Copyright infringement of Korean content on YouTube rife

About 9,000 YouTube contents distributed in South Korea have been accused of copyright infringement since January this year, a lawmaker said Sunday, amid growing calls for the government’s enhanced oversight over the global video-sharing service. Citing data from the Korea Copyright Protection Agency, Rep. Noh Woong-rae of Democratic Party said there were 8,833 copyright infringement cases in YouTube as of last month. It was similar to the number of violation cases last year when 8,880 con

Sept. 1, 2019

How can startups solve Seoul’s urban problem with AI, IoT?

South Korean capital Seoul is one of the most tech-savvy cities in the world, and this has allowed the startup community here to brim with solutions to tackle its problems.For startups honing their tech capacity, ranging from ultrafine dust management to household waste treatment and fire prevention, the forthcoming tech event hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Start-Up Seoul: Tech-Rise 2019, could be a chance to gain access to venture investors and corporate representatives.As part of

Sept. 1, 2019

POSCO workers reach tentative wage deal

POSCO, South Korea's largest steelmaker, said Friday it has reached a tentative wage and collective bargaining agreement with its labor union. POSCO said the union is set to vote on Sept. 9 on whether to accept the agreement. POSCO and its labor union began this year's collective bargaining in May. POSCO, founded in 1968, had its first union in the late 1980s, with its membership peaking at more than 18,000. (Yonhap)

Aug. 30, 2019

[Weekender] Betting on money-for-waste business model

Pictures of dead or dying sea turtles, whales and birds have gone viral recently, warnings of an escalating waste problem that causes animals to choke on plastic debris. Although such heartbreaking pictures are effective in increasing awareness about environmental issues, they often fall short of motivating the general public to reduce their waste output in the long term. To build momentum for saving the earth, a South Korean recycling startup offers financial incentives for recycling as a way o

Aug. 30, 2019

S. Korea online video services face uphill battle against Netflix

Despite their efforts to compete with global video-sharing platforms, South Korea’s online video services are suffering from a drop in subscribers, while global rivals like Netflix and YouTube are enjoying persistent rises, data showed Thursday.According to a market research firm Nielson Koreanclick, some 29.98 million people here had subscribed to YouTube, Netflix and TikTok as of July. The number was an increase of about 15.5 percent from the same period a year earlier. In the meantime,

Aug. 29, 2019

SK Broadband introduces kiosks for pharmacies

SK Broadband said Thursday it had teamed up with pharma marketing company Online Pharm to introduce electronic kiosks for pharmacies.The stand called On Kiosk, which provides Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese services, will be able to process simple drug prescriptions, offer guidelines for drug intake, and provide a queuing system for consultations.  The kiosks will be able to take over routine tasks, allowing pharmacists to focus more on providing health consultations. It is also equip

Aug. 29, 2019

Line under fire over mobile stamps mocking President Moon

Line Corp., a Japanese subsidiary of South Korea’s major portal Naver, has come under criticism for selling mobile emoticons that portrayed President Moon Jae-in in a disparaging way. Line hurriedly removed the stamps from its online store available in Korea and Japan after Korean users filed a complaint about the problematic mobile content. Line took down the collection of emoticons titled “Stamps of Mr. Moon” from its online store Wednesday, shortly after getting complaints f

Aug. 29, 2019

Science ICT ministry seeks 17.3% hike in national R&D budget for 2020

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday that it has proposed a 17.3-percent on-year increase in the national research and development budget for 2020 to allow the country to strive for independence in critical technologies.The proposal, which is subject to parliamentary approval, set aside 24.1 trillion won ($19.8 billion) for R&D, up from 20.5 trillion won from 2019."This is the first time in 10 years that South Korea is aiming for a double digit increase in its R&D spending

Aug. 29, 2019

Younger smokers face new challenges in going smoke-free

Smokers of the younger generations face challenges disparate from those troubling previous generations, giving rise to the need for renewed countermeasures suited to the contemporary smoking scene, according to health experts. The smoking rate has been on the decline in Korea, with the percentage of male adult smokers – who account for the majority of smoking demographics – hitting a record low of 38.1 percent in 2017. In July, government efforts to promote smoking cessation were app

Aug. 28, 2019

LG Innotek develops flexible 3D lighting for premium cars

LG Innotek, electronic parts affiliate of LG Group, announced Wednesday the firm has developed flexible three-dimensional lighting for premium cars with a plan to aggressively enter the high-end vehicle market. Dubbed Nexlide-HD, it is a module for cars’ front and rear external lighting that emits bright and uniform light. The lighting module consists of a number of specialized LED packages attached to a thin substrate, which helps spread the light around 180 degrees. Previous lighting mod

