Samsung’s new foldables more practical, but lack ‘wow’

Samsung Electronics is making a big bet on the fate of its smartphone business by replenishing its flagship lineup for the remaining 2021 with cheaper, more durable foldable smartphones. The Korean tech giant presented the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3, two models of the Galaxy Watch4 and the wireless ear buds Galaxy Buds2, in a Galaxy Unpacked show that was live-streamed from Seoul at 11 p.m. Wednesday. The third-generation models of the inwardly folding Z Fold and clamshell-type Z Fl

Aug. 11, 2021

CJ OliveNetworks builds first software-based network using public cloud in Germany

CJ OliveNetworks, an IT solution provider of CJ Group, said Wednesday that the company succeeded in establishing a network using public cloud and software-based WAN in Germany in what it said was an industry first. Known as SD-WAN, the software-defined network enables establishing virtual over-lay networks by connecting with a variety of networks like MPLS, internet and 4G, providing customers with flexibility and efficiency. The CJ affiliate adopted SD-WAN to the public cloud systems used

Aug. 11, 2021

Korea’s PC market expands but growth pace cools in Q2

South Korea’s personal computer market continued to expand in the April-June period of 2021, helped by a solid demand due to the prolonged pandemic, but there were signs that the growth rate would taper off, latest industry data showed. Domestic PC shipments came in at 1.5 million units in the second quarter, up 3.1 percent from a year ago, according to the data from market researcher IDC Korea. The second-quarter PC shipment volume marked a sharp drop from 1.89 million units in the Ja

Aug. 11, 2021

Celltrion strives to increase accessibility of self-developed COVID-19 treatment

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion is pushing for a broader use of its COVID-19 treament, Regkirona, both here and abroad. Presently, Regkirona, or CT-P59, is allowed to be used on patients with severe symptoms or high risk groups with mild symptoms only. The company said Wednesday that it has asked the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for permission to use on COVID-19 patients aged over 12, with mild or severe symptoms. Celltrion said it has filed clinical data from its phase 3 cli

Aug. 11, 2021

LG Electronics speeds up carbon emission cuts, joins global initiatives

LG Electronics announced Wednesday that the company will join the Business Ambition for 1.5°C, an international alliance of companies for carbon emission reductions. The global campaign led by the UN, calls on businesses to set targets to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The collaborative action, which is in line with the Paris Agreement, also seeks for net zero carbon by 2050, the company added. LG Electronics is the first South Korean fi

Aug. 11, 2021

[News Focus] Samsung’s nonmemory plans needs renewed push from Lee

It was Samsung Group’s de facto chief Lee Jae-yong who in 2019 unveiled Samsung Electronics’ whopping 133 trillion won ($155.77 billion) investment plan, in front of President Moon Jae-in, with a vision to grow the presence of the world’s No. 1 memory chip maker in nonmemory fields. Two years have passed and the Korean chipmaker appears to have made little process on the quest. With its chief busy fighting criminal charges, including bribery and embezzlement, and being plac

Aug. 10, 2021

SK Bioscience‘s COVID-19 vaccine to begin phase 3 trial

SK Bioscience has been given the green light to proceed with a late stage clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, heightening expectations for a homegrown vaccine becoming available next year. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Tuesday that it has given approval to the SK Group company’s plan for the final-stage Phase 3 study of GBP510, based on interim data from the company’s phase 1clinical trial. Developed in collaboration with the University of Washingt

Aug. 10, 2021

LG CNS behind smoother operation of vaccine booking system

Two days into online vaccine bookings for those aged 18-49, South Korea has experienced no major errors and system crashes so far, unlike previous sessions for other age groups. According to government officials, the main reason behind the smoother operation is a reduction of traffic. The country has divided the eligible population into 10 groups, depending on the last digit of their birth date, and allows them to book their vaccine slots only on a designated day that matches their number.

Aug. 10, 2021

[News Analysis] Will Lee’s release turn tide for Samsung?

With its de facto chief Lee Jae-yong set to be released from jail this week, attention is turning to the fate of Samsung Electronics in its mission to become the world’s No. 1 integrated device manufacturer amid a heightening race for leadership in the global chip market. With a void at the top leadership, the IT giant has been suffering from apparent delays in its decision-making process, affecting significant investment plans. Lee’s return is expected to expedite the firm’

Aug. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lee still faces court fight in two separate cases

Now granted parole, Samsung Group’s de facto leader Lee Jae-yong will be released from the Seoul Detention Center at 10 a.m. Friday. His freedom, however, could be short-lived, as he is fighting two more criminal trials -- one on alleged accounting fraud and other offenses during a merger of two Samsung affiliates and another for his alleged use of the anesthetic propofol without a prescription. He was behind bars for his conviction for bribing former President Park Geun-hye as part of

