Kakao suspends AI chatbot service due to 'massive' popularity

Kakao Brain, an artificial intelligence technology research and development subsidiary of Kakao, said Monday it has temporarily suspended its generative AI-based chatbot service, within a day after its open beta release, due to technical glitches. At around 4 p.m. on Monday, Ddmm was unexpectedly closed after too many users flocked to try out the service. By the time Kakao had suspended the service, some 13,000 users had added the service to their mobile messenger, KakaoTalk. The exact date for

March 20, 2023

GI Innovation sets IPO price below target range

GI Innovation, a local biotech firm, said Monday its initial public offering price has been set at 13,000 won ($9.90), lower than the minimum price range that the company targeted. The IPO price was determined after GI Innovation conducted a two-day book-building process targeting institutional investors last week. A total of 563 institutions, including 46 foreign entities, joined the process, the company said. The overseas institutions reserved some 13.77 million shares, while local institution

March 20, 2023

Lunit's cancer-detecting solution gets EU approval

Lunit, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered cancer solutions, said Monday that it has received approval from the European Union for the commercial launch of its AI-based medical software used in detecting breast cancer. The solution, dubbed Lunit Insight Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, is an AI-based software solution to help identify suspicious lesions with 3D mammograms. “(Lunit) has laid the groundwork for sales in European countries by earning the CE marking in around one month

March 20, 2023

[Contribution] Reviving Korea's green legacy on International Day of Forests

By Nam Sung-hyun Today is the International Day of Forests. Forests account for 31 percent of the land surface area of the Earth. They play a crucial role in responding to climate change as they absorb 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly as a major terrestrial carbon sink. Forests also provide habitats to 80 percent of terrestrial species, proving to be the cornucopia of biodiversity. In other aspects, approximately 1 billion people worldwide obtain essential nutrients from forests

March 20, 2023

LG unveils vision for ThinQ smart home platform

LG Electronics said Monday it presented a blueprint for ThinQ, a platform brand that connects home appliances and consumer electronics with smart technology for higher efficiency, at the Connectivity Standards Alliance member meeting in Seoul. Jung Ki-hyun, vice president of LG's platform business center, attended the four-day event as a keynote speaker and shared the company's vision for providing more consumer-friendly smart home services. He outlined three core values of ThinQ: adva

March 20, 2023

Innospace launches world’s 1st hybrid rocket with electric pump

Innospace, a South Korean startup specializing in developing hybrid space rockets, said it has launched the Hanbit-TLV -- an 8.4-ton single-stage thrust hybrid rocket standing at 16.3 meters tall -- from the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil at 2:52 p.m. on Sunday local time. “We will announce the results of the engine’s flight performance and whether the payload’s mission ends up in a success after a comprehensive analysis of the flight data,” said Innospace in a text to

March 20, 2023

S. Korean startup Innospace launches test launch vehicle HANBIT-TLV

Innospace, a South Korean space startup, said Monday its suborbital test launch vehicle, HANBIT-TLV, has been launched. The 8.4-ton thrust single stage hybrid rocket was fired from the Alcantara Space Center in northern Brazil at 2:52 p.m. Sunday (local time), or 2:52 a.m. Monday (Korean time), according to the company. "We are now verifying the flight performance of the engine and its payloads," Innospace said in a statement. "We will announce the final result of the launch later

March 20, 2023

Yoon calls for Korea-Japan cooperation on chips, batteries

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for close cooperation of businesses of South Korea and Japan, especially in cutting-edge fields of semiconductors and batteries, during a meeting of entrepreneurs of the two countries, Friday. The two biggest business groups of South Korea and Japan, Korean Federation of Industries and Japan Business Federation -- commonly known as Keidanren -- hosted the Korea-Japan Business Roundtable on the second day of Yoon's two-day visit to Tokyo. Yoon held

March 17, 2023

Samsung Biologics to invest W2tr for 5th plant

Samsung Biologics said Friday it is investing 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) to build its fifth production plant as part of efforts to meet market demands and bolster its manufacturing competitiveness. The company announced the plan after an approval from the board of directors earlier in the day. Last year, the company’s revenue exceeded the 3 trillion-won mark for the first time within the bio pharma industry, with its operating profits reaching some 1 trillion won. While its fourth pla

March 17, 2023

Samsung ups stake in Rainbow Robotics

Samsung Electronics has purchased more shares in Rainbow Robotics, a local humanoid robotics company, in an apparent move to ramp up its presence in the burgeoning robotics market. In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, Rainbow Robotics reported its Chief Executive Officer Oh Jun-ho and other special interest groups sold their combined 4.8 percent stake in the company to Samsung for 27.8 billion won ($21.2 million). Adding to its 10.22 percent stake purchased in January, Samsung now owns a tota

