The Korea Herald

Brokerage firms set to increase equity capital

But they remain skeptical about M&As at present stageMajor securities firms are moving to meet the regulatory requirements in a bid to attain recognition as large-sized investment banks.The brokerages, such as Daewoo Securities and Samsung Securities, are poised to resort to increasing their equity capital as an initial step rather than pushing for mergers among them.Most of them plan to increase

July 28, 2011

Ratio of exports to GDP hits new record in Q2

The weight of exports in the South Korean economy hit an all-time high in the second quarter, central bank data showed Thursday, underlining the country’s heavy dependence on overseas shipments for economic growth.Seasonally adjusted exports of goods and services amounted to 141.7 trillion won ($134.6 billion) in the April-June period, or 52.68 percent of the gross domestic product, according to t

July 28, 2011

SKT on road to mutual growth

Country’s top mobile carrier signs shared growth agreement with 360 partnersSK Telecom, the country’s top mobile carrier, is on the road to emphasizing mutual growth as it embarks on a number of projects with its smaller subcontractors.On Tuesday, SKT pledged mutual growth with its seven partners on establishing a nationwide network for fourth generation Long Term Evolution technology. The seven p

IndustryJuly 28, 2011

Sonata, K5 hybrids draw global attention

Hyundai-Kia gear up to catch up with Toyota hybridsHyundai Motor and Kia Motors had fallen behind Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in developing fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles.But the nation’s two affiliated companies have plunged into keen competition to dominate the international green car markets by launching the hybrid version of popular sedans this year.“While we have joined the growing

MobilityJuly 28, 2011

Sonata, K5 hybrids draw global attention

Japan’s retail sales rise for first time since quake

Japan’s retail sales rose in June, exceeding all economists’ forecasts, adding to signs that the economy is bouncing back from an initial post-disaster plunge. Sales rose 1.1 percent in June from a year earlier, the Trade Ministry said Thursday in Tokyo. The median estimate of 16 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 0.5 percent decline, with the highest estimate for a 0.6 percent gain.

IndustryJuly 28, 2011

Japan’s retail sales rise for first time since quake

Obama to set fuel standard goal

IndustryJuly 28, 2011

U.S. eyes debt compromise under deadline squeeze

IndustryJuly 28, 2011

Asia faces rising price pressures: ADB

Asian economies’ growth slowdown, inflation concerns remainAsian policy makers need to tackle rising inflationary pressures in their economies even as global growth weakens, the Asian Development Bank said. The region can use monetary and fiscal policies as well as exchange rates to ease price pressure, the Manila-based lender said in its Asia Economic Monitor report Thursday. Asian economies also

IndustryJuly 28, 2011

K-water head reappointed

Kim Kuen-ho, chief executive of the Korea Water Resources Corp., will retain the office for another year, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Tuesday.The ministry said it received approval from President Lee Myung-bak for its request that Kim be reappointed for an additional year. His three-year term expired Wednesday. Kim Kuen-hoThe decision reflects the ministry’s efforts t

IndustryJuly 28, 2011

35m Cyworld, Nate users’ information hacked

SK Communications Co. said on Thursday that personal information of its 35 million online users has been hacked, marking South Korea’s worst online security breach and sparking fears that the leak could lead to massive online and voice scams in coming weeks. (Yonhap News)“The company has confirmed that a leak of customers’ information has taken place due to hacking on July 26,” SK said in a state

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

35m Cyworld, Nate users’ information hacked

Venereal diseases in elderly women on rise

Venereal disease among the elderly population is rising, the Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed Monday.According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, a ministry affiliate, the number of people treated for various venereal diseases marked 352,000 in 2010, up 19,000 from four years ago. Women outnumbered men: Female patients marked 249,000 compared to 102,000 men. The rate of increase

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Leukemia patient’s lung transplant

Doctors at Gangnam Severance Hospital successfully transplanted a pair of lungs to a leukemia patient for the first time in Korea, the medical center said Tuesday.Dr. Paik Hyo-chae and Dr. Haam Seok-jin of the hospital said the patient, a 21-year-old male, received the operation in September last year and is recovering. The man had received a bone marrow transplant in June 2008 when his lungs show

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

First name tag on tooth developed

A group of doctors here has developed a special marker that can be stuck onto teeth for identification. A patent has been filed for the marker.According to Dental Leaders Club, the “tooth label” is made of “inlay,” a material to fill in cavities, and is stuck to the face of a back tooth. There, the name, national identification number as well as emergency contact are written. “Inlay is quite solid

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Focus on osteoporosis

Her face told me immediately that something was not right. My mother-in-law is usually cheerful and enthusiastic to greet us when we visit her home for the holidays, but this time her voice was feeble and her face was darkened by a smothered grimace. Then I noticed the limp and her hand bracing her back. “Mother, what happened?” I asked.“Oh, I fell two days ago. I slipped as I stepped down from th

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Once 420 pounds, man cut his weight in half by cycling

LEXINGTON, Kentucky ― Five years ago, Bill Cole weighed 420 pounds, had little strength and less endurance, and generally avoided physical exercise.Cole, 49, is a Lexington real estate consultant. Before that, he taught sociology at the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University.“I was born with some foot problems and had a bunch of surgeries, which kind of gave me an excuse not to be ac

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Once 420 pounds, man cut his weight in half by cycling

Kids increasingly facing grown-up illnesses like eating disorders, obesity

DALLAS ― Are kids growing up too fast?Dr. Michelle Fowers says too many are.“I think all the time about kids with grown-up illnesses,” says Fowers, a pediatrician at Baylor Medical Center in Irving, Texas.Societal pressures, poor nutrition, and inadequate or too narrowly focused exercise are causing serious health problems for kids, experts say. These problems include obesity, high blood pressure

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Kids increasingly facing grown-up illnesses like eating disorders, obesity

Prevent stomach cancer with food

A malignant tumor in the stomach, gastric cancer, is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Korea. According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, 29,418 people were newly registered as gastric cancer patients in 2010, taking up almost 10 percent of the 218,884 new cancer patients that year.The high prevalence of gastric cancer here is due to Koreans’ diet pattern, said Dr. Lee Ju-ho of E

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Insurers brace for rain-triggered car claims

South Korean non-life insurers are bracing themselves for a spike in car insurance claims relating to damage from the record downpours that pounded the capital area, sources said Thursday.Torrential rains have battered Seoul and the surrounding regions since Tuesday, placing thousands of vehicles under water and triggering landslides and flash floods that killed at least 41 people.The Financial Su

July 28, 2011

Study finds no cancer link with kids, cellphones

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A European study concludes a few years of cellphone use did not raise children's risks of brain cancer.Repeated studies in adults have been reassuring, too, although an arm of the World Health Organization said this spring that there is a possibility cellphones pose a risk. Moms are photographed at Hall's Calabasas, California home, where they run a business designing "apps" for

TechnologyJuly 28, 2011

Study finds no cancer link with kids, cellphones

S. Korea's current account hits 8-month high in June

South Korea's current account surplus hit an eight-month high in June on record exports, the central bank said Thursday, showing that overseas shipments are humming along despite strong currency and global economic uncertainties.The current account surplus reached US$2.99 billion in June, up from a revised $2.18 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account

July 28, 2011