Gov't poured 18.9 tln won in R&D in 2015: ministry

The South Korean government invested a total of 18.9 trillion won ($16.5 billion) in research and development in 2015, up 7 percent from a year earlier, an official tally showed Monday.The government supported 54,433 tasks in 639 projects nationwide, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.It reported the data to the National Science & Technology Council.Ministry officials pointed out that the 7-percent on-year increase in R&D spending is higher than the 5.7-percent hike in

June 13, 2016

Line’s IPO might burden Naver: analysts

[THE INVESTOR] July’s stock debut of Tokyo-based Line Corp., the mobile messenger platform owned by Korean portal Naver Corp., could be a burden for the tech giant initially, market watchers say, but it would likely benefit Naver’s share price down the road. Line on Friday announced that it is seeking to sell 35 million new shares through its initial public offering, raising as much as 113 billion yen ($1.06 billion). The new shares, which will be offered at 2,800 yen per share, will begin tradi

June 13, 2016

[Exclusive] Samsung Display doubles OLED shipments in Q1

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Display’s shipments of organic-light emitting diode panels have more than doubled over the past year, as global smartphone manufacturers, including those in China, are increasingly adopting OLED displays. UBI Research, a local market research firm that specializes in OLED, estimates that Samsung’s OLED shipments have soared to about 86.7 million units in the first three months of this year. The research results were obtained exclusively by The Investor. Over the same perio

June 13, 2016

Samsung Electro-Mechanics to launch IC packaging business

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic parts affiliate of Samsung Group, is preparing to dive into the integrated circuit packaging industry, according to news reports on Monday.Joining hands with Samsung Electronics, a chip maker, the electronic components firm will likely plan to win new supply contracts of chips for smartphone makers, including U.S.-based Apple. Workers at Samsung Electronics’ chip assembly line in Xian, China, pose with the firm’s NAND flash memory wafer. (S

June 13, 2016

Samsung SDS faces fierce opposition over split-off plan

A group of small investors intend to pay another visit to the head office of Samsung SDS, an information solutions business arm of Samsung Group, to protest the company’s planned split-off of its logistics solution business.Samsung SDS Small Investors’ Group said Monday that it would visit the firm on Tuesday afternoon to express its objection toward the proposed split-off plan.A man passes by Samsung SDS’ head office in Seoul. (Yonhap)“During the previous visit to the company, a Samsung SDS exe

June 13, 2016

8 Chinese firms among top 12 smartphone makers in Q1: data

Eight of the world's top 12 smartphone vendors were Chinese brands, while market leader Samsung Electronics Co. and No. 2 Apple Inc. suffered a slight decline in their market shares in the first quarter of the year, industry data showed Monday.The South Korean tech giant sold 81.5 million smartphone units around the globe in the January-March period, according to the data compiled by the industry tracker IC Insights.Its archrival Apple sold 51.6 million units during the cited period, the data sh

June 13, 2016

'Samsung Display's automotive push late but in right direction'

SHENZHEN, China -- Samsung Display’s latest automotive push may have come late but it is the right direction for its future profitability, a top analyst told The Korea Herald. “Car is becoming an electronic, smartphone-based device. And you need displays to go with it,” said Paul Gray, principal analyst of market research firm IHS.“Those applications are also far more valuable. You are working with companies where you can secure businesses for three to five years as opposed to consumer electroni

June 11, 2016

OLED iPhone renews competition among display makers

[THE INVESTOR] Apple’s adoption of an organic-light emitting diode screen is renewing competition among display makers. According to recent news reports, Samsung has signed a deal with Apple to supply an annual 100 million OLED panels from the second quarter of next year for three years. Apple iPhone 6s Plus (Yonhap)“For now, Samsung is the only company that meets Apple’s strict product criteria. But considering its strategy of having multiple suppliers, LG and other display makers could share a

June 10, 2016

NHN’s Line to go public in Tokyo, New York

[THE INVESTOR] Line Corp., a Tokyo-based mobile messenger platform owned by Korean Internet giant NHN Corp., will go public on main stock markets in New York and Tokyo next month, the company said Friday. In a regulatory filing, the company said it will start trading its shares on the Tokyo stock market on July 14th and in New York on 15th.The logo of mobile messenger Line. (Naver)The company will issue 35 million new shares offered at 2,800 yen ($26.20) per share. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morga

June 10, 2016

Blizzard CEO bets on human in StarCraft match against AI

Following the historic Go match last month, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the artificial intelligence software AlphaGo, the AI software’s developer Google DeepMind has said that its next target could be real-time strategy game StarCraft.Over the past weeks, top officials from DeepMind, and Blizzard, the developer behind the online game, have met to have discussions for the possible return match between humanity and AI on a different battle field. Blizzard CEO Michael Morhaime. (Yonhap)During

