Seoul National University Hospital boasts lead in laparoscopic liver transplants

Mahra Al Dhahouri, a 33-year-old woman from the United Arab Emirates, suffers from autoimmune hepatitis, a disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the liver and causes inflammation. 　Her disease progressed to the point that she needed a liver transplant. However, she could not undergo surgery as she could not find a suitable donor that matched her blood type. At South Korea’s Seoul National University Hospital, the patient found a solution: It was possible for her to receive a live

March 30, 2017

Kakao to release AI-powered voice assistant platform

South Korean mobile messaging giant Kakao will introduce an artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant platform within the first half of this year, joining forerunners in the field such as Amazon, Google, Facebook and local rival Naver.　Kakao, which operates South Korea’s biggest mobile messenger KakaoTalk, announced Thursday that it has formed a new AI division within the company to develop its own AI voice assistant service platform.The company plans to launch the AI assistant platform by

March 30, 2017

[Monitor] Youths glued to YouTube

Those in their teens and 20s use YouTube far more than other age group, a survey by Nielson Korean Click showed, reflecting the younger generation‘s preference towards videos and images.KakaoTalk maintained the top spot among all mobile applications by all age group.

March 30, 2017

KT, Hyundai Motor shows home-to-car service

South Korea’s mobile carrier KT demonstrated how homes can be connected with cars in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company at a warm-up event for the Seoul Motor Show on Thursday.KT presented its voice assistant-based GiGA Genie platform to Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicle Ioniq, which enabled remote controlling of the vehicle with a driver’s voice, including starting the engine and searching for a destination.KT's GiGA Genie (KT)GiGA Genie is a voice-controlled home entertainment platform laun

March 30, 2017

Naver unveils cognitive self-driving technology, AI infotainment platform

South Korean web portal giant Naver on Thursday unveiled intelligence-based self-driving technologies and an infotainment platform for connected cars at the Seoul Motor Show that is set to kick off Friday.At a press day event held a day prior to the show opening, Naver Labs demonstrated a deep learning-based image recognition technology under works at a 1,000-square-meter booth under the theme of “All Ways Connected, Always Intelligent” at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Naver is the country

March 30, 2017

Korea to invest 260 bln won in system semiconductor sector

South Korea will invest a combined 260 billion won ($233.1 million) in the system semiconductor sector to develop core technologies and foster experts in the coming four to six years as part of a broader effort to keep up with the fourth industrial revolution, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled the investment plan at a meeting with a group of system semiconductor businesses in Seoul.  (Yonhap)The fourth revolution is characterized by many technologie

March 30, 2017

Samsung's Galaxy S8 boasts advanced voice recognition AI agent Bixby

The new Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone unveiled for the first time in New York and London boasts an advanced voice recognition system, dubbed Bixby, which stands out from other existing programs in the market, the phone's manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday.Samsung showcased the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, the first flagship series to be launched since the suspended production of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 last year, with an emphasis on promoting Bixby. Samsung Electronics C

March 30, 2017

Samsung's Galaxy S8 lighter, more compact than LG G6

South Korean companies issued bonds worth 13.8 trillion won ($12.4 billion) last month, up 72.8 percent from a month earlier, data showed Thursday, as they capitalized on record-low interest rates. Sales of debts by non-financial firms more than doubled to 4.9 trillion won last month from a month earlier, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.  Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 (Yonhap)Sales of debts by financial firms also shot up 35.9 percent on month to 7.5 trillion won

March 30, 2017

Samsung showcases Galaxy S8 with new design, cutting-edge tech, AI

Samsung Electronics Co. showcased its new Galaxy S8 series Thursday with a new, sleek design and cutting-edge features not seen in its predecessors such as the Bixby voice assistant.The company's new flagship will be released in two versions that make use of the premium glass and metal form factor with one sporting a 5.8-inch screen and the other a bigger 6.2-inch panel. (Yonhap)Both boast double-edged Super AMOLED screens that give the illusion of having no bezels. This is a departure from the

March 30, 2017

[Inside Tech] Stepping closer to living in a smart home

Today, everything seems to be smart. We see a flood of new smart home devices coming out from global and small tech players. Software giants Google and Amazon are competitively unveiling advanced voice-activated speakers while hardware behemoths Samsung, LG, GE and Philips are churning out the newest smart appliances and electronics. Small tech players are also showing off various smart gadgets such as bulbs, cameras, locks and lighting. Despite the companies’ efforts to push out a plethora of s

