LG Electronics to step up 6G tech development

LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday it has joined forces with two other partners to develop next-generation 6G network technology. LG signed a partnership with Keysight Technologies Inc., a US-based electronics test and measurement firm, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), South Korea's leading research university. Under the agreement, the three sides will cooperate in developing technologies related to terahertz, a key frequency band for 6G communications. The

March 23, 2021

Samsung Display likely to receive compensation from Apple over order shortfall

Samsung Display Co., a major display panel maker in South Korea, is likely to receive compensation from Apple Inc. over a shortfall in OLED panel orders, industry insiders said Tuesday. Samsung Display's worldwide small OLED shipments in January dropped 9 percent month-to-month to 45 million units, according to market researcher Omdia, which added that the decline is apparently prompted by sluggish sales of Apple's iPhone 12 mini.  Foreign media have reported that Apple has adjusted tar

March 23, 2021

Samsung Display expects more low-power OLED panel supply to global smartphone makers

Samsung Display Co., the world's largest smartphone panel supplier, said Tuesday it expects to ship more low-power OLED displays to global smartphone manufacturers amid rising demand from Chinese players. Samsung Display said Oppo, which has risen to become China's largest smartphone manufacturer, uses its OLED panel with adaptive frequency technology for the company's flagship smartphone lineup, the Find X3. The use of such a panel cuts the total power consumption of Oppo's premium smartpho

March 23, 2021

Samsung to provide 5G network solutions to Japan's NTT Docomo

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it has signed a deal with Japan's largest mobile operator NTT Docomo Inc. to provide 5G network solutions as the South Korean tech giant tries to further expands its presence in the 5G infrastructure market. Samsung said it will support Docomo with its advanced 5G technology, including open radio access network (O-RAN) compliant solutions, to help the Japanese telecom firm deliver better 5G services to its customers. Docomo provides wireless network servi

March 23, 2021

Lotte to acquire stake in bio venture: report

South Korea’s retail-to-construction conglomerate Lotte is considering acquiring a significant stake in Enzychem Lifesciences to become its second-largest shareholder, a local newspaper reported Monday. The group’s de facto holding firm Lotte Holdings and Lotte Chemical would jointly buy the shares, the report said, which would be the conglomerate’s first attempt at a biotech business. The group is also eyeing a joint venture with Enzychem to further its interest in the f

March 22, 2021

‘NAND flash could go higher than 600 layers’: SK hynix CEO

NAND flash chips could have more than 600 layers as memory technologies evolve, SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee said at a global forum on Monday. During a keynote speech at the International Reliability Physics Symposium hosted by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Lee said, “In both DRAM and NAND areas, the company is working to improve not only materials of memory semiconductors but also design structures and reliability to raise the technological value.” “If

March 22, 2021

Civic group to file class action suit over ‘poor’ 5G services

A group of 5G mobile network subscribers in South Korea are pushing for a class action lawsuit against the country’s three telecom companies over the quality of the services. Calling themselves “Victims of 5G,” the group aims to attract 1 million individuals to join the action to seek compensation of an amount not immediately known. The suit is to be filed through joint litigation platform called “Angry People,” it said. “Nationwide establishment of 5G n

March 22, 2021

Korean midsized satellite launched into space

A South Korean midsized observation satellite was successfully launched into space Monday, the Korean government announced. The Ministry of Science and ICT in Seoul said the 540-kilogram satellite, loaded on Russia’s Soyuz-2.1a rocket, lifted off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, around 50 days after the satellite arrived at the launch site. 　 The ICT Ministry added that the ground station made its first contact with the satellite 102 minutes after the launch and a

March 22, 2021

Samsung launches new high-resolution monitors

Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday launched its 2021 lineup of high-resolution monitors as the South Korean tech giant eyes to increase sales amid the rising trend of remote working and distance learning.  Samsung said 12 different monitors across three series -- the S8, S7 and S6 -- are released globally, with all models offering more than 1 billion colors, a 178-degree wide viewing angle and enhanced High Dynamic Range 10 technology. In South Korea, 10 models are available with price t

March 22, 2021

ViGenCell plans IPO in Q3

Biotech firm ViGenCell plans to list its shares on the local bourse in the third quarter of this year in an initial public offering, the company said Monday. Commissioned by the bourse operator Korea Exchange, two independent expert groups have recently conducted a review of the company’s biotech assets, growth potential and business operations and have cleared it for the flotation, ViGenCell said. Following the initial approval, the company plans to apply for the Korea Exchange&rsquo

