[Herald Interview] Merck seeks growth with Korean chipmakers

The global semiconductor industry is struggling to make ends meet amid sluggish demand and price decreases, but German technology firm Merck sees Korea, the home of the world's two largest memory chip producers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, still an attractive destination for business. “The leading players in the industry that are investing the most amount in new capacity, our Korean customers are at the top of that list. Making sure that we are continuing to engage with the leadi

Nov. 2, 2023

[Photo News] Last push for 2030 Expo

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it has put up a total of 14 billboards to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris. The tech giant will be carrying out promotional activities in the French capital until Nov. 28, when the host city of the upcoming expo is to be decided in a vote during the 173rd General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions. (Samsung Electronics)

Nov. 2, 2023

Samsung marks 54th anniversary, highlights unrivaled leadership in technology

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee underscored the importance of maintaining industry leadership in technology as the company celebrated its 54th anniversary on Wednesday. Samsung, one of the world's leading smartphone makers and the world’s largest memory chip producer, held the annual event at its headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, with some 400 executives and employees in attendance. "Technology and product quality are the real competitive factors that we should

Nov. 1, 2023

KT unveils large language model Mi:dm for corporate customization

South Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp. on Tuesday unveiled Mi:dm, a customizable large language model aimed at corporate clients looking to develop their own advanced AI services in the booming field of generative AI technologies. The name Mi:dm is based on the word "mideum," which means "belief" in Korean. Unlike generic models such as OpenAI's GPT, KT posits that Mi:dm allows companies to incorporate their own specialized datasets to produce tailor-made AI prod

Oct. 31, 2023

Samsung reduces chip losses in Q3, eyes rebound

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it reduced its deficit in the memory chip business in the July-September period while posting better-than-expected profits in mobile and display businesses. Samsung's device solutions division in charge of the company’s semiconductor business marked losses of 3.75 trillion won ($2.78 billion) for the division's third consecutive quarter of losses. So far this year, its chip losses have amounted to 12.7 trillion won, the company said in its third-q

Oct. 31, 2023

[Gadget Review] iPhone 15 Pro is lighter and more versatile but lacks 'wow' factor

Apple’s latest flagship smartphone series -- the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max -- debuted in Korea earlier this month with higher price tags than elsewhere. The new phones are priced from 1.25 million won to 1.90 million ($926.20-$1,407.80) here. Compared to their prices sold in the US, Japan and China, the Korean prices are almost 10 to 20 percent higher. But Apple’s pricing policy seems to have little impact on Koreans’ love for iPhones. Accor

Oct. 31, 2023

Court rules against Meta over penalty on illegal user info sharing

Meta Platforms Ireland Inc. has lost a legal battle to defy the South Korean data protection watchdog's decision to slap a fine for providing users' personal information to other operators without consent, officials said Monday. In November 2020, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) fined Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc., 7.8 billion won ($5.78 million) after its probe found that the personal information of at least 3.3 million out of 18 million Facebook users in

Oct. 30, 2023

S. Korea's homegrown spacecraft to moon project on track: science ministry

South Korea's science ministry said Monday its project to develop a homegrown spacecraft to the moon has passed through a preliminary feasibility study and will officially begin next year. With the passage of the 530 billion won ($392.9 million)-project, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to develop a 1.8-ton spacecraft to land on the moon in 2032 as part of the country's plan to begin exploring lunar resources under its ambitious road map for a "future space economy." The

Oct. 30, 2023

LG, Hyundai join forces to advance robot-friendly buildings

LG Uplus and Hyundai Motor Group have teamed up to develop an ecosystem of communication infrastructure for robot-friendly buildings to secure core technologies required for automation, the companies said Monday. According to the announcement, the mobile carrier and automaker agreed to collaborate in crafting total solutions for robotics, such as providing communication services tailored for robots and developing standard and certification systems that can assess robot-friendly buildings’

Oct. 30, 2023

[Photo News] IT competition for youth with disabilities

LG Electronics said Monday it held the Global IT Challenge, a five-day IT skills competition for youth with disabilities, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, last week. Since its launch in 2011, more than 5,000 students from 40 countries have participated in the competition, which aims to enhance their accessibility to IT services and help them advance into society. (LG Electronics)

