The Korea Herald

Kids absorb more electromagnetic waves: study

Children soak up more electromagnetic waves in certain frequencies than adults, a recent study suggests.According to the research results published Monday, more electromagnetic waves are taken in by children in and around the frequency band of 1000 MHz, which is used in FM broadcasting, and 1GHz, the frequency band of mobile telecommunication.Also, children who use their mobile phones often are more likely to develop Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the study said.The research team stat

TechnologyMay 21, 2012

Facebook launches K-pop page

Facebook said Monday it has launched a K-pop music page to help fans of Korean pop music around the world to engage with their favorite K-pop stars more actively. The page, provided jointly by Facebook and Korea’s largest entertainment agency SM Entertainment, will be updated with the latest K-pop news and content in both Korean and English.On Monday morning at 11 a.m., Seoul time, the K-pop page had photos and information from the SM Town Concert in Los Angeles. The page is seen at www.facebook

IndustryMay 21, 2012

South Korea shares civil aviation know-how with developing nations

South Korea will share advanced aviation-related policy knowhow with developing countries as part of its contribution to promoting safety and efficiency in global civilian flight services, the government said Monday.To that end, the government kicked off a six-day policy program that runs through Saturday and aims to pass on Seoul’s experiences in flight planning policies, airport construction and management to civil aviation representatives from 15 countries, the Ministry of Land, Transport and

May 21, 2012

Industrial electricity sales slow in April

The growth of electricity consumption by South Korea’s industrial sector slowed in April from a year earlier due mainly to less working days and weaker exports, the government said Monday.Sales of industrial electricity moved up just 1.7 percent on-year to 21.22 billion kilowatt-hours in the cited month, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. The gain marks a slowdown from a 9.1 percent increase a year earlier, although total output rose from 20.86 billion kilowatt-hours.Power output, h

May 21, 2012

Exports of low-tariff goods to EU jump 16.1%

South Korean exports of manufactured products to the European Union surged 16.1 percent on-year in the second half of 2011 thanks to lowered tariffs under a bilateral trade pact, government data showed Monday.The free trade agreement, which went into effect in July last year, calls for Seoul and Brussels to eliminate or phase out tariffs on 96 percent of EU goods and 99 percent of South Korean goods within three years after the accord takes effect. According to the finance ministry data, exports

IndustryMay 21, 2012

Athletes have higher pain tolerance: study

Athletes can withstand more pain than those who do not exercise, a recent study says.German researchers reviewed 15 previous studies on athletes and pain to find that although athletes feel pain to a similar degree to non-athletes, their pain tolerance -- the point when pain becomes unbearable -- is higher.The study also found that pain tolerance levels varied according to the type of sport. For example, endurance athletes who participate in prolonged athletics showed moderate pain tolerance w

TechnologyMay 21, 2012

Athletes have higher pain tolerance: study

Hospital meals less healthy than Big Macs: study

A Big Mac burger is healthier than 75 percent of NHS hospital meals, a recent study conducted in the UK has revealed.The study examined twenty five different meals provided by an NHS food supply chain to find that sixty percent of hospital food contained more salt than the popular McDonald’s burger. Seventy five percent had more saturated fat.The survey was carried out by Sustain, a campaign group demanding that the government bring compulsory minimum food standards into the NHS.“Without stand

TechnologyMay 21, 2012

Hospital meals less healthy than Big Macs: study

Partial solar eclipse dims sky

The moon slides across the sun, showing a blazing halo of light, during an annular eclipse at a waterfront park in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Monday. (AP-Yonhap News)A partial solar eclipse was witnessed across the world on Sunday and Monday.In Seoul, the event started around 6:23 a.m. and ended around 8:48 p.m., peaking at 7:32 a.m., when 80 percent of the Sun was covered.It was the first time since J

TechnologyMay 21, 2012

LVMH Korea union protests, calling for better pay, bonuses

A Korean unit of the Paris-based luxury goods company LVMH Group is mired in a labor dispute over pay that could halt sales of some luxury perfumes and cosmetics. Union members of LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics Korea, most of whom are sales people, have staged protests since its latest negotiations with management over pay and conditions failed early last week. The company owns several high-end makeup chains, including Dior, Guerlain, and Make Up For Ever. The union is demanding wage increases, a f

IndustryMay 20, 2012

LVMH Korea union protests, calling for better pay, bonuses

Korea warned of export dependency on China

Korea, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its official ties with China, needs to be cautious about its growing export dependency on the world’s second-largest economy, a report warned Sunday.According to the report by the Korea International Trade Association, Korea’s exports to China saw a more than 50-fold growth from $2.65 billion in 1992 to $134.19 billion last year.The portion of exports to China also soared from 3.5 percent to 24.2 percent during the same period. Over the past two decades

