iPhone 8 preorders begin in Korea amid weak global sales record

　Apple opened up preorders for the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in South Korea on Friday amid skepticism over their market success here as the two devices have been posting a weak initial sales record in other global markets.　Korea’s mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus began receiving online reservations for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on Friday. Korea was included in the iPhone 8 series’ third wave of international releases following their official global debut on Sept. 22. 　The 4.

Oct. 27, 2017

Naver's Q3 net rises 9% on lower corporate tax payment

Naver Corp., South Korea’s leading online portal operator, said Thursday its third-quarter net profit rose 9 percent from a year earlier on lower corporate tax payments. In the third quarter that ended on Sept. 30, Naver posted a net profit of 216 billion won ($191 million), up from 198 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a statement.  Naver`s headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province (Yonhap)“In the third quarter of last year, the company paid a hefty corporate tax due to a merger

Oct. 26, 2017

[Photo News] Asia's first Marvel Experience center opens in Busan

ASIA’S FIRST MARVEL EXPERIENCE CENTER - Visitors to Marvel Experience, a mobile interactive attraction featuring Marvel’s flagship characters including Thor, Iron Man and Spider-Man, experience the facility’s offerings Thursday. The new facility is located in Busan and is the first of its kind to open in Asia. (Yonhap)

Oct. 26, 2017

[Newsmaker] SK hynix steps closer to record-high annual profit

With another record-breaking performance in the third quarter, South Korea’s second largest chipmaker SK hynix is stepping closer to witnessing the largest-ever annual profit of around 10 trillion won ($8.9 billion) this year. According to earnings announced Thursday, the chipmaking unit of SK Group, posted 8.1 trillion won in sales and 3.74 trillion won in operating profit during the July to September period. The third quarter revenue and operating profit climbed 21 percent and 23 percent from

Oct. 26, 2017

Samsung Electronics release wearables for outdoor activities

Samsung Electronics Co. showcased two wearable devices optimized for outdoor activities Thursday.The South Korean tech giant said it will start the sales of the smartwatch Gear Sport and the earphones Gear IconX 2018 starting Friday in South Korea.The Gear Sport is a 5ATM waterproof smartwatch that can be used while swimming or washing automobiles, the company said. Its Water Lock Mode prevents currents in the water activating the smartwatch.  Samsung Electronics Co.`s Gear IconX 2018 (Yonhap)Th

Oct. 26, 2017

KT eyes on global maritime industry with solutions for safety

BUSAN -- Oh Seong-mok, president of the network business at KT, South Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier by revenue, announced his ambition to bring the company’s latest solutions for small vessels to the global market Wednesday. At a press conference held at Bexco in Busan, Oh introduced the company’s newest marine telecommunications solutions for small vessels at Marine Week 2017, an international maritime exhibition being held from Tuesday through Friday. “We have embarked on the developme

Oct. 25, 2017

Kakao launches new collective mobility app Kakao T

Kakao has merged its key transportation services including taxi hailing, chauffeur service and navigation into a single mobile app called Kakao T, while also adding a new parking lot search service to the app.Now available on mobile app stores, Kakao T brings together the various widely-used mobility apps run by Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s dominant mobile messenger KakaoTalk.The new app was launched by Kakao Mobility, a Kakao subsidiary formed in August to oversee the expansion and mone

Oct. 25, 2017

Govt. tests drone delivery system in Sejong

The South Korean government on Wednesday used a drone to deliver packages in the administrative city of Sejong to test its safety and performance in a busy urban environment. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it used a trial drone to deliver a package from a post office in the government complex in Sejong to an empty lot. "We conducted the test to check the delivery drone's capability and the potential for an unmanned delivery system in cities," the ministry said.  (Yonhap)The test

Oct. 25, 2017

LG Display Q3 net soars on-year on premium goods

South Korean display maker LG Display Co. said Wednesday its third-quarter net profit jumped more than two-fold from a year earlier on the back of expanded sales of premium products.Net profit came to 477.2 billion won ($422 million) over the July-September period, rising from 189.5 billion won posted a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.Operating profit moved up 81.3 percent to reach 585.9 billion won, with sales increasing 3.7 percent to 6.9 trillion won.The net profit was a

Oct. 25, 2017

Samsung's sales of biosimilars hits $257m in Europe through Q3

South Korean pharmaceutical firm Samsung Bioepis Co. saw its sales of biosimilar products released in Europe hit $257 million through the third quarter of this year, data showed Wednesday.Samsung Bioepis said the sales of Benepali released in Europe came to $253 million over the January-September period, compared with $47 million posted a year earlier.The company also said the sales of Flixabi posted a sharp growth over the cited period to reach $4.7 million, compared with $100,000 tallied last

