The three major presidential candidates may differ on key policies but all believe that Korea’s future depends on science and technology for growth.Their policies in the field converge in many aspects, including plans to revive the ministry for science and technology, as well as increasing support for research and innovation.The Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye has the most extensive agenda. An engineering graduate, she prioritizes developing the software industry, supporting start-ups and establis

The military’s medical treatment system is receiving public criticism following its latest blunder that led an enlisted man to lapse into a coma.Even though experts have called for improved medical services in the army, the Ministry of Defense continues to see accidents and deaths stemming from treatment mishaps occurring every year.Last Monday, Corporal Kim Yoo-seung with the Fifth Corps’ armored brigade was transferred to Asan Medical Center where he has been unconscious after belatedly being

With the Arctic sea ice melting to an all-time low, record high temperatures in East Asia, and debilitating droughts in the United States, we are now living with predicted effects of climate change. In a recent study, James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute, and his co-authors found that the European heat wave in 2003, the Russian heat wave in 2010 and droughts in Texas and Oklahoma in 2011 can each be attributed to climate change. Climate change is real and it is happening now with p

The National Assembly’s Defense Committee on Friday passed a bill allowing a time extension for South Korean troops stationed in the United Arab Emirates.Some 150 Korean soldiers will continue to carry on their duty of assisting their counterparts in anti-terrorism training in the UAE until the end of 2013.Korea sent its troops to the UAE in 2011 for a year in line with efforts to boost strategic partnerships between the two sides after Korea won its biggest nuclear power project deal.The Korean

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to have the full authority to oversee the armed forces’ armaments and operational capability beginning next year.This is in line with efforts to streamline the chain of command between the Army, Air Force and Navy for faster decision-making, defense officials said.The JCS will be given the full power to comprehensively assess and make final decisions as to what weapon systems need to be upgraded or replaced and what is required to boost capabilities of each

Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo has drawn up a list of potential reforms and policies for the Korean financial market with the priority given to boosting start-ups, protecting consumers and helping credit delinquents to get back on their feet.The Ahn camp’s reform plans revealed Sunday also include restructuring and overhauling the Financial Supervisory Commission, Korea’s financial regulatory and policymaking body that has been highly criticized for failing to monitor and preve

Bee materials such as honey, royal jelly and bee venom have been useful in oriental medicine.Bee venom, especially, is widely known for being used the most in apitherapy, treating patients with arthritis and multiple sclerosis.Local scientists discovered that such bee material could also effectively treat Parkinson’s disease.A team headed by professor Bae Hyun-su of Kyung Hee University’s College of Oriental Medicine said that bee venom could help boost the immune system against the neurodegener

SEOGWIPO, Jeju ― An hour’s drive south from the island’s main airport, there is an expanse of flat land with nothing but pebbles and sand.To its north stands Hallasan, Korea’s tallest mountain, while the ocean can be seen just a few feet to the south.The site seems perfect to build a town for tourists seeking medical treatment while on holiday, especially after one has seen the area’s sunsets.This is where Jeju Free International City Development Center, or JDC, plans to develop a 1.5 square-kil

SEOGWIPO, Jeju -- China’s Greenland Group broke ground with the Jeju Free International City Development Center to construct a healthcare town on Tuesday.Greenland’s 778,000-square-meter site will consist of condominiums, a mall, a restaurant serving mainly healthy dishes and a medical research and development center. They aim to complete the construction by 2015.The state-run Chinese real-estate enterprise signed an agreement with Jeju Center, part of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Transport and Mar

Boeing has named Joseph Song vice president and managing director for its defense, space and security business in Korea to further strengthen customer relationships and establish new in-country partnerships.Song will be based in Seoul and focus on ensuring that the best of Boeing and industry are brought to support Korea’s national security needs.“Joseph’s new assignment demonstrates our commitment to a lasting, positive relationship with the Korean government and with a growing number of in-cou

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or the Naro rocket, will be launched between Nov. 9 and 24 after a thorough investigation into the cause of a parts failure that forced the cancellation its initial Oct. 26 liftoff date, officials said on Monday.The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Korea Aerospace Research Institute said they also plan to file with global agencies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization on Tuesday to get

Staying fit through exercising and dieting helps maintain health and prevent age-related diseases.However, many find it difficult to run a mile or two every day, or even regularly, as muscles and cells degenerate as they age.Scientists at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have discovered a compound that could boost people’s metabolism and possibly prevent diseases associated with aging such Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.A team led by professor Kim Dae-soo of KAIST’s department of

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 is scheduled for liftoff at 3:30 p.m. Friday with Koreans hoping it will open a new chapter in the nation’s space technology. The rocket known as the Naro-3 was placed on the launch pad next to the launch platform pointing straight to the sky at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. Final preparations were performed from the control tower on Thursday.Naro-3 is a two-stage space launch vehicle. It stands 33.5 meters tall, has a maximum diameter

South Korea and the U.S. military agreed on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation on space and cyber security to counter North Korea’s provocations.The defense chiefs of the two allies also said that they have developed a roadmap to boost extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threats.South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta held their annual security talks in Washington D.C.“Both sides decided to develop a tailored bilateral deterrence stra

Korea has started its countdown for the expected launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, also known as the Naro rocket.There is slight chance of rain on the day of its third attempt to shoot it into space, but officials said the launch schedule remains set for Friday at 3:30 p.m.This will be the first and last launch of Naro using Russian technology including a liquid-fueled rocket engine, should it succeed.Korea has an agreement with Russia in which the latter will provide three engines tak

Space technology has advanced through trial and error, a solace for Korean scientists who were humiliated by the past two failed launches of the country’s first locally assembled rocket called Naro. Advanced economies such as the U.S. and Japan have a record of launch failures. Even Russia, which fired the most rockets into space between 1957 and 2011, had several misfires.In a survey of 1,000 Koreans by a local news agency, over 80 percent said that Korea should increase its space investment an

Korea lags far behind other economies such as the U.S., Russia and Japan in space technology investment.The country is also behind China and India, which have made significant investments in the development of their lunar probe programs.The country hopes to conduct its first successful space rocket launch this week after two failed attempts in August 2009 and June 2010. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, also known as Naro-1, is the country’s first locally assembled space rocket.Its first-stage t

The military and police blocked civic activists from sending propaganda leaflets over to North Korea on Monday but military tension remained high across the border as they vowed to go ahead with their plans. The Army said it would maintain vigilance for the time being ready to exercise self-defense measures should it see signs of imminent attack from the communist state.A group of South Korean conservatives and defectors were blocked by the police on Monday from entering Imjin Paviliion in Paju,

Four in 10 domestic businesspeople believe that Korean society is corrupt, mostly due to the country’s political system.According to a survey of 700 Korean businesspeople and 250 from foreign-invested companies by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, almost 40 percent of Koreans also think public servants are corrupt. About 12 percent of foreigners said likewise.Civic groups were chosen by the majority from both the surveyed groups to be the “cleanest” organizations in the country.More

New derivatives could be boost to local electronics industryKorean scientists have developed new organic materials that may help the electronics industry produce next-generation displays and maintain its global competitiveness.A team of scientists led by professor Choi Dong-hoon of Korea University said it has discovered extended conjugated molecules through compounds of porphyrin.The porphyrin derivatives may be used to boost the efficiency of semiconducting devices such as organic field-effect