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Konkuk Professor enables mass production of antibiotics alternative

Park Chan-kyu, professor at Konkuk UniversityBy Lee Hyo-sikA biotechnology professor at Konkuk University has developed a technology to mass produce a biomaterial that could become a viable alternative to antibiotics.This latest technology has attracted keen attention from pharmaceutical companies at home and abroad, which have been seeking new material that can replace antibiotics, Prof. Park Chan-kyu of the university’s Department of Animal Biotechnology said, Thursday.With the overuse of antibiotics in Korea and elsewhere, some bacteria have become tolerant, forcing the medical world to come up with an alternative for treating infections and other illnesses.“The technology developed by our team at Konkuk University could offer a solution to this pressing issue,” Park said. “For the first time in the world, we have succeeded in mass producing an antimicrobial peptide (AMP), which has been touted as an alternative to antibiotics for many years.”AMP, part of the immune response found among all classes of life, has been demonstrated to kill bacteria, viru

Jun 30, 2016
Konkuk Professor enables mass production of antibiotics alternative

Renowned futurist Alvin Toffler dies at age 87

/Courtesy of TwitterBy Lee Han-sooAlvin Toffler, American writer and futurist widely acclaimed for publishing books about the changes occurring in society, has died according to Bloomberg news on Wednesday. He was 87.Toffler published books such as Future Shock, The Third Wave and Revolutionary Wealth, which foresaw civilization shift from a production based economy to knowledge and data based society.His ideas were valued by world leaders such as the former General Secretary of China, Zhao Ziyang, and former Russian president, Mikhail Gorbachev.He is widely praised for providing insight about Korea’s unification to the late former President Kim Dae-jung and other South Korean leaders.Toffler born in 1928 in New York, graduated from New York University, worked as a White House correspondent, a labor columnist for Fortune magazine and later worked at IBM.He also advised AT&T to break up more than a decade before the government forced the company to break up in 1982.Toffler is survived by his wife.   

Jun 30, 2016
Renowned futurist Alvin Toffler dies at age 87

Actor Kwon Sang-woo to meet fans in Japan

Kwon Sang-wooTop actor Kwon Sang-woo will meet his Japanese fans on a three-day tour through Japan, reports say.Kwon, 39, will meet his fans first in Nagoya on June 30, then travel to Tokyo on July 1 and then onto Kobe on July 2. At the fan meetings, Kwon will sing a total of five songs, take questions from fans and engage in games. He has been holding fan meetings for 11 years. Reports said that all of the 8,800-tickets to the three-city event have been sold out and there have been requests for additional tickets.Kwon has starred in numerous hit dramas and films, notably his 2004 film “Once Upon a Time in High School” and the TV drama “Stairway to Heaven” in which he starred with top actress Choi Ji-woo. The two reunited in the 2014 drama “Temptation.”

Jun 29, 2016
Actor Kwon Sang-woo to meet fans in Japan

Korean War vet throws first pitch

Korean War veteran Choi Young-sup throws the first pitch at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Tuesday.  / YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooAn 88-year-old Korean War veteran threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Lotte Giants’ game against the Samsung Lions at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Tuesday.The Giants invited Choi Young-sup, who fought as a Naval officer in the Battle of the Korea Strait on June 25 to 26, 1950, to their stadium as part of a joint campaign with the Navy to thank retired and active military service members.The Choi family has served in the Navy for three generations. Choi was accompanied by his son and grandson, Choi Young-jin, 20, who showed up as a batter during his ceremonial pitch.Choi Young-jin is serving his military duty as a seaman.“I could not practice throwing much because of a possible shoulder injury and the ball felt as heavy as a lump of metal to me,” the senior Choi said. “The people in my generation are calling it a day after protecting this country and it is now the younger generations’ turn to take over our

Jun 29, 2016
Korean War vet throws first pitch

4th Green Industry Conference opens in Ulsan

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Li Yong, fourth from right in front row, and Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon, center, pose with other participants during the opening ceremony of the 4th Green Industry Conference in Ulsan, Tuesday. UNIDO and the Ulsan Metropolitan City hosted the international conference which is expected to adopt the Ulsan statement. / Korea Times photo by Kim Ji-sooBy Kim Ji-sooULSAN — The three-day Green Industry Conference opened Tuesday here, with about 300 representatives from the government, business, academia and civil sectors gathering to discuss interdependence between industry and cities in striving for resource efficiency and green technology.The fourth edition of the international conference is jointly hosted by the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ulsan Metropolitan City. UNIDO is a specialized U.N. agency that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.The event is also sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Indu

