Decoding human DNA and targeting mutant proteins used to be seen as the key to curing cancer and other chronic diseases.But the drugs that have come out of years of DNA research are still unable to prevent recalcitrant cancer cells from terminally spreading.A Korean biologist said ribonucleic acid, or RNA, one of three classes of biological macromolecules essential for life, will likely play an important role in treating cancer in the near future.“Almost 98 percent of RNA remains unknown. But as

The car service Uber has agreed to limit prices during emergencies, natural disasters or other unusual market disruptions consistent with New York’s law against price gouging, the company and state attorney general said Tuesday.Uber, which uses a mobile application to connect riders with vehicles for hire, has its rates rise and fall with demand, but it has been criticized for “surge pricing” that’s sometimes exponentially higher than base fares. Prices usually increase on weekdays during rush h

Armed thieves raided one of Samsung Electronics’ plants in Brazil on Monday, stealing millions of dollars of computers and smartphones, according to recent news reports.The value of the stolen goods was initially said to be around $36 million, but Samsung denied this, claiming that it is closer to $6.4 million. It also stated that the losses would be covered by insurance. Around 20 bandits armed with submachine guns carjacked a shuttle headed to the factory in Campinas, near Sao Paulo, with eigh

Samsung Electronics will likely see its profit decrease in the April-June period due to the sluggish performance of its flagship smartphone business, analysts said on Monday, a day before the firm is to announce its earnings guidance. The tech giant was expected to see its operating profit drop below 8 trillion won ($7.9 billion). Some, such as IM Investment and Securities, forecast the figure to be around 7.5 trillion won. “The worsening performance is mainly due to decreasing consumer loyalty

The lifespan of plasma TVs, or plasma display panel TVs, which once mesmerized consumers with their thin, flat displays and crisp picture quality, is nearing its end, as the world’s leading TV makers, including Panasonic and Samsung, have announced a halt in production. The transition in the TV market from plasma to next-generation LCD or OLED TVs has gained steam since Japanese TV maker Panasonic announced its exit from the PDP business last October. Industry watchers officially declared the en

OCSiAl, a leading manufacturer of graphene tubes, said Thursday it would start expanding its business into the Asian carbon nanotube market beginning in Korea. In line with such efforts, it signed a memorandum of understanding with a Korean carbon nano composite maker, Applied Carbon Nano Technology, on the sidelines of a nano technology conference held Wednesday through Friday in Seoul.Under the deal, which is estimated to be worth $200,000, OCSiAl will supply a total of 100 kg of Tuball, a sin

The integration of information and communications technology into a wide range of industries, including health care, education and security, is expected to create a great deal of opportunities while bringing revolutionary changes to people’s lives. SK Telecom, Korea’s largest mobile carrier, is envisioning such a connected future with a new type of economy created and powered by ICT.The company’s chief executive Ha Sung-min’s so-called “ICTnomics,” coined from the words ICT and economics, aims t

South Korea was one of the top five nations in terms of its superior products in 2013, according to a survey released by Japan’s leading business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun on Monday. The survey of the world’s top products based on their market shares showed South Korea, home to the world’s leading electronics giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, shared fourth place with China by topping the six product categories, down from eight in 2012. Samsung Electronics manufactured the products

A union of contract workers for Samsung Electronics Service, the after-sales service company for Samsung Electronics, reached an agreement Saturday on new labor rules with their employers, most of which are partner firms of Samsung’s after-sales service provider, ending a yearlong period of industrial action.After holding a vote with its 1,500 members that day, most of whom are hired via Samsung’s partner companies, the labor union agreed with the firms to settle a string of labor issues, such a

LG Electronics said Sunday that it has joined the Open Automotive Alliance, a group of global carmakers and tech giants, such as General Motors, Hyundai Motor, Honda and NVIDIA, committed to integrating Google’s Android operating system with cars. The Korea tech firm showcased its new range of audio, visual and navigation solutions for connected cars at Google’s annual developer conference held in San Francisco last week. LG’s AVN system, which is expected to be available by 2015, enables driver

