Am I sick or just hypochondriac? Coronavirus-induced anxiety on the rise

Symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, can range from those akin to the common cold or flu to pneumonia, as well as most recently observed loss of taste and smell. The varying symptoms and their resemblance to seasonal illnesses leave patients wondering if they’re sick with the coronavirus, some taking the anxiety to a drastic degree, experts say. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Kim Woo-joo of Korea University Hospital in Guro, southern Seoul, sa

May 19, 2020

Lingering COVID-19 fears deter people from changing telecom providers

With South Korea continuing to see the number of new COVID-19 infections per day back in the double digits after signs that the crisis was winding down, telecommunication services are gaining fewer new subscribers, industry sources said Tuesday. The number of customers who moved from one service provider to another posted 16,082 during the third weekend of May, down by 25 percent from the two previous weekends. The timing coincides with the revelation that nightclubs in the Itaewon area of Se

May 19, 2020

Samsung heir meets Shaanxi leader to solidify cooperation

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with Hu Heping, Communist Party Secretary of Shaanxi province, during his two-day visit to Xian, China, the tech giant said Tuesday. Lee held a meeting with the provincial leader after visiting Samsung’s memory chip plant in Xian. He was the first foreign business mogul to visit China after the COVID-19 outbreak. Hu expressed gratitude over Samsung’s provision of quarantine aid for Chinese citizens, including those working for

May 19, 2020

ICT minister visits local 5G equipment manufacturer

ICT Minister Choi Ki-young visited South Korea’s 5G equipment manufacturer OE Solutions’ facility on Monday as part of the government’s efforts to encourage small and medium-sized firms here. OE Solutions is a local supplier of optical transceiver solutions for both wired and wireless network equipment. It provides parts to major players in the market, including Samsung, Ericsson and Huawei. “The nation’s efforts to become the first in the world to provide 5G net

May 18, 2020

Conglomerates foster growth of internal startup units

South Korean conglomerates are increasing their support for startups created and spun off by their own employees, the companies said Monday. The move is part of an effort to strengthen the country’s startup ecosystem by encouraging creative business ideas and technological innovation, they said. Samsung Electronics said it had selected five outstanding projects pitched by its employees this year, with the goal of spinning them out as independent units. The tech titan’s in-house

May 18, 2020

Samsung heir 1st foreign biz tycoon to visit China after COVID-19 outbreak

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Monday paid a visit to the company’s memory chip plant in Xian, China -- the first foreign business mogul to enter the country after the coronavirus outbreak. The South Korean tech giant’s heir apparent checked on the memory business in China during the visit accompanied by Memory Business President Jin Gyo-young and Samsung’s China operations chief Hwang Deuk-kyu. “There will be no future if we are caught in the past

May 18, 2020

Samsung's chip production up 57% in Q1: report

Samsung Electronics Co.'s chip production in the first quarter of the year increased 57.4 percent from a year earlier despite the spread of the novel coronavirus, the company's quarterly business report showed Monday. Samsung, the world's largest memory chip maker, produced 277.4 billion units of semiconductors in the January-March period, up from 176.2 billion units a year earlier, according to the report. Its chip factory operation rate was 100 percent. Industry insiders said Samsung's i

May 18, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Never too early to start preparing for next epidemic’

A seasoned health official who was a key player in South Korea’s response to Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2015 said the novel coronavirus crisis could prove to be an opportunity for the health sector to boost its epidemic preparedness, as did earlier disease outbreaks that struck the country. Kwon Deok-cheol, a former vice health minister and the president of the ministry-affiliated Korea Health Industry Development Institute, told The Korea Herald at his office in Seoul on Wednes

May 17, 2020

LG introduces portable air conditioner

LG Electronics has introduced a portable air conditioner with greater flexibility in use and better connectivity with smart devices, the company said Sunday. The movable air conditioner is designed to target households that frequently move in and out and those who have difficulty installing outdoor condensers. The AC is equipped with a dual inverter compressor with two cylinders, increasing cooling and energy saving capabilities. The portable model uses up to 29 percent less electricity

May 17, 2020

Watcha to enter music market

South Korean over-the-top service provider Watcha said Thursday it plans to jump into the music market. The company established a subsidiary Wpeer last year to launch Watcha Music Publishing, which will become a digital music distribution platform that will connect artists with investors, production firms and other associates to help them to publish their titles. Watcha Music Publishing is expected to officially launch in the second half this year after securing a reasonable number of artists

