Samsung creates task force to develop chips for self-driving cars: report

Samsung Electronics has recently set up a new task force to develop chips for self-driving cars, a local news daily reported Sunday. The decision came almost six months after the Korean tech giant launched a new separate team for automotive parts late last year under its chip business division. Citing unnamed sources, the daily said the task force consists of researchers from the chip division’s system LSI unit that produces non-memory chips for mobile application processors and image sensors fo

May 8, 2016

LG outguns Chinese rivals in U.S. smartphone market

LG Electronics seems to be on course to solidify its presence in the U.S. market, outrunning its Chinese rivals Huawei and Lenovo. The Korean smartphone-maker has reclaimed the third spot in the U.S. in March, taking up 17.1 percent of market share, according to a report released by Counterpoint Research, a market researcher, on Thursday.The market share is the third highest after Samsung Electronics and Apple, which held 28.8 percent and 23 percent in the same month, respectively.Chinese smartp

May 5, 2016

[Photo News] LG celebrates month of family

 Tech firm LG Electronics rolled out a massage chair featuring 10 different massage settings and a sleek design to commemorate the month of family in May on Thursday. (LGE)

May 5, 2016

Samsung reaffirms no plan for OLED TV

Samsung Electronics president and TV chief Kim Hyun-seok on Tuesday reaffirmed that the company has no immediate plan to produce organic light-emitting diode TVs. But the tone and manner was stronger than ever. “I have always said it would take two to three years to consider OLED TV. But now when little progress has been made on its tricky production and high costs since our suspension back in 2013, I wouldn’t say OLED is our future direction,” he told reporters at the company’s headquarters in

May 4, 2016

[Photo News] Sony at Photo and Imagining 2016

Sony Korea will showcase its latest cameras and lenses at the Photo and Imaging 2016, the largest photography and imaging trade show in Asia, which kicked off Wednesday through Sunday at Coex in southern Seoul. (Sony Korea)

May 4, 2016

LINE expands mobile presence in Thailand

BANGKOK -- For the past year, Pattayawat Tuppiree and Chairode Srisermsin, a Thai couple who are emoji developers, have been creating animated stickers that can be used while chatting on mobile messenger LINE.Their mobile stickers including TuaGom, depicting an unruly, but lovely, girl, have been highly popular among young Thai LINE subscribers, allowing the couple to amass enough money to buy a house in Bangkok. Ariya Banomyong (left), the head of LINE Corp.’s Thai branch, introduces a delivery

May 4, 2016

Foreign shares in Samsung Electronics rebound to over 50%

The combined foreign stake in Korea's top tech giant Samsung Electronics exceeded 50 percent this week, the bourse operator said Wednesday, apparently as the firm posted better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter.According to the data compiled by Korea Exchange (KRX), overseas investors accounted for 50.41 percent of the combined shares in Samsung Electronics as of Monday, marking the first time since December that the number moved above 50 percent. It increased to 50.44 percent on Tues

May 4, 2016

LG Chem CEO renews commitment to FarmHannong

LG Chem CEO and vice chairman Park Jin-soo on Tuesday renewed his commitment to FarmHannong, an agrochemical firm recently acquired by the nation’s top chemicals company. “We will not just remain as the No. 1 in Korea. We will enter overseas markets and pour resources into research and development. If necessary, we will consider mergers and acquisitions for growth,” he said during his visit to the company’s offices in Gyeonggi Province.  LG Chem CEO and vice chairman Park Jin-soo (right) visits

May 3, 2016

SK Telecom to export IoT solutions to Iran

Korea’s largest telecom carrier SK Telecom said Tuesday it has agreed with the Iranian government and energy companies to export its infrastructure management solutions based on the Internet of Things technology. The agreement came as the largest-ever economic delegation from Korea visited Iran to celebrate the landmark summit talks between President Park Geun-hye and her Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. SK Telecom CEO Jang Dong-hyun (left) and Iran’s Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatia

May 3, 2016

Heinosky Korea to supply EPS insulation to France and other advanced countries

On April 28, Heinosky Korea (CEO Lee Seung-hee) announced that it will begin supplying EPS (expanded polystyrene) insulation boards to several advanced countries, including France, from the second half of this year. Better known as “Styrofoam,” EPS is widely used as an insulation material. Heinosky has taken this material and added fire-retardant and thermosetting properties to create a product that does not catch fire easily or become deformed when exposed to high temperatures. However, what ha

