Jeon Jin, a TV celebrity and member of boy band “Shinhwa,” recently made a stunning confession. He said he suffered from panic disorder, which made it almost impossible to live a normal life. “I was always anxious. I was seized by thoughts about things that would not happen to me. I carried a baseball bat or a bamboo stick to protect myself from imaginary attackers. I relied on alcohol for months, rarely going outdoors,” he told a television talk show.Jeon is among an increasing number of panic

TechnologyMarch 29, 2012

NEW DELHI (AP) ― India’s inadequate government-run tuberculosis treatment programs and a lack of regulation of the sale of drugs that fight the disease are responsible for the spiraling number of drug-resistant cases that are difficult to treat, health activists said Friday.India adds an estimated 99,000 cases of drug-resistant TB every year, but only a tiny fraction of those infected receive the proper drugs to treat the stubborn disease through the government-funded program. Saturday marks Wor

TechnologyMarch 29, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― A federal court judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to take action on its own 35-year-old rule that would stop farmers from mixing popular antibiotics into animal feed, a practice which is widely believed to have led to a surge in dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria.In 1977, the FDA concluded that the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, poultry and other animals weakened the treatment’s effectiveness in humans. The agency issued an order that would have banned no

TechnologyMarch 29, 2012

Korean companies expect market conditions to perk up in the manufacturing sector over the next three months after a nine-month slump, data showed Thursday.According to a survey of 508 local firms conducted by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, the rosy outlook is based on signs of economic recovery in the U.S. and high expectations for the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. Manufacturers’ earnings in the first three months of this year dip

March 29, 2012

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., is voluntarily recalling its Alpheon sedans for headlight problems, the transportation ministry said Thursday.The 12,747 entry-level luxury cars subject to the recall were manufactured between April 30, 2010 and March 5 this year, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.Vehicles subject to the recall are the 2.4-liter gasoline and hybrid models as well as those powered by a 3.0-liter engine.The mi

MobilityMarch 29, 2012

South Korea’s trade commission said Thursday it has decided to extend anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese and Indian wrapping film for three more years to protect local manufacturers.The decision by the Korea Trade Commission calls for anti-dumping duties of 5.87-25.32 percent to be levied on polyethylene-terephthalate film made by the two Asian countries.The latest move comes after Seoul imposed anti-dumping duties of 5.67-25.32 percent on PET films from the same countries since October 2008.“The l

March 29, 2012

South Korea’s business sentiment for April fell from a month earlier due to unfavorable overseas trade conditions and concerns over high domestic household debt, a poll showed Thursday.The monthly business survey index for the upcoming month came in at 98.4, down from 106.1 tallied for March, according to the Federation of Korean Industries, the lobbying group of the country’s large businesses.A BSI reading below the break-even 100 mark means pessimists outnumber optimists. The poll surveyed the

March 29, 2012

Asset managers in South Korea saw their earnings shrink almost 30 percent in the first nine months of fiscal 2010 as mutual fund investors increased fund redemption amid market volatility, the financial watchdog said Thursday.The combined net profit of 82 asset managers operating in the country came to 219 billion won ($192 million) in the April-December period, compared with 310 billion won a year earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.The earnings slump came as rising fund red

March 29, 2012

Korean Air’s advertising campaign was selected by consumers for having the best television and magazine ads. The airliner on Thursday received awards in the two sections in the annual “Good Ads Selected by Consumers” award ceremony hosted by the Korea Advertisers’ Association and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Korean Air’s commercial highlighting the beauty of the Korean landscape and culture, which was first aired in July, won the top award for television ads.The air carrier’s adv

IndustryMarch 29, 2012

Paper replicas of Apple's iPad and iPhone are selling like hot cakes in China this year as millions prepare to honour their ancestors in an age-old annual festival that has taken on a modern twist.Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year, sees families remember their ancestors by laying o

TechnologyMarch 29, 2012

The sight of a vacationing Mark Zuckerberg in Shanghai has sparked a frenzy of online speculation over the possibility Facebook might return to China, even though the site remains firmly blocked.Excited Chinese bloggers posted photographs of the Facebook founder and his girlfriend at an Apple store

TechnologyMarch 29, 2012

South Korea posted a current account surplus in February on the back of solid exports, the central bank said Thursday.The current account surplus reached US$640 million last month, shifting from a shortfall of $970 million the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure compares

March 29, 2012