Samsung, IBM build safety platform based on AI, 5G

SAN JOSE, US -- South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and US-based tech giant IBM on Tuesday announced a partnership to develop a platform providing business-to-business mobile solutions based on 5G network and artificial intelligence focusing on public safety. Their collaboration which was revealed at a Samsung forum held in San Jose, California, will offer governments and businesses around the globe faster and stronger AI-powered mobile solutions for strengthening safety. They will build a n

Oct. 30, 2019

Samsung hints at upcoming gadget that folds in half vertically

SAN JOSE, California -- Samsung Electronics has unveiled a new foldable phone design that folds vertically into a square shape, extending efforts to diversify its product lineup.At Samsung Developer Conference 2019, which kicked off its two-day run in California's San Jose on Tuesday, the South Korean tech titan highlighted the importance of the mobile user interface and unveiled the second edition of One UI, its latest UX brand, along with new software development tools as part of a new vision

Oct. 30, 2019

Prosecutors indict ride-hailing service executives

South Korean prosecutors Monday indicted the heads of Tada, a ride-hailing service, declaring the app-based business illegal. Lee Jae-woong, chief executive of car-sharing app operator SoCar, and Park Jae-uk, chief executive of its rental car hailing service unit, Value Creators & Company, will face a trial without physical detention on charges of running a transportation business without a license, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said. VCNC operates Tada service.An associatio

Oct. 28, 2019

SKT, Kakao seek ‘strategic partnership’ in share swap deal

South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom and the country’s largest chatting app operator Kakao said Monday they will enhance business partnership by exchanging stakes with one another. According to the two companies, SKT will sell 300 billion won ($256 million) of its shares to Kakao and the internet company will issue new shares to the telecom firm. The exchange will allow SKT to secure a 2.5 percent stake in Kakao, while Kakao will obtain a 1.6 percent stake in SKT.The share

Oct. 28, 2019

Naver’s second headquarters to become ‘robot-friendly’

South Korean internet company Naver said Monday its advanced robot technology would be incorporated into the operation of the tech giant’s second headquarters scheduled to be built by 2021. During its developer conference Deview 2019 in Seoul, Naver’s leadership announced a specific construction plan for its new business complex. The building will be located right next to Naver’s first headquarters, Green Factory, in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.In what Naver described the world&

Oct. 28, 2019

About 130,000 iPhone 11s sold on 1st day in S. Korea: industry

Some 130,000 units of Apple Inc.'s new iPhone models are believed to have been set up on the first day of sales in South Korea, industry insiders said Saturday.Apple released its iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max in South Korea on Friday, targeting consumers looking for premium phones available in 4G LTE models.  The estimated figure is 30 percent more than the previous iPhone models -- the iPhone XS, Max and XR -- launched November 2018, according to industry sources. However,

Oct. 26, 2019

Kakao suspends online comments for entertainment articles after Sulli’s death

South Korea’s major internet company Kakao said Friday that it would prevent users from posting malicious comments on its online entertainment news articles, pledging also to overhaul its search engine functionalities to address cyberbullying.During a press conference at its headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Kakao’s co-chiefs Yeo Min-soo and Joh Su-yong said the company would suspend its online comment service for entertainment news next month. The measure came after mo

Oct. 25, 2019

Will iPhone 11 overcome lack of 5G?

US smartphone vendor Apple on Friday started rolling out the 11th edition iPhone that only supports the 4G Long Term Evolution network, unlike its archrival Samsung Electronics that is pushing for 5G models in its own turf. The iPhone 11 went on sale in the Korean market via the country’s three mobile carriers, which all held promotional events for those who had made preorders.  Three different models of the iPhone 11 are available in Korea: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro

Oct. 25, 2019

LG Chem obtains first quarterly surplus from battery biz this year

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading lithium-ion battery maker, obtained the first quarterly surplus from its battery unit in 2019, despite a series of fires involving the firm’s energy storage systems, according to the company on Friday. Of the total of 380.3 billion won ($323.92 million) in operating profit for the July to September period, the company’s battery unit reported a 71.2 billion won operating profit, representing a swing back into surplus territory for the first time th

Oct. 25, 2019

[Graphic News] Health insurance costs for smoking, drinking hit W13tr

　Health insurance spending to cover smoking and drinking-related treatments reached 13 trillion won ($11 billion) from 2016 through 2018, data showed.　According to a report submitted to Rep. Jung Choun-sook by the National Health Insurance Service for the ongoing parliamentary audit, annual expenditures, including insurance coverage and costs paid by individuals, exceeded 4.6 trillion won last year, up 16 percent from 2016.　Costs to deal with treatment for smoking and drinking made up some 8 per

