[Breaking] Worker dies of CO2 poisoning at Samsung semiconductor plant

A worker died of carbon dioxide poisoning Tuesday at the Samsung Electronics semiconductor plant in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province, during an inspection of fire-safety equipment, the company confirmed. Two other workers involved in the accident were in critical condition as of Tuesday evening, it said. According to a Samsung Electronics spokesperson, the accident occurred at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday in an area within the basement used to store firefighting equipment, located below the 6-3 production line a

Sept. 4, 2018

Kakao to bring artificial intelligence to cars, homes

　Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s most-used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, on Tuesday pledged to focus its artificial intelligence capabilities on homes and cars.　Kakao has been heavily investing in AI over the past two years. It launched its proprietary AI platform Kakao I, equipped with features such as voice recognition, natural language processing, image search, recommendations and translation, as well as a smart speaker running on the platform, Kakao Mini.　The company plans to continue ram

Sept. 4, 2018

Nexon forms gaming industry's first union in Korea

Online gaming giant Nexon Korea Co. launched a labor union on Monday, a first for a game service provider in South Korea."The establishment of the Nexon union will act as a tow truck to improve labor conditions in the gaming industry as a whole," the union said in a press release. "Labor conditions in the local gaming industry are very poor, although the local market has expanded to a 12 trillion won ($10.8 billion) business." (Yonhap)Nexon employees, as well as workers from affiliates such as N

Sept. 3, 2018

[IFA 2018] Not yet time for Samsung to take on autonomous driving: Harman CEO

BERLIN -- It is too early to discuss the possibility of a foray by Samsung Electronics into the field of autonomous driving, according to Dinesh Paliwal, CEO of Harman International.“We are studying a lot on autonomous driving solutions with Samsung, but that’s too far away,” said the Harman CEO on Friday at IFA 2018, which runs through Wednesday in Berlin. “It’s our long-term goal.” As Samsung expands its presence in the auto industry, there has been speculation that the company might be involv

Sept. 3, 2018

Macrogen launches DNA-based personalized home training service

DNA testing -- a way for individuals to learn about their genes and related health markers -- is increasingly being used today to help people improve their lifestyles and devise diets suited to their physiological makeup.Taking this concept into the realm of physical fitness, Korea’s top gene-sequencing service provider, Macrogen, has launched a personalized home-training service designed on the basis of the client’s genetic makeup, the company said Monday.Macrogen, which launched the service in

Sept. 3, 2018

[IFA 2018] 8K, voice control, AI-powered appliances sum up IFA 2018

BERLIN -- The keywords for the IFA 2018, the biggest trade show for consumer electronics running through Wednesday, are 8K-resolution TV, voice control and artificial intelligence-based home appliances. For the first three days of this year’s IFA show in Berlin, tens of thousands of visitors -- including officials from leading technology companies, product buyers and industry analysts -- focused their attention on the latest trends centering on AI. The TV industry embarked on new competition for

Sept. 2, 2018

LG Electronics CEO seeks tie-up with Nvidia for self-driving applications

BERLIN -- Jo Seong-jin, vice chairman and CEO of LG Electronics, hinted Friday that the South Korean home appliance manufacturer wanted to forge a partnership with Nvidia to develop applications for autonomous driving. The LG CEO told The Korea Herald on the first day of the IFA 2018 in Berlin that the company could join hands with leading autonomous driving solution companies like Nvidia as part of efforts to expand its vehicle component business. “Firms like Nvidia are taking the lead in devel

Sept. 2, 2018

Line eyes new growth with launch of crypto token, blockchain network

Line, the Japan-based mobile messenger operator owned by South Korea’s Naver, has announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency and an underlying blockchain network to support it, in a move to attract more users to the Line business ecosystem.　The company plans to launch the digital tokens, dubbed Link, this month. Link tokens will not be issued in the form of an initial coin offering but via a reward system that gives users Link in exchange for using and engaging in services within Line.The

Sept. 2, 2018

Nexon expands employee benefits to boost work-life balance

South Korean video game giant Nexon is working to expand its employee benefits, ranging from cultural and educational programs to special vacations for longtime employees, as it strives to keep in line with a corporate culture that prioritizes work-life balance.Among Nexon Korea’s most popular offerings is an arts and culture class program called Nexon Forum. Operational since 2012, the program has held more than 100 classes so far in areas such as woodcraft, pottery making, choral training and

Sept. 2, 2018

[IFA 2018] Collaboration with Google, Amazon to create new biz for LG, says CEO

BERLIN -– Jo Seong-jin, vice chairman and CEO of LG Electronics, a passionate advocate of artificial intelligence, believes open cooperation with top AI players like Google and Amazon will help the device manufacturer gather data better and make it a strong AI player. “Our cooperation with Google and Amazon will help us accumulate data in our devices, and this will make LG a strong AI company,” Jo said Friday during a press conference on the first day of IFA 2018 taking place for six days throug

Sept. 2, 2018

[IFA 2018] LG CEO opens IFA 2018 with AI vision for ‘better life’

