SKT, SK Broadband, GS Caltex, Hotel Lotte top user satisfaction in 2019: NCSI

Throughout 2019, customer satisfaction in overall industries improved to reach an all-time high despite economic hardships, according to an annual survey by the Korea Productivity Center.The KPC’s National Customer Satisfaction Index, or NCSI, for 2019 stood at 76.7 points, up 0.2 points from 2018 and the highest since the survey began in 1998. This means that despite grim economic conditions throughout last year, Korean businesses worked to enhance customer satisfaction. The survey was co

IndustryJan. 5, 2020

Law enforcement adopts measures to protect children of prisoners

Law enforcement authorities are introducing measures to better protect the rights of children of incarcerated people.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Sunday the Supreme Court, the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice have decided to implement the commission’s instructions for protecting children of prisoners.Last May, the state human rights commission issued a set of recommendations advising the highest court to take into account defendants’ children i

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2020

Partisan strife looms over police-prosecution power reform

A partisan battle looms over the National Assembly this week on how to reshape investigative powers of the nation’s two law enforcement agencies. The ruling Democratic Party plans to introduce a bill on the revision of the Criminal Procedure Code to curb the power of prosecutors, the last piece in President Moon Jae-in’s judicial reform initiatives. The revision is designed to expand the authority of police in criminal investigations and scrap the prosecution’s power to command

PoliticsJan. 5, 2020

Tech firms’ earnings to rebound this year

The 2019 fourth quarter earnings by South Korea’s electronics firms will be disappointing but the figures would start to rebound in the first quarter this year, industry watchers said Sunday.Korean electronics firms will begin posting their final quarterly performance results from 2019 with Samsung and LG Electronics spearheading the announcements. The release of the quarterly reports around Wednesday is to coincide with their participation in the world’s biggest consumer electronics

IndustryJan. 5, 2020

[Trending in Pairs] Delicious or exotic? Koreans’ mala craze, black sugar hype continue

In a country where food trends come and go, stores selling black sugar milk tea and Mala xiang guo -- Sichuan-style spicy stir-fried vegetables and meat -- are widespread these days. Korea’s “sweet fever” peaked when Taiwanese boba milk tea franchise Tiger Sugar opened here in March last year, selling milk tea with dark brown sugar syrup called “heukdang” in Korean. In less than a year, Tiger Sugar has opened 16 additional stores in Korea.Coffee shops like Coffee Be

IndustryJan. 5, 2020

LG announces cooperation with Canada’s Element AI

LG Electronics said Sunday it will cooperate with Canada-based artificial intelligence startup Element AI for software development to be used in its electronic products and services. The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding during a ceremony held in Las Vegas, US, which was attended by LG’s Chief Technology Officer Park Il-pyung and Element AI CEO Jean-Francois Gagne. Element AI was co-founded by CEO Gagne and professor Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal in 2016. Be

TechnologyJan. 5, 2020

What to expect from Korean tech leaders at CES 2020

Las Vegas -- Expectations were high on Sunday about what will be unveiled by tech giants from South Korea -- one of the most advanced IT powerhouses in the world -- with one day left for the kickoff of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, US. Given that the number of Korean tech firms and research institutes attending the show this year marks the largest of around 400 amongst 4,500 global participants, Korea is anticipated to boast a greater presence in the world’s biggest IT show w

TechnologyJan. 5, 2020

AI, eco-friendly, consumer needs to be key trends in 2020

Facing an increasingly competitive market, companies are ratcheting up their efforts to better meet consumer expectations, with artificial intelligence, eco-friendliness and customer needs expected to be the key trends in major industries like information and communications technologies, cars and retail, according to an analysis by state-run Korea Productivity Center. Last year, the nation’s three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- made efforts to innovate products and servi

IndustryJan. 5, 2020

Samsung to release Galaxy S20, Galaxy Fold 2 on Feb. 11

Samsung Electronics will release the sequel to the Galaxy S10 at an event next month. In an invitation sent to media on Sunday, the Korean tech giant said it “will unveil new, innovative devices that will shape the next decade of mobile experiences. The reveal will take place at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event in San Francisco at 11 a.m. on February 11.” Samsung is expected to unveil Galaxy S20, the next iteration in the Galaxy S series, and Galaxy Fold 2, the successor to the

TechnologyJan. 5, 2020

S. Korea allocates budget of W1.5tr to help SMEs develop technologies

South Korea has allocated a research budget of 1.5 trillion won ($1.28 billion) for this year to help small and medium-sized enterprises develop technologies, officials said Sunday. The annual budget rose by 414.4 billion won from last year, according to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. About 200 billion won will be spent to help SMEs develop technologies in sectors including non-memory semiconductor, biotechnology and artificial intelligence, the ministry said. Another 118.6 billion won