Oct. 24, 2019

SK hynix might reduce dividends due to worsening cash flow

SK hynix is considering revising its dividend policy for shareholders due to depleting cash flow, the company said Thursday, amid a downturn in the memory chip market.“As the cash flow has worsened this year, it may be difficult to maintain the current dividend policy,” said Sk Hynix CFO Cha Jin-seok. “The company is currently reviewing the plan.” The plan was announced during a conference call with investors on its third-quarter earnings.  The world’s second-l

Oct. 24, 2019

[From the Scene] Samsung SDI demonstrates fire-safe ESS

ULSAN -- In a dark chamber with thick concrete walls at Samsung SDI’s battery manufacturing site in Ulsan on Wednesday, two officials confidently demonstrated the safety of its new energy storage system in the event of a fire. They deliberately made a hole in two ESS modules -- an older version and a new model equipped with fire blockers and insulators -- by banging a nail into them to induce spontaneous combustion. After about three minutes, there was a bang and a sizable flame in the old

Oct. 24, 2019

Samsung updates software of Galaxy S10, Note 10 over fingerprint flaw

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it has released a software patch to fix a bug in the ultrasound-based fingerprint scanner on Galaxy S10 and Note 10 smartphones. Samsung has faced a backlash after some users discovered that anyone's fingerprint could unlock S10 and Note 10 series devices covered with a silicone-based screen, raising security issues over the latest smartphones. "We apologize for causing inconvenience to customers with the fingerprint recognition issues," Samsung s

Oct. 23, 2019

S. Korea mobile carriers attack global market with 5G technology

South Korea’s telecom giants are making a foray into the global market with fifth-generation wireless network technology in a push to discover business opportunities beyond the domestic market. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are accelerating their efforts to enhance 5G partnerships with mobile vendors around the world -- for example, by exporting network equipment and developing 5G-based content. Since launching 5G services in April, achieving a world first, the mobile carriers are taking adv

Oct. 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Government issues ‘grave warning’ against liquid e-cigarettes

The government on Wednesday warned against using liquid e-cigarettes, or e-liquids, until health perils associated with them are better understood.“The Health and Welfare Ministry strongly recommends discontinuing the use of liquid e-cigarettes until the link between lung injuries and liquid e-cigarettes is clearly identified,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo in a press briefing Wednesday morning.“Teenagers and those with respiratory diseases, in particular, should stop usi

Oct. 23, 2019

S. Korea to boost power supply from solar and wind

South Korea's industry minister said Wednesday that Seoul will boost the supply of power from solar and wind energy in a green transition amid global efforts to cut down on heat-trapping gases. Sung Yun-mo, minister of trade, industry and energy, made the comments in an international conference on renewable energy at an exhibition center in southern Seoul.The conference -- which brought together 3,500 people from more than 100 countries -- is meant to form a stronger consensus on the need to fur

Oct. 23, 2019

Naver, Kakao launch evaluation of online news

　South Korea’s two internet titans Naver and Kakao began their regular news quality assessment Tuesday for media outlets wishing to gain exposure via their online search platforms.　A news partnership evaluation committee of the two firms said that media groups wishing to use Naver and Kakao’s news platforms can send in their applications from Tuesday. The review process takes up to three months. The “qualified partners” will be announced next year.　Basic qualifications in

Oct. 22, 2019

SK Innovation conducts forensic inspection upon USITC order

SK Innovation, locked in a legal battle against domestic rival LG Chem recently, conducted a forensic inspection of its computer systems upon the order of the United States International Trade Commission earlier this month, industry sources said Tuesday. The USITC ordered the firm on Oct. 3 to recover as many as 980 documents that were alleged to have been deleted by the company, the sources said. The South Korean lithium-ion battery maker conducted the examination attended by LG Chem&rsquo

Oct. 22, 2019

Samsung planning roll-up displays, rotating cameras for new phones: reports

Samsung Electronics appears to be preparing to equip some of its upcoming Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy S11 series, with rollable displays and rotating cameras, according to news reports Tuesday. The South Korean tech giant filed a patent with the World Intellectual Property Office in April for its combination of a rollable display and a rotating camera module, showed a patent document uncovered by Lets Go Digital based in the Netherlands. The document showed an image of a device with

Oct. 22, 2019

6 out of 10 Korean job seekers want to be YouTubers: survey

　About 6 out of 10 South Koreans wish to make a living -- or at least supplement their income -- by creating content and uploading it on YouTube, a survey showed Monday.　According to the survey of about 3,500 job seekers by job search agency Saramin HR, more than 60 percent of the respondents said they wanted to become professional or amateur YouTube content creators.　Respondents in their 20s coveted the job the most, with 71 percent of people in this age group consisting of YouTube hopefuls. Am

Oct. 21, 2019