BERLIN -- Artificial intelligence and robots will bring a better life, with a wider range of choices in our everyday lives, said Jo Seong-jin, chief of the South Korean tech giant LG Electronics, as he opened IFA 2018 on Friday. In a keynote speech announcing the kickoff of the six-day exposition on innovative home appliances and new technologies taking place in the German capital, LG CEO Jo outlined the company’s strategic direction for the new era of AI. “Spending 42 years at LG, all through m

Aug. 31, 2018

President vows increased support for big data industry

President Moon Jae-in vowed additional government support for the data industry Friday, stressing the need to develop big data into the country's new growth engine."The government will fully support the data industry as part of efforts to revitalize our economy. We will establish a new expressway of data in the era of data as we built the Gyeongbu Expressway in the era of industrialization," the president said.His remarks came in a meeting with some 120 officials and representatives from the dat

Aug. 31, 2018

[IFA 2018] Samsung could collaborate with Google on AI: CEO

BERLIN -- Samsung Electronics may not be the top player in the field of artificial intelligence just yet, but it could use its position as the world’s leading device manufacturer to negotiate collaboration with Google on AI, the company’s consumer electronics chief said Thursday. “Samsung is developing its own voice assistant, Bixby, but we could consider various (forms) of collaboration with Google in the field,” said Kim Hyun-suk, Samsung’s president and CEO of consumer electronics, during a p

Aug. 31, 2018

[IFA 2018] Samsung, LG to provide OCF-certified IoT devices next year

BERLIN, Germany – The Open Connectivity Foundation, a global organization on Internet of Things standards, announced Thursday at IFA 2018 in Berlin that the body and leading home appliance makers agreed to raise interoperability within the Internet of Things ecosystem.A ceremony to mark the agreement was held in Berlin one day ahead of the opening of IFA 2018, attended by C-level executives from Electrolux, Haier, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics. OFC is a 400-member organization that seek

Aug. 30, 2018

Ready player one: eSports superstar sets sights on Olympics

JAKARTA (AFP) - The undisputed superstar in the growing world of eSports said gaming deserved its place in the Olympics -- despite a mixed reception at its debut Asian Games.　Faker, real-name Lee Sang-hyeok, has gone from high school drop-out to fame and fortune through eSports, which are now knocking loudly on the door of the mainstream.　He said eSports‘ growth potential and popularity among the young made them a must both for the Asian Games, where they were played as a demonstration sport in

Aug. 30, 2018

[IFA 2018] LG vows to lead European built-in market with Signature Kitchen Suite

BERLIN -- LG Electronics will make a foray into Europe’s built-in home appliance market with its newest kitchen brand, pledging to improve the lives of consumers, said the head of the company’s home appliance business on Thursday. “LG’s home appliance unit is officially launching a new built-in brand, Signature Kitchen Suite, in Europe, which is a significant milestone for the Korean company to accelerate its foray into the world’s biggest built-in market,” said Song Dae-hyun, president of LG’s

Aug. 30, 2018

Kakao broadens AI platform with Hyundai, boosts e-commerce business with M&A

Kakao, operator of South Korea’s top-used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, is moving to extend its influence in its major business divisions, through strategic acquisitions in the e-commerce sector and partnerships in the artificial intelligence platform business.　Kakao is reportedly looking to acquire Korea Center, which operates international shopping support site Malltail that helps Korean consumers make direct purchases from overseas sites and ships the purchased goods to Korea.A man makes an onl

Aug. 30, 2018

[IFA 2018] Samsung introduces 8K QLED TV against OLED TV

BERLIN -- Samsung Electronics announced the global launch of its first 8K (7680X4320) quantum-dot light-emitting diode TV on Thursday, the day before the opening of the IFA 2018. Dubbed Q900R QLED 8K, the lineup consists of large sizes of 65-, 75- and 85-inch models. It features clearer and brighter picture quality than the current 4K (3840×2160) TVs as it uses a quadrupled number of pixels. Due to the higher pixel density, 8K TVs provide a more immersive experience for viewers with more live co

Aug. 30, 2018

[IFA 2018] Tech titans highlight AI-driven lifestyles

BERLIN -- How can artificial intelligence change people’s daily lives and how close is it to doing so? These are the two major questions that leading technology companies seek to answer at the IFA 2018, which kicks off in the German capital on Friday. “You will think wisely and be free with AI,” Jo Seong-jin, CEO and vice chairman of LG Electronics, said in an advance copy of his speech to be delivered at the opening ceremony of the IFA 2018.The LG CEO was to elaborate on how the company is tryi

Aug. 30, 2018

Uber seeks partnership with Korean tech companies

Ride-hailing service Uber’s Chief Operating Officer Barney Harford on Wednesday said the company is seeking new partnerships with technology companies in South Korea, an important market equipped with advanced technology. “The size of Korea as an economy is very significant. Also this is a country that is deep in technology. I think there is potential for us to work closely with some of the great companies in Korea and develop partnerships that serve the Korean market well, but also help us take

Aug. 29, 2018