The Korea Herald

Korea to build test site for electric vessels

South Korea will build its first land-based test site for electric ships, which will help accelerate its development of new and noiseless vessels including submarines, developers said Wednesday.The new facility will help improve the country’s overall shipbuilding capabilities, according to the state-run Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute.“The construction of the test site is part of efforts to support the development of key technologies for electricity-powered vessels amid the growing ne

Dec. 19, 2013

Korea to build test site for electric vessels

South Korea will build its first land-based test site for electric ships, which will help accelerate its development of new and noiseless vessels including submarines, developers said Wednesday.The new facility will help improve the country’s overall shipbuilding capabilities, according to the state-run Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute.“The construction of the test site is part of efforts to support the development of key technologies for electricity-powered vessels amid the growing ne

Dec. 18, 2013

‘Flexible OLED displays coming soon’

A leading Korean chemistry researcher has predicted that the era of truly flexible organic light-emitting diode displays will come as early as next year as major electronics firms plan to churn out a slew of smart devices that can be folded and rolled up.“Consumers will likely see various types of flexible or bendable displays applied to smartphones and wearable gadgets,” Kim Yun-hi, a chemistry professor at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, told The Korea Heral

Dec. 18, 2013

5G to launch by 2020

The government plans to launch a 5G mobile network service, with speeds reportedly 1,000 times faster than the current Long Term Evolution service, by 2020.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Tuesday it would launch the service by 2020 following pre-technology demonstrations in 2015 and the trial service in 2018.With local companies producing 5G communications and base station equipment and providing the service, the government expected the market to generate 570 trillion won (

Dec. 18, 2013

SK Hynix considers new factory lines

SK Hynix, the world’s fourth-largest chipmaker, said Wednesday that it may build new assembly lines for DRAM chips in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.“The firm is currently considering adding the new assembly lines to the ‘M10’ factory, which have been dilapidated,” a company official said in a statement.The announcement came after news reports that the country’s second-largest chipmaker plans to invest 15 trillion won ($14 billion) over the next eight years to build new factories in the region.The of

Dec. 18, 2013

Samsung aims to retain global market lead

Samsung Electronics launched a series of conferences for next year’s global strategies on Tuesday, where its hundreds of executives at home and abroad are expected to discuss ways to maintain the firm’s leadership in the global market. The electronics firm’s three major business units ― device solutions, consumer electronics, and IT and mobile ― will hold the meetings in Giheung and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province until Friday. Vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun, DS unit chief Kim Ki-nam, CE division chief Y

Dec. 17, 2013

China to launch moon rock-collecting probe in 2017

BEIJING (AP) ― China said it was on track to launch a fifth lunar probe with the aim of bringing back lunar soil and rock samples following the successful moon landing of a space probe.The new mission planned for 2017 would mark the third and final phase of China’s robotic lunar exploration program and pave the way for possibly landing an astronaut on the moon after 2020.On Saturday, Chang’e 3 set down on the moon, marking the first soft landing of a space probe on the lunar surface in 37 years.

Dec. 17, 2013

China to launch moon rock-collecting probe in 2017

Cat-mouse game might explain how felines got tame

NEW YORK (AP) ― A cat-and-mouse game played out in a Chinese village some 5,300 years ago is helping scientists understand how wild felines transformed into the tame pets we know today.In fact, it was the cat’s appetite that started it down the path to domestication, scientists believe. The grain stored by ancient farmers was a magnet for rodents. And that drew wild cats into villages to hunt the little critters. Over time, wild cats adapted to village life and became tamer around their human ho

Dec. 17, 2013

[Photo News] Love for bite of Apple

Dec. 16, 2013

S. Korea develops world's fist cancer-treating nanorobot

A group of South Korean scientists has developed the world's first nanorobot that can detect and help treat cancer, the science ministry said Monday.The team from the Chonnam National University used genetically modified bacteria to detect unique substances or proteins, such as the vascular endothelial growth factor, that are produced in excessive amounts when cancer cells are present, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, which partly funded the research.The bacteria, t

Dec. 16, 2013

[Graphic News] Prices of smartphones in global markets

The results are based on the surveys conducted at mobile shops in 15 countries from June 20-30, and from Oct. 1-10.