Oct. 30, 2023

LG Electronics to bolster B2B push as competition from China grows

South Korean home appliance giant LG Electronics said Friday it would further develop strategies tailored to each country's consumption patterns and demand to deal with the aggressive global market penetration of Chinese rivals. "Chinese firms have deviated from a low-cost strategy and are actively investing in each production region, while strengthening their products and brand power," Kim I-kueon, vice president and head of home appliance and air solution business division at LG

Oct. 27, 2023

Meta fails to provide communication channel in Korea: lawmaker

Meta Platforms has failed to provide a proper channel for communication to uphold its legal responsibilities in Korea, a lawmaker claimed Friday, citing data provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The Science Ministry lacks basic contact details for Meta Communication Agent Limited, which refers to Meta's legal entity that is supposed to serve as a communication channel with Korean authorities. The only available means of contact to the agent is an automated landline that redirects ca

Oct. 27, 2023

[KH Explains] A look back on Lee Jae-yong's first 'New Samsung' year

Friday is the first anniversary of Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong's official ascension to the top post at Korea's largest conglomerate. Over the past year, the Samsung chief conducted various management activities to explore new opportunities, laying the foundation for his own “New Samsung” vision, while succeeding the legacy of his father, the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who died three years ago. Experts agree that his push for “supergap technology” i

Oct. 26, 2023

SK hynix to boost investment in HBM, DDR5 chips

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip maker, said Thursday that it plans to boost its investment in high-value DRAM chips such as High Bandwidth Memory and DDR5, in line with the growth of the artificial intelligence market. “The capital expenditure for next year will increase compared to this year. … We’ll minimize the expansion by considering investment efficiency and financial stability,” Kim Woo-hyun, vice president and chief financial officer at SK

Oct. 26, 2023

LG Chem sets up R&D center in Georgia

South Korean chemical giant LG Chem said Wednesday that it has set up a new research and development center in the US state of Georgia called the North America Innovation Center, as part of its big push to secure global talent for its burgeoning next-generation materials business. The new plan was unveiled as part of its partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology signed a day before. Under the agreement, the center will serve as an R&D base for diverse collaboration projects with n

Oct. 25, 2023

KT, Hyundai E&C, Saudi’s STC team up for digital infrastructure

KT Corp. said Tuesday it will establish a digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia together with Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Saudi Telecommunication Company (Saudi Telecom), in line with the kingdom’s aims to diversify its industry structure under Saudi Vision 2030. KT said that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai E&C and STC Group – the parent organization of Saudi Telecom -- in Riyadh on Monday during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to

Oct. 24, 2023

[KH Explains] Samsung-SK rivalry heats up for future chips

Competition is heating up between South Korean chip rivals Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to take the lead in the Compute Express Link, or CXL, technology amid its ongoing High Bandwidth Memory chip supremacy war. Although the market is still at the nascent stage, the two global DRAM leaders are seeing CXL as a potential game changer. CXL is an open, industry-supported interconnect between processors and devices such as accelerators, memory buffers and smart devices. It is considered a key tec

Oct. 24, 2023

Naver to build digital twin platform for Saudi cities

South Korean internet giant Naver said Tuesday it has secured a large-scale deal in Saudi Arabia to build a cloud-based digital twin platform for the kingdom’s futuristic smart city project. The deal signing ceremony was held in Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday upon President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit. Naver didn’t reveal the exact size of the deal, but the presidential office hinted that it could amount to $100 million. Under the agreement signed with Saudi Arabia’s Mini

Oct. 24, 2023

[Photo News] OLED canvas

LG Electronics’ exhibition booth is seen at the 2023 Digital Art Fair Hong Kong, Asia’s largest digital art trade show, being held from Thursday to Monday. The Korean tech giant is displaying some 100 OLED TVs and signage products as an official sponsor. (LG Electronics)

Oct. 22, 2023

KT, Jasmine team up for Thai AI language model

KT Corp. said Sunday it is teaming up with Thailand’s telecom giant Jasmine Group to co-develop an artificial intelligence language model specialized in Thai and to launch related services together in Southeast Asia. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in September last year, top executives, including KT CEO Kim Young-shub and Jasmine Group Chairman Pete Bodharamik, gathered in Seoul on Thursday to discuss more details of the partnership. Under the extensive partnership,

Oct. 22, 2023