The Korea Herald

Saenuri’s win likely to speed up Woori sale

Election results could also be boon to KDB privatization, secondary banking sectorThe ruling Saenuri Party’s winning of a majority in the National Assembly is expected to accelerate economic policymakers’ project for sale of public funds-injected Woori Financial Group.There had been predictions that the stalled plan for Woori Financial privatization would not be feasible during the incumbent Lee Myung-bak administration.Financial regulators seemingly welcomed the results of the April 11 parliame

April 12, 2012

Yeosu corporate pavilions to show present, future of industries

Seven global companies showcase new technologies, offer vision for futureSeven major Korean companies are preparing to open their own pavilions at the Expo 2012 Yeosu which runs from May 12 through August 12. The individual corporate pavilions will be packed with fun yet educational experience-oriented contents that present cutting-edge technologies and insights for the future, say the firms.Hyundai Motor Group is seeking to express its new corporate vision “Together for a better future” at its

IndustryApril 12, 2012

Yeosu Expo to feature diverse exhibits, performances

Visual shows, hi-tech entertainment accompany displays by 105 countries and 10 organizationsNewly built facilities for exhibitions and performances are being unveiled in April, a month ahead of the opening of Expo 2012 Yeosu for a three-month run in the southern coastal town. Spectators will be able to view thousands of exhibitions and performances in addition to thematic landmarks with a single Expo ticket that costs 33,000 won for adults on a standard day. Discounts are available online until

IndustryApril 12, 2012

Yeosu Expo to feature diverse exhibits, performances

Painkiller sales soar around U.S., could spark addiction epidemic

NEW YORK (AP) ― Sales of the nation’s two most popular prescription painkillers have exploded in new parts of the country, an Associated Press analysis shows, worrying experts who say the push to relieve patients’ suffering is spawning an addiction epidemic.From New York’s Staten Island to Santa Fe, N.M., Drug Enforcement Administration figures show dramatic rises between 2000 and 2010 in the distribution of oxycodone, the key ingredient in OxyContin, Percocet and Percodan. Some places saw sales

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

Oft-misunderstood lupus comes out of the shadows

DETROIT ― The day Sharon Harris graduated from Florida A&M University was supposed to be one of jubilation.But Harris was exhausted and weak.She attributed it to the stress of final exams, preparing for graduation and working three part-time jobs.But the moment her mother arrived from Detroit that December day in 2001, she knew something was seriously wrong. Just one look at her daughter’s face told her it couldn’t be only stress. In addition to exhaustion, Harris’s skin was blotchy and discolor

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

Oft-misunderstood lupus comes out of the shadows

Prevalence of autism in children continues to climb, report shows

KANSAS CITY, Missouri ― Lauren Shouse wonders why her third child, Luke, is autistic. Was it his difficult birth? Was it something inherited that made her 6-year-old so stubborn and unwilling to speak?“You would like to know what causes it so you can do all you can to prevent it,” said Shouse, of Weston, Mo. “It would be wonderful if we knew why.”Medical researchers have the same hope, made all the more urgent Thursday with the release of new numbers showing that the prevalence of autism among t

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

Prevalence of autism in children continues to climb, report shows

Bulimia serious among young people

Park Ju-yong, 20, is always conscious of what he eats. He is constantly on a diet, trying to minimize and moderate the foods he eats. Whenever the stress of suppressing his appetite becomes unbearable, he buys loads of food ― bread, butter, instant noodles, pizza, donuts, fried chicken and so forth ― and starts binge eating. But the pleasure of eating does not last long. After feeling a severe sense of guilt, he takes laxatives that will sweep away what he has eaten. “I don’t know what I am doin

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

Top 10 groups’ operating profits edge down

Major listed companies belonging to South Korea’s top 10 conglomerates saw their operating profits inch down in 2011 from a year earlier on global economic woes, data showed Thursday.The combined operating profit of the 73 companies reached 73.89 trillion won ($64.7 billion) last year, down 1.04 percent from the previous year, according to the Korea Exchange, the nation’s bourse operator.Of the conglomerates, only four posted gains in operating profits with the remainder suffering declines.SK Gr

April 12, 2012

Scientists find out why smart people are smart

Scientists have succeeded in pointing out the parts of the brain that are essential for intellectual functions, the Science Daily reported Tuesday. A multi-national study found out that coordinated works of several brain areas are necessary in order to process a thought.Lead researcher Aron Barbey said the brain’s ability to add up all the information from verbal, visual, spatial and executive processes is key to intellectual function. Study showed that the brain regions involved in the thinking

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

Scientists find out why smart people are smart

Johnson & Johnson fined $1.1b in Risperdal case

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- An Arkansas judge fined Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary more than $1.1 billion Wednesday for downplaying and concealing risks associated with the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, a ruling that could affect dozens of pending lawsuits over the drug.Circuit Judge Tim Fox ruled that Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company must pay $5,000 for each of 240,000 Ri

IndustryApril 12, 2012

Could advanced dinosaurs rule other planets?

