USFDA OKs gene-targeting cancer drug

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-a-kind drug to treat the deadliest form of skin cancer by targeting a particular genetic mutation found in about half of patients.The pill called Zelboraf, made by Roche, is the first treatment for melanoma that targets a spe

TechnologyAug. 25, 2011

Four out of five workers suffer aftereffects from vacation

Four out of five workers in Korea feel exhausted when they return to work after summer vacation, a poll showed on Thursday.According to Job Korea, a local online job search engine, about 77.8 percent of 457 respondents said that they are suffering from lingering fatigue from summer holidays.Of those

IndustryAug. 25, 2011

Samsung jumps on court ruling, Jobs resignation

Shares of Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest smartphone maker, jumped on Thursday after a court ruling in the Netherlands and news that Steve Jobs, the chief executive officer of Apple Inc., had resigned.Shares of Samsung Electronics were trading at 733,000 won ($675.4) on the Seoul

TechnologyAug. 25, 2011

First proof that climate is a trigger for conflict: study

PARIS (AFP) - Climate shift has at times been fingered as a culprit in triggering conflict, fuelling for instance the 1789 French Revolution by wrecking harvests and driving hungry peasants to the city.Evidence to back the theory has often been contested as sketchy or anecdotal -- but the case has b

TechnologyAug. 25, 2011

Shinhan Bank faces another sanction

The Financial Supervisory Service is to reprimand Shinhan Bank for irregular business activities at a meeting of the Sanction Review Committee on Thursday, officials said.The regulator is considering issuing a warning to the commercial bank, and will confirm or revise the sanction level during the m

Aug. 25, 2011

Samsung banned from selling some smartphones in Netherlands

BRUSSELS (Yonhap News) -- A Dutch court on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction against the sale of smartphones by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. in the Netherlands in a patent dispute raised by U.S. electronics manufacturer Apple Inc.The injunction, issued by a district court in the Hag

TechnologyAug. 24, 2011

Economists see minimal impact from Japan cut

By Cynthia J. KimThe Korean economy faces minimal impact from Japan’s sovereign credit rating cut by Moody’s Investors Service as the deteriorating fiscal conditions had already been factored in the market, economists said Wednesday.Local experts pointed out that the rating is unlikely to weaken the

Aug. 24, 2011

Caff Bene favored most among specialty coffee brands: survey

By Lee Ji-yoonCaff Bene, a Korean coffee house chain, received the best reviews in a recent consumer survey, while other local coffee retailers also scored high compared to international rivals.Korea Consumer Agency and KAIST Center for Fair Trade and Consumer Protection announced Wednesday the resu

IndustryAug. 24, 2011

Samsung Electronics expected to unveil new tablet

By Kim Ji-hyunSamsung Electronics is expected to roll out a tablet PC running on a Microsoft operating system at a global electronics trade show scheduled to open in Germany next month, industry sources said on Wednesday.The new tablet is reportedly the brainchild of the company’s IT solution busine

IndustryAug. 24, 2011

Homeplus ‘virtual store’ to open in subway station

By Lee Ji-yoonHomeplus, a local supermarket chain, said Wednesday it will open a “virtual store” in a subway station in southern Seoul so that customers can buy products without visiting an outlet. The virtual store will start operation from Thursday at Seonreung Station in Yeoksam-dong. According t

IndustryAug. 24, 2011

POSCO puts UV-coating to commercial production

By Choi He-suk POSCO began mass producing steel plates coated using ultraviolet rays on Wednesday, becoming the world’s first steelmaker to use the method on commercial scale. Named POSCOTE-UV, short for POSCO smart coating technology-ultraviolet, is more resistant to scratches and its surface is br

IndustryAug. 24, 2011

FSS to warn Hyundai Capital, Nonghyup

By Kim Yon-seRegulatory sanctions against Hyundai Capital and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, or Nonghyup, are imminent, officials of the Financial Supervisory Service said Wednesday.The two financial companies have come under intensive regulatory investigations for incurring a cri

Aug. 24, 2011

‘Little chance of Korean rating cut’

By Cynthia J. Kim and news reports Korea’s Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan on Wednesday dismissed concerns over a possible cut in South Korea’s sovereign credit rating.“There is little chance that our nation’s ratings will be lowered,” Yonhap news agency quoted Bahk as telling reporters after attendin

Aug. 24, 2011

Scientists identify origin of current cholera pandemic

A team of scientists has successfully identified the original source of the current global cholera pandemic, a finding that could help scientists understand the mechanisms behind the spread of the disease, the Seoul-based International Vaccine Institute (IVI) said Thursday.By analyzing the genomes o

BusinessAug. 24, 2011