The Korea Herald

Hyundai seeks premium ranks with new design

Design chief hints new Genesis will become a game-changerIt was on a rare occasion that Hyundai Motor’s design center opened its doors to the media. To enter the guarded facility, visitors are required to pass through two checkpoints. At the first one, all identification cards and laptops are submitted, while security stickers seal shut the cameras, including those in mobile phones. Security seems air-tight at this Gyeonggi Province-based facility, more so at this time as the next generation Gen

MobilityOct. 7, 2012

Hyundai seeks premium ranks with new design

Grape seeds help heart health, delay aging

The grape seeds many disdainfully discard are humble little packages of powerful ingredients that possess multiple health benefits, a U.S. food expert says."The beneficial components of the grape seed are the proanthocyanidins. Studies conducted since the 1950s, have shown grape seeds to have a wide range of health benefits, most markedly for their role as a potent antioxidant and free radical sca

TechnologyOct. 7, 2012

Daredevil readies 23-mile free fall

Felix Baumgartner of Austria is pictured before his jump at the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico on March 15. (Red Bull content poll-UPI)An Austrian aerial daredevil planning to leap and free-fall from a balloon 23 miles over New Mexico says he will go supersonic before his parachute opens.Wearing a pressurized suit and helmet, Felix Baumgartner will plummet fro

TechnologyOct. 7, 2012

‘Energy drinks may harm kids’ health’

Having more than two energy drinks a day could cause health problems in children due to the high levels of caffeine, a report said Friday. In a study of 11 energy drinks currently on sale, the Korea Consumer Agency found that most of them carry high doses of caffeine but the beverage makers didn’t provide information about the amount of caffeine contained and their health risks.Only two of the 11 energy drinks ― Bacchus F and Glonsan D ― stated that they contain 30 milligrams of caffeine per bot

TechnologyOct. 5, 2012

Hospital closings up baby mortality

After several Philadelphia hospitals closed their maternity units in 1997, infant mortality rates increased by 50 percent in three years, researchers say. Study leader Dr. Scott A. Lorch of the Center for Outcomes Research at The Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia said the mortality rates subsequently leveled off to the same rate as before the closures. However, pediatric researchers said the findings underscore the need for careful oversight and planning by public health agencies in communitie

TechnologyOct. 5, 2012

Life found in lake frozen for centuries

Greenland(AFP)The world's most northerly lake, entombed under a layer of ice 2,400 years ago, is thawing and showing a return of organic life, European researchers say.The finding at Kaffeklubben So lake on the coastal plain of northern Greenland is the latest evidence that climate change in polar regions can result in rapid ecological changes, they said."It's kind of the end of the earth," Bianca

TechnologyOct. 5, 2012

Boy finds woolly mammoth carcass in Siberia

(Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences)An 11-year-old boy in Russia has discovered the almost-complete 30,000-year-old carcass of a woolly mammoth, Russian media reported.Yevgeny Salinder found the 1,100-pound mammoth in the tundra of the Taymyr peninsula in northern Russia, Moscow News said.Scientists using axes and steam hoses worked for a week to dig it out of the permafrost i

TechnologyOct. 5, 2012

Boy finds woolly mammoth carcass in Siberia

Seoul shares open higher on tech gains

South Korean stocks opened higher on Friday, fueled by firm gains in technology shares, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 7.39 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2000.07 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Big-cap tech firms drove up shares, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics rising 0.51 percent and SK hynix gaining 1.08 percent.Samsung Electronics, the

Oct. 5, 2012

Samsung puts Q3 operating profit at record 8.1 trillion won

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest technology company by revenue, estimated Friday that it posted a record operating profit of 8.1 trillion won (US$7.3 billion) in the third quarter of the year.The preliminary estimate for the July-September period marked a 90.6 percent surge from 4.3 trillion won a year earlier and a 20.5 percent gain from the previous quarter, the company said in a reg

IndustryOct. 5, 2012

Overdue loan payments reach W8.5tr

Overdue loan payments from local companies marked 8.5 trillion won ($7.6 billion) as of August, an increase of 13.1 percent compared to the previous month, according to Bank of Korea’s report submitted to the Democratic United Party’s Rep. Jeong Seong-ho on Thursday. BOK analyzed firms’ overdue repayment at 10 local banks and four specialized lenders including Korea Development Bank. The arrearage per month rose to 8-10 trillion won in 2009 right after the financial crisis, but fell to 5-7 trill

