[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics said on July 15 that it will launch its mobile payments service, Samsung Pay, in Brazil next week. Making inroads into South America for the first time, the company chose to launch in Brazil as the first Latin destination considering the nation’s soaring mobile banking users. “We are excited that Samsung Pay will be available in Brazil from July 19,” said André Varga, product director of Samsung’s mobile business division in Brazil. “Brazil will pave the way fo

July 15, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] China is the only Northeast Asian nation where LINE Corp. has yet to launch its mobile messenger service so far. Line is the mobile messenger service operator owned by Naver (chairman Lee Hae-jin)In a recent media interview, LINE’s chief global officer Shin Jung-ho said the firm could consider “setting up a joint venture with a Chinese company” to increase its foothold in a country where its services are blocked due to government regulations. The banners of LINE Corp. hang on the

July 15, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LINE Corp., the mobile messenger service operator owned by Naver (chairman Lee Hae-jin), jumped 26.61 percent on the first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 14. LINE’s million American Depository Shares (ADSs) began at $32.84 topping the expected price range, and closed at US$ 41.58, rising 26.6 percent over the course of the day. Line Corp. CFO Hwang In-joon (center left), along with chief strategy and marketing officer Jun Masuda (center right), and chief glo

July 15, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The head of Internet giant Naver who is in the hot seat for his alleged involvement in making illegal profits from game developer Nexon’s 2006 initial public offering is likely to be summoned by prosecutors soon.Naver CEO Kim Sang-hun reportedly made profits with inside information for Nexon’s IPO with borrowed money. Naver CEO Kim Sang-hun /The InvestorKim, prosecutor Jin Kyung-joon and Park Seong-joon, a director of Boston Consulting Group, purchased shares valued at 425 million

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The global craze for Pokemon Go, Japanese game developer Nintendo’s augmented-reality smartphone game, has taken the nation by storm with downloads exceeding 400,000 as of July 13, according to a survey by market research firm WiseApp. The survey result is based on 14,439 Android phone users in Korea from July 7-13. The mobile game, which has not been officially launched here, achieved the feat in less than two weeks since its release in other parts of the world on July 5, includi

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean mobile game developer Netmarble Games’ recent bid to acquire Israel-based mobile gaming company Playtika is just one of a string of merger and acquisition deals that Netmarble has been pursuing to attract investors. By the end of this year, Netmarble Games is set to issue an initial public offering to draw at least 5 trillion won ($4.36 billion).  Netmarble founder Bang Joon-hyukBased in Tel Aviv, Playtika is an affiliate of Caesars Interactive Entertainment -- an SNS

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong and IBM CEO Virginia Rometty had a private meeting last week during the annual Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, it was confirmed on July 14. The high-profile meeting has drawn keen interest among industry watchers here as it could hint at a possible partnership between the two tech giants. Daily Mail homepageSamsung has recently been making a big push to elevate its software prowess. Sources predict Samsung could seek to share IBM’s so

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Xiaomi founder and chief executive Lei June on July 14 held a meeting with Samsung Electronics executives, including Jeon Young-hyun, the company’s memory chip division chief, at the headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. According to industry sources, the CEO discussed ways to use Samsung’s high-density memory chips for its premium smartphones, including the upcoming Mi Note 2 phablet. Xiaomi founder and chief executive Lei JuneXiaomi, dubbed as “China’s Apple,” topped the Chi

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Korean fingerprint module maker CrucialTec said on July 14 it will supply its mobile fingerprint module, BTP, to Huawei’s upcoming new smartphone Honor 8. The Honor 8 features a 5.2-inch curved glass display, a 12 mega pixel dual camera, and is powered by an in-house octa-core Kirin 950 processor. The pricing and launch date have not been disclosed. Huawei’s Honor 8CrucialTec has supplied BTP to Huawei’s premium lineup, including the Mate 8 and the P9, and the latest mid-range Hon