March 16, 2023

Fundamentals in focus as Samsung CEO signals continued investment

SUWON, Gyeonggi Province -- While forecasting a grim business outlook amid a global economic downturn, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee vowed to overcome difficulties by focusing on the "fundamentals" and to maintain investment, during this year's annual shareholders meeting Wednesday. “We expect this year to be more difficult than ever, as management uncertainties surrounding the company would continue. But even in these situations, we were able to overcome

March 15, 2023

S. Korea, Dutch trade ministers pledge to bolster ties on chips

Trade ministers of South Korea and the Netherlands on Tuesday agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation on various industries, especially in the semiconductors amid growing pressures from the US to curb investment in China. South Korean Minister for Trade Ahn Duk-geun met with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher to exchange views on the two countries' partnership on economic security. They agreed to further strengthen complementary c

March 14, 2023

LG Chem signs $200m pediatric vaccine deal with UNICEF

LG Chem said Tuesday that the company signed a deal with the United Nations Children's Fund to supply two pediatric vaccines. Under the deal, LG Chem will supply $100 million worth of its polio vaccine Eupolio and $100 million worth of pentavalent vaccine Eupenta, which works for five different indications including tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae. LG Chem will supply Eupolio for two years from 2024, while the supply of Eupenta will begin this year and

March 14, 2023

LG CNS, SAP join hands for enterprise software innovation

South Korea’s IT solutions provider LG CNS said Tuesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with SAP, the German software giant, to bolster their strategic partnership in building next-generation enterprise resource planning, or ERP, solutions. The MOU signing ceremony was held at SAP’s headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, on March 10, with LG CNS CEO Hyun Shin-gyoon and SAP CEO Christian Klein in attendance. Under the MOU, the two companies agreed to develop and operate new ER

March 14, 2023

LG Uplus launches live chat service for foreign users

South Korean telecom operator LG Uplus announced Tuesday that it will launch a live chat customer service platform in foreign languages, including English, Chinese and Vietnamese, to better respond to a recent surge in visitors to Korea. The company said more than 1,000 customer consultations were carried out during the pilot operation period over two months, confirming the increased demand for foreign language services. According to recent immigration data, about 460,000 foreign nationals arriv

March 14, 2023

Diplomacy urged to ease concerns over US CHIPS Act

South Korea's chip industry is feeling pressured to take a side between the United States and China in the two superpowers’ strategic rivalry, as Washington recently disclosed some "unusual" requirements for its $52 billion semiconductor funding program aimed at securing an upper hand against Beijing. Home to two of the world's largest memory chip makers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the South Korean government has also raised concerns, as the US CHIPS and Scienc

March 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Antarctica, a savior to the future of the Earth'

In the 2009 movie “Avatar,” set in the year 2154, the Earth’s natural resources have been depleted, so people explore another star system to mine a valuable mineral. But before going to outer space, mankind can rely on Antarctica, a well-preserved continent twice the size of Australia, and the vast Southern Ocean -- also called the Antarctic Ocean -- around it, rich in water, food and mineral resources. The kilometers-thick ice and snow covering the continent hold in store th

March 13, 2023

Samsung SDS renews vision for cloud leadership

South Korea’s IT services firm Samsung SDS on Friday unveiled a renewed vision for its burgeoning cloud business, touting itself as the nation’s only “hybrid” service provider that offers integrated hardware and software solutions for corporate clients. “Cloud computing itself is inherently complicated enough and it also covers a vast range of options now. We’d like to simplify the service for our clients under our new brand slogan, ‘Cloud. Simply Fi

March 12, 2023

SK Geocentric readies world’s 1st plastic recycling complex

SK Geocentric, a chemicals unit under South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Friday it has completed technological preparations for the Ulsan Advanced Recycling Cluster with its US partner, Purecycle Technologies. The Ulsan Advanced Recycling Cluster is expected to be the world’s first plastic recycling complex, according to SK Geocentric. The companies aim to complete construction of the recycling complex in 2025. Researchers and engineers at the South Korean chemicals firm conducted te

March 10, 2023

LG sets up automotive R&D unit in Vietnam

LG Electronics said Thursday it has elevated its research and development center in Vietnam into a corporate entity as the tech giant seeks to further bolster its fast-growing automotive solutions business. The new unit, called LG Electronics Development Vietnam, will be in charge of developing and testing software for in-vehicle infotainment systems, one of the key products of LG’s vehicle solutions division. The IVI systems encompass telematics, audio, video and navigation solutions prov

March 9, 2023