Oracle to open new cloud infrastructure in South Korea

Oracle Korea on Thursday announced its second cloud infrastructure will launch by the end of May in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. With access to two cloud infrastructures here, the company will be able to better handle demanding workloads from customers. The company said its dual-region strategy would enhance disaster recovery capabilities. It considers South Korea as a market with great potential, explained Oracle Korea CEO Tom Song during a press conference held on Thursday at its headquart

May 7, 2020

Kakao struts through Q1 with record sales, margin

  Korean internet giant Kakao posted record high sales and operating profit for the first quarter this year, despite the novel coronavirus pandemic fallout that has affected most industries. According to Kakao’s announcement on Thursday, Kakao‘s sales in the first quarter increased by 22.9 percent on-year to reach 868.4 billion won ($708.4 million). The company‘s operating profit during the same period marked 88.2 billion won, up by 218.9 percent. Kakao‘s record-br

May 7, 2020

K-Safety Expo 2020 to highlight K-quarantine prevention

K-Safety Expo 2020 opens this fall and will focus on local businesses’ efforts to prevent COVID-19, often dubbed K-quarantine. The three-day exhibition, which runs Sept. 23-25 at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, is co-organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Gyeonggi provincial government. This year’s expo will feature a wide range of programs and exhibitions emphasizing the late

May 7, 2020

LG files over 1,000 patents for steam tech

LG Electronics said Wednesday it has filed over 1,000 patents related to its proprietary steam technology. The South Korean tech giant has been highlighting the role of steam in home appliances ranging from clothes care systems, dryers and dish washers to ovens, amid the growing interest in health and hygiene in the wake of the coronavirus spread. Trademarked as TrueSteam, the LG steam technology was first applied to a washing machine in 2005, which helped enhance the washing quality by remo

May 6, 2020

[Monitor] DRAM prices surge in April upon ‘untact’ boom

With increase in server demand following the normalization of Chinese PC makers and wider non-face-to-face activities since the COVID-19 outbreak, DRAM contract prices surged in April, according to market researcher DRAMeXchange. The average contract prices of DDR4 8-gigabit DRAM, used for personal computers, came to $3.29 as of the end of April. It was up 11.9 percent from $2.94 in March. It is the first double-digit monthly rise for DRAM prices since April 2017. The price of NAND flash, wh

May 6, 2020

Van der Waals Materials Research Center pioneering future of new materials

Yonsei University’s Van der Waals Materials Research Center is leading the search for next-generation 2-D materials that could revolutionize the field of semiconductors. Led by professor Im Seong-il, the Van der Waals Materials Research Center has been at the frontier of research to overcome the limitations presented by current materials. According to Yonsei University, the center’s research is focused on developing new materials whose industrial potential that goes beyond even

May 6, 2020

Coronavirus-inspired changes to arrive in S. Korean health care

South Korea is introducing new health care services to brace for the lasting impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, intent to prevent a system collapse should a second wave of infections occur. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said in a press briefing Monday that remote medical care and respiratory-only health facilities would be set up to cope with possible rise in demand in the fall and winter, when respiratory illnesses are common. “By isolating patients with respiratory symptom

May 4, 2020

South Korean telecom firms expand AI-based senior care services

South Korean telecom firms have expanded their ICT-based senior care services recently, against the backdrop of increasing demand from an aging population. The services mainly use artificial intelligence-powered speakers, as well as the new 5G network and virtual reality programs. As of end-2018, there were 7.6 million people aged 65 years and over in Korea, according to the National Health Insurance Service in 2019. “There is an increasing number of seniors who need home care services

May 4, 2020

Samsung makes largest R&D investment in Q1

Despite uncertainties in the global business environment triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea’s biggest tech giant Samsung Electronics said Monday it made the largest-ever investment in research and development in the first quarter. The South Korean tech giant spent a total of 5.36 trillion won ($4.37 billion) on R&D activities in the January-March period, surpassing its previous record of 5.32 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2018, its financial data reported to

May 4, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Making vaccines accessible is biggest COVID-19 challenge’

The International Vaccine Institute said participation in international efforts is critical to improving the chances of not only developing a vaccine for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, but achieving its equitable distribution. “There are billions of people in this world who could potentially need a COVID-19 vaccine. If we were to vaccinate all of them, we may need as many as over 10 billion doses,” the institute’s director general, Dr. Jero

May 3, 2020

SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom strengthen ties amid COVID-19

