South Korea’s media regulator said Wednesday it would form a new body to oversee key policy issues affecting the internet business sector, including the establishment of equal regulations for Korean and foreign firms alike. They will also discuss deregulation to support firms seeking to introduce novel technologies and business models to the market.The Korea Communications Commission met with the heads of Korea’s eight representative internet companies, including Naver, Kakao, Google Korea, Face

Technology Dec. 13, 2017

South Korea’s biotechnology sector production grew 4.4 percent on-year to 8.88 trillion won ($8.14 billion) in 2016, buttressed by robust growth of the medical device and biotech services segments, according to government statistics released Tuesday.The data was compiled by Korea’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Commerce which conducted a survey of 980 local biotechnology companies in 2016. The results are now being announced here. (123RF)Korea’s biotech industry revolves mainly around medicine

Industry Dec. 12, 2017

A visit to the hospital typically ends in a doctor prescribing a particular set of medications, the details of which are printed on a physical form and handed to the patient. The patient must then take the form and submit it to a pharmacist. Looking to overturn this traditional model, South Korea has set out to start digitizing prescription forms and make them accessible via mobile devices. The Korea Internet & Security Agency said Tuesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Se

Technology Dec. 12, 2017

HUMANOID ROBOT CARRIES OLYMPICS TORCH — Hubo, a humanoid robot developed by a team of researchers led by Professor Oh Jun-ho at Korea’s top science and technology research university KAIST, receives the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics torch from Dennis Hong, the founding director of the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at UCLA, in Daejeon, Monday. It is the first time that a robot has carried the Olympic torch. (Yonhap)HUMANOID ROBOT CARRIES OLYMPICS TORCH — Hubo, a humanoid robot developed by a tea

Technology Dec. 12, 2017

The Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said that it has discovered that an existing drug substance inhibits the replication of the H5N1 virus that causes the highly pathogenic avian influenza.The Korea National Institute of Health under the KCDC has newly found through in-lab tests on mice that the drug substance mycophenolic mofetil represses the replication of the H5N1 influenza virus.Mycophenolic mofetil is a US FDA-approved drug substance used to address rejection episodes in org

Industry Dec. 11, 2017

South Korean game company NCSoft said Monday that it had launched “Lineage M,” a mobile remake of its megahit online role-playing game “Lineage,” in Taiwan via its local publishing partner Gamania Digital Entertainment Co.“Lineage M” is now available for download in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau through the Google Play app store and Apple’s App Store, according to NCSoft.Developed by NCSoft, “Lineage M” is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for mobile devices. It aims to recreate the

Technology Dec. 11, 2017

South Korea’s tax authorities have launched an investigation into Novartis Korea in what industry watchers speculate may be linked to the company’s corruption scandal that broke out last year, marking the latest event to place a negative spotlight on the Swiss pharmaceutical giant.Last week the National Tax Service began a tax probe into Novartis Korea, zeroing in on the company’s spending records. It did not clarify the purpose of the investigation at the time.Though Novartis Korea claims it is

Industry Dec. 10, 2017

Foodie, the mobile camera app created by Snow Corp., a subsidiary of Naver, was awarded Best App of the Year by Google Play in South Korea, Google Korea said. Foodie is a camera app equipped with more than 30 filters designed for taking better pictures of food. Since its launch in February 2016, the app has racked up more than 10 million downloads on the Google Play app store.Best Game of the Year went to “Lineage II: Revolution,” the hit mobile role-playing game developed by Seoul-based Netmarb

Technology Dec. 10, 2017

BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME -- "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," the hit survivor shooter game developed by PUBG, a subsidiary of Korea's Bluehole Studio, was named Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards held in Los Angeles last week. As of early December, "Battlegrounds" had sold more than 24 million copies via online game platform Steam and achieved more than 3.04 million concurrent players, breaking Steam records, according to Bluehole Studio. Pictured are PUBG's CEO Kim Chang-han (left) and Creat

Industry Dec. 10, 2017

South Korea’s media regulator has set out to strengthen its watch on US-based microblogging website Tumblr which has been criticized for its passive attitude in stopping the circulation of profane and inappropriate content on its platform.　The Korea Communications Commission on Wednesday announced a new set of policies to curb the prolfieration of profane content on the web, citing plans to amend current communications law to ensure they can be applied equally to both Korean and foreign internet

Technology Dec. 7, 2017

South Korea’s top pharmaceutical association has partnered with the country’s top trade promotion agency to speed up the local pharma sector’s overseas business expansion and to aid international knowledge exchange. The Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association and the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said Thursday that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to such terms. KPBMA Chairman Won Hee-mok (left) and KOTRA CEO Kim Jae-hong pose afte

Industry Dec. 7, 2017

Naver CEO Han Seong-sook pledged Tuesday to improve understanding and communication between the internet technology sector and the South Korean government in 2018, reflecting on the hardships that have hit the local IT industry this year. 　“The year 2017 was a difficult one filled with many hardships and regulatory issues that impacted the general IT industry, including internet companies, startups and game companies alike,” Han said during the 2017 Startup x Internet Corporations Night event in

Technology Dec. 6, 2017

LINE FRIENDS X CASTELBAJAC -- French pop artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac shows limited-edition works of art created in collaboration with Line Friends at the Art Major Cafe in Gangnam, Seoul, Wednesday. The four types of collaborative art pieces, designed by Castelbajac, feature Line Friends characters Brown, Cony and Sally. A total 400 pieces are available for sale. (Line Friends) LINE FRIENDS X CASTELBAJAC -- Limited-edition works of art created by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac in collaborati

Industry Dec. 6, 2017

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 14th installment. — Ed.For those new to parenting, an infant with a high fever can be extremely startling. 　Not knowing what to do, many turn to the web to seek advice on how to manage their child’s fever. An online search can yield long lists of medical advice, tips and opinions -- some credible and some

Technology Dec. 5, 2017

South Korea’s Hyundai Pharm said Tuesday it has promoted Lee Sang-joon, grandson of the company’s late founder Lee Kyu-suk, as president of research and new drug development.　Lee Sang-joon, 41, assumed the new post during a ceremony held in Seoul on Monday. As the eldest son of Hyundai Pharm’s incumbent Chairman Lee Han-koo, he is a third-generation member of the company’s founding family.Lee Sang-joon joined Hyundai Pharm in 2003 and has worked as the head of the company’s future strategy plann

Industry Dec. 5, 2017