June 10, 2016

KT teams up with China Mobile for 5G

Korea's leading network operator KT Corp. said April 1 that it would beef up its partnership with China Mobile for the next-generation network 5G and connected network services.“Global cooperation is especially important to have future telecom technologies in place,” said KT chief executive Hwang Chang-gyu at a workshop held at the head office of China Mobile on Thursday.Hwang met China Mobile‘s top executives, including chairman Shang Bing, to discuss 5G initiatives and other pending network is

June 10, 2016

Samsung, de Grisogono to debut 'super-luxury' Gear S3

Samsung Electronics and Swiss luxury jeweler de Grisogono have agreed to jointly launch a so-called “super-luxury” limited edition of the Samsung Gear S3, a next-generation smartwatch that is set for official release later this year. “We are currently collaborating with Samsung to develop its next-generation smartwatch,” a de Grisogono official told The Korea Herald. The Samsung Gear S2 by de Grisogono (de Grisigono official website)The official added that the jeweler was approached by Samsung,

June 10, 2016

Ericsson-LG demonstrates 5G network tech in Korea

Ericsson-LG demonstrated the next-generation network 5G on May 12 in Korea, marking the first time that the network equipment manufacturer had showcased the network in the nation. The 5G network equipment used for the demonstration offered a peak download speed of 26 gigabit per second, around 350 times faster than the current Long-Term Evolution network.  Ericsson-LG demonstrates the 5G network in Korea on May 12. (Ericsson-LG)“I feel proud of the Ericsson-LG researchers at the Anyang R&D cente

June 10, 2016

Samsung to counter-sue Huawei

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday hinted that it might file a counter-suit against Huawei, which has sued the Korean company in the U.S. and China for infringing its technology patents. “We will take countermeasures, including a lawsuit (against Huawei),” Ahn Seong-ho, head of Samsung’s intellectual property division, told reporters after a weekly meeting of Samsung CEOs in Seoul.  The head office of Samsung Group in Seoul. (Samsung Group)His comment came after the Chinese equipment giant filed p

June 10, 2016

'Huawei eyes Samsung's LTE patents'

Samsung Electronics and Huawei are bracing for a legal battle after the Chinese tech giant sued its Korean rival for infringing its mobile patents last week. In its two lawsuits filed in China and the U.S., Huawei claimed Samsung’s Galaxy S phones had infringed 11 of its 4G network patents. The company asked for compensation but did not request a sales ban of the affected handsets. The logo of Huawei. (AP-Yonhap)Samsung fought back immediately, saying it would counter-sue Huawei. “What Huawei re

June 10, 2016

Tesla secures upper hand over suppliers

Tesla Motors, upbeat on soaring orders for its new $35,000 full-electric family sedan Model 3, seems to have already secured an upper hand in its upcoming talks with suppliers. 　Since the much-hyped prototype was unveiled in April, preorders have surged to 276,000 in just three days. Deliveries will start late 2017 but long lines at Tesla stores were reminiscent of the crowds at Apple stores for early models of the iPhone. (Tesla)Now parts makers, especially those making the key parts such as ba

June 10, 2016

SK C&C aims to earn 2.5 tr won in AI, big data businesses

IT solutions firm to nurture AI, big data businesses SK Holdings C&C, an information technology services firm, said it plans to accelerate its push to transform into a data service company that provides tailored IT services by utilizing up-to-date artificial intelligence and big data technologies.“The emergence of new technology is accelerating digital transformation and disruption across a wide range of industries,” said Lee Ho-soo, chief technology officer of SK Holdings C&C, at a press meetin

June 10, 2016

Tech firms seek to entice consumers with design

Korean electronics-makers are trying to remain competitive in the cutthroat competition of the global electronics sector by rolling out products with unique and user-friendly designs.Dongbu Daewoo Electronics, the nation’s third-largest electronics-maker, has made some progress in infiltrating the global market with its Klasse front-load washing machine. A model poses with Dongbu Daewoo Electronics' Klasse washing machine. (Dongbu Daewoo Electronics)The washer features what the company calls an

June 10, 2016

Galaxy S7's success based on quality, marketing, early release

The Galaxy S7's success, according to industry watchers here on Friday, has been due to the combination of three main factors: decent quality, early release and aggressive marketing.Since its debut in March, the new flagship smartphones of Samsung Electronics Co. -- the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge -- have become a global hit, if not a sensation.The combined sales of the two models are estimated to reach 25 million worldwide by the end of June. On Thursday, the South Korean tech giant's share pr

June 10, 2016