Remote work culture finally takes off in Korea, but will it stick?

Various industries in South Korea have been forced into a mass experiment with the remote work system, intent to flatten the spread of COVID-19 since January. With more people working from home, demand for telecommuting solutions has also been rapidly rising. A number of Korean and multinational information technology companies provide top-notch remote work services, while many large firms already have internal remote systems intact. But it remains to be seen whether the emergency work-from

March 25, 2020

Samsung begins shipment of EUV-based DRAM modules

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest memory chip producer, said Wednesday it has started shipping the industry's first DRAM modules made using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology. Samsung said it has shipped one million units of 10nm-class (D1x) DDR4 (Double Date Rate 4) DRAM modules that were produced with the technology. "The new EUV-based DRAM modules have completed global customer evaluations," the company said in a release. "EUV technology reduces repetitive step

March 25, 2020

Internet traffic in Korea increases 13% in March as people self-quarantine

Internet traffic in March has increased 13 percent over January this year as people spend more hours online under the strain of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to an ICT Ministry report released Tuesday. The ICT Ministry met with telecommunications industry officials to discuss the increased internet usage and measures to prevent potential network failures. Previously Netflix had said it would cut its traffic by 25 percent on networks across Europe to prevent interruptions of service, consid

March 24, 2020

Samsung, LG to send engineers to Vietnam upon govt. permission

Affiliates of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will send a total of 430 engineers to Vietnam in order to support their plants’ operations there, as the Vietnamese government has decided to exempt Korean staff from its two-week quarantine policy, according to industry sources Tuesday. Samsung Display will dispatch 180 engineers via a chartered flight from Asiana Airlines to Bac Ninh in northern Vietnam on Saturday, a source said. The engineers will stay in a quarantine facility e

March 24, 2020

KT teams up with government to develop AI-based healthcare system

Korean telecommunications firm KT has teamed up with ministries here to develop an artificial intelligence-based health care system that could track the novel coronavirus spread, the company said Tuesday. In the research project led by the ICT Ministry and Ministry of Interior and Safety, KT will offer cellular data, which can be used to generate maps that could allow authorities to understand how populations move, as well as how the virus spreads. The data will only be used in a closed datab

March 24, 2020

Samsung shuts factory in Brazil amid rapid virus spread

Samsung Electronics is shutting down one of its factories in Brazil as the novel coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the Latin American country, according to the company on Tuesday. Samsung is closing the smartphone and home appliance manufacturing facilities in Manaus in the north of Brazil from Tuesday through Sunday in support of the Brazilian government’s efforts to contain the virus spread, the company said. Another factory in Campinas, in the state of Sao Paulo, is running a

March 24, 2020

Samsung introduces all-in-one power ICs for wireless earbuds

Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday introduced the industry's first all-in-one power management integrated circuits (PMIC) for wireless earbuds. The South Korean tech giant said its MUA01 and MUB01 PMICs will allow companies to manufacture true wireless stereo (TWS) devices with "greater flexibility." "Samsung was able to integrate up to 10 discrete components into one, including switching chargers and discharge circuits, enabling the PMICs to occupy less than half the space co

March 24, 2020

Korean companies shut plants in India upon order over virus

As the Indian government has decided to close all nonessential services across the country until the end of March amid the coronavirus scare, South Korea’s largest companies will temporarily shut their plants operating in India, according to the firms on Monday. Samsung Electronics will halt the production of its smartphone production facility in Noida, about 25 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, from Monday through Wednesday in line with the Indian government’s order. The Samsu

March 23, 2020

One month with Galaxy Z Flip

With the Galaxy Z Flip, my past month was full of curiosity: how will the next-generation flip phone change my mobile life? In short, using Z Flip was exciting, although I am still unconvinced it is because it provided more practical convenience. First with trivial things, flipping the device back and forth with the right thumb, which made a “thud” sound, was truly satisfying, in a nostalgic sense. It reminded me of the plastic flip phones that I had used until the early 2000s.

March 23, 2020

Samsung 3rd-largest player in mobile AP market: data

Samsung Electronics Co. edged out Apple Inc. to take third place in the global mobile application processor (AP) market last year, a report showed Monday. Samsung, which makes Exynos chipsets, had a 14.1 percent share of the global mobile AP market in 2019, up 2.2 percentage points from a year earlier, according to data from industry tracker Counterpoint Research. Apple settled for fourth place after its market share declined by 0.5 percentage point to 13.1 percent last year, data showed.