Aug. 9, 2021

Samsung Electronics union, management to sign first collective agreement

Labor and management at Samsung Electronics are to sign a collective agreement Thursday, the first in the company’s history. The IT firm officially abandoned its controversial “no union” policy in 2019. According to the two sides, representatives of management and labor agreed on a 95-clause pact dealing with compensation for occupational injuries, human resources management and the protection of union activities. A signing event will take place Thursday, with the location y

Aug. 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] Samsung chief’s parole to be decided

Every summer around this time, South Korea releases hundreds of prisoners either on parole or pardons, in celebration of Liberation Day on Aug. 15. This year, the traditional practice of clemency has drawn particular attention as it could include one of the richest men in the country: Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de-facto chief of Samsung Group. Come Monday, a parole committee within the Ministry of Justice will convene for a final review of candidates, which will det

Aug. 8, 2021

Vaccine bookings for 18 to 49 to start Monday

Vaccinations for people aged 17 to 49 will start Monday, as South Korea struggles to clamp down a fourth wave of the coronavirus. The upcoming vaccine roll out will be crucial in the country’s plan to reach herd immunity by November, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, as it covers over 16 million people considered the most socially active among all age groups. Eligible are those born after Jan. 1, 1972, and before Dec. 31, 2003, a group that includes some 17-year-old

Aug. 8, 2021

Kakao aims to expand Korea’s subscription ecosystem, has eyes on Japanese webtoon market

Kakao Corp., the No. 1 mobile messenger app operator in South Korea, said Friday that it plans to expand the domestic ecosystem for subscription-based platforms while also seeking to grow its profit in the Japanese webtoon market. The plans were revealed during the firm’s earnings call for the second quarter. During the call, Kakao announced that it had achieved 42 percent on-year growth in sales for the April to June period, posting 1.35 trillion won ($1.18 billion). Its operating p

Aug. 6, 2021

[News Focus] Samsung’s edge in memory chips threatened?

Amid the global chip race, news that Micron and SK hynix have developed the most advanced memory chips and are ready for their market debut have given rise to concern here that Samsung Electronics may be losing its leading edge in its core business. Responsible for nearly 70 percent of its revenue, memory chips are the mainstay of Samsung, which alone account for about 70 percent of all operating profits earned by the country’s top 10 sales firms. While Samsung stayed quiet on its te

Aug. 5, 2021

6 of 10 parents willing to have children vaccinated: survey

More than 6 out of 10 South Korean parents are willing to have their children vaccinated, a local survey has found. A research team at Busan National University Hospital published the findings Thursday after it had surveyed 343 individuals across the country between May 25 and June 3. A total of 226 of those polled were parents with children under 18, while the rest were children and adolescents between the ages of 10-18. The survey was conducted when the inoculation age limit was 16, the r

Aug. 5, 2021

S. Korea to step up support to fight ransomware attacks

South Korea's ICT ministry said Thursday it will expand support to small businesses to help them ward off ransomware threats after it raised the country's cyberthreat warning level a day earlier. Cyberattacks using ransomware, a type of malware that holds a target's data hostage by locking up systems until a ransom is paid, have been on the rise in South Korea, with 78 such attacks reported to the country's internet security agency in the first half of the year, compared with 39 in 2019 and 127

Aug. 5, 2021

S. Korea's 5G users top 16m: data

The number of smartphone users on 5G mobile networks topped 16 million as of June, data showed Thursday, as subscriptions to the latest generation networks continued to grow despite a lack of new flagship 5G phones. The total number of 5G users reached 16.47 million in June, accounting for around 23 percent of the total 71.63 million mobile subscriptions in the country, according to the data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. The latest data marks an increase from 15.84 million in May. Sout

Aug. 5, 2021

China turns against video games just as Korean firms see signs of thaw

Shares of South Korea’s major game developers and publishers declined on Tuesday after Chinese state media slammed games as “spiritual opium,” highlighting the close link between the two neighboring countries within the global gaming industry as well as risks linked to China’s regulatory whims. The turmoil was sparked by a state-run media outlet in China that published a negative article about gaming and called for stricter controls on “addictive” games. As

Aug. 4, 2021

Celltrion to develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccine

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion announced Wednesday that the company will develop a messenger RNA vaccine that can protect against COVID-19 variants, under a partnership with US-based biotech firm TriLink BioTechnologies. TriLink is a San Diego-based contract development and manufacturing organization for synthesis of nucleic acids and mRNA capping analogs. “Under the partnership with TriLink, (Celltrion) will develop a mRNA vaccine platform, through which the company could

Aug. 4, 2021