'Korea should use strengths in technology, intellectual property'

Seoul needs to form deep connections to the global startup ecosystem, keynote speakers said Thursday at “Start-up Seoul: Tech-Rise 2019,” a startup convention hosted by Seoul City. The event is part of the city’s efforts to draw attention to the local startup ecosystem, called the Challenger Startup Ecosystem in a recent report by Startup Genome, meaning it has the potential to make it into the top 30 within five years. “Seoul’s size is half of the top 20 startup ec

Sept. 6, 2019

Redesigned Galaxy Fold tempts users to explore folding experience

At first look, the unfolded 7.3-inch display of Samsung Galaxy Fold -- which was finally unveiled at a media event held in Seoul on Thursday -- looks neither like a smartphone nor a tablet PC. Samsung Electronics offered tech reporters here a chance to test the redesigned Galaxy Fold after working on defects found in April. The tech giant’s first and the world’s first commercial foldable smartphone will be officially launched Friday. Feeling unsure about how to identify the

Sept. 5, 2019

‘If Cyworld had been a global hit, Facebook would have faded’

Startup Accelerators and CEOs, who participated in Start-Up Seoul event’s Policy Forum session on Thursday, called on the government to encourage South Korean startups to go global and expand their presence overseas.“If Cyworld had been a global hit, Facebook could have become redundant,” Korea Accelerator Association chairman Lee Jun-bae said. “But that didn’t happen.”  Hwang Yoon-sik, the CEO of food catering startup Fooding Kitchen also called for more

Sept. 5, 2019

LG CNS releases updated language comprehension dataset KorQuAD 2.0

LG CNS announced Wednesday it will release for free KorQuAD 2.0, consisting of an additional 80,000 datasets, for the benefit of South Korea’s artificial intelligence industry.  The initial release of KorQuAD, short for the Korean Question Answering Dataset, comprises a South Korean machine reading comprehension dataset with over 20,000 question-and-answer sets compiled from Korean Wikipedia entries. It provides guidelines for AI and machines to learn how to extract answers from quest

Sept. 5, 2019

Experts at Start-Up Seoul highlight importance of failure

Startup experts taking part in “Start-Up Seoul: Tech-Rise 2019” say that failure, along with a flexible environment allowing such failure, are critical factors for business operation and to eventually become a successful entrepreneur. “Everyone understands the important role of failure for progress, but failure is still so stigmatized in society. It is still punished within most organizational cultures,” Museum of Failure founder Samuel West told The Investor in a recent

Sept. 5, 2019

SKT, Microsoft team up for cloud gaming platform

South Korea’s No.1 mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it has joined hands with global IT software giant Microsoft to build a cloud gaming platform supported by the 5G network.Starting next month, a pilot version of Project xCloud will be available for LTE and 5G subscribers of SKT. Users can experience various games stored in the cloud without downloading them to their devices. At the core of the latest partnership lies the Xbox game console technology of Microsoft, according to SKT.

Sept. 4, 2019

Samsung launches first 5G-integrated mobile processor

Samsung Electronics has added a 5G modem-integrated chip edition to its mobile processor lineup Exynos, with the aim of popularizing 5G mobile devices, the tech giant announced Wednesday. Dubbed “Exynos 980,” it is the first artificial intelligence mobile processor with an integrated 5G modem in a single chip. The newest chip is being provided for customers this month and is scheduled to be mass-produced within the year.  Compared to previous chips that are separated from commun

Sept. 4, 2019

KT unveils comprehensive system to prevent network fires

Last November, when a fire broke out in the basement of a KT building in the Ahyeon neighborhood of central Seoul, those living in the country’s most wired city discovered how fragile their telecommunication system could be. 　Not only did residents find themselves unable to make calls or access the internet, but they were also restricted from using credit cards. An emergency room at a major hospital had to close temporarily as diagnosis data was shut down. Full recovery works took about a

Sept. 4, 2019

Samsung opens 'digital playground in London

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it has opened an “experience center” at King’s Cross in London, UK, with the aim of offering a new space where customers can check its future technologies. The South Korean tech giant has built the Samsung KX center in an area measuring 1,858 square meters on the top floor of the Coal Drops Yard shopping complex, where visitors can attend various cultural events and workshops organized by local educational institutions and experience the lates

Sept. 4, 2019

Samsung begins replacing Japanese materials in chip production amid export curbs

Samsung Electronics, the world's leading memory chip and smartphone maker, has begun replacing Japanese materials with local supplies for its production of semiconductors, company officials said Tuesday, a move that could offset Japan's restrictions on high-tech exports to South Korea."(The company) has injected supplies other than Japanese imports in certain manufacturing processes," the Samsung official said, while speaking on condition of anonymity.Another informed source said the c