IndustryJan. 5, 2020

Japan blasts 'unjustifiable' Ghosn's escape

TOKYO (AFP) -- Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan is "unjustifiable" and he is thought to have left the country using "illegal methods", the Japanese justice minister said Sunday, in the first official public comments on the case.The 65-year-old former Nissan boss skipped bail and fled Japan where he was awaiting trial over multiple counts of financial misconduct that he denies.It was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the business world and his escape from Japan has l

World NewsJan. 5, 2020

S. Korea starts universal super high-speed internet service for entire country

South Korea has started offering super high-speed internet service for the entire country that will allow universal, convenient access to online data, the government said Sunday."High-speed internet has been designated as a universal service that everyone is entitled to receive no matter where they are," the Ministry of Science and ICT said. The ministry said KT Corp., the country's top fixed-line operator has been tasked with providing the infrastructure in places that have not benefi

TechnologyJan. 5, 2020

S. Korean air, ocean monitoring satellite heads to French Guiana ahead of launch

A South Korean geostationary environmental monitoring satellite that can closely check the movement of fine dust and ocean conditions is being moved to French Guiana ahead of its launch, the government said Sunday.The 3.4-ton Chollian-2B, scheduled to be sent into orbit on Feb. 19, has been placed in a specially built non-vibration shipping container in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, where it was built by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the Ministry of Science and ICT

TechnologyJan. 5, 2020

S. Korea records lowest-ever December snowfall due to warm weather

Last month, relatively warm weather led South Korea to record the lowest monthly snowfall on record for December, the meteorological agency said Sunday.The amount of snowfall reached 0.3 centimeter in December 2019, the lowest since weather authorities began to compile December data, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.The previous record-low snowfall was 0.5 cm in December 1998.The data was compiled by measuring the depth of the most accumulated snow over the past 24 hours.The agency s

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'Kill This Love' video tops 700m YouTube views

The music video of K-pop girl band BLACKPINK's "Kill This Love" has hit the milestone of 700 million YouTube views.The video, released in April, surpassed the 700 million threshold late Saturday evening, according to the band's label, YG Entertainment, on Sunday. The new record makes BLACKPINK the first K-pop band with four music videos that racked up more than 700 million views. The others are "Ddu-du Ddu-du," "Boombayah," and "As If It's Your Last."Follo

PerformanceJan. 5, 2020

Gold prices rise on Middle East tensions

Escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran have caused gold prices to rise in South Korea and led to a surge in trade of the precious metal, according to the local exchange on Sunday.According to the Korea Exchange, a gram of gold changed hands at 57,850 won ($49.50) on Friday, up 1.74 percent from a day earlier. The bourse operator also said the value of daily gold trading jumped 60.1 percent on-day to 3.64 billion won on Friday.  In contrast, the benchmark Korea C

MarketJan. 5, 2020

Level 3 autonomous car to be sold in S. Korea from July

South Korea will allow carmakers to sell a vehicle with basic Level 3 self-driving technology in the domestic market from July, the transport ministry said Sunday, claiming that the country is the first to adopt safety standards for the limited self-driving vehicle.The government has adopted a set of safety standards required for the Level 3 autonomous vehicle, with the lane keeping assist function to run on a highway or motorway, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

IndustryJan. 5, 2020

Major banks up ante for W2tr Prudential Life bid

Major banking groups in South Korea are revealing their appetite for what could become the largest acquisition deal in the nation’s financial industry this year: a 100 percent stake in Prudential Life Insurance of Korea valued at some 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion).The latest to express an interest was Woori Financial Group Chairman Sohn Tae-seung on Friday. He told reporters at a New Year gathering event of financial circles in Korea that he is “willing to do an M&A” of Pru

MarketJan. 5, 2020

Smartphones beat personal computers in stock trading for 1st time

Smartphones overtook personal computers as the top stock-trading platform in South Korea last year, data showed Sunday. Stock trading via smartphones accounted for an average 40.66 percent of daily trading on the main KOSPI market last year, according to the data by the nation's bourse operator. In comparison, stock trading via personal computers accounted for 38.89 percent of daily trading on the KOSPI market last year.  It was the first time that more stock trading took place on smartphon

MarketJan. 5, 2020

[News Focus] South Korea’s population declines in December

SEJONG -- State demographic data for last month indicates that South Korea is on the threshold of the era of population decline.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the nation’s population fell by 1,566 to record 51.849 million as of December, compared to the previous month’s figure of 51.851 million.This marked the first time in more than 10 years since April 2009 (when it posted minus 2,716) that the monthly figure fell. While the drop in April 2009 was a sporadic occu

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2020