May 14, 2020

South Korea’s ICT exports down 15% in April

South Korea’s outbound shipments of information and communications technology products in April reached $12.88 billion, down 15 percent on-year, according to latest government data Thursday. The Ministry of Science and ICT noted that the import value of ICT products in April was $8.87 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4 billion. The daily average exports in the same month came down by 7.6 percent on-year at $0.59 billion, compared to $0.63 billion in April last year. Exports o

May 14, 2020

Samsung Galaxy A51 bestselling Android smartphone in Q1: report

Samsung Electronics Co.'s mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy A51, was the world's bestselling Android smartphone model in the first quarter of the year, a report showed Thursday. The Galaxy A51, which was unveiled in December, shipped 6 million units globally, accounting for 2.3 percent of all smartphones shipped in the January-March period, according to market tracker Strategy Analytics. The Redmi 8, made by China's Xiaomi Corp., was the second bestselling Android smartphone with a 1.9 perce

May 14, 2020

Leaders of Samsung, Hyundai meet on EV battery tech

The de facto leaders of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group held a business meeting Wednesday to discuss cooperation on battery technology for electric vehicles. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Senior Vice Chairman Chung Euisun met at an EV battery plant operated by Samsung SDI, in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.  According to industry sources, it was Chung’s first visit to the battery affiliate’s facility.  The Hyundai M

May 13, 2020

Samsung, Hyundai Motor heirs discuss EV biz cooperation

The heirs apparent of South Korea's top two family-run conglomerates had a rare meeting Wednesday to discuss possible cooperation in the electric vehicle (EV) business. Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong exchanged views on Samsung's development of new all-solid-state battery technology and its future with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, group officials said. The meeting took place at Samsung SDI Co.'s plant in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul. Samsu

May 13, 2020

[Gadget Review] LG Velvet perfect ‘midrange’ phone for photography, binge-watching

At first sight, the 899,800 won ($740) LG Velvet looks like it could be out of Samsung’s premium Galaxy S lineup of phones, especially with its water drop shape notch for selfie camera and the 3D Arc Design on the display. While some might say the price tag is too high for a midrange phone, the LG Velvet is the tech firm’s flagship phone, pledging to provide greater affordability than Samsung and Apple’s premium phones with comparable entertainment features. What real

May 12, 2020

SK hynix taps into AI to improve manufacturing processes

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory provider, said Tuesday that the company will start using artificial intelligence-based solutions to improve its manufacturing process for memory chips. Under a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Advanced Institute of Technology, SK hynix will provide KAIST with data collected during the chip manufacturing process in its clean rooms in real time through a cloud system. KAIST will analyze the data using AI-based models and come up with

May 12, 2020

[Monitor] Tesla becomes 3rd most popular imported brand in Korea

US electric carmaker Tesla Motors sold 4,070 vehicles in South Korea in the first three months this year, becoming the third most sold imported auto brand here, data by the Trade Ministry and the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association showed. Tesla’s sales jumped to 2,499 units in March from 1,433 in February and 138 in January, boosted by the sales of the Model 3, data showed. Tesla, who is not a member of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, reports its sa

May 12, 2020

Korea’s environment-monitoring satellite sends first images

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Monday revealed photographs and videos sent from the nation’s environment-monitoring satellite Chollian 2B. Chollian 2B is South Korea’s geostationary satellite. Launched on Feb. 19, it reached its designated orbit in March and currently sits in an orbital band above the Korean Peninsula. The latest images and videos sent from the satellite showed land and water in the Northeast Asian region, taken during camera tests between April 21 and 22. &

May 11, 2020

Korea needs to boost support for edutech industry: report

The Korea International Trade Association on Sunday released a report on the growing international education technology market, encouraging the government to help local firms enter overseas markets. The education technology market is an area that offers new educational products and systems -- such as virtual classroom solutions -- by utilizing cutting-edge internet of things technologies to enhance the classroom experience. The international smart education market is expected to grow from $

May 10, 2020

LG Uplus’ operating profit jumps 11.5% in Q1

LG Uplus, the third-largest mobile carrier in South Korea, said Friday it has clocked a 11.5 percent on-year growth in operating profit in the first quarter, despite adverse market conditions due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The telecom affiliate of LG Group posted 3.28 trillion won ($2.69 billion) in revenue and 219.8 billion won operating profit during the January-March period, up 11.9 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Its net profit stood at 148.8

May 8, 2020