KAERI promotes SMART reactors at IAEA meeting

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute said Tuesday that it promoted its SMART reactor for export to third countries at the ongoing assembly of the international nuclear watchdog in Vienna.The promotion was made as a subsidiary event at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency the previous day, with 22 Asian, African and Mideast countries attending, a KAERI official said. During the event, KAERI introduced Saudi Arabia's nuclear reactor project, in which it is taking part,

Sept. 19, 2017

Kakao AI speaker sold out on 1st day of preorders

South Korea's top mobile messenger operator Kakao Corp. said Monday its artificial intelligence speaker was sold out on the first day of the preorder.Kakao, which also operates the country's No. 2 portal, said it sold all of the 3,000 units of the Kakao Mini allocated for preorders in 38 minutes.The company earlier said the Kakao Mini will come with its AI platform, Kakao I, along with voice recognition and software that can understand natural language. (Yonhap)While the official price of the Ka

Sept. 18, 2017

Semiconductor, display makers to invest W52tr by 2024

Major South Korean manufacturers of semiconductors and displays plan to invest a combined 51.9 trillion won ($45.8 billion) in the domestic market by 2024 to help stimulate the local economy and create jobs, the government said Monday. Senior executives from major manufacturers announced their investment plans during a meeting with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Woon-gyu, in which they outlined strategies to further develop the high tech industry, the ministry said. Kwon Oh-hyun, vi

Sept. 18, 2017

Korean chipmakers' sales to top W100tr in 2017

South Korea's top two chipmakers -- Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. -- are set to see their combined annual sales exceed 100 trillion won ($88.3 billion) this year on the back of an industry boom, industry sources said Monday.The outlook came as Samsung and SK hynix, which posted sound earnings for the first and second quarters, have been showing robust performances on higher chip prices around the globe. (Yonhap)Samsung is expected to rake in sales of between 72 and 78 trillion won fr

Sept. 18, 2017

[ITU 2017] Revolution, ecosystem, ocean: 5G is just the beginning

“You cannot assume that 5G is just 4G on steroids. It is a revolution,” said Kailash Narayanan of Keysight Technologies.The neat linear progression from 2G to 3G to 4G does not apply to next-generation networks. The generic term for future communications technologies, 5G offers so much more than just the next level up in speed and data volume. If earlier technologies are like different types of fish, says Peter Ashwood-Smith, Chair of ITU-T Focus Group on IMT for 2020, then “5G is the full ocean

Sept. 17, 2017

Samsung releases advanced fitness band, VR headset in Korea

Samsung Electronics on Friday released an upgraded GPS-based fitness band and virtual reality headset in the South Korean market. The two had previously been unveiled at the IFA 2017 convention earlier this month. The company said it would start rolling out the fitness band Gear Fit2 Pro with newly added swimming functions in partnership with global sports brands at 229,000 won ($202) for a limited 1,000 units with Bluetooth earphones as part of a promotion through Sept. 22. The Gear Fit2 Pro is

Sept. 15, 2017

Galaxy Note 8 preorders top 800,000 in Korea

The combined preorders for Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest Galaxy Note 8 drew more than 800,000 preorders in South Korea in about one week, far outpacing its predecessor, the company said Friday.The tech giant said 850,000 people ordered the premium phablet during the eight days it received online and offline reservations for purchase through the country's three mobile operators.Those who preorder the Galaxy Note 8 got the device earlier in the day, Samsung said, although the official release i

Sept. 15, 2017

KT begins installing 5G network in PyeongChang

Starting this month, South Korean mobile carrier KT will begin establishing the fifth-generation network in major parts of PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, accelerating its preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the company said Friday. KT signed an agreement with Korea Expressway Corp. on the establishment of the 5G network on major roads and facilities in PyeongChang, which will enable visitors to enjoy seamless telecom services on the road.  Officials of KT and Korea Expressway Corpora

Sept. 15, 2017

Korean-American scholars discover mechanism that may hold key to preventing autism

Two Korean-American scholars have identified a mechanism in mice that links autism in offspring to a mother’s gut infection during pregnancy, in a discovery that could one day help prevent the development of the condition. Two studies, led by Gloria Choi of MIT and husband Jun Huh of Harvard Medical School and published in Nature on Wednesday, illuminate that pregnant mice exposed to infection develop an autoimmune response which can result in neural developmental problems in their offspring. Th

Sept. 14, 2017

Upbeat mood continues in smartphone market with LG V30

A recent upbeat atmosphere in the Korean smartphone market peaked Thursday, as LG Electronics kicked off preorders for its latest flagship V30 smartphone in competition with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8. This is the first time for LG to throw a preorder event for the V series smartphone, which has been read by market watchers as the company’s renewed confidence in the newest product. Preorders for the LG phones will be available for one week until Wednesday through the country’s three big mobile carr