Oct. 25, 2017

[Video] This ‘treadmill’ is a VR-FPS game

Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeo Numix Media Works’ Quantum VR Treadmill is a virtual reality first person shooter game that gives a realistic game experience of walking through a jungle, in the space and through a maze of monsters.The treadmill was unveiled for the first time at the NEXT Content Conference at Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul on Monday and Tuesday. A visitor to the NEXT Content Conference tries out the Quantum VR Treadmill (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald) Han

Oct. 24, 2017

LG's floating speaker

LG Electronics’ Bluetooth speaker features levitating technology that enables the speaker portion to float in the air above the woofer station, allowing better sound quality in 360 degrees, the company said Tuesday. LG launched the product in Korea at the price of 369,000 won ($327), following its initial launch in the UK in August. (LG Electronics)

Oct. 24, 2017

[Newsmaker] Korean researchers develop blood test technology to predict Alzheimer’s

Researchers in South Korea have developed a new technology that can predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease through a blood test before the physical symptoms start to show, paving the way for early diagnosis and treatment planning. 　　Alzheimer’s is a neurological disorder in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive dementia. It is a progressive disease without a cure, and dementia symptoms worsen over time.　Scientists do not have a clear answer yet as to what causes Alzhe

Oct. 24, 2017

Korean mobile carriers to face off in 5G at global forum

South Korean mobile carriers SK Telecom and KT are planning to showcase their efforts related to the fifth-generation network at an international forum in an ongoing competition to commercialize the network as an industry first, according to the two companies Tuesday. SKT will unveil its research achievements in the commercialization of the 5G network and core technologies at the Next Generation Mobile Networks conference set to kick off in Seattle on Wednesday. The NGMN is an international orga

Oct. 24, 2017

Samsung, TUV SUD develop testing program for automotive LED components

South Korean tech behemoth Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it has developed a new testing program for automotive light-emitting diode components in partnership with TUV SUD, a global technical services provider of quality, safety and sustainability solutions. The two companies held a ceremony to unveil the testing program at the headquarters of TUV SUD Korea in Seoul. The Samsung-TUV SUD agreement marks the first time in the industry that an automotive LED component manufacturer has partnered w

Oct. 24, 2017

Samsung Electronics says OLED displays not suitable for TVs

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday the organic light-emitting diode technology is not suitable for use on television sets, apparently targeting its main rival LG Electronics Inc. while promoting its own QLED screens.The statement follows a YouTube video posted by the South Korean giant earlier, which also criticized LG Electronics' OLED displays. Samsung and LG have been promoting QLED and OLED as their next-generation TV technologies, respectively.The South Korean tech giant said OLED display

Oct. 24, 2017

[Graphic News] S. Korean HIV patients on rise

   The number of people with HIV in South Korea has nearly tripled over the past 10 years, data showed last week.   A total of 13,584 people had been diagnosed with HIV in 2016, up from 5,316 tallied in 2007, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention submitted to the National Assembly.   Patients in their 30s accounted for 27.2 percent of the total, followed by those in their 20s with 25.9 percent, those in their 40s with 21.3 percent, and those between 10 and 2

Oct. 23, 2017

Big data to lead Korea's future biohealth sector

South Korea must swiftly work to build up a strong medical big data system as it will form the backbone of future medicine led by personalized and predictive health care, biohealth experts in Seoul said Monday.　Large-scale datasets collected from wearables and biomedical sensors will be combined with artificial intelligence computing technologies to enable early diagnosis of diseases and guide treatment planning.“The biggest priority for Korea’s biohealth industry is nurturing a strong big data

Oct. 23, 2017

SKT prepares to launch 5G-like Wi-Fi service

South Korea’s SK Telecom said Monday it has developed Wi-Fi technology that is capable of transmitting data at a maximum speed of 4.8 Gbps and an application processor. At the company’s office in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, SKT said it had succeeded in demonstrating the highest Wi-Fi speed that is about four times faster than the current Wi-Fi used on smartphones. SKT’s upcoming Wi-Fi technology will use four antennas and a 160 MHz frequency bandwidth, double the current Wi-Fi service, which wil

Oct. 23, 2017

[Exclusive] Samsung invests in Chinese AI chipset startup DeePhi Tech: sources

Memory chip giant Samsung Electronics has invested in a Chinese artificial intelligence technology developer as part of its efforts to catch up in the intensifying global race for AI platforms and devices, according to sources Sunday. In August, Samsung made a significant investment in DeePhi Tech, a Tsinghua-based startup with deep learning technologies, a source told The Korea Herald. “Samsung made quite a large investment in DeePhi Tech, which a group of Korean developers who met the startup’

Oct. 22, 2017