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 ninth installment. – Ed.For the past 11 years, South Korea has recorded the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, with depression and mental illnesses behind most of the self-inflicted deaths. Despite the growing number of people suffering from chr

Medytox, South Korea’s largest maker of botulinum toxin, said Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit claiming intellectual property theft against domestic rival Daewoong Pharmaceutical and its US partner Alphaeon Corp. 　Botulinum toxin, or BTX, is a biopharmaceutical substance widely used to cosmetically remove facial wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing muscles. The drug is based on a neurotoxin protein produced by BTX-generating bacteria.(123RF)Medytox has continuously claimed that Daewoong stole

“Lineage II: Revolution,” which officially launched in 11 countries across Asia on Wednesday, swept Apple’s App Store rankings in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau a day after its release.South Korea’s Netmarble Games said Thursday that its hit mobile role-playing game had clinched the No. 1 spot in the App Store’s app revenue rankings in Hong Kong and Macau.  (Apple's App Store)The game ranked No. 2 in terms of app revenue in Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines as well as No. 9 in Malaysia, Netma

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that biosimilar developers do not have to wait six months after regulatory approval to bring their products to market, marking a boon for companies developing the new class of cheaper, near-replicas of expensive biologic drugs for the US.　The landmark decision is expected to benefit biosimilar developers around the world, including South Korea’s Celltrion as well as Samsung Bioepis, which are planning to commercialize their products in the US in the future.

DURBAN, South Africa -- For most people around the world, Africa remains an exotic land of natural wonders that one hopes to visit one day. However, given the widespread perception that it can be a dangerous place for tourists, many tend to stay away.　South Africa has been no exception to this view, though to a lesser degree. While regarded as the safest and most favored country to visit in the continent, South Africa still bears the stigma of a high-crime nation with many travel risks.However,

South Korea’s most widely-used online music service platform MelOn has introduced a new music player specialized for Apple’s Mac operating system. 　MelOn on Tuesday officially launched Mac Player in Korea that supports not only music streaming but also music download functions, posing a challenge to Apple’s iTunes and Apple Music players.MelOn’s Mac Player has been optimized for the Mac OS, offering three player modes: “basic,” “mini” and “visual.” It also offers easy access to Melon’s signature

“Onmyoji,” the hit 3-D mobile role-playing game that swept the Chinese and Japanese markets last year, is officially arriving in South Korea this summer through Kakao which hopes to cement the lead in game publishing.Korean mobile messaging giant Kakao on Tuesday announced that its mobile game publishing unit Kakao Games would begin servicing “Onmyoji for Kakao,” the localized version of the hit Chinese 3-D mobile role-playing game, in Korea from early August. Kakao Games CEO Namkoong Whon speak

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday suggested forming a regional bloc with communist North Korea and other Northeast Asian countries to jointly host the FIFA World Cup in 2030.Moon‘s proposal came in a meeting with Gianni Infantino, chief of FIFA. The FIFA president arrived here last week to watch the FIFA Under-20 World Cup final between England and Venezuela held Sunday.South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) meets with the visiting head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, at the presidenti

South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed to work with Japanese and American leaders in completely ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons on Monday, calling it a way to ensure peace in the region and also his country's survival."North Korea's denuclearization is needed to ensure peace in the world and Northeast Asia, but for South Korea, it is a matter of survival," Moon said in a meeting with Toshihiro Nikai, a special envoy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. South Korean President Moon Jae-

South Korea’s Netmarble Games is slated to officially launch its megahit role-playing game “Lineage II Revolution” in 11 countries Wednesday, amid rising expectations that the foray into overseas markets will attract new players and boost the game’s falling revenue.Netmarble will begin offering “Lineage II Revolution” in 11 markets in Asia including Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines from Wednesday. The game is set to arrive in Japan within the third quarter and in China via Tencent

Medytox, South Korea’s largest maker of botulinum toxin, said it has obtained regulatory approval for its new production plant in Osong, North Chungcheong Province.The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted production and sales approval on Friday to Medytox’s third plant in Osong, able to produce 600 billion won ($533 million) worth of botulinum toxin products annually.With the approval, the new plant is set to begin commercial production this month, raising the firm’s production capaci

Like many others here in South Korea, 26-year-old office worker Park Na-young frequently exchanges mobile messages with her friends and colleagues through her smartphone.However, it’s not just text being exchanged. Conversations are taken over by colorful character emoticons -- or virtual “stickers” -- such as a blank-faced bear crying in a puddle of tears or a rabbit blissfully skipping around and blowing kisses.“I think I use them in most of my mobile conversations,” said Park, who owns dozens

DURBAN/CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- South Africa is a faraway land, especially for those on the other side of the world in East Asia. Once there, however, the breathtaking scenery of South Africa instills a newfound appreciation for Mother Nature.　Located at the tip of the African continent, South Africa often sits low down the list for Korean travelers -- a place to explore after having conquered other popular destinations around the world.However, the country boasts a vast array of stunning natu

US pharmaceutical company Janssen is slated to begin carrying out new clinical trials in the US for a diabetes drug candidate developed by South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical by the end of this year, Hanmi said Friday.　Janssen, the drug developer of Johnson & Johnson, has submitted a new application for carrying out a new set of phase 1 clinical trials for the Hanmi-developed drug candidate, JNJ-64565111, to the US Food and Drug Administration, according to Hanmi.The move comes after Janssen sudd