Sept. 14, 2017

Samsung embarks on investment in autonomous driving

The world’s No. 1 chip and handset maker, Samsung has embarked on a new autonomous driving business by announcing the creation of a new fund Wednesday. The South Korean technology giant established a $300 million fund -- Samsung Automotive Innovation Fund -- that will exclusively focus on connected car and autonomous driving technologies, the company said in a press release Thursday.The autonomous technologies include smart sensors, machine vision, artificial intelligence, high-performance compu

Sept. 14, 2017

Naver CEO apologizes for providing favors to children of top officials

Naver CEO Han Seong-sook apologized on behalf of the company for providing favors to the children of South Korea’s top legal officials including the daughter of former Senior Prosecutor Jin Kyung-joon, who is currently serving jail time for accepting bribes.　Naver shared a public apology from the incumbent CEO on its official blog Naver Diary following news reports that the company had unfairly provided favors and opportunities to Jin’s daughter.“Naver provided unofficial favors such as a free p

Sept. 14, 2017

Kakao, Samsung team up in AI sector

South Korea's top mobile messenger operator Kakao Corp. said Thursday it has partnered with tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. in the artificial intelligence sector to tap deeper into the burgeoning industry.Kakao I, the company's AI platform, will be integrated with Samsung's voice recognition program, Bixby, to allow more users to better experience the technology, Kakao said. "The cooperation with Samsung Electronics shows that Kakao's service has a competitive edge and the potential growth of

Sept. 14, 2017

Bain, SK hynix back in running to buy Toshiba chip unit

Japan’s Toshiba is leaning back toward a global consortium that includes South Korea’s SK hynix in the bidding for its memory chip business, the company announced Wednesday. Toshiba’s board of directors on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the consortium led by US private equity group Bain Capital and technology giant Apple, Development Bank of Japan and Korean chipmaker SK hynix.“Toshiba’s board of directors has determined to continue negotiations with the Bain-led consortium

Sept. 13, 2017

[Newsmaker] Naver, Kakao compete to secure more AI speaker purchases

South Korea’s two biggest IT companies are ramping up efforts to achieve more preorders for their artificial intelligence-powered smart speakers that are slated to hit shelves here soon, with aims to dominate the nascent market. Naver, the operator of Korea’s biggest portal website, and Kakao, which runs the country’s most widely used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, are slated to launch voice-activated standalone speakers here in the coming months.Globally, the smart speaker market is dominated by f

Sept. 13, 2017

SKT to export AI solution to India

South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom will export its artificial intelligence network solutions to India’s Bharti Airtel, marking the company’s biggest foreign project, it announced Wednesday. The two telecoms signed a strategic partnership to transfer AI technologies and solutions in San Francisco, where heads of global mobile carriers have gathered to attend the Mobile World Congress America. Under the partnership, SKT will apply its AI network solution to the nationwide telecommunication net

Sept. 13, 2017

LG Electronics to receive preorders for V30 smartphone this week

LG Electronics Co. said Wednesday that it plans to start accepting preorders for its new flagship smartphone, the V30, ahead of the official release slated for later this month.Customers who make preorders through the country's mobile phone operators from Thursday to next Wednesday will get the new smartphone starting Sept. 21, the consumer electronics giant said.The company finalized the price tag of the base 64 gigabyte V30 at 949,000 won ($841) and the 128 gigabyte version at 998,000 won.Late

Sept. 13, 2017

Apple unveils iPhone X with new display as rivals grow

Apple Inc. unveiled its most important new iPhone for years to take on growing competition from Samsung Electronics Co., Google and a host of Chinese smartphone makers.Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook showed off the iPhone X with an edge-to-edge screen during an event at the company’s new $5 billion headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday. Cook pronounced the name "ten," but it’s written as "X." The device, coming a decade after the original model, is Apple’s first major redesign since

Sept. 13, 2017

Samsung SDI showcases EV batteries at Frankfurt Motor Show 2017

Samsung SDI introduced its multipurpose batteries at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2017 held in Germany, the company said Tuesday. The newly invented battery modules provide extended driving ranges for electric vehicles.  (Samsung SDI)A premium electric vehicle with 20 modules can drive up to 700 kilometers, while an entry level electric vehicle with 10 to 12 modules can drive up to some 300 km, the company said. Automakers can change the number of modules to be installed in different car models. Sam

Sept. 12, 2017

Samsung aims to launch foldable device next year: CEO

Samsung Electronics aims to introduce a smartphone with a foldable display next year, Koh Dong-jin, CEO of the firm’s smartphone business announced Tuesday.At a press conference held three days before the release of the latest Galaxy Note 8 smartphone in Korea, Koh said Samsung has clear roadmaps for the innovation of its smartphone series -- the Galaxy S and Note -- and a foldable type is to be included in one of the series. “We have a plan to adopt a foldable display in our roadmap,” Koh said.

Sept. 12, 2017