the first time since 2006.In a regulatory filing, the company said that its net loss also reached 7.3 billion won, while its sales figure totaled up to 146.8 billion won, down about 12 percent from the same period last year.The firm’s quarterly sales went up 34 percent thanks to its steadily popular online game “Lineage” and its increase in royalties from over
IndustryAug. 8, 2012
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Korea’s auto exports forecast to lose steam in H2
South Korea’s exports of automobiles are expected to lose steam in the second half of the year on contracted demand in Europe and increased competition from foreign carmakers, a report said Wednesday.According to the report compiled by the Korea Automotive Research Institute, South Korea is forecast to export 1.68 million units of cars in the July-December period, up 4.3 percent from a year earlier. In the first six months of the year, car exports increased 10.4 percent on-year to 1.7 million un
Aug. 8, 2012
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Seoul calls France’s stance on Korean autos groundless
Korea on Wednesday dismissed as groundless France’s claim that its domestic auto market has been hit by a surge in imports of Korean vehicles.Last month, France made a request to the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, that Korean autos be on a prior surveillance list, which could trigger a safeguard measure against imports from Korea in the worst case scenario. The commission is set to announce early next month whether to accept France’s claim. “We analyzed auto trade
Aug. 8, 2012
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Banks’ household loan growth hits 4-month low in July
Korean banks’ household loans grew at the slowest pace in four months in July as the growth of mortgage lending eased amid a tepid property market, the central bank said Wednesday.Local banks’ household loans, including home-backed and credit loans, amounted to 457.8 trillion won ($405.9 billion) as of the end of July, up 695.3 billion won from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.The July growth contrasted with a 1.3 trillion won expansion in June and marked the slowest expansion
Aug. 8, 2012
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LG Uplus launches smart foreign education service
LG Uplus, the smallest of Korea’s three telecom companies, has formed an alliance with foreign language education service providers to launch smart education services in foreign languages via Long Term Evolution.With partnerships with Korea’s YBM Sisa, Edubox and SDA, Uplus will kick off the service in September, featuring native speakers and teachers through its fast and real-time LTE networks, the telecom company said.The foreign language program will be offered in English, Japanese and Chines
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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Financial sector braces for blackouts
Most banks ready emergency backup system and staffMajor banks and brokerage houses are preparing against possible power blackouts as electricity consumption soars due to high temperatures.Unexpected power outages struck Seoul and many other parts of the country in September last year, raising concerns that similar accidents may recur at times of high electricity demand. The Korea Power Exchange issued a power shortage alert Tuesday after the nation’s electricity reserve dropped to below 4,000 me
Aug. 8, 2012
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Shares rise on stimulus hopes
Korean stocks closed up 0.87 percent Wednesday as investor sentiment got a boost from heightened optimism over stimulus efforts in the United States and Europe, analysts said. The local currency inched up against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 16.43 points to finish at 1,903.23, extending its winning streak to a third consecutive session and restoring the 1,900 mark in seven weeks. Trading volume was moderate at 477.2 million shares worth 5.34 trillion won
Aug. 8, 2012
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Korea focuses on expanding tax revenue without rate hikes
Government plans to raise 1.7 trillion won in additional tax revenue by 2021The government turned its focus for its tax revision bill on expanding the overall tax revenue base by finding hidden income sources and streamlining related laws rather than hiking tax rates, the finance minister said Wednesday.“Our tax bill this time is focused on legalizing (hidden) tax sources, expanding the overall revenue base, which is deemed to be less transparent than other advanced countries, and reducing the s
Aug. 8, 2012
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Samsung, LG unveil VoLTE smartphones
Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday they have released smartphones that support the voice over Long-Term Evolution service.The release comes in line with the start of commercialized VoLTE services by local mobile carriers SK Telecom Co. and LG Uplus Corp.The VoLTE service, which offers voice calls through the fourth-generation LTE networks, enables clearer quality and faster connection than services on the existing third-generation network. Previously, LTE networks sup
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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Global gaming exhibition to feature online blockbusters
Nexon, Blizzard will showcase new games at gamescom to open next week in GermanyGamescom, one of the world’s largest game premieres, is gearing up to feature new innovations in the sectors of mobile games, online games, console and PC games when it kicks off next Wednesday in Cologne, Germany.Scheduled for a five-day run, big name game firms like Nexon Europe, Blizzard Entertainment, Capcom, Electronics Arts and KONAMI will take part in the games exhibition, one of the top three such shows in th
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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Strawberry extract may help protect skin
