LG donates electronic masks to Severance Hospital

LG Electronics said Sunday it has developed an electronic mask using its air purifier technology and donated 2,000 units to the Severance Hospital in Seoul. The company utilized its know-how on air purifying machines to develop the electronic mask. The mask has two H13 HEPA filters that are replaceable and a user can inhale air through the filters. Under the filters, there is a tiny fan that can control the amount of air. The fan is applied with an algorithm that raises the fan speed to le

July 12, 2020

Koreans use Kakao for messenger, Naver for other purposes: data

South Korea’s top mobile messenger application KakaoTalk has more users than that of Naver, the nation’s biggest portal, data showed. According to the data from mobile big data platform IGAWORKS, KakaoTalk and Naver recorded 35,590,000 and 30,160,000 monthly active user (MAU), respectively, last month. KakaoTalk exceeded Naver in both monthly average time and days spent on the platforms per single user. People spent a monthly average of 11.7 hours/24.6 days on KakaoTalk, and 10.2

July 11, 2020

Google to strengthen monitoring of fake news and illegal content on YouTube

Google's video-sharing platform YouTube will cooperate with South Korea to closely monitor and prevent the spread of fake news and illegal content, South Korea's telecommunications regulator said Friday, citing a Google executive. Google's Senior Vice President Neal Mohan made the comments during a videoconference with Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, according to the regulator's statement. The remarks came after Han requested such cooperation, considering fake

July 10, 2020

ICT Minister to meet with leaders of telecom firms next week, discusses future plan

ICT Minister Choi Ki-young will meet with the leaders of the nation‘s three major telecommunications firms to discuss details of the current administration‘s New Deal programs and increase cooperation, according to industry sources on Friday. The minister will hold a closed meeting with SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho, KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo and LG Uplus Vice Chairman Ha Hyun-hwoi on Wednesday next week, the sources said. ICT Minister Choi is expected to share details of the government&

July 10, 2020

Samsung to support 12 research projects for future science tech

Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's leading tech firm, said Thursday it has selected 12 research projects to help the country's efforts to secure future science technologies. Samsung said it will provide 12.35 billion won ($10.3 million) to 12 research projects in six areas. Since 2014, the company has been naming research themes that require more research for South Korea's technological competitive edge. This year, the selected research fields include disruptive semiconductor technologie

July 9, 2020

Samsung unveils UV sterilizer for smartphones amid pandemic

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled an ultraviolet sterilizer with wireless charging for mobile gadgets like smartphones as hygiene awareness is growing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The portable UV sterilizer, manufactured by Samsung C&T, can disinfect smartphones, earbuds and even glasses in 10 minutes, according to the company. It kills up to 99 percent of bacteria and germs, including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, according to tests done by two independen

July 8, 2020

LG CLOi serve bot officially available after trial run

LG Electronics has supplied its first autonomous driving-based serve bot for Seoul National University Hospital, announcing the robot’s commercialization Wednesday. The LG CLOi serve bot was installed at the outpatient unit of the hospital on Tuesday, which started carrying devices, treatment kits and other necessities for treating patients through the corridors of the hospital building. It features autonomous driving technology that can detect and avoid obstacles. The serve bot is

July 8, 2020

Samsung, LG release new soundbars

South Korea's two major electronics firms on Wednesday released their new soundbar products as they aim to expand their presences in the home audio market. Samsung Electronics Co. announced the global launch of its two new premium soundbars, the HW-Q950T and the HW-Q900T, which completes its full 2020 Q-series soundbar lineup. The new soundbars will be sold in major markets in stages, starting with Australia. In South Korea, both products will be launched next Tuesday, with the HW-Q950T pric

July 8, 2020

Samsung Unpacked for Galaxy Note 20 goes online on Aug. 5

Samsung Electronics will throw its signature Unpacked show for new Galaxy products online for the first time on Aug. 5, according to the company’s invitation sent to global media and partners on Wednesday. The invitation displayed an image of a bronze-colored crown, which might be the signature color for the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series. The event will be broadcast live on Samsung’s corporate homepage and its newsroom website. The South Korean tech giant is expected to pres

July 8, 2020

Samsung launches UV sterilizer for phones amid pandemic

Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday said it will launch an ultraviolet (UV) light sterilizer for smartphones to meet a growing need for mobile device sanitization amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Samsung said its new UV sterilizer with wireless charging will be sold in South Korea with a price tag of 49,500 won ($40). The latest device was manufactured by Samsung C&T, a partner of Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program (SMAPP), the tech giant added. Samsung said its portable