Dec. 15, 2013

[Graphic News] Prices of smartphones in global markets

Samsung to fine-tune business strategy

Hundreds of executives from Samsung Electronics are scheduled to gather in Suwon and Gihueng, Gyeonggi Province, this week to participate in a series of conferences for next year’s business strategies. Top executives, including chairman Lee Kun-hee’s son Jay-yong, will have a lot on their plates as they are pressed to come up with strategic measures to weather challenges such as the saturated smartphone market and sluggish world economy, according to market watchers.“The executives at home and a

Dec. 15, 2013

Iran sends second monkey into space

TEHRAN (AP) ― Iran said Saturday it has successfully sent a monkey into space for a second time, part of an ambitious program aimed at manned space flight.Iran’s state TV said that the launch of the rocket dubbed Pajohesh, or Research in Farsi, was Iran’s first use of liquid fuel. It reached a height of 120 kilometers. It said the monkey, named Fargam or Auspicious, was returned to Earth safely. TV footage showed the rocket blasting off and then showed the monkey, strapped snugly into a seat. Th

Dec. 15, 2013

Astronaut may get Christmas wish for spacewalk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) ― Space station astronaut Rick Mastracchio may get his Christmas wish for a spacewalk or two because of a broken cooling system.Mastracchio, an experienced spacewalker, said he’s more than ready to go out and make repairs, if deemed necessary by Mission Control.“Any time you have something like this, it’s good news, bad news,” Mastracchio told the Associated Press.“Of course, the bad news is the station’s having problems and we have to go out and do a repair. The goo

Dec. 15, 2013

Agriculture the most promising market for drones

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) ― Idaho farmer Robert Blair isn’t waiting around for federal aviation officials to work out rules for drones. He and a friend built their own, outfitting it with cameras and using it to monitor his 1,500 acres.The aircraft is the size of a turkey and Blair uses it to get a bird’s-eye view of his cows and fields of wheat, peas, barley and alfalfa.“It’s a great tool to collect information to make better decisions, and we’re just scratching the surface of what it can do for fa

Dec. 15, 2013

Know your limit before drinking

To many, December is the month to celebrate. The series of celebrations, however, could ruin one’s health with continued hard drinking, health officials said. First, be aware of your limit and say “no” to people who force you to drink, they added.According to a recent study released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, about two- thirds of Koreans ― both men and women ― consume a higher level of alcohol than the World Health Organization recommends. The international health office under the

Dec. 12, 2013

Is hypotension a disease or not?

Is hypotension actually more harmful than hypertension?The question about hypotension is probably one of the most commonly told myths without evidence. In conclusion, hypotension is not a disease. Perhaps this misunderstanding may be caused from the medical condition called “shock,” where there is an acute decrease in blood pressure with severe malfunction of the body and a potentially fatal outcome. In emergency situations such as severe bleeding or serious decline in the cardiac function, ther

Dec. 12, 2013

Some cancer treatments can be skipped: researchers

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ― Tens of thousands of women each year might be able to skip at least some of the grueling treatments for breast cancer ― which can include surgery, heavy chemo and radiation ― without greatly harming their odds of survival, new research suggests.The research is aimed at curbing overtreatment, a big problem in cancer care. Treatments help many women beat the disease, but giving too many or ones that aren’t really needed causes unnecessary expense, trauma and lifelong side effect

Dec. 12, 2013

Some cancer treatments can be skipped: researchers

Park pledges efforts for creative economy

President Park Geun-hye vowed Thursday that her government would establish centers across the nation to foster creative ideas of the public and further promote the creative economy initiative. “The government will set up the actual creative economy towns along with one online, where people can share and cooperate to work on creative ideas,” President Park said at the opening ceremony of Creative Korea 2013, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and Korea’s major busi

Dec. 12, 2013

Park pledges efforts for creative economy

Robotic arm can make one stronger

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ― Need a hand lifting something? A robotic device invented by University of Pennsylvania engineering students can help its wearer carry an additional 18 kg.Titan Arm looks and sounds like part of a superhero’s costume. But its creators say it’s designed for ordinary people ― those who need either physical rehabilitation or a little extra muscle for their job.In technical terms, the apparatus is an untethered, upper-body exoskeleton; to the layman, it’s essentially a battery-pow

Dec. 12, 2013