March 22, 2021

LG Electronics still mulling fate of its smartphone biz

LG Electronics Inc. is still mulling the fate of its money-losing mobile business, industry insiders said Monday, amid rumors that the South Korean tech giant may shut down the unit instead of selling it. In January, LG announced its mobile communications division is open to "all possibilities" for its future operations after years of poor performance. LG's mobile business has been in the red since the second quarter of 2015. Its accumulated operating losses reached nearly 5 trilli

March 22, 2021

LG Uplus opens first unmanned store amid pandemic

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, said Monday it has launched its first store that operates without the help of retail workers, joining other mobile carriers to offer services that minimize physical contact amid the coronavirus pandemic. LG Uplus' new store in Seoul's central ward of Jongno incorporates automation technology, such as digital kiosks that allow customers to change their data plans and buy new phones or USIM cards without the help of store workers. Customers

March 22, 2021

Samsung claims its wireless earbuds effective for people with hearing impairments

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday its study showed its Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds could help people with hearing impairments. The study, which was published last week in Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (CEO), a renowned scientific journal dedicated to ear, nose and throat research, suggested that the Galaxy Buds Pro's Ambient Sound feature could assist those with mild to moderate hearing loss to better engage in conversation with others, according to Samsung. Its Ambien

March 22, 2021

SK Innovation’s two decades in lithium-ion battery biz

SK Innovation, the battery and new energy affiliate of SK Group, entered the battery market in 1996 and started off with large-storage lithium-ion batteries just two years later. Thanks to two decadeslong coating technologies accumulated at chemicals maker SKC, the company was able to complete world-class coating and assembly technologies for lithium-ion batteries at the time. SK’s focus was on lithium polymer batteries, making them lighter and in new form factors like the prismatic-ty

March 22, 2021

Naver invested 25% of revenue in R&D projects last year

Naver spent 1.33 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in research and development last year, nearly a quarter of its total annual sales, the company said Sunday. Its investment-to-sales ratio of 25.11 percent was the highest among all South Korean companies that release annual performance reports. According to the company’s annual report, its investment in R&D activities was larger than its annual operating profit last year, which was 1.2 trillion won. Compared to a year earlier, the R&D

March 21, 2021

Launch of Korean satellite postponed in Kazakhstan

The launch of South Korea's next-generation midsized observation satellite, slated for Saturday afternoon at a space center in Kazakhstan, has been postponed, government officials here said. The 540-kilogram satellite, loaded on Russia's Soyuz 2.1a, was scheduled to take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:07 p.m. (11:07 a.m. local time). But the launch has been postponed, reportedly due to problems detected from the upper part of the carrier rocket, according to officials at

March 20, 2021

Work ban on Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong ‘unclear’: compliance committee

  An external compliance monitoring committee on Samsung Electronics and its affiliates concluded on Friday that the restriction on Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong’s employment was “unclear.” The committee, led by former Chief Justice Kim Ji-hyung, discussed during its regular meeting the ongoing controversy involving the Ministry of Justice’s latest ban on Lee from being employed by Samsung for five years due to his conviction in a bribery scandal involving forme

March 19, 2021

Samsung BioLogics to accelerate global expansion

Samsung BioLogics, the pharmaceutical arm of Samsung Group, vowed Friday to further expand its range of drug products down the road, in a move to grow beyond the conventional antibody drug conjugate business. The blue print was delivered by CEO John Rim during the company’s 10th shareholders meeting held at the headquarters in Incheon. Rim, who was named CEO in December last year, said the company plans to secure related technologies and facilities that are capable of producing cell and

March 19, 2021

S. Korea set to launch next-generation observation satellite over weekend

South Korea will launch its next-generation midsized observation satellite this week, the latest in the country's efforts to boost its space industry and develop its own space technologies. The 540-kilogram satellite loaded on Russia's Soyuz 2.1a will take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Saturday morning (local time) and contact the Svalbard Satellite Station in Norway after reaching its target orbit, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. Equipped with an imaging sens

March 19, 2021

[News Focus] LG Group’s spinoff decision to take center stage at shareholders meeting

At the annual shareholders meeting set for next Friday, LG Group’s plans to spin off business units and create a new holding company for them are expected to take center stage. As the meeting approaches, market experts and advisory institutions are releasing their assessments of the restructuring plan, which the group says it has had in the works since the leadership change in 2018. LG Corp., the current holding company of LG Group, announced in November that the group would spin off

March 18, 2021