IndustryMay 20, 2012

Samsung tops global smartphone, LTE phone sales

Global display market shrinks in first quarterSamsung Electronics has become the biggest seller of mobile phones, smartphones and LTE phones in the world, according to reports.In the global smartphone market, Samsung continued to show its prowess, edging out Nokia for the first time in the first quarter of this year, Strategy Analytics, a market research firm said.Samsung sold a total of 92.5 million mobile phones, accounting for 25 percent globally, surpassing the 22.4 market share of Nokia, wh

TechnologyMay 20, 2012

Firms learning to communicate with expats

Firms offer real-time communication channels, hire more foreign staffKorean firms are rushing to communicate better and more often with expats as the number of foreign residents now surpasses 1.1 million.Kevin Ascott, a Canadian living here, said he was able to find the authorized service center for his malfunctioning smartphone through KT’s social networking hotline ― something he had been seeking for days to figure out on several websites.“I got great service when I went there,” he wrote to th

IndustryMay 20, 2012

Firms learning to communicate with expats

Seoul wary of easing rules on U.S. beef

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korea’s top trade official strongly indicated last week that talks on expanding American beef imports are unlikely for the time being due to the latest case of mad cow disease here.Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho stressed that public confidence in U.S. beef in South Korea is the most important factor.“Consumption of U.S. beef dramatically dropped in South Korea as this (mad cow) case dealt a complete blow to public trust,” he said in a meeting with South Korean corres

May 20, 2012

Stocks to fall further due to eurozone woes

South Korean stocks are expected to undergo further adjustments this week, weighed down by mounting eurozone uncertainties and their impact on the global economy, local analysts said.The country’s key stock index, the KOSPI, closed at 1,782.46 on Friday, a drop of 7.03 percent or 134.67 points from a week earlier, mainly due to fears that Greece may exit the eurozone and concerns that the continent’s fiscal woes have started to spill over into the banking sector. The plunge is significant becaus

May 20, 2012

KDB said to plan sale of Samurai bonds

Korea Development Bank plans to tap the Japanese bond market following Thursday’s record Samurai offering by its peer state-owned lender Export-Import Bank of Korea, said a person familiar with the matter.KDB, whose parent is the nation’s largest state-owned banking group, is planning a sale of yen-denominated bonds as soon as early June, the person said, asking not to be identified as details are private. Banks have been asked to submit proposals to arrange the offering and KDB is expected to c

May 20, 2012

Business group calls for eased rules on dividend tax

A leading South Korean business organization said Sunday it has requested the government soften taxation rules for dividends companies receive from their domestic and overseas subsidiaries.“Taxes on dividend income are tantamount to double taxation because they are levied after subsidiaries pay corporate taxes,” the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said. “All dividends received from subsidiaries should be exempt from taxation.”Currently, South Korean companies have 30-50 percent of their d

May 20, 2012

State think tank cuts growth forecast to 3.6%

The state-run Korea Development Institute lowered its forecast of South Korea’s economic growth for this year to 3.6 percent on Sunday, citing global economic uncertainties.The latest projection is down from the 3.8 percent made by the KDI in November and lower than the government’s estimate of 3.7 percent. The think tank also predicted the country’s economic growth to rise to 4.1 percent next year.“The South Korean economy has been stuck in a slowdown since the second half of last year due to w

May 20, 2012

SK Telecom connects Expo with fast wireless networks

YEOSU ― Entering Yeosu Expo from the bullet train station mainly built for this gala, visitors will face a cluster of spotless and architecturally unique corporate pavilions.One exhibition center, situated at the end of the Northeast edge overlooking the sea, stands out: a three-story pavilion covered with what looks like a giant fishing net, colored in white and shaped like a cloud.This belongs to SK Telecom, Korea’s biggest mobile carrier and the only telecom company to exhibit here.The net sy

IndustryMay 20, 2012

SK Telecom connects Expo with fast wireless networks

China’s car dealerships struggle as stockpiles increase

Chinese dealers are struggling with the rising number of unsold cars that’s threatening to deepen price cuts, according to the nation’s biggest automobile dealers’ association.Dealerships for Honda Motor Co., Chery Automobile Co., BYD Co. and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. carried more than 45 days of inventory as of the end of April, exceeding the threshold that foreshadows debilitating price cuts, Su Hui, vice president of the auto market division at the state-backed China Automobile Dealers A

MobilityMay 20, 2012

China’s car dealerships struggle as stockpiles increase

Color matters

Drivers embrace more colors in their cars with brown becoming the new blackWhen Kia Motors took the wraps off its new premium sedan K9 early this month, the automaker carried out an experiment by introducing the car in brown rather than typical black. Brown is gaining popularity in overseas markets, especially Europe, as the color goes well with the beige seat covers of high-end cars. And now Korean drivers are recognizing the color’s beauty. “Brown is ‘the new black’ in the global car industry

MobilityMay 20, 2012