Jun 28, 2016
4th Green Industry Conference opens in Ulsan

Nurturing female talent

Kwangwoon University President Chun Jang-ho, right, poses with Choe keum-sook, president of the Korean National Council of Women, after signing a memorandum of understanding on nurturing talented women, on the university’s campus in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, Monday. Under the accord, the university plans to create courses for female students and provide them with internship opportunitiesat the council’s member organizations./ Courtesy of Kwangwoom University

Jun 28, 2016

Pop artist to collaborate with YG

Pop artist Mr. BrainwashBy Kwon Mee-yooPop artist Mr. Brainwash opened his first exhibition in Asia at ARA Modern Art Museum in Insa-dong, central Seoul, last week. The artist, known for his use of celebrity images, is embarking on a month-long quest across Korea to incorporate K-pop icons such as Big Bang and Korean historical figures into his artwork.Mr. Brainwash was once Thierry Guetta, who owned a used clothing store, but now he is an internationally known pop graffiti artist. The self-taught artist officially debuted in 2008 in a self-organized exhibit, but Guetta said he always had art inside him."The only customer before the 2008 exhibit was Michael Jackson, who purchased many of my paintings,” the artist said in an interview with The Korea Times. “That's the way they found me to design the cover of his album 'Xscape.' Street art was the only choice I had since galleries did not accept me. But the street was for everyone and it was a big wave of new art, like pop art in the 1960s. On the street, every artist can express oneself and share it with people for free."M

Jun 28, 2016
Pop artist to collaborate with YG

Luna jockeying for EDM artist

Luna / Courtesy of S.M. EntertainmentBy Kim Ji-sooLuna, 22, has been in the pop industry for 10 years, seven with girl group f(x) as its main dancer and vocalist. She released her first solo album, “Free Somebody,” May 31, with a heavy emphasis on electronic dance music (EDM).Asked about feedback she’s received for the album, Luna said: “Once again, I realized that in Korea the public needs to be exposed more to EDM in order for them to appreciate songs like Galaxy,” indirectly referring to Korea’s competitive pop music charts usually dominated by pop dance songs and ballads.Her album, which carries six songs ― “Free Somebody,” “Breathe,” “Keep on Doin,’” “I Wish,” “Galaxy” and “My Medicine” ― made the top 3 on Billboard’s World Albums chart in early June. In videos for many of the songs, such as “Free Somebody” and “Keep On Doing,” she sings and dances powerfully for more than two minutes. How does she do that?“I worked every

Jun 27, 2016
Luna jockeying for EDM artist

Plastic surgeon honored by Vietnam

Prof. Baek Rong-min, fourth from left in the front row, a plastic surgeon at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, smiles with his team of doctors and nurses after receiving an honor from the Vietnamese government at Melia Hanoi Hotel in Hanoi, June 17, for his decades of providing treatment for Vietnamese children with birth defects. / Courtesy of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital By Kim Se-jeong The Vietnamese government recently honored Prof. Baek Rong-min, 58, a plastic surgeon at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, for his decades-long humanitarian work treating Vietnamese children who suffer cleft lips and palates.Cleft lips and palates are birth defects, in which the tissue of the upper jaw and roof of the mouth fail to fuse during gestation.The surgeon received the Friendship Medal of Vietnam on June 17 when he was visiting Hanoi with a team of 21 doctors and nurses for their latest humanitarian mission.“I just do what I enjoy doing,” Baek said. “Still, I am happy to receive the honor. I am grateful to my medical st

Jun 24, 2016
Plastic surgeon honored by Vietnam

Symposium on Contrave

Kwangdong Pharmaceutical Vice Chairman and CEO Choi Sung-won delivers a congratulatory speech to a symposium marking the introduction to Korea of Contrave, an anti-obesity drug, at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in southern Seoul, Wednesday. Over 700 medical doctors and scholars, including George Washington University School of Medicine Professor Scott Kahan, attended the symposium to discuss the efficacy of Contrave which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Under a distributorship agreement with the U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company Orexigen Therapeutics, Kwangdong began marketing Contrave this month. / Courtesy of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical

Jun 24, 2016
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