Ticket Monster, or TMON, South Korea's first deal-of-the-day website, seems to be struggling to find an investor to shape its managerial direction and put the company on a solid financial footing. On Friday, investment bank Goldman Sachs denied market reports that it was considering buying the social commerce firm. Local news outlet MoneyToday had reported on the day that the U.S. firm planned to purchase some or all stakes in Ticket Monster or create a strategic alliance with other Korean fir

Dec. 26, 2014

The prostate is a male organ located below the bladder. It wraps around the urethra and is responsible for making the main components of semen. Prostatitis refers to inflammation of the prostate, but it is a syndrome that is diagnosed by symptoms as it does not always involve bacterial infection.SymptomsThe symptoms of prostatitis include pain and urinary symptoms. The pain is mainly in the testicles, penis, perineum and the lower back, and can be associated with urination or ejaculation. Urinar

Dec. 25, 2014

While the crisp air and snow-covered streets can paint a pleasant wintry picture, cold weather can also bring a number of serious health hazards, including hypothermia and frostbite.This winter has been particularly harsh in South Korea, with its average December temperature notably lower than the seasonal average. A total of 137 people were reported to have suffered from either hypothermia or frostbite from Dec. 1 to 18.Among them, 21.6 percent were placed in intensive care, while 15.5 percent

Dec. 25, 2014

LG Electronics said Thursday that it would partner with Mercedes-Benz to develop a key auto component for the global premium automaker’s next-generation autonomous cars.South Korea’s second-largest consumer electronics company will partner with Mercedes-Benz to develop a stereo camera system, which works like a “human eye” with the capability to detect objects on the road ahead, LG noted. The system will use computational stereoscopic vision and sensors to enable driverless cars to gather traffi

Dec. 25, 2014

K Venture CEO John Park. (Daum Kakao)Daum Kakao said Tuesday that it would invest 100 billion won ($90 million) to set up an investment company, tentatively called K Venture Group, next month.The operator of the widely used mobile messenger KakaoTalk will aim to create sustainable venture ecosystems like those in the U.S. tech hub of Silicon Valley by actively investing in and acquiring promising start-ups with innovative technology and ideas.“K Venture seeks to discover new growth for Daum Kaka

Dec. 23, 2014

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it would further ramp up its efforts to ban Uber, saying the controversial taxi-hailing service was not part of the sharing economy. “Uber does not go hand in hand with the city’s envisioned sharing economy since it does not abide by laws that require transportation businesses to take safety measures for the public. It only seeks profits by connecting riders with nunauthorized drivers,” the city government said in a press statement.The city gove

Dec. 22, 2014

LG Electronics on Monday said it would start domestic sales of the first model from its G Pad lineup to run on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. The G Pad 8.0 LTE ― powered by the Android 4.4.2 KitKat ― weighs 344 grams and runs on a Snapdragon 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It has a battery capacity of 4,200 mAh and is available only in white. The price tag for LG’s latest tablet is 330,000 won ($300), according to the company. The device can sync with smartphones and shares the trademark fea

Dec. 22, 2014

South Korea’s state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute said Monday that it would expand its operating system for drones and helicopters to be used for the operation of trains and nuclear power plants.The ETRI’s indigenous embedded OS software, called the Qplus Air, will be further developed with its partners to focus on monitoring and running the safety systems of railroads and nuclear power plants.It has partnered with KEPCO Engineering & Construction, the nuclear power p

Dec. 22, 2014

Top management of Xiaomi, a rising star in the consumer electronics world, said the Chinese smartphone-maker could differentiate itself from its top two global competitors ― Samsung and Apple ― by seamlessly integrating its software and Internet content with hardware. “From the beginning, Xiaomi has considered the mobile phone to be a converged gadget of software, Internet services and hardware, not just as a simple device (for communication),” Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said in a meeting with South Kor

Dec. 21, 2014

KT Corp., Korea’s largest telecommunications firm, said Thursday its chief executive Hwang Chang-gyu has been named as a member of a United Nations organization for promoting the worldwide deployment of high-speed wireless technology.His appointment to the Broadband Commission for Digital Development came after he became a board member of the GSMA, a global organization that represents global mobile operators, last week. “It is my honor to work for the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission, which aims

Dec. 18, 2014

The advent of digital technology had spelled trouble for professional and emerging comic book artists as the technology made paper books less appealing to readers.With consumers shifting to digital content and services in droves, both newly created and long-standing comic books and characters faced their demise.But in 2003, the convergence of information technology and offline cultural content, which led to the creation of a digital platform called Webtoon by Daum Communications, instantly chang

Dec. 17, 2014

 It was never easy for Lee Jun to become a professional comic artist.Without proper training or money to hire assistants, he had to master the skills of drawing and storytelling on his own.Lee dropped out of college, but kept his job as an office worker not only to make ends meet but also to realize his lifelong dream.“It was never easy to create webtoons,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald.A self portrait by Lee Jun“I only rested for half a day during the week and spent all my time

Dec. 17, 2014

Hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace made ominous threats Tuesday against movie theaters showing Sony Pictures’ film “The Interview” that referred to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The group also released a trove of data files including thousands of emails from the inbox of Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton. The data dump was what the hackers called the beginning of a “Christmas gift.” But GOP, as the group is known, included a message warning that people should stay away

Dec. 17, 2014