ATLANTA (AP) ― Think your teen would never text while driving? More than half of high school seniors admitted in a government survey that they’ve done just that.It’s the first time the question was asked in a teen poll on risky behavior, and the finding comes amid a renewed federal crackdown on distracted driving.Texting and cellphone use behind the wheel is “a national epidemic,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday.“We need to teach kids, who are the most vulnerable drivers, that

TechnologyJune 14, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Diesel fumes cause cancer, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency declared Tuesday, a ruling it said could make exhaust as important a public health threat as secondhand smoke.The risk of getting cancer from diesel fumes is small, but since so many people breathe in the fumes in some way, the science panel said raising the status of diesel exhaust to carcinogen from “probable carcinogen” was an important shift.“It’s on the same order of magnitude as passive smoking,” said Ku

TechnologyJune 14, 2012

A study found that spray tans can cause cancer. Scientists in the U.S. discovered that spray tans contain a chemical which if inhaled causes asthma, lung cancer, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.“The lungs have a huge surface area, so this compound gets into cells and gets absorbed into the bloodstream. The consequences of that have not been shown to be safe,” said Dr. Rey Panettieri at the University of Pennsylvania.He said that people who use the spray once a month should no

TechnologyJune 14, 2012

President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday he is confident South Korea can cope well with a looming global economic crisis stemming from the eurozone financial turmoil, as the country has made enough preparations to ward off such a situation."The government won't let its guard down even a bit while closely monitoring developments in the world economic situation," Lee said in a speech during a ceremony

June 14, 2012

South Korea's household debt compared to its gross domestic product (GDP) stood much higher than the average for other developed market economies with high income, a local report showed Thursday.The report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) showed the household debt-to-GDP ratio for the country hitting 81 percent in 2010, which is higher than 73 percent for the whole of the Organ

June 14, 2012

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday on persistent eurozone woes and overnight losses on Wall Street, analysts said.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 0.10 percent, or 1.78 points, to 1,857.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics was down 0.39 percent, with top automaker Hyundai Motor also losing 0.84 percent.The local currency was trading

June 14, 2012

South Korea on Thursday started construction of an international sea port on the massive plot of reclaimed land on the southwest coast that could help fuel regional growth, the government said.Once completed in 2030, the new Saemangeum port located 280 kilometers south of Seoul, will be able to handle 17.29 million tons of freight per year and have pier facilities to berth 18 ships simultaneously,

IndustryJune 14, 2012

The nation’s automobile sector has refuted claims by some European car industry leaders that Korean carmakers are enjoying huge benefits under the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement.On the contrary, a greater beneficiary of the bilateral FTA ― which took effect on July 1, 2011 ― is the European counterpart, the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.KAMA clarified that the trade pact offers little benefit in terms of tariff elimination to the automobile sector, highlighting the man

MobilityJune 13, 2012

A group of Korean scientists said they have succeeded in temporarily suppressing autistic behavior in mice in experiments, which may raise hopes for treating the developmental brain disorder.Researchers from the Seoul National University, Yonsei University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology studied mice with human genes.They deleted some parts of a gene called SHANK2, and found that the mice carrying the gene show autism-like behavior such as difficulty in interacting wit

TechnologyJune 13, 2012

Ssangyong Motor’s labor and management have reached an agreement on offering several benefits to unpaid workers in their leaves of absence, the company said Tuesday.As key support for the employees on unpaid leave, the automaker will provide them with school expenses for their children, according to Ssangyong.The company will also offer 150 shares, issued by the company, per unpaid worker.In addition, the unpaid employees will be given some gifts during the nation’s traditional holidays such as

IndustryJune 13, 2012

Samsung Group said Wednesday that it will hire up to 35 percent of its new recruits from regional universities from the second half of this year.The country’s largest conglomerate also said it will introduce a 5 percent quota for applicants from low-income and underprivileged families at the same time.“The group plans on expanding the portion of new hires from universities located outside of Seoul to 35 percent from the current 25-27 percent range during the regular recruiting session in the sec

IndustryJune 13, 2012