SK Group expands shared-growth programs for subcontractors

SK Group announced on Thursday that its newest policies for shared-growth with its subcontractors went into effect. One of the nation’s biggest conglomerates, SK Group came up with co-prosperity projects for medium-sized and smaller subcontractors in three sectors, education, finance and technology. The new policies are meant to be supportive of the retainable management growth of SK’s subcontractors, the conglomerate said. SK Group had established a shared-growth committee in the fall of 2008 t

May 3, 2012

LG washing machine picked as top product by Consumer Reports

A fully automatic washing machine made by LG Electronics Inc., South Korea’s leading consumer appliance maker, was named the best product by an authoritative U.S. magazine, industry sources said Thursday.Consumer Reports said the top-loading washing machine received the highest marks among 81 products tested and was the only model to receive an “excellent” rating in washing capabilities, sources said.The WT4801C model that features fully automatic temperature control, a detergent dispenser and f

TechnologyMay 3, 2012

Options limited for loan shark victims

Lee instructs state-run legal aid agency to sue loan sharks on behalf of victimsKwon Hyung-min (not his real name), a self-employed tradesman in a provincial market, found himself in hot water after borrowing 2 million won ($1,700) from a private lender, which he promised to pay back in 10 days. He missed the deadline, and thanks to annual interest of 360 percent, his liabilities eventually snowballed to 200 million won. The loan shark used illegal methods including violence to collect the debt.

May 3, 2012

Study: Heavy teens have trouble managing diabetes

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― New research sends a stark warning to overweight teens: If you develop diabetes, you’ll have a very tough time keeping it under control.A major study, released Sunday, tested several ways to manage blood sugar in teens newly diagnosed with diabetes and found that nearly half of them failed within a few years and 1 in 5 suffered serious complications. The results spell trouble for a nation facing rising rates of “diabesity” - Type 2 diabetes brought on by obesity.The federally

TechnologyMay 3, 2012

Acute Bronchitis

Acute bronchitis is an acute inflammation in the bronchial mucosa. It is usually caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria or by inhalation of irritants. CauseHemophilus influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most frequent bacterial causes of acute bronchitis. However, in Korea, Mycobacterium tuberculosis can also be a cause. There are also many viral strains that induce the condition, and, rarely, fungal infections can, too.Elderly people, infants and people who h

TechnologyMay 3, 2012

Do you suffer from allergies?

Have you ever suffered from long-term itchiness that made you scratch all day long? Have you ever ran of breath all of a sudden and had to breathe even harder?Chances are high that you have allergic rhinitis and eczema or asthma. The American National Institute of Health depicts allergic rhinitis to be a collection of symptoms, mostly in the nose and eyes, which occur when someone breathes in something they are allergic to. Those with allergic rhinitis tend to have an itchy nose, mouth, eyes, th

TechnologyMay 3, 2012

Korea better to remain in MSCI emerging markets index

 Asia’s 4th largest economy unlikely to graduate to developed markets index soonSouth Korea would be better off remaining in Morgan Stanley Capital International’s emerging markets index than entering its developed markets index, said a global investment bank.Shawn Kim, an equity strategist and executive director at Morgan Stanley, said that Korea could end up like Israel and be ignored by global investors if it moved into the developed index.“After Israel was included in the MSCI developed inde

May 3, 2012

Hur conferred order for agriculture, food from French Government

Hur Young-in, chairman of SPC Group, was conferred the Merit of Agricultural Chevalier at the French Embassy on Tuesday for promoting French food culture in Korea. The order was created in 1883 by the French minister of agriculture to honor those who greatly contribute to the development of French agriculture and food. French biochemist Louis Pasteur was the first to win the order. Hur enhanced the image of French baking in Korea through bakery brands, Paris Croissant and Paris Baguette, Ambassa

May 3, 2012

Starbucks Korea to raise coffee prices

Starbucks Coffee Korea said it would raise its prices of 32 kinds of coffee by 300 won starting Monday.The 32 items include Americano, cafe latte, caramel macchiato, espresso, green tea latte and mocha frappuccino. With the increased prices, a tall Americano will cost 3,900 won, tall café latte 4,400 won and a tall caramel macchiato, 5,400 won.The prices of 10 other coffees, including espresso double shot and caramel café mocha, will remain unchanged, while four other drinks including lavendar E

IndustryMay 3, 2012

Galaxy S3 spec leaked by Samsung employee

Specifications for the Galaxy S3, Samsung’s rival model against Apple’s iPhone 5, have been leaked by an employee of the company’s Chinese affiliate, news reports said Thursday.The details include the Ice Cream Sandwich OS system, 1.5 GHz Quad Core CPU, 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display and an 8-megapixel camera.There have been rumors about Galaxy 3’s specifications on the Internet, but the latest revelation of the phone’s design and specifications match the real product, reports said.Samsung Electr

IndustryMay 3, 2012