The Korea Herald

Apple wins extension on Samsung tablet ban

Apple Inc. won a one-week extension to a ban on Samsung Electronics Co. releasing its latest tablet computer in Australia. High Court Justice Dyson Heydon extended a ban on sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Dec. 9, when the court will consider Apple’s request for permission to appeal a lower cou

TechnologyDec. 2, 2011

Hana, Lone Star agree to cut KEB price: report

Hana Financial Group has reached an agreement with Lone Star Funds on lowering the takeover price for Korea Exchange Bank, Dow Jones Newswires reported Thursday.An anonymous source was quoted by the U.S.-based news provider as saying that “Hana Financial agreed to a deal with Lone Star Funds to buy a 51.02 percent stake in Korea Exchange Bank for 3.916 trillion won ($3.48 billion), 11 percent lower than the original sales price of 4.41 trillion won.”A Hana spokesman declined to confirm the repor

Dec. 1, 2011

Threat of HIV infection lingers

7,656 Koreans reported HIV positive as of 2010It has been a long time since health experts first declared that AIDS is not transmittable through everyday human interaction or an automatic death sentence.But public perception is still behind scientific and medical knowledge. People infected with HIV are refused entry into the country at immigration while many hide their health status out of fear of being discriminated against by society. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prev

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Korea, ASEAN creating regional forest agency

Korea Forest Service maps out plans to establish AFoCO after landmark agreement with ASEANSouth Korea took an important step in nurturing global green growth by agreeing last month with ASEAN member states to form the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization, the Korea Forest Service said on Thursday.The agreement, signed at the ASEAN Summit in Bali, is expected to pave the way for international cooperative networks in the field of forest preservation. ASEAN leaders welcomed the agreement at the 14

Dec. 1, 2011

Korea, ASEAN creating regional forest agency

Global Fund for world health halts new programs

GENEVA (AP) ― The world’s biggest financier in the fight against three killer diseases says it has run out of money to pay for new grant programs for the next two years ― a situation likely to hit poor AIDS patients around the world.An official with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said Thursday that its has been forced to cease giving new grants until 2014 because of global economic woes brought on by debt crises in the U.S. and Europe.An independent panel recommended in

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Ewha learns about Arabic world

Ewha Womans University Medical Center on Nov. 24 invited leaders of the Korea-Arab Society to the center to get a better understanding of Middle Eastern society. “Middle East states are distant from Korean people. Some groundless images of terrorism and oppression have been linked with the region, causing public misunderstanding,” said Choi Seung-ho, head of the organization. “It is about time we have opened our door to the area,” he said. Ewha hospital has started placing emphasis on the Arabic

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

TnTn Hospital opens joint, spine center

TnTn Hospital specializing in spine and joint treatments has opened a TnTn Joint Training Center at its Eunpyeong, Guro and Jangan branches in Seoul. The centers will provide comprehensive information and exercise regimes to strengthen the spine and joint areas not only for the patients but for anyone interested. The center has invited Ohm Tae-hyun, former team doctor of Olympic gold medalist swimmer Park Tae-hwan, as a lecturer to provide information about his field experiences in exercise. The

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Konkuk Univ. Hospital accredited by WHO

Konkuk University Medical Center said Monday that it has been accredited as a World Health Organization Health Promoting Hospital and Health Service.It conducted a ceremony on the day to hang the accreditation plaque.According to the international organization, the accreditation recognizes four areas: good quality treatment and care in a positive health care setting; extending the treatment of current diseases towards disease prevention and promotion of positive health; strengthening patient ori

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Just 1 in 4 with HIV have infection under control

ATLANTA (AP) ― Only about 1 in 4 Americans with the AIDS virus have the infection under control with medications, federal health officials said Tuesday.Part of the reason is that about 20 percent of those infected with HIV don’t know it. People can have an infection for years without developing symptoms.An infection was once a death sentence, but medications that have been available for 15 years can turn it into a manageable condition, allowing those infected to live longer and healthier lives.H

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Just 1 in 4 with HIV have infection under control

Inflammation of the middle ear

Otitis media refers to all types of inflammation of the middle ear caused by an infection. It is the second most frequently diagnosed disease among outpatients of otorhinolaryngology and pediatrics, following upper respiratory tract inflammation. About one-third of infants aged 3 and under suffer from acute otitis media at least three times, and two-thirds at least once. Some infants are found to develop sequelle from this condition. Cases of fatal complications have been dramatically reduced du

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Giving thanks helps psychological outlook