March 23, 2020

ITC dismisses SK Innovation-LG Chem trade secrets case

The United States International Trade Commission revealed Sunday that it has dismissed the high profile case between SK Innovation and LG Chem regarding the theft of trade secrets. In its initial determination, the agency harshly criticized SK Innovation of intentionally tampering with evidence. “This type of investigation is particularly sensitive to and prejudiced by acts of spoliation. … Compliance with orders directing discovery into what information is possessed by a resp

March 22, 2020

LG Uplus to supply 5G VR content to Hong Kong's top telco

LG Uplus Corp., South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier, said Sunday it will supply 5G virtual reality (VR) content to Hong Kong's largest telecommunication firm. LG Uplus' VR content will be also available on Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Ltd.'s 5G service starting next month, the company said. This is the second time that LG Uplus has exported its 5G content to a foreign company. Last year, LG Uplus signed a deal with China Telecom Corp. to supply its 5G content and solutions. HKT, an af

March 22, 2020

Samsung reports another virus-infected worker at Gumi plant, production unaffected

Samsung Electronics on Saturday reported a novel coronavirus-infected worker at its smartphone plant in South Korea, but its production lines will operate as normal.    The world's largest smartphone vendor said one employee at its plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, tested positive for the new coronavirus. However, the company said there will be no shutdown of the plant.    "The virus-infected worker had been under self-isolation since Feb. 28," a Samsung

March 21, 2020

LG CNS bags W120b deal in S. Korea

LG CNS said Friday it has been selected as preferred bidder for a new social security solution provider for the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 122 billion won ($97.2 million) project. LG CNS’ consortium and Deloitte Consulting bid for the deal. Previously Samsung SDS was expected to join the competition, but it withdrew after reviewing feasibility. The new social security solution of LG CNS will substitute the ministry’s existing computer system built in 2009, which was u

March 20, 2020

Samsung shuts down TV plants in Slovakia

Samsung Electronics announced Friday it has decided to suspend operations of its Slovakia plant for a week due to the fast spread of coronavirus. The South Korean tech giant said it made the decision to protect employees from the spread of COVID-19. Currently, there are about 30 suppliers of the firm in Slovakia. Slovakia has declared a state of national emergency, limiting both logistics and personnel movement, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 confirmed cases. The government has s

March 20, 2020

Ministry advises 4-cup daily coffee limit

Adults should refrain from drinking more than four cups of coffee, the recommended maximum daily caffeine intake, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday. For adolescents, two cans of energy drinks can exceed the maximum daily caffeine intake. According to the ministry, drinking beyond the recommended amount of caffeine can trigger side effects such as anxiety and insomnia. A research on 883 items by an agency affiliated with the MFDS showed the average caffeine content per por

March 18, 2020

Naver to show news commenters’ full user names, comment histories

South Korean internet giant Naver said Wednesday that the company will display the user names and comment histories of users who post replies on news stories on its platform. The new online comment system will be in place Thursday. The change is intended to prevent abusive behavior online, the company explained. Naver’s anonymous comment system has often been criticized for allowing abusive and disparaging comments. Commenters’ user names are partially hidden, with only the first

March 18, 2020

[From the scene] Attendance halves at Samsung’s shareholders meeting amid virus fears

SUWON -- Around 400 Samsung Electronics shareholders gathered at a convention center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to attend the annual meeting with reinforced sanitation efforts amid the coronavirus fears. “I hesitated to participate today because of the coronavirus spread, but had to come to exercise my rights as a shareholder,” said one of the attendees. Amid persisting concerns about the novel coronavirus spread in Korea, the shareholders present at Suwon Convention Center w

March 18, 2020

[Chew on I.T.] Secrets to foldable devices: Samsung vs. Huawei vs. Motorola

It is the third month of 2020, and there are already three new foldable devices available in the market worldwide: the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Huawei Mate Xs and Motorola Razr. Compared to September, when the world’s first foldable smartphone Galaxy Fold was unveiled and later joined by Huawei’s first product Mate X, the foldable category has taken a leap forward, with the latest products boasting improved durability and performances. In a bid to help potential users get familiar

March 17, 2020

USITC starts probe on Samsung, LG, Apple over touchscreen patent

The United States International Trade Commission said Tuesday that it will open an investigation into global tech giants including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Apple over claims of touch-screen patent violations. The complaint was filed in February by purported Irish “patent troll” Neodron, in which the company claimed that the companies infringed on its patents related to touch-screen devices. It is not the first time Neodron has targeted such global tech firms. Last

March 17, 2020