May 2, 2016

Korea, Iran to bolster ties in science and ICT

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Monday that it would strengthen its ties with the Iranian counterparts in science and information and communications technology. Science Minister Choi Yang-hee and Mohammad Farhadi, the Iranian minister of Science Research and Technology met in Tehran on the day to sign a partnership deal to run joint research and development projects in science and technology.Choi Yang-hee, minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning. (Yonhap)The latest par

May 2, 2016

[Photo News] Samsung Galaxy gallery

Samsung Electronics on Monday opened a pop-up gallery at Seoul Art Center in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul. The gallery features photos taken by the Galaxy S7 smartphone and other cultural content that can be enjoyed on its devices such as virtual reality headsets. (Samsung Electronics)

May 2, 2016

Second-hand smoking increases suicidal thoughts: research

Second-hand smoking increases the risk of extreme thoughts in people such as wanting to take their own lives, according to a new report published  Monday.The joint study by Yoo Jun-hyun, professor of Department of Family Medicine at Sungkyunkwan University, and Kim Wook of Gangneung Dong-in Medical Center, showed a correlation between people’s exposure to indirect smoking and its impact on their psychological health. (123RF)Based on the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surve

May 2, 2016

Tech giants lock horns over Korean cloud market

Tech giants from home and abroad are battling to garner a larger slice of the Korean market for cloud computing solutions, industry watchers said Monday, as local demand for the services is expected to grow sharply down the road.The Korean market for cloud computing solutions is expected to reach $1.2 billion in 2019, up from the $540 million posted in 2014, according to the data compiled by industry tracker Gartner.Cloud computing solutions allow users to access their photos, documents and othe

May 2, 2016

SK Telecom wins bid for 2.6 GHz band

South Korea’s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom has won its bid for two new bandwidths intended for faster and broader data services, the government said Monday.The company secured a pair of bandwidth blocs in the 2.6 GHz band for 950 billion won ($832 million) and 327 billion won, respectively, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.Its main rival KT has won a bid for the 1.8 GHz band for 451 billion won and the country’s smallest mobile carrier LG Uplus took the 2.1 GHz

May 2, 2016

LG's new smartwatch sales going smooth after AlphaGo marketing

LG Electronics said Monday it has sold more than 10,000 units of its latest smartwatch less than a month since its release, after a top Korean Go player wore the device during his historical battle in March with an artificial intelligence program designed to play the Asian board game.The Korean firm said it has been making efforts to expand the supply of the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition both at home and abroad as the demand remained above its earlier expectations. First released in April, daily a

May 2, 2016

Preloaded Google apps to become removable in Korea

The Korean government is seeking a law revision to allow users to remove preloaded apps on Android phones such as Google’s Search, Maps and Gmail apps. Currently, the apps are preinstalled on new devices as part of Google’s contracts with manufacturers, causing complaints among users for their battery consumption and screen layout.Amid a similar investigation launched by the European Commission recently, the Korean government has also started working to reduce the unfair dominance of Google apps

May 1, 2016

Samsung SDS, EdgeVerve team up for safer online banking

Samsung SDS, an information solutions developer affiliated with Samsung Group, said Sunday it has inked a partnership with India’s mobile banking service giant EdgeVerve Systems. The Korean firm said it will provide faster, easier and more secure authentication systems for EdgeVerve’s Infosys Finacle, the global No. 1 banking solutions provider with some 547 million users in 84 countries around the world.  The solutions will be based on fingerprint scanning, facial recognition or other biometric

May 1, 2016

KT unveils measures to accelerate start-ups

Telecom giant KT Corp. on Sunday unveiled a set of measures, including a 20 billion won ($18 million) investment fund, to support start-ups that are competitive but struggle to secure funding and distribution channels. The company said it will expand its own direct investments into individual start-ups, while beefing up efforts to offer them more practical help.  Following a 2 billion won investment into Carvi, a driving assistance systems developer, in February, the company has recently also de

May 1, 2016

[Photo News] LG built-in solutions refashioned

LG Electronics’ new built-in lineup that was designed by Nate Berkus, a top interior designer, is displayed at a retail shop in Los Angeles. The Korean tech giant aims to double sales of its premium built-in brand LG Studio in the U.S. market this year. (LG Electronics)

May 1, 2016