Vaccine experts in Seoul to examine ways to expand immunization benefits

More than 100 medical doctors and vaccine experts from all over the world gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to examine ways to improve vaccine management, and called for concerted efforts on extend benefits of immunization around the world.The international forum, the first of its kind, is co-hosted by the World Health Organization and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and brought together leading experts from academia, private sector institutions, public health officials and civ

June 21, 2017

Toshiba picks consortium including SK hynix as preferred bidder for chip business

Toshiba on Wednesday chose a US-Japan-Korea consortium as the preferred bidder in the sale of its lucrative memory chip business. South Korea’s SK hynix is part of the group and set to provide loans worth 3 trillion won ($2.62 billion), covering around 15 percent of the buyout price. SK hynix’s participation in the sale is expected to raise the possibility of the company forging an exclusive partnership with Toshiba, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker amid the booming chip business driv

June 21, 2017

Apple maintains No. 1 tech firm by revenue

US tech giant Apple Inc. maintained its status as the world's top IT firm by sales in 2016, data showed Wednesday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Gartner Inc., Apple posted $218.1 billion in sales last year, hovering far above the $139.1 billion posted by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Co.Other major players included US-based Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., and IBM, which posted sales of $90.1 billion, $85.7 billion, and $77.8 billion, respectively, the data also showed.

June 21, 2017

18:9 display ratio new trend for smartphones

Smartphone displays with a display aspect ratio of 18:9 are set to become the global standard for mobile devices going forward, industry watchers said Wednesday.According to industry tracker TrendForce, around 10 percent of the latest smartphones this year feature the new height and width dimensions instead of the previous 16:9 screen size.The presence of such smartphones with longer panels will also expand to 37 percent in 2018 as more Chinese handset makers opt for the new aspect ratio, it add

June 21, 2017

Kimchi consumption does not raise blood pressure: survey

Consumption of kimchi does not raise blood pressure despite its high salt content as the lactic acid bacteria in the fermented dish actually helps drive sodium out of the body, a survey showed Wednesday.Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made of fermented napa cabbage, salt and pepper. An image of kimchi (Yonhap)The survey of 5,932 people by professor Song Hong-ji of Hallym University Medical Center between 2001 and 2012 revealed that 374 people, or 29.8 percent, of 1,254 people who consum

June 21, 2017

Korea, China, Japan to conduct joint research on quake risks

JEJU -- Geological experts from South Korea, China and Japan agreed Tuesday to conduct joint research on major faults of the counties to better estimate earthquake risks.  The agreement came during a meeting of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, the Geological Survey of Japan and the China Geological Survey on South Korea's largest island of Jeju. The Trilateral GeoSummit meeting brought together 80 experts and officials from the three Northeast Asian countries. Geological

June 20, 2017

Naver to cooperate with Qualcomm on AI platform

Naver Corp., South Korea's top Internet portal operator, said Monday that it will work with global chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. to further develop its artificial intelligence platform, Clova.Under an agreement with Qualcomm's subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Naver will provide Clova for use with the global giant's Internet of Things chip processors, the company said.Various IoT products such as a smart speaker equipped with Qualcomm's IoT chips will also utilize Clova, Naver said.The basic idea of

June 19, 2017

Ramyeon raises cardiovascular risk due to high fat, sodium, sugar: survey

Ramyeon instant noodles raises blood sugar, blood pressure and the chance of artery hardening and heart attack due to its high fat, sodium, sugar and carbohydrate content, the latest findings showed Monday.Those who regularly eat ramyeon three or more times a week are 2.6 times more susceptible to cardiovascular metabolic disease than those who have the instant noodles once or less frequently per month, a screening of 3,397 college students by professor Chang Nam-soo of Ewha Womans University an

June 19, 2017

[Health-tech Korea] Ybrain headband takes aim at depression

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles highlighting South Korea’s promising startups in the emerging sectors of digital health care and next-generation medical devices. This is the ninth installment. – Ed.For the past 11 years, South Korea has recorded the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, with depression and mental illnesses behind most of the self-inflicted deaths. Despite the growing number of people suffering from chr

June 18, 2017

Samsung SDI trains engineers to be ‘tech meisters’

Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is encouraging its employees to become “technology meisters” with financial incentives for workers who improve their professional skills. The tech firm said last week that 17 meisters -- workers with at least three master certificates -- were added in the first half of this year to 36 existing meisters. There are now a total of 53 meisters. The technology meister program started at the company’s plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2013, and later expande