Strawberry extract added to skin cell cultures protects against ultraviolet radiation and reduces DNA damage, Italian and Spanish researchers say.Lead author Maurizio Battino of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche in Italy and colleagues said the team prepared human skin cell cultures -- fibroblasts -- added strawberry extract in different concentrations -- 0.05, 0.25 and 0.5 milligram/milliliter, the only exception being the control extract.Using ultraviolet light, the samples were then exp
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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Seoul shares rise 0.87 percent on stimulus hopes
South Korean stocks closed up 0.87 percent Wednesday as investor sentiment got a boost from heightened optimism over stimulus efforts in the United States and Europe, analysts said. The local currency inched up against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 16.43 points to finish at 1,903.23, extending its winning streak to a third consecutive session and rest
Aug. 8, 2012
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Popcorn ingredient linked to Alzheimer's
Diacetyl, a flavoring used to produce the buttery flavor and aroma of microwave popcorn and other food, may be linked to Alzheimer’s, U.S. researchers say.Robert Vince, director of the Center for Drug Design at the University of Minnesota, and colleagues Swati More and Ashish Vartak said diacetyl has been the focus of research recently because it is linked to respiratory and other problems in workers at microwave popcorn and food-flavoring factories.In addition to microwave popcorn, diacetyl is
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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Mystery of ‘monster’ stars solved
Astronomers in Germany say four “monster” sized stars in a nearby galaxy, but so far found nowhere else, are the result of “mergers” of stars in twin systems.The stars, as much as 300 times as massive as the sun, were discovered in 2010 in the giant star cluster R136 in the nearby galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud, astronomers said.Until that discovery, observations of the Milky Way and other galaxies had suggested the upper limit for stars formed in the present day universe was about 150 times
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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Study shows parrots can reason like 3-year-olds
Certain species of parrots are able to deduce by exclusion, an ability equal to that of 3-year-olds, scientists found in a recent study.Christian Schloegl and his team of researchers from the University of Vienna conducted an experiment in which they made African grey parrots find food by inferring from given information about where it was.They first presented the parrots with two boxes -- one of which was filled with food, and the other of which was empty -- and shook them. The parrots reliably
TechnologyAug. 8, 2012
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K-pop wave lifts entertainment sector
Overseas sales of entertainment contents post W150b in H1Korea’s overseas sales of music and video content surpassed 150 billion won ($132 million) in the first half of this year, buoyed by the K-pop craze overseas, a report said. K-pop fever is also lifting the stock value of the nation’s major entertainment agencies.According to the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, audiovisual service revenues, which include sales of overseas music, film and other showbiz areas, reached about $137 million in the firs
IndustryAug. 7, 2012
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Lee instructs more aggressive action to cope with economic crisis
President Lee Myung-bak instructed the Cabinet Tuesday to be more aggressive with a sense of emergency in taking steps to cope with the global economic crisis, saying he sees little action despite many discussions on how to handle the situation.“As we have feared from the beginning of the year, this crisis could last for a long time,” Lee said during a Cabinet meeting, according to spokesman Park Jeong-ha. “Though we have held emergency meetings ... government measures are not seen in action."We
Aug. 7, 2012
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Creatine helps treat depression: study
The dietary supplement creatine can enhance the efficacy of treatments for depression, research by a Korean team of scientists suggests.Creatine is an organic acid that occurs naturally in the body, but is taken as a dietary supplement by athletes as the compound facilitates energy delivery to muscle and brain cells. According to the research conducted by professor Lyoo In-kyoon of Seoul National University’s College of Medicine in collaboration with the Catholic University of Korea researchers,
TechnologyAug. 7, 2012
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Korean, Japanese biz groups call for greater economic ties
BUSAN (Yonhap News) ― The chambers of commerce from Korea and Japan on Tuesday called for closer economic cooperation and investment in the face of growing global uncertainties.At the sixth bilateral chamber of commerce meeting in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Sohn Kyung-shik, the head of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said despite unfavorable economic conditions, two-way trade surpassed the $100 billion mark for the first time in 2011.He said the growth was made possibl
Aug. 7, 2012
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Samsung, Verizon form new smart TV content partnership
Samsung Electronics has formed an alliance with Verizon, the biggest telecom company in the U.S., to boost content for smart TVs.The two companies will offer Internet Protocol television content, including video on demand, through the Verizon FiOS App on Samsung’s smart TV.Some 120 million consumers subscribing to Verizon telecom services will be able to view such content without using set-top boxes, which are normally required to watch IPTV shows and movies.Lee Kyung-shik, vice president of vis
Aug. 7, 2012