[News Focus] Amid intensifying market volatility, Samsung to face more uncertainties in H2

Samsung Electronics’ operating profits halved in the second quarter on weak chip prices and poor mobile sales, but it is expected to face even more challenges in the second half of the year due to increased uncertainties over trade disputes and the nearing trial to determine the fate of its de facto leader. The South Korean IT giant’s sales slid 4 percent to 56.1 trillion won ($47.4 billion), but its operating profits plunged 55.6 percent on-year to 6.59 trillion won over lower memor

July 31, 2019

[Herald Interview] For blockchain business success, S. Korea firms should open up more to ‘outsiders’

   　Ranging from internet companies to manufacturing-focused conglomerates, Korean companies have been rolling out series of blockchain-based business plans. 　The country’s two leading online service providers, Naver and Kakao, have launched their own blockchain ledgers and digital currencies. Samsung Electronics has introduced a blockchain-powered wallet, where users can store cryptocurrencies to purchase apps at its flagship Galaxy S10 phones. 　But, in the eyes of Korea&rs

July 30, 2019

Number of Koreans accessing darknet surges: report

The number of South Koreans accessing the darknet, a network of encrypted websites that cannot be accessed through search engines, has tripled in 2 1/2 years. Statistics released by Tor Metrics on Monday showed that the average of 5,156 South Korean users per day accessed the darknet at the end of 2016. The figure had jumped to 15,951 users as of July this year. The number of global darknet users nearly doubled from 151,794 to 290,955 during the same period. Tor Metrics is a website evaluating a

July 30, 2019

Global chipmakers spur investments while Samsung suffers

While production of high-computing chips at Samsung Electronics, the world’s top memory chip business, is expected to suffer in the wake of a trade dispute between South Korea and Japan, other global chipmakers are aggressively expanding investments to spur production, according to the industry on Monday. TSMC, the world’s third-biggest chipmaker based in Taiwan, has announced a plan to hire more than 3,000 engineers by the end of this year, along with plans to invest in new extreme

July 29, 2019

[News Focus] Will Samsung cut memory chip production?

With SK hynix making a painful decision to cut production of memory chips Thursday, all eyes are on whether Samsung Electronics -- the world’s No. 1 DRAM producer with a market share of over 40 percent -- will follow suit. Samsung has denied it plans to cut production, but market analysts say the chip giant will slowly reduce its output of memory chips. This may sound negative to Samsung’s operations, but cutting down production would help shore up sagging prices in the memory segmen

July 26, 2019

SK hynix to downsize production amid profit plunge

SK hynix, the second-largest chipmaker in the world, announced Friday its lowest quarterly operating profit in three years in the second quarter of this year, and has decided to downsize production amid growing concerns about demand recovery and impact of the trade dispute with Japan.The company said it posted 6.45 trillion won ($5.46 billion) in sales during the April to June period, down 38 percent from a year earlier, while recording 638 billion won in operating profits. Second-quarter operat

July 25, 2019

Samsung officially announces launch of Galaxy Fold in September

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it will release its first foldable smartphone Galaxy Fold in September, three months after postponing the launch due to display defects. To fix the problems, Samsung said the top protective layer of the foldable display has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed.  The Galaxy Fold also features additional reinforcements to better protect the device from external part

July 25, 2019

LG Display plans W3tr investment to push forward OLED TVs

LG Display announced Tuesday it has invested an additional 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in the 10.5-generation line for organic light-emitting diode panels at its P10 factory in a bid to expand the market presence of large-sized OLED screens. The world’s biggest OLED panel maker will execute the investment with an aim to increase the monthly production capacity of the newest line located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, to 45,000, starting from 2023. The Gen 10.5 plant was built to manufacture

July 23, 2019

AI tech used to battle spycam video crimes

The South Korean government has begun to use artificial intelligence technology in its fight against illegal sex videos.The state agencies said Monday that they have started applying the AI technology to search and delete illicit sex videos shared on the internet. The technology has been adopted by the Gender Equality Ministry’s center for supporting victims of cybersex crimes.The center expects the new AI solution to help shorten the time in finding and removing sex crime videos, also kno

July 23, 2019

LG Chem recruiting innovative tech ideas from around world

LG Chem said Tuesday the company is holding the second Global Innovation Contest to discover new technologies and ideas from universities and institutes around the world. The South Korean petrochemicals and energy solutions developer started receiving innovative ideas in the fields of petrochemicals, electronic batteries, advanced materials and biotechnology. Recruitment will run until Sept. 30. Graduates and professional researchers in the aforementioned fields are eligible to apply for the con