June 18, 2017

Korean tech giants beef up after-sales services in US

South Korean tech giants are seeking to bolster their after-sales services in the United States to appeal to consumers and narrow the gap with their archrival Apple Inc., industry sources said Friday.Samsung Electronics Co. has been providing what it calls "premium care" services in the US, allowing users to receive various services for monthly pay of $11.99, along with on-site visits by tech experts. (The Korea Herald)While Samsung earlier planned to release similar services in South Korea as w

June 16, 2017

Netmarble’s ‘Lineage II: Revolution’ tops mobile app rankings in Asia

“Lineage II: Revolution,” which officially launched in 11 countries across Asia on Wednesday, swept Apple’s App Store rankings in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau a day after its release.South Korea’s Netmarble Games said Thursday that its hit mobile role-playing game had clinched the No. 1 spot in the App Store’s app revenue rankings in Hong Kong and Macau.  (Apple's App Store)The game ranked No. 2 in terms of app revenue in Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines as well as No. 9 in Malaysia, Netma

June 15, 2017

Samsung starts production of 64-layer NAND chips

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that it has begun mass production of 64-layer, 256-Gigabit V-NAND flash memory chips and will apply the cutting-edge technology to the company’s lineup of storage solutions for servers, PCs and mobile applications. Samsung had been producing the latest V-NAND chips for a limited number of customers since January, but the company had not made it public in order to first gauge real demand accurately and secure its production capacity. To gain a competitive ed

June 15, 2017

Scientists develop new drug treatment for cancer

A group of South Korean medical researchers developed a new type of anti-cancer immune material derived from a plant, the science ministry said Thursday, opening up new treatment opportunities for patients. The team, led by Lee Chang-hwan of Ulsan University, developed the new substance made from the plant named rehmannia that can selectively destroy tumor cells, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said. The substance has shown potential for attacking brain cancer, it said. (Photo c

June 15, 2017

Foreigners take up more than half of tech market cap

Foreign investors have taken up more than half of the combined market capitalization of tech shares listed on the main bourse, data showed Thursday, apparently as local companies are expanding their presence on the global arena.According to the data compiled by the bourse operator Korea Exchange, foreigners took up 228 trillion won ($202 billion), or 52.01 percent of the combined market capitalization of 439 trillion won posted by tech firms as of Wednesday. It marked the highest figure since 52

June 15, 2017

Scientists develop adhesive patch inspired by octopuses

A group of South Korean scientists have developed an adhesive patch inspired by protuberances in the suction cups of octopuses, the ICT ministry said Thursday, a finding that can have various electronic and medical applications.The team led by Bang Chang-hyun at Sungkyunkwan University developed the world's first patch that can be attached and detached up to 1,000 times without the need for any adhesive material, even in wet conditions. (Yonhap)"This study was to develop the material of a highly

June 15, 2017

AIIB annual meetings to open in Jeju

South Korea, the fifth-largest stakeholder of the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, will host the second annual meetings of the institution on Jeju Island from Friday to Saturday. The AIIB is a multilateral financial institution founded last year to bring countries together to address infrastructure needs across Asia. It is sometimes described as the “World Bank for Asia.” In its first year of operation, the AIIB welcomed 57 signatory countries and approved loans of over $1.7 billio

June 14, 2017

[Monitor] Dominance of 3 mobile carriers under scrutiny

With debate brewing over ways to lower the mobile phone expenses, focus is also being paid to the dominance of the three major carriers in the industry.According to industry sources, the mobile market is currently shared by SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus at a ratio of 43.2 percent, 25.7 percent and 19.6 percent, respectively, based on the shares of applicants to mobile phone services as of the end of April. It does not include subscribers to sub-brands. This three-way dominance has been unchanged f

June 14, 2017

Galaxy S8 phones top Consumer Reports’ ratings

Samsung Electronics’ new flagship smartphones, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, took the top spots in smartphone ratings by the US consumer magazine. Consumer Reports said on Wednesday the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus ranked first and second with 82 points each in its latest smartphone ratings.Galaxy S8’s predecessor Galaxy S7 Edge placed third with 77 points followed by LG Electronics’ premium smartphone G6 and Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus, also with 77 points each.  Galaxy S8 (Yonhap)Jerry Beilinson, a

June 14, 2017