The Korea Herald

Music app Genie: KT’s core growth engine

Genie, KT’s music service for smartphones, has become one of the core future growth engines for the mobile carrier with it rolling out in 45 different nations last week.KT, the country’s largest fixed-line operator, said Wednesday that the music content app, which launched as “Genie KPOP,” aims to fulfill the needs of overseas K-pop fans.The smartphone app allows people to have access to music, music videos, images and video clips of K-pop artists from the country’s top entertainment companies,

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

Music app Genie: KT’s core growth engine

Couples who sleep well are less selfish: study

Couples who sleep well are likely to appreciate their spouse, a study suggested.The study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley asked 60 couples aged 18 to 56 to keep track of how many hours they slept each night and how much they appreciated their spouse. Research results showed couples who slept well had better problem-solving skills when asked to work together and showed gratitude to their spouses. Although health benefits of a good night’s sleep are well known, l

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

Couples who sleep well are less selfish: study

Vitamin D may be a breast cancer therapy

Vitamin D may be involved in a possible new breast cancer therapy, U.S. and Spanish researchers say.Susana Gonzalo, an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University, and her team identified one pathway activated in breast cancers with the poorest prognosis, such as those classified as triple-negative. These cancers often strike younger women and are harder to treat than any other type of breast cancer. Women who are born with BRCA1 gene mutations are at inc

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

Vitamin D may be a breast cancer therapy

Women look the oldest at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday: study

Women look their oldest at 3:30 p.m. every Wednesday, a new study claims.The research conducted by a tanning brand St. Tropez found that accumulated work stress coupled with plunging energy levels and effects of weekend drinking starts to take its toll by mid-week, according to British media.“It’s fascinating that 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday is the time women look their oldest. Combine the highest stress levels of the week on a Wednesday with the natural mid-afternoon slump and it seems that’s why

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

Women look the oldest at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday: study

Life on Mars may have been underground

Minerals once more than three miles below the martian surface are the strongest evidence yet the Red Planet may have supported life, researchers say.New research suggests ingredients for life have been present in the martian subsurface for much of the planet's history, they said.Scientists have been studying McLaughlin Crater, one of many martian craters where impacting meteors have acted like natural probes, bringing up rocks from far beneath the surface.Spectrometer data on those rocks from NA

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

Seoul shares dip 0.81 pct ahead of earnings releases

South Korean stocks dropped 0.81 percent Wednesday as investors took to the sidelines ahead of releases of fourth-quarter earnings of big-name companies, analysts said. The local currency fell sharply against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 16.11 points to finish at 1,980.41. Trading volume was moderate at 485.7 million shares worth 4.16 trillion won (US$3.9 billion) with losers outnumbering winners 500 to 300."Investors remain cautious to see how lar

Jan. 23, 2013

Hugging brings health benefits: study

Hugging family members or loved ones can bring several positive effects such as lowered blood pressure and higher memory retention, according to the research from University of Vienna. The researchers claimed that when people hug or hold a person they like, the horomone oxytocin is released into the blood stream. Oxytocin plays a role in lowering blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety, and even improving one’s memory. It is also found that hugging improves one’s ability to empathize and lea

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

S. Korea poised to tackle currency fluctuations: minister

South Korea is ready to deal with the local currency's rapid rise that may be caused by quantitative easing moves by the United States and Japan, Seoul's top economic policymaker said Wednesday."Measures have been prepared," Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan told reporters, though he declined to elaborate on details.He also vowed to make efforts to ease currency fluctuations, a key factor in Asia's fourth-largest economy where exports account for about 57 percent of the country's gross domestic prod

Jan. 23, 2013

'ArcheAge' to enter the Russian game market

Korean massively multiplayer online role-playing game “ArcheAge” will be launched in Russia and 13 other nearby countries.XLGAMES, developer and publisher of “ArcheAge,” announced in a press release on Tuesday that the company has signed an agreement with Mail.Ru, one of the largest Internet service providers in Russia, to facilitate the game’s release in 14 European countries including Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.Mail.Ru is a leading Internet service and online game compan

TechnologyJan. 23, 2013

'ArcheAge' to enter the Russian game market

Seoul shares up 0.04 pct in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded a modest 0.04 percent higher late Wednesday morning led by gains in large-cap exporters, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.71 points to 1,997.23 as of 11:20 a.m.Techs led the rise, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics adding 0.81 percent and LG Electronics, the country's second-largest home appliances maker, climbing 0.39 percent.Top automaker Hyundai Motor gained 2.1 percent and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors rose 1.1

