The light signatures of lichens and algae reflected in a distant planet's distinctive coloring could be evidence of alien life, German researchers say.Seen from space, Earth gives off a large amount of near-infrared light reflected off the chlorophyll in plants, and similar light wavelength might be seen on distant exoplanets if they also host green vegetation, they said.However, Siddharth Hegde and Lisa Kaltenegger of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, said they thin

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2013

South Korea posted the first-ever surplus in trade of cultural products and services last year on the back of the popularity of its pop culture in overseas countries, data showed Tuesday.The account tracking exports and imports of cultural products and contents logged a surplus of US$85.5 million last year, a turnaround from a shortfall of $94 million in 2011, according to data by the Bank of Korea (BOK).This marks the first time that this account posted a surplus since the central bank began to

Feb. 12, 2013

Domestic dogs are more likely to steal food if they think nobody's watching, suggesting they understand a human's point of view, a British researcher says.Psychologist Juliane Kaminski of the University of Portsmouth has demonstrated when a human forbids a dog from taking food, the dog is four times more likely to disobey in a dark room than a lighted one, suggesting they're taking into account what the human can or cannot see."That's incredible because it implies dogs understand the human can't

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2013

South Korean households' consumption fell in the third quarter of 2012 from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday, apparently as the country's rising household debts gave limited leeway in their spending.Local households with more than two members saw their consumption-to-income ratio reach 59.6 percent in the third quarter, down 3.13 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea.The number marks the lowest rate since the agency started to compile such data in 20

Feb. 12, 2013

South Korean stocks opened a tad higher on Tuesday, driven by gains in large-cap firms, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 2.36 points, or 0.12 percent, to 1,953.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top-cap Samsung Electronics climbed nearly 1 percent, with second-largest listed company Hyundai Motor advancing 0.8 percent and chipmaker SK hynix rising 1.2 percent.  The local currency was trading at 1,096.20 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,

Feb. 12, 2013

Korea saw the highest number of international marriages between Korean men and Chinese women over the last 10 years, while more Korean women married Japanese men.According to Statistics Korea, the number of marriages between Korean men and Chinese women reached 130,230 between 2002 and 2011. Observers speculate that the high rate is related to the increase in the number of ethnic Koreans in China who visit or stay in Korea.This figure is followed by Korean marriages with Vietnamese women at 59,6

Feb. 11, 2013

With all-time favorites like the Choco Pie and Milkis, Lotte Confectionery and Lotte Chilsung Beverage have dominated Koreans’ tastes for the nibbles.The two are not just the largest Korean companies in their respective industries, but their stocks are also the two most expensive on the local bourse, traded at over 1.5 million won per share.And they are now pleasing the palates of people worldwide.Lotte Confectionery’s overseas sales are estimated to have grown from 450 billion won ($410 million

IndustryFeb. 11, 2013

Korean exporters may need to brace for rough sailing in overseas markets earlier than expected as Japan prepares to accelerate the depreciation of its currency to jumpstart its economy, analysts said.Foreign investment banks and domestic securities companies have drawn their outlooks for the Japanese yen to further weaken faster than their initial estimation, forecasting its value to drop over 100 yen to the dollar as early as the second half of this year.The general consensus among investment b

Feb. 11, 2013

A $1 billion office-and-hotel tower being developed by Korean Air Lines Co. in downtown Los Angeles will be the tallest building in the western U.S. upon its completion in four years, according to the projects architect.The foundation of the 1,100-foot (335-meter) tower will be poured at the end of this year, with a grand opening planned for March 2017, said Chris Martin, chief executive officer of Los Angeles-based architecture firm AC Martin Partners. The building will rise higher than downtow

MobilityFeb. 11, 2013

Output by South Korean carmakers jumped 23.3 percent in January from a year earlier on the back of strong overseas shipments, a local industry group said Monday.Industry leader Hyundai Motor Co. and four other local automakers produced a combined 410,602 vehicles last month, according to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.The export volume also advanced 17.1 percent on-year to 288,344 vehicles in January, with the total value reaching $4.27 billion.Market watcher

MobilityFeb. 11, 2013

South Korean stocks may rebound this week if the Japanese yen’s weakening abates, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 1,950.9 on Friday, down 0.35 percent from a week earlier.Despite positive economic data from the United States, the KOSPI got off to a weak start last week as the local currency continued to rise against the U.S. dollar amid a weakening yen.Eurozone concerns as well as North Korea’s nuclear threats also dented investor sentiment, further weighi

Feb. 11, 2013

Korean carmakers saw their combined diesel sales, excluding those for sport utility vehicles, more than double last year to 29,626 units, according to industry data released on Monday.Diesel car sales still make up a small fraction of total car sales in Korea, where a total of 1.54 million vehicles were sold last year. With their popularity growing among import car purchasers here, the acceptance for diesel-powered cars is spreading to Korean-brand cars. For Hyundai’s i30 hatchback, for instance

IndustryFeb. 11, 2013

South Korea’s financial authority said Monday it has uncovered a large-scale hacking scheme that resulted in the theft of personal financial transaction information of hundreds of bank clients.According to the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute, a group of hackers allegedly stole a total of 461 authenticated certificates, in an apparent bid to withdraw cash from victims’ bank accounts.The KFTC, which settles financial transactions among individuals, said it reported the c

Feb. 11, 2013

The nation’s financial regulator is poised to reprimand Citibank Korea for having been negligent in consumer protection.Officials at the Financial Services Commission are fine-tuning the draft on a sanction against the local unit of U.S.-based Citigroup, which was created by the Financial Supervisory Service.The FSS, an executive arm of the FSC, has already decided to issue a “cautionary warning” on Citibank Korea CEO Ha Yung-ku and an “institutional warning” on the commercial lender.Consumers s

Feb. 11, 2013

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday that it would extend financial support for suppliers and their subcontractors which are expected to face difficulties in the coming months amid slowing car sales and volatile foreign currency rates. As part of efforts to seek shared growth with smaller firms, the Korean auto giant has decided to expand beneficiaries of existing financial benefits from the current 300 suppliers to 5,000 or so subcontractors from this year. Hyundai had operated four support programs

IndustryFeb. 11, 2013

The smartphone subsidy war rose to a new high over the three-day Lunar New Year weekend with mobile carriers KT and LG Uplus attempting to take a greater number of customers from SK Telecom.With SKT, the country’s top mobile carrier, banned from taking new customers for 22 days until Feb. 21, its competitors launched marketing activities offering up to 800,000 won ($730) in subsidies for various handsets such as Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S3.The legal limit for subsidies set by the government i

IndustryFeb. 11, 2013

In an effort to uncover hidden tax revenues, the Korea Customs Service will ramp up its tariff audit on luxury goods imports this year, officials said.Items subject to the change are mostly designer clothes, bags and cars ― imported by the Korean branches of multinational companies.“We will expand the range of subject companies from 80 to 130 this year, in order to raise tax revenues and to back the new administration’s financial needs,” said a KCS official last week.The amount raised by detecti

Feb. 11, 2013