The Korea Herald

‘Game fiction has huge potential as creative content’

TechnologyOct 24, 2012

Many people stick to the misperception that game fiction writers are some sort of anti-social hermits who spend days and nights playing games, be it at home or in dark, sketchy PC rooms.However, the testimony of a 22-year-old Korean game fiction writer Lee Byung-ha poses powerful counterevidence to such an illusion. The young game fiction prodigy is a senior majoring international economics at the University of Heilongjiang in Harbin, China, whose mother never saw him spending hours in front of
Game meets literature for perfection

TechnologyOct 24, 2012

Gamers increasingly look for strong storylines
U.S. film association chief seeks stronger ties with Korea

IndustryOct 24, 2012

The Motion Picture Association of America wants more collaboration with the Korean film industry, MPAA chairman Christopher Dodd said in Seoul on Wednesday.Dodd was speaking at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. The former U.S. Democratic Party senator said Korea was one of the U.S.’ most significant trade partners, adding that the partnership between the two nations would only deepen in the years to come. Commenting on the success of Korean films by directors Im Kwo
Korea ranks 108th in gender equality: WEF report

Oct 24, 2012

South Korea ranked among the lowest group in the world in gender equality, a report showed Wednesday, indicating that it needs to step up efforts to bolster women’s economic participation and their access to education.According to the report by the World Economic Forum, South Korea came in at 108th out of 135 countries it surveyed in terms of gender equality this year. The ranking was one notch lower than the previous year and it was also similar to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Ku
E-ink phone could go a week on a charge

TechnologyOct 24, 2012

A Chinese company says it is developing a smartphone with a display akin to those on e-readers to create an Android phone you only have to charge once a week.Chinese manufacturer Onyx International is working on the phone that would use the same kind of easy-on-the-eyes, long-lasting "e-ink" technology used in current e-readers, TG Daily reported.E-ink screens can be read in even the brightest conditions, but many consider their best feature to be extended battery life.Onyx is apparently looking
SK Hynix to dismiss 20% of executives by year’s end

IndustryOct 24, 2012

Group wants to slim down, put SK people in Hynix to revamp 　SK Hynix, the brainchild of SK Group’s highly publicized merger with Hynix Semiconductor this year, is expected to dismiss up to 20 percent of its executives within the next two months. Industry sources said the dismissal rate could go up to as high as 30 percent when including some of the non-executive employees.The sources said SK Hynix has been without an owner for too long, and had become too big and unwieldy for SK to cope with.“Th
Facts and figures on the new iPad mini

TechnologyOct 24, 2012

These are the principal features, pricing and availability of the new iPad mini tablet computer unveiled by Apple on Tuesday:-- the iPad mini has a 7.9-inch (20.06-centimeter) touchscreen when measured diagonally, smaller than the 9.7-inch (24.6-cm) display on the original iPad-- the iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds, 53 percent lighter than Apple's third generation iPad-- it is 7.2 millimeters (0.28 inches) thick, 23 percent thinner than the original iPad and thinner than a pencil-- the iPad mini ha
Apple reveals iPad Mini starting at $329

TechnologyOct 24, 2012

Apple Inc.'s pencil-thin, smaller iPad will cost much more than its competitors, signaling the company isn't going to get into a mini-tablet price war.The company debuted the iPad Mini Tuesday, with a screen two-thirds smaller than the full model, and half the weight. Customers can begin ordering the new model on Friday. In a surprise, Apple also revamped its flagship, full-sized iPad just six months after the launch of the latest model.Apple's late founder Steve Jobs once ridiculed a small tabl
Ssangyong E&C wins $180m deal in Singapore

Oct 23, 2012

Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co. said Tuesday that it has won a $180 million contract to build a new college campus in Singapore.The deal signed with the National University of Singapore on Monday, calls for the South Korean company to build facilities, including dormitories, a library and lecture halls for Yale-NUS College.Ssangyong E&C said the project will be completed 29 months after work begins later this month.The latest order comes weeks after Ssangyong E&C’s creditor banks announ
POSCO Q3 net earnings more than triple

Oct 23, 2012

POSCO, South Korea’s leading steelmaker, said Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings more than tripled from a year earlier on cost-cutting efforts and a one-time factor.Net profit reached 723 billion won ($656 million) on a consolidated basis in the July-September period, compared with a profit of 229 billion won a year earlier, the company said.Sales, however, slipped 7.2 percent on-year to 15.74 trillion won, and operating income also dropped 17.6 percent to 1.06 trillion won over the cited p
Shares slip on earnings woes

Oct 23, 2012

South Korean stocks closed 0.76 percent lower as bleak corporate earnings outlook of local big-name companies weighed heavily on the market, analysts said. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 14.78 points to 1,926.81. Trading volume was moderate at 528.4 million shares worth 4.11 trillion won ($3.72 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 435 to 377.“Investors already knew that companies performed bad in the third quarter.
EU rejects France’s complaint against Korean carmakers

Oct 23, 2012

The European Union has dismissed France’s request to monitor imports of Korean cars more closely to restrict the soaring sales of them in the country.According to the Trade Ministry in Seoul, the European Commission officially decided on Monday to reject France’s demand to put Korean autos on a prior surveillance list.Trade officials said the executive body of the EU reviewed the French request made in July and decided not to accept it. France apparently made the request with the aim of driving
GE Korea opens energy tech center

IndustryOct 23, 2012

General Electric Korea, the Korean unit of General Electric Co., opened a new energy technology center near Seoul on Tuesday, seeking more business partnerships with domestic firms.Built within the firm’s research and development complex, in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, the energy technology center supports sustainable growth and efficient solutions, company officials said. “The work going to be done here is the synergy between the high-end research and application-oriented work that will bring be
Hyundai eyes million-car production in China

TransportOct 23, 2012

After 10 years in China, Korean auto giant seeks to further expand its operation
Apple offered Samsung unfair deal: Groklaw

IndustryOct 23, 2012

A U.S. legal news provider revealed an allegation that Apple Inc. made an unfair licensing offer to Samsung Electronics over patent payments in October 2010.Apple had offered Samsung an additional 20 percent discount for the Korean smartphone manufacturer’s usage of Apple’s licenses, including Windows phones and tablets, under the scenario of a cross license deal, Groklaw said in its recent report.The failed offer was based on the U.S. firm’s alleged intention to pressure Samsung to scrap its us