More than 137,000 people entered their names as of Tuesday for the SK Oilro Pass, a travel event that launched a week ago targeting those aged between 25 and 35.The SK Oilro Pass is a 200,000 won ($170) gas charging card by SK Energy that can be used at some 3,600 SK gas stations nationwide. To be given out to 1,000 winning candidates with the most inspirational road trip ideas, each petrol card is enough to power a 5-day trip on the road, the company said.  SK Oilro Pass event kicked off o

A group of Korean game developers and companies said Monday they will oppose the Health Ministry plan to adopt the World Health Organization’s acknowledgement of gaming as a disease, instead labeling the pursuit as a healthy sport for those seeking fun. In a statement directed at the Welfare Ministry and an association of addiction psychiatrists, game developers raised a skeptical voice in opposition to the classification.“We are deeply concerned that the hundreds of papers written s

Lee Jee-ae, a 30-year-old office worker in Seoul who proclaims herself to be a health fanatic, has her own way of choosing medication: YouTube.Type the Korean word for pharmacist -- “yaksa” -- on YouTube, and an endless list of videos showing broadcasters in white gowns providing medicinal information rolls out, she said. YouTube is where Lee learned the maximum magnesium supplement intake a day is 350 milligrams, and that there are different expiration dates for different types of p

Google’s plan of launching cloud-based game streaming platform Stadia in November but to exclude Asia disappointed Korean gamers Sunday, with some raising doubts as to the success of the newest service. Stadia, touted by Google as the “new generation game platform powered by the best of Google,” will launch in just 14 North American and European countries in November. Google’s Vice President for Product John Justice said the company is “working hard to expand Stadia

Government approval for wrinkle-smoothening botulinum toxin Medytoxin is proceeding as planned in China under the name Neuronox, Korean BTX maker Medytox said Wednesday in a regulatory filing.It came in response to a local media report that claimed the China Food and Drug Administration has ceased its review of Neuronox. On Wednesday, shares of Medytox shares closed at 435,000 won ($370), down 7.76 percent from a day earlier. Medytox said the Neuronox is in the final stage of the approval proces

The Minister for Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday apologized for authorizing the use of the gene therapy drug Invossa to treat arthritis. It has since revoked that approval. “I apologize for failing to thoroughly monitor the approval of Invossa and after-care (for patients),” Drug Safety Minister Lee Eui-kyung said at a press conference, adding that the ministry would do its best to prevent any recurrence and pass measures to keep patients safe.Earlier the same day, 10 South Korean

Korea’s second-biggest game company Netmarble will release its new mobile game “BTS World” globally on June 26, the company announced Wednesday. The worldwide release excludes China, where governmental approval is a prerequisite for foreign games to launch. China has been reluctant to grant approval for Korean game companies since a 2017 political rift involving the deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Korea.Netmarble explained that “BTS World&rd

Big-name game firms should take a more active role in the discourse surrounding local adoption of the World Health Organization’s 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases, or ICD-11, which classifies gaming disorder as a health condition, Rep. Kim Byoung-gwan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Monday. Prior to joining the National Assembly, Kim was head of the game venture firm Webzen.Speaking at a panel discussion at the Korea Internet Corporations Associati

Open innovation, a joint effort to discover and develop innovative ideas, has become a major mantra of most industries, with the bio sector firms being no exception in their search for novel drug candidates.Attention toward biotech and novel drugs has spiked particularly in South Korea after the government announcement in May to inject 4 trillion won ($3.36 billion) in the bio-health industry.Against such a backdrop, several global pharmaceutical firms in Korea are engaged in identifying and sup

Wearing all black with condolence pins affixed to their chests to signify the gaming industry’s distress over the adoption of gaming disorder, a committee was launched Wednesday to oppose the move. The committee comprising 90 organizations, announced in a press conference at the National Assembly that it would serve as a watchdog for a healthy gaming environment and review the validity of the World Health Organization’s gaming disorder.The controversy has escalated since Saturday, wh

The Office for Government Policy Coordination under the prime minister said Tuesday that it will form a consultative group to help respond to the World Health Organization’s adoption of game addiction as an official disease. The announcement follows discord between the Culture Ministry, which opposes the WHO decision, and the Welfare Ministry, which stands by it. “Through this consultative group we will minimize the concerns from game industry and seek reasonable ways to settle a hea

Confusion escalated Monday in the aftermath of World Health Organization’s adoption of video game addiction as an official disease.While South Korea’s Ministry of Welfare said it will form a body comprising relevant organizations including parents’ group, game industry, psychiatric experts and legal bodies by June to draw up new policies, the Ministry of Culture said it will raise objections to WHO’s decision.The 194 member states of WHO had unanimously agreed to adopt th

South Korean games companies reacted angrily on Sunday to the World Health Organization’s decision to officially recognize gaming disorder as a disease.A committee comprising 88 organizations, including the labor union of Korea’s biggest game company Nexon, opposed the decision saying it would “deprive a child’s right to play,” as decreed in Article 31 of the United Nation’s Convention on Rights of the Child. “We will do everything in our power to resist

Game publisher Blizzard Entertainment Korea received an award from the state-run Korea Student Aid Foundation on Thursday for supporting youths. Blizzard -- known for hit games “Starcraft,” “World of Warcraft,” “Hearthstone” and “Overwatch” -- has been providing scholarships and overseas training for youths who dream of careers in information technology and games.Since 2014, it has run the corporate social responsibility program Realize Your Dream

Botox-maker Allergan has teamed up with South Korea’s Medytox in suing Daewoong Pharmaceutical and its US partner Evolus, challenging the latter’s legitimacy in sourcing botulinum toxin. Allergan accuses Daewoong of misappropriating trade secrets through a former Medytox researcher who allegedly stole BTX samples and transferred them to Daewoong.This brawl that has been building up since 2016 reached its climax this month, when the United States International Trade Commission ordered