“Less” and “simple” are two keywords that depict the latest food trend in Korea as more consumers seek foods with less sodium and artificial additives while still wanting to eat on-the-go.CJ Foodville, a leading food business, is at the forefront of promoting healthy eating.In line with the latest trend for “less,” Tous les Jours, a bakery franchise run by CJ Foodville, launched a new bread lineup this year called Pure, with which the company said it aims to deliver the original tastes of its in

Internet giant Google Inc., with its unceasing appetite for robotics, may be developing an operating system exclusively designed for robots, according to renowned robotics engineer Dennis Hong.He based his speculation on the recent string of robotic companies that Google has been purchasing, including U.S.-based Boston Robotics and Japan’s SCAHFT. In a similar vein, Google on Wednesday introduced its new operating system for wearables, TVs and cars at its annual developers conference.The Android

Samsung Electronics and LG Corp. were the only two Korean firms that appeared on a list of the top 100 reputable companies around the world released by research firm Reputation Institute. Samsung Electronics, one of the world’s largest electronics makers, shared the 10th spot with software giant Microsoft with 75 points out of 100. LG Corp., outpacing other global firms including General Electric, ranked 64th with 68.8 points. LG, however, was in eighth place among the 11 electronics firms that

LG Uplus, the third-largest mobile carrier in Korea, announced that it would start offering new services based on the broadband Long Term Evolution advanced networks on Monday.The new services, which will be available from July, include Netflix-like movie streaming service Uflix Movie, high definition TV streaming service U+HDTV New, and U+Navi Real, a navigation system featuring live video of traffic conditions.The firm said those services would herald the beginning of the era of “video LTE.”“L

The Internet market in Korea where just a few top Web-portals and browsers like Naver, Google and Microsoft are dominant is tough nut to crack. Despite little chance of success, local internet firm Zum Internet is creating a challenge against Internet behemoths with its Web-portal Zum.com and Internet browser Swing Browser. “Our goal is to provide the fastest and the most comfortable services for Internet users,” Chung Sang-won, vice president of Zum Internet, told The Korea Herald. “To that end

Samsung Electronics will see its profit drop for the second consecutive quarter in the April-June period mostly due to slow smartphone sales, according to market analysts Friday. They said the profit decline in the second quarter was largely attributable to the lower performance of its mobile business unit, whose operating profit accounts for more than 60 percent of the tech giant’s overall profit. “Even though the profits of semiconductor, display and consumer electronics businesses will likely

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province ― A group of Korean journalists was recently invited to tour one of LG Electronics’ plants for dehumidifiers and air conditioners where work was in full swing to make sure consumers had access to the products before monsoon season hits Korea.We were immediately exposed to a mechanical cacophony, with grinding conveyor belts running along the 120-meter assembly lines combining with the noise of the automatic screwdrivers, packaging machines and automated vehicl

Samsung SDI, a leading battery maker that is scheduled to merge with Samsung Group’s materials business arm Cheil Industries, is aiming to become a top materials and battery company.“Samsung SDI expects the merger to create synergy effects as it will be able to reinforce the firm’s battery business by utilizing the materials technology of Cheil Industries,” a Samsung SDI official said. Cheil Industries will be able to make use of the battery company’s global networks and marketing capability, an

Desertification, along with other environmental problems including droughts and water shortages, pose a serious threat to the human race. Experts now point out that the number of environmental refugees, which hit 50 million in 2010, could reach 200 million due to such environmental problems.In order to slow down the desertification process, world leaders and environmentalists are proceeding with initiatives such as the Great Green Wall, which is aimed at creating a forest belt ― measuring 15 km

Korea’s leading mobile carriers are ramping up efforts to nurture startups and help them gain a foothold in the global market. KT Corp., Korea’s largest telecom company, said Monday that it would run a startup nurturing program, called “Startup Nomad,” in collaboration with VentureSquare, a leading Korean startup accelerator. A total of eight teams will be selected for the program and given a variety of support to begin a business at home and abroad. The support includes seed capital of 20 milli