March 29, 2017

LG powers its home appliances with deep learning technology

LG Electronics on Wednesday vowed to reinforce its home appliance lineup with its proprietary artificial intelligence technology to contend for leadership in the AI-powered market. The South Korean electronics provider said it had launched an AI-equipped refrigerator, robot vacuum cleaner and washing machine, following an air conditioner early this year. The series of new products run on DeepThinQ, LG’s proprietary deep learning technology, the company said.  DeepThinQ-based home appliances (LG

March 29, 2017

Samsung SDI to make turnaround this year: analysts

Samsung SDI is expected to make a turnaround this year due to the increased battery supply for Samsung’s flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 alongside revenue generated from the polarizing film business, analysts said Wednesday. Last year, Samsung SDI posted an operating loss of 926 billion won ($831 million), mainly because of its money-losing battery business that accounts for 65 percent of total sales. The battery unit posted an operating loss of 451 billion won due to slowing market demand, the No

March 29, 2017

SK hynix joins bid to buy Toshiba's memory business

South Korea's major chipmaker SK hynix Inc. decided to join the preliminary bid to purchase the memory chip business of Japan's Toshiba Corp., industry sources said Wednesday.SK hynix is estimated to have suggested more than 10 trillion won ($8.9 billion) for the deal. (Yonhap)The South Korean company said it cannot comment on any details on the deal, including whether it actually aims to buy the memory business.Industry sources said SK hynix may seek to establish a consortium with Japanese fina

March 29, 2017

Scientists develop new drug treatment for brain cancer

A group of South Korean medial scientists has developed a new type of non-surgical procedure to deliver drugs to tumors in the brain, the science ministry said Tuesday, opening up new treatment opportunities for patients.Drug delivery to brain tumors has been considered challenging because of the presence of the blood-brain barrier that is in place to protect the critical human organ from non-natural substances. (Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning)The team, led by Park Joo-yeong of the

March 28, 2017

Conversing with your fridge: Samsung showcases S Voice

Imagine you are in the middle of cooking dinner at home when suddenly you remember the nearly empty carton of milk for your son. All you need to do is say to your refrigerator, “Hi, Samsung! Find milk at E-mart.” Or, if you’ve forgot the next cooking step, just call up a recipe from the fridge. It will read it aloud. Samsung Electronics on Tuesday highlighted the enhancement of its voice recognition technology S Voice, as the tech giant launched its latest smart refrigerator model that went on s

March 28, 2017

LG sues US smartphone maker BLU over patent infringement

LG Electronics said Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against US-based rival BLU over alleged patent infringements. The company said the US phone manufacturer has infringed five Long Term Evolution standard-related patents owned by LG.  (LG Electronics)LG has held the largest number of LTE and LTE-Advanced standard essential patents in the US for five straight years since 2012, according to TechIPM, which analyzes US patents. BLU is the sixth-biggest American smartphone maker and sold about 5.2 mil

March 28, 2017

‘Summoners War’ becomes highest-grossing Korean mobile game

South Korean game developer Com2uS said Tuesday that its hit mobile game “Summoners War” has become the first Korea-made mobile game to rake in more than 1 trillion won ($900 million) in cumulative revenue.　This makes “Summoners War,” a mobile role-playing game launched worldwide in April 2014, the highest-grossing Korean mobile game to date, Com2uS said.After its launch three years ago, “Summoners War” became the No. 1 mobile game in the Apple App Stores of 53 countries and Google Play Stores o

March 28, 2017

'Naver on track to fulfilling technology platform vision'

South Korean internet giant Naver is on track to completing its envisioned transformation into a “technology platform” that brings cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, voice recognition and autonomous driving into everyday services, its new CEO said Tuesday.　Since first announcing its new direction last November, the country’s biggest web portal operator has made progress in rolling out diverse new tech-infused services, Naver CEO Han Seong-sook said in her first press conf

March 28, 2017

SK Telecom to feature 5G baseball stadium in Incheon

SK Telecom, South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier, said Monday that it will showcase diverse services running on the next-generation 5G network at Incheon SK Happy Dream Park, the home stadium of the SK Wyverns.　SKT has set up a large-scale 5G trial network throughout the baseball stadium and will operate a number of 5G-dependent services for a large crowd of around 20,000 visitors slated to attend the games from Friday to Sunday. “We’ve prepared the 5G stadium to show how services currently host

March 28, 2017

Naver beats Google in Android maps used by Koreans

The mobile map app powered by South Korea's top portal operator Naver Corp. attracted more local Android users than the map app made by US giant Google Inc., data showed Tuesday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Wiseapp, Naver's map app boasted 8.08 million monthly active users on the Android platform here in February, compared to 7.66 million posted by Google.  (Yonhap)The map app served by Kakao Corp., South Korea's No. 2 portal operator, followed with 3.09 million users, the

March 28, 2017