Video shows how to check skin for cancer

The American Academy of Dermatology says its new video demonstrates how a U.S. adult can check his or her own skin for skin cancer. Dr. Thomas E. Rohrer, a board-certified dermatologist in Chestnut Hill, Mass., said current estimates show 20 percent of U.S. adults will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, so it‘s important to be familiar with your skin, especially moles.“Checking your skin for skin cancer only requires your eyes and a mirror,” Rohrer said in a statement. “Examining y

TechnologyOct. 16, 2012

Avoiding sugary drinks helps with weight

BOSTON (UPI) -- Overweight and obese U.S. teens gain less weight when they consume fewer sugary drinks, researchers say.Cara Ebbeling and Dr. David Ludwig of Boston Children‘s Hospital and colleagues said their study involved 224 overweight or obese ninth- and 10th-graders who regularly drank 1.7 sugary beverages a day.The year-long study intervention was designed to reduce consumption of these be

TechnologyOct. 16, 2012

U.S. retailer sues Seoul gov't over Sunday closure

Costco Wholesale Korea, an affiliate of U.S. retail giant Costco Wholesale Corp., has filed a lawsuit against three of Seoul's autonomous districts, claiming that their ordinance for mandatory Sunday closure and restrictions on operating hours are invalid, judicial officials said Monday.In the lawsuit filed with the Seoul Administrative Court against heads of Seocho-gu, Jungnang-gu and Yeongdeungp

IndustryOct. 16, 2012

Seoul shares open higher on foreign buying

South Korean stocks started higher on Tuesday as foreign investors scooped up local shares, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) increased 0.73 percent, or 14.13 points, to 1939.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics rising 1.31 percent and flat panel giant LG Display gaining 2.59 pe

Oct. 16, 2012

Crisis theory looming over Korean economy

Coming election may hamper countermeasures against eurozone crisisThe overall economy could face severe difficulties in the coming months due to a combination of uncertainties at home and abroad, according to projections by some local economists.They forecast that the government would fall short of being able to effectively cope with the worsening debt crisis in Southern European countries, mainly because Korea has to cope with election season and a new president. “For Korea, it would not be eas

Oct. 15, 2012

Lotte, Orion in Russian choco pie showdown

A time-old rivalry between snack giants Orion and Lotte over a popular chocolate-and-vanilla snack is being rekindled in the overseas markets, most recently in Russia where a copycat version is threatening the original. In 1974, Orion was the first in Korea to launch the choco pie, which is a small round chocolate-flavored snack with a marshmallow center. Five years later, the Lotte choco pie made its debut. The latter was obviously a copycat product, although Lotte begs to differ. Orion was not

IndustryOct. 15, 2012

Korean researchers find gene linked to Alzheimer’s

Korea researchers said they have identified a gene that produces neurotoxic components in Alzheimer’s disease, in a step forward to finding a cure for the degenerative brain disease. The state-run Korea National Institute of Health said on Monday that a team led by Dr. Koh Young-ho at its biomedical science division found small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) 1 protein.The team found in lab testing with mice that SUMO1 integrates with BACE1, a key enzyme which accelerates the production and de

TechnologyOct. 15, 2012

Shares drop 0.4% on global recession woes

South Korean stocks closed 0.4 percent lower Monday as investors’ sentiment was dampened by concerns over a global recession and persistent eurozone debt woes, analysts said. The local currency declined against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 7.67 points to 1,925.59. Trading volume was moderate at 554.9 million shares worth 4.49 trillion won ($4.04 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 548 to 297.“There’s no big positive momentum to lead the index upward

Oct. 15, 2012

LG claims edge over Samsung on phone battery life

LG Electronics challenged its rival Samsung Electronics on Monday, claiming that the battery performance of its new flagship smartphone Optimus G surpasses the Galaxy S3.In a media briefing event introducing the new features of its latest Optimus Vu 2, LG emphasized the superiority of Optimus G’s high-capacity battery.According to an experiment conducted by LG, the Optimus G battery outperformed Samsung’s Galaxy S3 when talking on the phone and watching or filming videos. Both batteries have a r

IndustryOct. 15, 2012

Korea orders firms to cut emissions by 17m tons

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday that it had told firms to reduce carbon emissions by a total of 17.2 million tons by the end of next year. The amount ― expressed in terms of tons of CO2 equivalent, or tCO2e ― is more than double the 8 million tCO2e target in 2012, when the ministry first set such targets. The steel, cement and petro-chemical industries are the three industries facing the largest greenhouse gas emission cut targets next year, making up 68 percent of the total. POSCO

Oct. 15, 2012

‘MOFIA’ keeps financial sector under thumb

Retired financial bureaucrats given lifelong privilege to lead public agencies, banks by noseIt is well known that former financial bureaucrats dominate top positions at Korea’s public financial institutions and banks controlled by public agencies.Recent history shows that only a fraction ― about 3 percent ― of former and incumbent chief executive officers at 11 public financial institutions and three “special” banks were chosen from the institutions’ ranks.Bureaucrats who built their careers an

Oct. 15, 2012

Many likely not to survive tough outdoor fashion market

Competition heats up between foreign brands in outdoor sportswear marketMany outdoor brands lacking a clear brand identity will soon die out in South Korea, said Columbia Sportswear Korea CEO Cho Hyeong-rae at a press conference last week. “It will happen before 2015, regardless of the volume of their revenues, but depending on the public recognition of the brands. Now it will be all about developing new technologies and establishing a significant image,” said Cho. The outdoor market here has gr

IndustryOct. 15, 2012