South Korea’s SK Telecom and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom agreed to launch a joint venture later this year to develop non face-to-face platform technologies, for which the demand has been soaring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SKT said Sunday that the two firms have agreed to expand their cooperation on 5G technology and know-how in adapting to changes brought by the new coronavirus. Around 20 executive members of the two companies gathered for a video conference on Wednesday and discu

May 3, 2020

[Chew on IT] Samsung keeps multivendor strategy for Exynos despite users’ aversion

If a Samsung Galaxy user gets a smartphone powered by Samsung’s Exynos chipset, is the person getting the short end of the stick? Depending on where they buy their Samsung phones, two users might end up owning Galaxy devices with identical exteriors, but different brains -- that is, different mobile application processors. The chances are 50-50: Users get either Samsung’s Exynos or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. In the case of the Galaxy 20 series, Samsung equipped phon

May 3, 2020

New disinfectant to kill coronavirus for 90 days

Scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed "MAP-1," a new disinfectant spray that can kill viruses -- including the novel coronavirus -- and bacteria for up to 90 days. Unlike alcohol or bleach-based solutions, MAP-1 remains effective in disrupting existing bacteria and preventing new bacteria from spreading even after it has dried. A special blend of heat-sensitive antimicrobial polymers releases disinfectants upon human contact. The coating c

May 3, 2020

Koreans spend 20 hours a month on smartphones: report

South Koreans spend an average of 20 hours per month on their phones, and the peak time is from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., a survey showed. According to the report from the Korea Communications Commission, 95.5 percent of smartphone users watch videos on their devices. The average usage time per month was about 20 hours and 35 minutes. Time spent watching videos accounted for 17.9 percent of total smartphone time. Of those who own smartphones, 66.5 percent watched at least one broadcast per month.

May 1, 2020

LG, Samsung gain in Q1 but brace for tougher Q2

Korean tech titans on Wednesday reported better-than-expected earnings results for the first three months of the year, with LG Electronics achieving the largest-ever first-quarter operating margin and Samsung Electronics posting 21.9 percent on-year rise in semiconductor sales. But both expressed grave concerns about the upcoming quarters, anticipating sharper falls in sales as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. According to its earnings announcement, LG Electronics obtained 1.09 trillion won

April 29, 2020

Samsung braces for tougher Q2

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday the company is bracing for bigger adversities from the COVID-19 crisis, anticipating sharper falls in sales of some products. In its first quarter earnings announcement, the South Korean tech giant posted 6.45 trillion won ($5.29 billion) in operating profit, growing 3.43 percent from a year earlier. The company’s sales stood at 55.33 trillion won, up 5.61 percent from the same period last year. But its net profit dropped 3.15 percent to 4.88 trillion

April 29, 2020

SK Broadband ups support for online classes amid pandemic

Korean internet network operator SK Broadband has been continuing support for online classes upon sudden demand during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the firm said Tuesday. SK Broadband is currently the content delivery network provider for Educational Broadcasting System, a public broadcasting organization that provides online classes. SK Broadband previously increased the network capacity for EBS from 300 megabits per second to 1 terabit per second. Recently, the company added 2 Tbps to th

April 28, 2020

Korean telecom firms’ operating profits to drop in Q1: report

Korean telecom firms are expected to see decreases in their operating profits in the first quarter this year, according to a market report on Tuesday. The report by FnGuide said that the operating profits of the three major telecom companies are likely to decline due to the sluggish economy amid the COVID-19 outbreak, though they avoided major damage from it. Their sales, however, are expected to increase, backed by a sales increase in media units, as well as revenues from 5G network subscribe

April 28, 2020

LG Velvet to hit Korean smartphone market on May 15

LG Electronics will release its new flagship smartphone Velvet on May 15 in the Korean market only, the company announced Tuesday. Nicknamed the “water droplet phone,” the LG Velvet marks a design departure for the firm. The triple camera module on the rear, including the 48 million-pixel lens, has been designed to resemble water droplets. The new device also features a 6.8-inch organic light-emitting diode display trademarked as FullVision with a 20.5:9 aspect ratio, Qualcomm&rs

April 28, 2020

Korea ups investment to self-produce parts in space development

South Korea’s Science Ministry on Monday said that it will inject 211 billion won ($170 million) into space research to help the nation’s space industry produce key parts of launch vehicles and satellites. The Ministry of Science and ICT’s “Space Pioneer” research project passed a feasibility study Monday, which approved the investment of 211 billion won from 2021 to 2030. The ministry will provide 58 billion won in the launch vehicle area and 137 billion won i

April 27, 2020