July 23, 2019

S. Koreans use social media more for entertainment than communication: survey

More South Koreans are utilizing social media for sources of entertainment contents than as a means of communications with friends, according to a report released by DMC Media on Monday.According to the survey conducted on 1,000 people here aged between 20 and 60 over the last month, “viewing casually entertaining contents,” selected by 64 percent of the respondents, was the most popular reason for using social media. Other popular reasons for visiting social media platforms included

July 22, 2019

LG to release Arabic-speaking AI TVs in Middle East

LG Electronics said Monday the company will launch the latest models of its artificial intelligence TVs with Arabic language options in the Middle East market this month, starting with Saudi Arabia. The LG TVs will be the world’s first to offer Arabic as a language option for the AI platform voice controls. The Korean company is releasing organic light-emitting diode TVs and liquid crystal display-based NanoCell TVs in the Middle East market, both equipped with LG’s AI platform LG Th

July 22, 2019

Samsung’s US investment plans not linked to Japan’s curbs

Samsung Electronics is not considering making additional investments in the United States as a plausible measure against the ongoing exports curbs by Japan, according to company officials Monday. Some news reports said the South Korean tech giant is considering expansion of its system-on-chip and foundry facilities in Austin, Texas, to fend off the impact of the Japan-imposed restrictions on exports of key chipmaking materials. Samsung had discussed making additional investments in the Austin pl

July 22, 2019

Samsung seeks to diversify smartphone display, battery suppliers

Samsung Electronics appears to be turning to domestic electronics parts makers, especially for its upcoming mobile devices, amid Japan’s economic reprisal, according to industry sources Sunday. The South Korean tech giant is deemed to be the biggest victim of Japanese restrictions on exports of three key hi-tech materials -- fluorinated polyimide, photoresist and hydrogen fluoride -- which can smother the production of both semiconductors and smartphones. For the Galaxy Fold smartphones, S

July 21, 2019

Memory chip prices jump following Japan export curbs

Major memory chip prices have jumped 25 percent in the past two weeks following Japan's restrictions on exports of high-tech materials to South Korea, industry data showed Saturday.  The prices of dynamic random-access memory chips jumped by up to 25 percent to $3,736 on Friday from $3,030 on July 5, one day after Japan's announcement on export curbs. Those of NAND flash memory chips rose by up to 6.1 percent to $2,493 from $2,350 during the same period, according to global market research

July 20, 2019

Samsung asks local partners to secure Japanese parts amid export curbs

Samsung Electronics Co. is exploring all possible means to secure stock piles of Japanese materials in preparation for Tokyo expanding its export restrictions, company sources said Thursday.The tech giant has sent letters to its local partners in the production of televisions, consumer electronics and smartphones, urging them to secure various Japanese components by the end of July, or before Aug. 15 at the latest. Japan began applying stricter export rules to South Korea for three key materials

July 18, 2019

Despite Japan curbs, Samsung presses ahead with production of cutting-edge chips

Samsung Electronics on Thursday announced it was starting the mass production of the world’s fastest mobile DRAM chips for 5G-enabled smartphones, amid prolonging tensions between South Korea and Japan over export restrictions.  Samsung has embarked on mass producing 10-nanometer-class 12-gigabit low-power DDR5, featuring the fastest data processing for mobile devices -- 1.3 times faster than previous mobile memory chips. The Korean tech giant is also planning to start mass producing

July 18, 2019

Naver, Line accused of UI plagiarism

　Some South Korean app developers have accused internet giant Naver and Japanese subsidiary Line of plagiarism, saying the companies copied their user interface designs.　Carrot Market, an app used for buying and selling secondhand items, said Line introduced a similar app in Vietnam last year and plagiarized Carrot Market’s design and features.　Line’s Get It app is “extremely similar” to Carrot Market in terms of everything from the main display to the identification meth

July 18, 2019

AR-based Jurassic World to arrive in Seoul this year: SKT

　With companies around the world seeking to incorporate 5G network technology with augmented reality contents, South Korea’s leading mobile carrier has come up with an entertaining marketing gimmick to demonstrate the combination’s potential usage in real life. 　Korea’s biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom announced Thursday that it will establish an AR-based Jurassic World at some parks in Seoul. The company said it had agreed with the animated dinosaur’s property owner, NB

July 18, 2019

[Newsmaker]Mobility startups protest government’s ride-sharing reform plan

South Korea’s major mobility startups raised their voice against the government’s latest plan to overhaul the controversial ride-sharing business here, saying Wednesday that the envisioned rules favor taxi drivers and bigger firms.In a statement released after the Transport Ministry announced its reform plan for the country’s mobility industry, VCNC, which runs the popular ride-hailing service Tada, said the government’s plan would only build higher barriers and prevent s

July 17, 2019