Jan. 23, 2013

CJ officials to face punishment over alleged kickbacks to doctors

Police said Tuesday that they plan to punish about 10 senior officials of food and medicine manufacturer CJ CheilJedang for allegedly giving illegal kickbacks worth of 4.5 billion won ($4.2 million) to more than 200 doctors.Some officials from CJ CheilJedang are suspected of offering kickbacks to about 210 doctors for about two years since May 2010 in exchange for prescribing its products, according to police. The government last year declared a war against the long-running illegal practice in t

IndustryJan. 23, 2013

Seoul shares open higher on slowdown in yen weakness

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start on Wednesday as investor sentiment was boosted by the slowdown of the yen depreciation, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 10.7 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,007.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Large-cap exporters led the increase, with tech behemoth Samsung Electronics gaining 1.28 percent and top steelmaker POSCO climbing 0.55 percent.The country's biggest automaker Hyundai Motor jumped 2.1 percent, and

Jan. 23, 2013

Hahn & Company picked as prime bidder for Korea Line

A Seoul court on Tuesday selected private equity fund Hahn & Company as the preferred bidder for Korea Line, which has been under court receivership due to mounting debt. South Korea's No. 4 shipper Korea Line was hit hard by the global economic downturn and has been under court receivership since early 2011 as the company has suffered from massive debts worth over 1 trillion won ($942 million). Hahn & Company offered a higher bidding price to buy the shipping company, beating Zenith Partne

IndustryJan. 22, 2013

Renewable energy drive makes little progress

The nation’s drive to increase electricity generation from renewable energy sources is facing rough sailing as a number of power and utility companies failed to meet their green energy production targets in 2012. The targets were set by the government under a regulation called the renewable portfolio standard, or RPS.RPS, which was introduced in January last year, is an annual renewable energy development quota for state-run and private power and utilities companies with more than 500 megawatts

Jan. 22, 2013

Elderly unemployment jumps after 2008 financial crisis

Korea’s labor market conditions for people aged 60 and older have shown no signs of improvement since the nation was hit hard by the 2008 global financial crisis, data showed.According to data compiled by the Korea Institute of Finance, the unemployment rate in the age group reached 2 percent last year.The figure had remained at the 1 percent mark until 2008. But it rose to break the 2 percent barrier and registered 2.4 percent in 2010. “Due to a lack of preparations for post-retirement life, mo

Jan. 22, 2013

Elderly unemployment jumps after 2008 financial crisis

Two young Koreans to support one elderly person in 2023

Korea is expected to bear a critically heavy financial burden in caring for elderly people in the coming decades, compared with major developed countries.According to forecasts and data from the U.N. and Statistics Korea, three Koreans, engaging in “core” GDP production activities, financially support a senior person older than 64 years on average as of 2013.“The population engaging in core economic activities refers to individuals aged between 25 and 49,” a Statistics Korea official said. “Thos

Jan. 22, 2013

Limits eyed for big firms’ restaurants

Rainy days lie ahead of diners run by conglomerates such as Nongshim and CJ as a state-funded panel is expected to add restaurants to the list of trades deemed suitable for only small and medium-sized companies.Conglomerates and companies that do not meet the legal conditions for SMEs are restricted from or recommended to refrain from expanding in businesses designated suitable for only SMEs. Controversy is inevitable in this case, however, since the ball and chain will apply to only domestic co

IndustryJan. 22, 2013

Toyota Camry named Korean Car of the Year

Toyota Motor’s Camry was named the 2013 Korean Car of the Year by the Korea Automobile Journalist Association on Monday, becoming the first import brand to win the industry’s top honor. The Camry sedan earned the highest score of 78.75 points on its value for price, performance, safety and fuel efficiency, followed by BMW’s 3 Series and Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe sport utility vehicle.A total of 32 journalists from different media companies participated in the annual evaluation, which was introduc

IndustryJan. 22, 2013

Seoul property market to rally

The sluggish real estate market in Seoul will bounce back this year after bottoming out in the coming months, BoA-Merrill Lynch predicted Tuesday.“Thanks to the recent reduction of housing supply and the growing feasibility of the government-led regulation easing on property transactions, there is a high possibility that the Seoul region real estate market will be vitalized in 2013,” the Korea Center for International Finance said, citing a report from BoA-Merrill Lynch.However, the research cen

Jan. 22, 2013

Microsoft Korea to disband R&D unit

Microsoft Korea said Tuesday that its research and development workforce based in Korea will be dissolved by the end of next month.With the Microsoft headquarters deciding late last year that the Asia R&D Center will be based in Beijing, the 21 R&D employees in Seoul were ordered to relocate, according to a Microsoft Korea official.So far, 10 R&D workers based in its southern Seoul office have received calls to work at the U.S. software giant’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. However, posit

IndustryJan. 22, 2013