The Korea Herald

‘UFOs’ in Texas identified as paper lanterns

UFO sighting reports in the Texas ended in an anticlimactic way after the objects turned to be paper lanterns, U.S. media reported MondayAccording to the local sheriff’s office, the “fireballs in the sky” which incited UFO stir were actually Chinese paper lanterns from a nearby wedding.The “fireballs” were first reported to police around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. About a dozen locals and police officers responding to the report witnessed several orange lights moving slowly in the sky.Police contacted

TechnologyMarch 29, 2013

‘UFOs’ in Texas identified as paper lanterns

Seoul shares gain 0.57 pct on gov't stimulus

South Korean stocks rose 0.57 percent Friday as investors were buoyed by the government's economic stimulus plan, including a possible extra budget, analysts said. The local currency inched up against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 11.37 points to close at 2,004.89. Trading volume was moderate at 333.5 million shares worth 3.43 trillion won (US$3.08 billion) with gainers outnumbering decliners 528 to 280. "The fact that the government has also de

BusinessMarch 29, 2013

Seoul shares up 0.78 pct in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded 0.78 percent higher late Friday morning, buoyed by gains in brokerage houses and foodmakers, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) soared 15.45 points to 2,008.97 as of 11:20 a.m.Leading brokerage firm Woori Investment & Securities Co. surged 3.5 percent, with local major foodmaker Nongshim climbing 3.8 percent. In contrast, autos and heavy industries trended in negative territory, with Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest ship

BusinessMarch 29, 2013

Study finds link between smoking and genes

A team of scientists from the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand said they that have identified ways in which genes increase the chance of someone becoming a heavy smoker.A study by Duke University did an analysis of previous studies find out which genes affected smoking behavior. They then tracked 1,000 people living in New Zealand from birth to age 38, to see if those with a high-risk genetic profile took up smoking more quickly as teenagers and found it harder to stop smoking.Those with a genetic pro

TechnologyMarch 29, 2013

Study finds link between smoking and genes

U.S. dentist put 7,000 patients at risk of HIV, other diseases

A dirty dentist placed 7,000 patients at risk of contracting HIV and other infectious diseases after failing to properly sterilize equipment at his Oklahoma practice, health officials warned Thursday.Officials do not yet know if any patients were infected but urged everyone who had ever been treated at the Tulsa oral surgery practice to be tested at a free clinic.“We do not know how long these improper practices have been occurring, so we recommend that all patients of Dr. (Scott) Harrington‘s b

TechnologyMarch 29, 2013

Seoul shares open higher on gov't stimulus plan

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Friday as investor sentiment was cheered by the government's economic stimulus unveiled the previous day, which included a possible extra budget worth 10 trillion won (US$89.8 billion), analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 16.31 points, or 0.82 percent, to 2,009.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Shares gathered ground across the board, with builders and brokerage houses leading the rise. No. 1 player Hyun

March 29, 2013

S. Korea's industrial output drops 0.8 pct on-month in Feb.

South Korea's industrial output shrank for the second straight month in February, intensifying worries that industrial activities might be slowing due to toughened economic conditions, a government report showed Friday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries dropped 0.8 percent last month from a month earlier. It is the second straight on-month contraction following a revised 1.2 percent fall in January.The output also

March 29, 2013

Korea lowers growth forecast to 2.3 percent

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance has revised down its growth estimate this year on fears that the global economy could continue to be weighed down by sluggish demand.The ministry on Thursday projected 2.3 percent growth in 2013, down from its initial forecast of 3 percent announced last year, as exports slowed and private consumption and facilities investment continued to show weak performance.Unveiling the new government’s economic policy direction, Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok said it wou

March 28, 2013

[Photo News] Need a job

March 28, 2013

[Newsmaker] Ex-leader’s confidant ends long reign

Kang Man-soo, who tendered his resignation as chairman of the state-owned KDB Financial Group on Thursday, was a close confidant of former President Lee Myung-bak.According to lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party, the economic policies of the Lee administration were based on the economic studies of Kang and his followers.He conducted a variety of controversal policies, including a currency devaluation against the U.S. dollar to boost exports, as the first finance minister of the Lee governmen

March 28, 2013

[Newsmaker] Ex-leader’s confidant ends long reign

[Graphic News] India main source of DDoS attacks in Korea

A recent study found that connections used in cyber attacks more frequently came from Internet Protocol addresses based in India, according to the Korea Internet and Security Agency.The agency on Thursday said that India had the highest number of IP addresses that were used for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against Korean websites in the second half of last year.With India accounting for more than 12.9 percent of the foreign IP addresses participating in the cyber attack, Brazil,