Aug. 28, 2019

Facebook, Naver join forces in criticizing network usage fee regulations

　With a South Korean court overruling the media regulator’s decision to fine Facebook Korea for a network outage in 2017, content providers are raising pressure on the government to amend regulations on network usage fees.　Google, Facebook and Netflix have partnered with local tech companies including Naver and Kakao in ramping up criticism that the “network sharing” regulation has caused excessive financial burdens for content providers here and abroad.　The criticism intensifi

Aug. 27, 2019

LG CNS recruits former female employees as software instructors

　South Korean information technology firm LG CNS is recruiting its former female workers as IT educators to provide them with opportunities after they left their jobs for childbirth and parenting. 　On Tuesday, LG CNS began a three-day recruiting session for such former employees. Those selected will work as coding program instructors for middle school students from next month.  　Candidates who will be given priority are those who left LG CNS between 2013 and 2015 after working as engineers

Aug. 27, 2019

Seoul aims to be global innovation launchpad, prepares to host 3-day tech event

South Korea’s capital city plans to host a tech event Sept. 4-6 in a bid to redefine itself as an innovation launchpad for foreign entrepreneurs, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday. “Start-Up Seoul: Tech-Rise 2019” will feature keynote speeches and panel sessions by global startup ecosystem experts, as well as a pitching competition, a demo day and seminars. These will take place at four locations in the city, including Dongdaemun Design Plaza and the Seoul Startup

Aug. 27, 2019

Samsung heir’s visit viewed as signal for QD-OLED investment

Market analysts and investors said Tuesday it has become clearer that Samsung Display will invest in quantum dot organic light-emitting diodes as the next-generation display technology to replace liquid-crystal displays. “Samsung Display is likely to stop its LCD production at the Gen 8.5 line in Asan in the coming months and covert the LCD business to large-size QD-OLED panel business phase by phase,” said Kim Dong-won, an analyst at KB Securities. Such expectations were raised afte

Aug. 27, 2019

LG, Naver cooperate on dual-screen browsing platform

In order to provide better user experiences on dual-screen devices, LG Electronics has partnered with Naver to work on expansion of the web portal’s multitasking-focused browsing platform, the company said Tuesday. LG will adopt Naver’s web browser Whale for the firm’s upcoming devices, which will focus on optimizing the user interface of LG’s dual screen devices. Whale is marketed as an “omni-tasking” browser that enables users to operate more than two tasks

Aug. 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] Samsung on high alert ahead of Supreme Court ruling in bribery case against Lee

Amid the harsh trade and market conditions surrounding South Korea’s largest conglomerate, Samsung Electronics, the company is on high alert as the country’s highest court is set to rule this week on a bribery scandal involving Samsung’s heir and the former president. The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver a final verdict Thursday at 2 p.m. in the cases of former President Park Geun-hye, her confidante Choi Soon-sil and Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong. The top court will decide wh

Aug. 26, 2019

Samsung DeX solution to offer Chicago police digital access

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics’ in-vehicle computing system DeX will be piloted by the Chicago Police Department in the United States, the company said Friday. Dubbed as “DeX In-Vehicle,” the solution will provide police officers the ability to dock their Galaxy smartphones and access policing applications on a dash-mounted display and keyboard. The officers in the pilot -- taking place across the city’s 11th District this year -- will be able to access compu

Aug. 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Facebook wins court battle over network cutoff

　Facebook Korea has won a yearlong legal battle against the government’s decision to impose a financial penalty for a massive network cutoff in 2017.　The Seoul Administrative Court ruled Thursday that it was unlawful for the Korea Communication Commission to impose a 396 million won ($367,000) fine on Facebook for delaying access for those subscribed to SK Telecom, SK Broadband and LG Uplus by changing network connection routes.  　Facebook had denied the accusation, saying that the te

Aug. 22, 2019

LG Chem prioritizes sustainability in battery material suppliers

South Korea’s leading battery maker LG Chem has introduced sustainability as an evaluation factor for battery material suppliers to incorporate the rising importance of supply chain management and ethical purchases, the company said Thursday.  The company recently conducted the first assessment of its material suppliers, in which it evaluated the suppliers’ sustainability by examining working conditions, human rights of employees, safety of the work environment, management of ma

Aug. 22, 2019

Samsung Display CEO boosts internal communication

Samsung Display CEO Lee Dong-hoon held an event to boost communication with employees, underscoring that the company was taking steps forward despite facing challenges the company said Thursday. At its corporate campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on Wednesday, Lee had a question-and-answer session with around 450 employees. The event was broadcast live for employees who were not able to be present.  During the 1 1/2 hour meeting, Lee offered frank answers to questions raised by emp

Aug. 22, 2019