About half of terminally ill cancer patients die within 70 days of diagnosis and just 18 percent survive six months, a group of researchers found Tuesday. Hospices provide compassionate care for people in the last phases of an incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible instead of undergoing excessive treatments and therapies. But opting for hospice care does not l

Technology June 23, 2011

Sales of smartphones running Google Inc.’s Android software surpassed the 10 million mark in Korea this week, according to data from the country’s mobile carriers Wednesday.The country’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom Co., had 6.18 million subscribers using Android smartphones as of Monday, while runner-up KT Corp. had 2.06 million, they said. Smallest player LG Uplus Corp. lured in 1.86 milli

June 22, 2011

Creditors of Korea Express Co. are expected to select a preferred bidder for a major stake in the country’s top logistics company next week as they move to complete the sale as early as August, industry sources said Wednesday.Creditors led by Korea Development Bank agreed to close the bidding for a 37.6 percent stake in Korea Express on June 27 and notified the three preliminary bidders ― POSCO, C

June 22, 2011

A majority of Korean retailers are optimistic about business conditions in the third quarter of the year on hopes of a rise in their sales during the summer holiday season, a poll showed Tuesday. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said its retail business index fell slightly to 119 for the July-September period from 125 for the second quarter, but it was well above the benchmark level. A r

Industry June 21, 2011

The number of air passengers taking international flights in and out of South Korea grew about 2 percent in May from a year earlier as more holidays bolstered overseas travel, the Transportation Ministry said Tuesday.Air passengers on international flights totaled 3.32 million last month, up 2.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affa

Industry June 21, 2011

Korea and Japan’s bourse operators are considering cross-trading as part of efforts to strengthen their footing amid rising competition among global exchanges, an official said Tuesday.The Korea Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange held the first round of working-level talks on the issue late last month, according to a ranking official at the Korea Exchange.“No concrete plan has materialized yet,

June 21, 2011

Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan will enter the men’s 100-meter freestyle at next month’s world championships, his management company said Tuesday.The sports division at SK Telecom said Park has added the 100m to his usual repertoire of the 200m and 400m freestyle events for the world championships in Shanghai, China, next month.It will be Park’s third world championships. Park has never competed in t

More Sports June 21, 2011

Korea’s economic growth is expected to expand 4.5 percent on-year in 2011 as the steady pace of the global economic recovery contributes to more exports, a state-run think tank said Monday.The forecast by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade is up from its earlier prediction of 4.3 percent.Last year, the Korean economy, Asia’s fourth-largest, expanded 6.2 percent. “The economy wi

June 20, 2011