July 14, 2016

South Koreans have recently been in a frenzy over characters created by two rival mobile messenger apps -- whether it is Line’s blank-faced bear named Brown or Kakao’s Muzi, who looks like a rabbit but is actually a radish in a costume.　Eyeing new market potential, Line Corp. and Kakao Corp. have brought their signature characters -- initially introduced as virtual stickers used on the messengers apps -- into the physical world where they have been reborn as character merchandise. Though Line, a

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are expected to benefit from an increasing demand for high-end TV products, including ultra-high definition TVs, at home and abroad, according to a report July 14.The report by the Science Ministry and Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute cites the planned commercialization of UHD broadcasting services in Korea in February 2017 as the main reason behind the sales increase in the coming years.UHD TVs valued at 1.2

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics has emerged as a serious competitor in the all-important US smartphone market where Samsung Electronics and Apple are still dominant players. According to the latest sales data from Kantar Worldpanel, Samsung and Apple are still the most favored smartphone brands in the US, having captured capturing 37 percent and 29 percent of total sales, respectively, in the three-month period ending in May. LG’s latest flagship G5During the same period, LG’s market share soared

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Mark Hurd, the co-chief executive of California-based Oracle, may be close to striking software deals with local conglomerates that could include Samsung and POSCO, according to those close to the matter.The co-CEO of the San Francisco-based company arrived in Seoul on July 14 to meet with executives from these partner firms. “There may be several big deals being negotiated behind the scenes,” said one industry watcher, declining to be identified.Mark Hurd, co-CEO of US software g

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics’ flagship smartphone Galaxy S7 has managed to outsell Apple’s iPhone 6S in the US for the first time. According to market research firm Kantar Worldpanel, 16 percent of American consumers purchased Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge for the three-month period ending in May, while 14.6 percent chose an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus during the same period. Samsung Galaxy S7 (left) and Apple's iPhone 6SEven though the Samsung phones are newer handsets by half a year, Apple’s iPhones hav

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics officially introduced its Serif TV models in the US market on Wednesday, in collaboration with New York City’s landmark gallery Museum of Modern Arts.Designed by France’s Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the model takes its design and name after the shape of the alphabet “I” in the “Serif” font. Due to its stylish qualities, MoMA has uncharacteristically lent its venues for the launch event and will continue to offer support by displaying it in its stores.Serif TV i

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LINE Corp.’s simultaneous initial public offerings in Japan and the U.S. this week were nearly 25 times oversubscribed with deposits totaling 2.77 trillion yen ($2.66 billion), according to lead managers of the dual stock listings on Thursday. 　LINE, operator of its namesake immensely popular mobile messaging app, will make its stock debut on the New York Stock Exchange on July 14 and Tokyo Stock Exchange the next day. Naver board chairman Lee Hae-jinReflecting keen interest among

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDS, the IT solutions unit of Samsung Group, said Thursday it has decided to invest in U.K.-based security solutions developer Darktrace and Korean blockchain venture Blocko. 　“With the latest investments, we aim to carry out diverse ICT projects,” the company said in a statement.“We will strengthen our security solutions and services through Darktrace’s next-generation security solutions, while with Blocko we will apply blockchain technology to diverse areas such as the I

July 14, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Korean Internet giant Naver plans to unveil its own voice recognition system specialized in Korean language next year, industry sources said on July 13. Based on its own data analysis and artificial intelligence technology, the company aims to unveil the system mimicking Apple’s Siri as early as in January next year. Global IT companies are rolling out their own voice recognition systems mostly in English but it is rare for them to offer Korean language service due to their lack o

July 14, 2016

South Korea's exports of information and communication technology products fell 5.1 percent in June due mainly to a slump in sales of mobile phones and displays, government data showed Thursday ICT exports reached $13.48 billion last month, down from $14.21 billion a year ago, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Exports of ICT goods accounted for 29.8 percent of the country's $45.3 billion in overall shipments abroad over the cited period.South Korea's ex

July 14, 2016