Sept. 3, 2019

Heads of Grab Ventures, Startup Genome to share tips at Start-Up Seoul 2019

Startup experts, including head of Grab Ventures Chris Yeo and Startup Genome founder Jean-Francois Gauthier, will share their real-life startup success tips at “Start-Up Seoul: Tech-Rise 2019,” which will be held here from Wednesday to Friday.　“As Seoul is becoming a global startup incubating city, we set up this opportunity to share global startup expert’s insights about the industry trend,” a Start-Up Seoul 2019 official said in a statement. “We hope to pro

Sept. 3, 2019

Galaxy Fold highly likely to be released in Korea this Friday

Samsung Electronics is making last-minute efforts to release the world’s first foldable display smartphone this week, according to industry sources Tuesday. It is highly likely that the South Korean tech giant will roll out an initial volume of between 20,000 and 30,000 units of the Galaxy Fold in the Korean market this Friday. The timing seems to be in line with the company’s plan to publicly exhibit hands-on versions of the foldable gadget for the first time at IFA 2019, the larges

Sept. 3, 2019

Global data center providers make foray into Korea

 With South Korea’s public and private sectors both looking to adopt cloud computing technologies more widely, an increasing number of global data management firms are making inroads here. US-based global data management service provider Equinix said last week that it had opened its first data center in Korea in the Digital Media City area of western Seoul. Dubbed the SL1 Seoul International Business Exchange, the facility will enable its customers to connect with local suppliers and

Sept. 3, 2019

LG Chem says SK’s ‘unfair’ scouting practices at core of lawsuit

LG Chem on Tuesday released its second statement in response to SK Innovation’s announcement to file a countersuit against the company and its affiliate LG Electronics, emphasizing again the nature of the legal dispute lies with “unfair practices.”“The essence of the lawsuit against SK lies in the company’s unfair scouting practices,” LG Chem said. “It’s neither about the national interest nor negative publicity.” In a statement released in r

Sept. 3, 2019

Samsung Display launches YouTube channel

Samsung Display said Tuesday it has created a YouTube channel featuring videos related to display technology. For instance, a quiz show titled “Display Quiz Talkshow,” shortened to “DiTokShow” in Korean, provides educational content on display technology.  The show has previously compared organic light-emitting diode and liquid-crystal display technologies, and explained words such as pixel, resolution and screen ratio.Samsung Display said consumers are exposed to di

Sept. 3, 2019

Golfzon makes foray into Vietnam

South Korea’s leading golf simulator maker, Golfzon, is seeking to enhance its business presence in Vietnam, riding on the sport’s growing popularity in the Southeast Asian country.By the end of the year, Golfzon plans to operate a total of 12 Vietnamese branches where people can play virtual golf at indoor facilities. Five branches have opened in the country since Golfzon began its business there last year. The company is also seeking to expand into the construction of outdoor golf

Sept. 2, 2019

LG to expand sales of AI-powered washers in EU

LG Electronics said Monday it will expand sales of its artificial intelligence-powered washers in 30 European countries this year. The South Korean tech giant has applied AI tech to the core component of its washing machines for smarter, more convenient management of clothes. LG said it will launch front-loading washing machines equipped with the firm’s flagship Direct Drive motor in 30 European countries, including the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland, by the end of the year. The DD m

Sept. 2, 2019

Coupang picked as favorite e-commerce firm: survey

South Korean e-commerce firm Coupang was selected as the most preferred online shopping platform among Korean consumers for its speedy and accurate delivery, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey from the Korea Consumer Agency, Coupang scored the highest point total in overall consumer satisfaction, beating out its competitors. Some 1,200 consumers nationwide participated in the survey on the country’s six highest-earning e-commerce companies.In terms of consumer assessment about

Sept. 2, 2019

Growth forecasts for chip sales lowered again

World Semiconductor Trade Statistics has again lowered its global sales forecasts for 2019 and 2020, indicating a longer-than-expected downturn in the chipmaking market, according to the industry on Sunday. In its latest report, WSTS predicted that the global semiconductor industry would post annual sales of $406.5 billion this year, down 13.3 percent from last year. Compared with the previous WSTS report, released in June, the estimates are also lower.  Memory sales are forecast to plunge

Sept. 1, 2019

Global standards set for 8K TV

Samsung Electronics along with 15 other partners have specified global standards to define the key performance attributes of 8K televisions with an aim to expand the ecosystem, the South Korean tech giant said Sunday. The 8K Association, a global nonprofit organization of TV and panel manufacturers, system-on chipmakers and content businesses, has announced the standards and performance specifications. The association has 16 member companies, including Samsung Electronics, AUO, Panasonic, Hisens

Sept. 1, 2019