New scientific research raises the possibility that advanced versions of T. rex and other dinosaurs -- monstrous creatures with the intelligence and cunning of humans -- may be the life forms that evolved on other planets in the universe. "We would be better off not meeting them," concludes the study, which appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.In the report, noted scientist Rona

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

'Time machine' instrument sees the past

U.S. researchers say a new instrument will be a "time machine" to allow scientists to study the universe's earliest galaxies that could never be studied before.(MCT)Built by researchers at UCLA, the MOSFIRE instrument -- or Multi-Object Spectrometer for Infra-Red Exploration -- has been installed in the Keck I Telescope at the W.M. Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.The instrument will gath

TechnologyApril 12, 2012

Election results to put new spin on key economic policies

Sweeping changes likely to hit Korea’s policies on welfare, tax, labor, conglomerates As South Korea’s general elections ended on Wednesday in a way that elevates the position of opposition parties, key economic issues are expected to go through heated disputes and, if necessary, modifications.The stakes couldn’t be higher. A wide range of the country’s policies on welfare, taxes, state budget, labor relations, real estate, conglomerates and free trade agreements are set to be affected.To what e

April 11, 2012

Ex-economic policymakers turn lawmakers　

A group of former top policymakers in economy-related ministries added seats for the ruling Saenuri Party in the April 11 parliamentary elections, according to results based on the exit polls.They included former Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, former Vice Finance Minister Ryu Sung-gul and former Vice Land Minister Kim Hee-kuk.Kim in particular is seen as a face-saver for the conservative party, beating veteran politician Chung Dong-young of the opposition Democratic United Party in Seoul’s Gangna

April 11, 2012

US sues Apple, publishers yield on e-book pricing

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Justice Department sued Apple and five publishing firms Wednesday alleging a conspiracy to raise prices and limit competition for e-books, and immediately announced a partial settlement in the case.As the antitrust suit was unveiled, officials said three of the publishers agreed to end the scheme to force retailers such as Amazon to accept a new pricing plan that ended th

TechnologyApril 11, 2012

Korean Air passenger jet diverted after bomb threat

A Korean Air passenger jet heading to Seoul made an emergency landing at a Canadian Air Force base after receiving a bomb threat, the country’s flag carrier said Wednesday. Its Boeing 777-200 was diverted at around 7:40 a.m. Korean time when the airline’s U.S. call center received the threat by phone 25 minutes after it departed from Vancouver, a company spokesperson said from Seoul. A Korean Air spokesperson in Los Angeles said the caller warned that an explosive was aboard the airliner. All th

April 11, 2012

Korean Air passenger jet diverted after bomb threat

Top three shipbuilders find new growth engine in offshore plants

Development of components, equipment needed to maximize profits, analysts sayKorea’s three big shipbuilders are focusing on winning orders for global offshore plants and related manufacturing projects, a business they deem lucrative.Industry sources said the offshore plant business appears to be a new growth engine for Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries.Backed by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Ministry of Land, Transport and

IndustryApril 11, 2012

Top three shipbuilders find new growth engine in offshore plants

Government pushes for more discount gas stations despite doubts

Public discontent escalates as sky-high crude prices eclipse markdown effectsThe government is stepping up its push for discount gas stations to help lighten household utility bills despite continuing skepticism over its efficacy and state intervention in petrol prices. State-backed self-serves are a showpiece of the government’s battle against skyrocketing oil costs and a supply oligopoly by major refiners. It aims to set up some 1,300 outlets by 2015, of which about 430 are in operation now. W

April 11, 2012

Government pushes for more discount gas stations despite doubts

Banks’ earnings likely to recover in Q1: HMC report

South Korean banks are expected to see a recovery in their earnings for the January-March period, as their interest income remains solid thanks to the mid-term benefit from the rise in lending volume last year. HMC Investment Securities projected that eight lenders including KB, Shinhan, Woori would produce a combined net profit of 3.28 trillion won ($2.87 billion) for the first quarter, up 102.4 percent from the previous quarter. The figure, however, is down 6.2 percent from the year-earlier pe

April 11, 2012

LG’s Google TV sets global war over next-generation smart TV

LG Electronics is set to launch the world’s first Google TV version 2.0 in the United States this weekend amid rising expectations about Apple’s smart TV debut. According to a report by Shinhan Investment Corp., LG will set the stage for its attempt to carve out a bigger share in the smart TV market with Google TV, which allows users to enjoy broadcasting, Internet, applications and video with ease. “Google TV operates on the Google operating system, which enables Internet browsing, social netwo

TechnologyApril 11, 2012