July 8, 2020

LG Electronics’ Q2 earnings better than feared

LG Electronics on Tuesday announced its preliminary earnings for the second quarter of this year, beating forecasts by market watchers over concerns about sales falls during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the earnings guidance, LG is expected to have posted 12.8 trillion won ($10.7 billion) in revenue and 493.1 billion won in operating profit for the April-June period. The figures were down 17.9 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. The second-quarter operating

July 7, 2020

State-led research institute launches AI education platform

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, a state-funded research body under the ICT Ministry, announced Tuesday that it has rolled out an educational program designed to nurture experts in artificial intelligence. The new educational program has been launched jointly by AWS and Nvidia’s regional offices, which provided assistance to develop the curriculum, according to ETRI. ETRI’s new curriculum includes platforms that allow students to get hands-on training i

July 7, 2020

Samsung's Q2 earnings outstrip market predictions

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday announced its earnings guidance for the second quarter, which hinted at an earnings surprise despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on major products. The company forecast it would post 8.1 trillion won ($6.8 billion) in operating profit for the April-June period, up 22.7 percent on-year and 25.6 percent rise from the previous quarter. But the second-quarter revenue is estimated at 52 trillion won, declining 7.36 percent on-year and 6.02 percent on-quarte

July 7, 2020

S. Korean IT leaders call for regulation changes for fair competition with foreign tech giants

The leaders of South Korea’s leading IT firms have called on lawmakers to change regulations for fair competition with foreign tech companies at the National Assembly on Monday. Kakao CEO Yeo Min-so, Naver CEO Han Seong-sook, Woowa Brothers CEO Kim Beom-joon and other tech leaders joined the forum held by lawmakers. “Local and foreign companies are offering their services here, but the regulations and penalties that bind them are seemingly different,” Kakao CEO Yeo said. W

July 6, 2020

KAIST professor accused of leaking autonmous driving tech to China

A professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology is currently being investigated by the prosecution for allegedly handing over technology related to autonomous driving to China for financial gain, according to news reports and the ICT Ministry on Monday. The Daejeon Prosecutors‘ Office is currently investingating the professor, who reportedly received around 300 million won from a China-based college where he was dispatched for academic programs. The prosecutors ar

July 6, 2020

Samsung heir highlights ‘spirit of challenge’ for in-house startups

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong stressed the spirit of challenge toward the future at a meeting with employees in the startup program C Lab at the firm’s Suwon office in Gyeonggi Province on Monday. C-Lab is the South Korean tech firm’s in-house incubation program introduced in 2012 aimed at spreading creative organizational culture. Participating executives and employees will be given the opportunity to implement creative ideas they have come up with for one year.

July 6, 2020

5G smartphone competition to intensify in H2: report

Samsung Electronics may face tougher competition in the global 5G smartphone market starting in the second half this year when Apple launches its new smartphone that supports the fifth generation network, latest report showed Sunday. According to Strategy Analytics’ report, the total 5G smartphone sales this year is expected to reach 234 million devices, accounting around 15 percent of all smartphone sales. The number of 5G-compatible phones sold last year was 18.6 million, it added.

July 5, 2020

SK Telecom launches big data-based restaurant finding app

SK Telecom has launched an application that provides recommendations for restaurants by using big data analysis, the company said Sunday. The newly launched app uses big data compiled by the telecommunications firm’s mobile navigation service Tmap. According to the company, the number of users of the navigation services has reached 18 million, and it has some 1.8 billion points of data indicating restaurant visits over the past five years. SK Telecom noted that the new application util

July 5, 2020

First-stage engine test for KSLV-2 rocket set for later this year: KARI

South Korea is set to carry out a critical ignition test for the first-stage engine of its locally built space rocket later this year, a senior researcher at a state-run aerospace institute said Sunday. The process involves the clustering of four 75-ton thrust motors into the main stage rocket and actually starting the engine of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2) rocket, said Cho Sang-yeon, head of the launcher assurance team at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). The KSLV-2

July 5, 2020

[Weekender] COVID-19: Summertime safety tips

Summer is in full swing amid an ever deepening pandemic. As the virus is new, figuring out how to navigate the season safely can be daunting. Health experts share their responses to some of the popular queries about the coronavirus in summertime. Will hot temperatures mitigate the spread? Contrary to earlier conjectures, warmer weather does not stop the coronavirus from spreading. Countries with hot weather have reported outbreaks as well. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

July 4, 2020