Oct. 4, 2012

Wearable robot can help patients walk again

RALEIGH, North Carolina ― A team of physical therapists strapped the robot onto him, one hit a button and with a faint electronic whir, David Ayscue was suddenly 6 feet tall again.Then Ayscue took a step, and a different future came just a little bit closer for him and millions of others who can’t walk on their own.“I guess this is how a baby feels taking its first steps,” he said. “I can’t describe it. It’s just overwhelming.”Ayscue, 56, was learning how to use a new robotic exoskeleton called

TechnologyOct. 4, 2012

Wearable robot can help patients walk again

How to cope with gastric disorder after Chuseok

Chuseok is over but has left many experiencing gastrointestinal problems such as digestive disturbance, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and heart burn. Overeating, excessive drinking and late-night meals during the holidays are major causes for gastric problems. Chuseok food, mostly oily and high in fat, can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter and causes acid and digestive enzymes from the stomach to flow backwards into the esophagus. Having meals late at night and going to sleep a few minu

TechnologyOct. 4, 2012

How to cope with gastric disorder after Chuseok

Tonsillitis

Many people think of tonsillitis when they have throat pain. However, there are many structures in the throat, which is why throat pain does not always indicate tonsillitis. Other causes of throat pain include pharyngitis and laryngitis, and these different conditions have different symptoms, for which there are different treatments.The tonsil tissues help defend against foreign substances from the outside. They play a key immunity role for many years after birth. The palatine tonsils are walnut

TechnologyOct. 4, 2012

Shares inch down on investor caution

South Korean stocks slipped 0.17 percent on Thursday as investors remained cautious following mixed economic data from global economies, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.After rangebound trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 3.35 points to 1,992.68. Trading volume was moderate at 577.8 million shares worth 4.8 trillion won ($4.3 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 410 to 399.The South Korean stock market was closed Wednesday for

Oct. 4, 2012

KCC says nationwide TV digitalization successful

The Korea Communications Commission announced Thursday that about 98.6 percent of all government-supported households had their TV successfully digitalized. The KCC said in a media briefing that the nationwide digitalization operation has been going smoothly so far and the remaining 1.4 percent of all households which currently own the old analog-type TVs will be provided with satellite receivers free of charge from the government to watch digital broadcasts.About concerns that the forcible digi

Oct. 4, 2012

Korea to host conference on African cooperation

Economic leaders of dozens of African countries will gather in South Korea this month to discuss cooperation and joint business opportunities, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.The Korea Africa Economic Cooperation Conference will be held in Seoul from Oct. 15-18, bringing in economic ministers and heads of 39 African countries and international organizations, according to the ministry.Jointly organized by the African Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea along with the finance m

Oct. 4, 2012

Banks give out too much in dividends: lawmaker

Thirteen local banks last year recorded a total net profit of 8.4 trillion won ($7.5 billion) and paid out 3.4 trillion won in dividends in March, said Rep. Kim Young-hwan of the opposition Democratic United Party on Wednesday. Kim, a member of the National Policy Committee, said that, based on the reports he received from the Financial Supervisory Service, greed was prevailing among the banks that paid record-high dividends despite the shaky economy and high household debt. The payout ratio of

Oct. 4, 2012

Builders suffer from debt, capital erosion

Builders here appeared to be facing an uphill battle to stay afloat amid worsening industry and economy conditions. According to the Financial Supervisory Service’s public disclosure system on Thursday, 16 percent of the country’s 50 top construction companies were found to be suffering from capital erosion due to snowballing deficits as of June this year.Skyrocketing debt was another problem, as the builders had a combined outstanding debt of 157.9 trillion won ($141.6 billion), which compares

IndustryOct. 4, 2012

EU disputes France’s complaint against Korean carmakers

The European Union rejected French authorities’ claim that the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement brought rapid import growth of automobiles produced by Korean companies.EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said “it is not true” that European countries’ imports of cars produced in Korea posted a sharp increase under the bilateral FTA.He said that the sales growth of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors in Europe was not primarily due to the trade pact but their manufacturing at localized plants in European c

IndustryOct. 4, 2012

Samsung’s record profits likely to continue

Smartphones have again driven up the operating profit of Samsung Electronics in the third quarter of this year with the firm expected to break its highest quarterly earnings figure for the fourth consecutive time.With Samsung planning to release its tentative quarterly earnings for July-September on Friday, the securities firms estimated that the company would record 7.5 trillion won ($6.73 billion) in operating profit.Samsung is also projected to reach 51.6 trillion won in total sales, which wo

IndustryOct. 4, 2012

Samsung’s record profits likely to continue