IndustryMarch 28, 2013

[Graphic News] India main source of DDoS attacks in Korea

Hemorrhoids

The Korean term for hemorrhoids originally referred to various diseases that occur in the anal area, including hemorrhoids, tears and fistulas, but the term usually refers to hemorrhoids.Hemorrhoids were believed to be caused by dilation of submucosal venous plexus in the anus, but more recent studies have shown that they are not simply caused by the dilated venous plexus, but due to protrusion of the so called “anal cushion” consisting of blood vessels, muscles and connective tissue. Symptoms

TechnologyMarch 28, 2013

Rhinoplasty with 3-D scan: Safer surgery for nasal problems

Interest in “two-jaw operation” has been steadily growing among those who have bimaxillary protrusion, a dentofacial deformity commonly found among Asians where the upper and lower incisors emerge forward, making the teeth and lips protrude. The operation, however, is a surgical method neither designed to correct the facial distortion nor to improve a person’s facial image. It was actually devised to treat diverse functional inconvenience such as the misalignment of the teeth. A facial contourin

TechnologyMarch 28, 2013

Rhinoplasty with 3-D scan: Safer surgery for nasal problems

World forum to discuss future of energy

Energy is emerging as an increasingly hot topic worldwide as the global energy landscape is fast changing on both the supply and demand sides, particularly since Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Many countries are bringing changes to their energy mixes to minimize the impact of those changes on their environment, economy and society. “All sources of energy ranging from oil and gas to renewables to nuclear power are facing a transition for their own reasons. Given this, it is the right

IndustryMarch 28, 2013

Samsung C&T wins 6.5tr won deal from Roy Hill

Samsung C&T Corp., a major South Korean trading company, said Thursday that it has clinched a 6.5 trillion won ($5.8 billion) development deal from Australia’s Roy Hill.Under the deal with Roy Hill Holdings Pty Ltd., Samsung C&T will build an infrastructure for the development of an iron ore in western Australia.Samsung C&T will build a plant that will be able to process 55 million tons of iron ore annually, a 340-kilometer long railroad and two berths for the Roy Hill iron ore development proje

IndustryMarch 28, 2013

Current account surplus widens in Feb.

South Korea’s current account surplus widened in February from the previous month as imports declined faster than exports, and a deficit of the service account narrowed, the central bank said Thursday.The current account surplus reached $2.71 billion in February, up from a revised $2.33 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea. The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.The February gain was the largest since November, marking the 13th straight month of a

March 28, 2013

Korea, Indonesia hold trade minister’s talks

Korea’s Trade Minister Yoon Sang-jick held talks with his Indonesian counterpart Gita Irawan Wirjawan on issues of mutual concern in Seoul on Thursday, according to ministry officials.They were the first minister-level talks with a foreign country since the Park Geun-hye administration was inaugurated last month. The choice of Indonesia as the first country reflects the government’s view to seek further expansion of industrial and energy partnership with rising economies, according to experts.Re

March 28, 2013

Shinhan Bank’s ‘matrix’ yield gains despite slump

Shinhan Bank said Thursday that its “matrix operation,” or business coordination between banks and brokerages, has yielded considerable gains since it introduced the system last year. As a fresh business concept, the matrix was adopted by the country’s major banks with an affiliate brokerage firm, such as Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank and Woori Bank, as early as the beginning of 2012. Shinhan Bank is historically the first bank in Korea, originally established under the name Hanseong Bank in 1897. The

BusinessMarch 28, 2013

Shinhan Bank’s ‘matrix’ yield gains despite slump

Korea, China, Japan agree on basic rules for FTA talks

Having confirmed their common demand for an economic, social and political unity, Korea, China and Japan agreed to add momentum to their tripartite free trade agreement talks.The trade representatives of the three Northeast Asian states met in Seoul for the first time to discuss concluding a trilateral free trade pact and held negotiations for three days until Thursday.“Through this first official round, we set up a set of terms of reference, including the basic principles of the upcoming negoti

IndustryMarch 28, 2013

KDB, LH chiefs to resign

Kang Man-soo, chairman of state-owned KDB Financial, has expressed his intention to resign, a widely expected move following the head of Korea’s financial regulatory body showing determination to overhaul financial holding companies.Lee Ji-song, CEO of the state-run real estate developer LH Corp., also followed suit, fanning speculation that the resignations may affect other state-run firms’ heads who were appointed when Lee Myung-bak was president. Company officials said he tendered his resigna

March 28, 2013