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Count your blessings this Thanksgiving. It’s good for you.While it seems pretty obvious that gratitude is a positive emotion, psychologists for decades rarely delved into the science of giving thanks. But in the last several years they have, learning in many experiments that it is one of humanity’s most powerful emotions. It makes you happier and can change your attitude about life, like an emotional reset button.Especially in hard times, like these.Beyond proving that being gr

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Giving thanks helps psychological outlook

LinkedIn seeks expansion in Korea

Professional social networking service LinkedIn Corp. said Thursday it has started a Korean language service to lure the country's Internet users. LinkedIn's entry into South Korea comes as overseas social networking services such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. have gained ground here following a

TechnologyDec. 1, 2011

Korea steps closer to agency to preserve forests

Korea Forest Service maps out plans to establish AFoCO after landmark agreement signed with ASEAN in BaliSouth Korea took an important step in nurturing global green growth by agreeing last month with ASEAN member states to form the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization, the Korea Forest Service said on Thursday.The agreement, signed at the ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia, is expected to pave the way for international cooperative networks in the field of forest preservation. ASEAN leaders welcom

Dec. 1, 2011

Consumer prices grow 4.2% in November

South Korea’s consumer prices grew at a faster pace in November than a month earlier, fueled by a rise in product and public utility costs, a government report showed Thursday. According to the report by Statistics Korea, the country’s consumer price index rose 4.2 percent last month from a year earlier, increasing from a 3.6 percent on-year gain in October.The latest figure comes after the index stayed below the government’s annual inflation target of 4 percent for this year in September and Oc

Dec. 1, 2011

Implementation of KORUS FTA may be delayed: minister

The free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States may take effect behind schedule as it will take more time for both countries to prepare for its implementation, Seoul‘s top trade official said Thursday.South Korea’s ruling Grand National Party forced the contested FTA through parliament late last month. The deal was approved by the U.S. Congress in October. The two countries had set a Jan. 1 target for the pact to take effect. “Both sides are working to prepare for the implemen

Dec. 1, 2011

Listed financial firms‘ H1 net down 13.7%

South Korean financial firms listed on the local bourse saw their consolidated earnings for the April-September period slump 13.7 percent from a year earlier due mainly to global financial uncertainties, a report showed Thursday.The combined net profit of 28 securities firms and insurance companies with assets over 2 trillion won, such as Daewoo Securities Co. and Samsung Life Insurance Co., totaled 2.47 trillion won ($2.17 billion) in the fiscal first half, compared with 2.86 trillion won a yea

Dec. 1, 2011

Hyundai Steel exports large machinery plate rollers

Hyundai Steel Co. said Thursday it will supply 5-meter-wide steel plate rollers to India’s Essar Steel Ltd., becoming the first Korean company to enter the market for the large machinery.Only six companies in Germany, Japan and Sweden have so far manufactured rolling machines for steel plates with a width of more than five meters. The annual global demand for the super-wide rollers amounts to 250 million tons, 12 percent of which is from Korean steelmakers such as POSCO, Hyundai Steel and Dongku

IndustryDec. 1, 2011

Hyundai Steel exports large machinery plate rollers

Minister Lee hopes to deliver forestation know-how to world

Korea Forest Service Minister Lee Don-koo has been working toward a greener global environment since he took office in February.The agreement to set up the Asia Forest Cooperation Organization with ASEAN member states is the latest in his efforts to combat desertification and push for green growth. He also successfully proposed the Changwon Initiative ― which seeks to provide practical measures to tackle desertification ― at the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification conference in Korea in Oc

Dec. 1, 2011

Minister Lee hopes to deliver forestation know-how to world

Makgeolli exports to surpass $50m mark

This year’s exports of makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine, are set to surpass $50 million for the first time on a sharp rise in demand from Japan and China. According to the Korea Customs Service, 37,027 tons of makgeolli worth $45.29 million were exported in the 10 months to October, about triple the amount sold abroad in the same period last year. Korea saw $15 million in makgeolli exports (15,543 tons) in January-October 2010. The country’s exports of the rice wine in 2010 amounted to

IndustryDec. 1, 2011

Air France-KLM official honored by French Embassy

The Korean unit of Air France-KLM SA said its airport chief Lee Young-kil recently received an award from the French Embassy in Seoul for his contribution to the two countries’ economic and business ties.Lee serves the European airline as station and service manager at Incheon International Airport.The National Order of Merit award was created in 1963 by former French President Charles de Gaulle to honor military forces and civilians for their devotion to the country.“Lee has always provided a v

IndustryDec. 1, 2011

Air France-KLM official honored by French Embassy