LG Electronics said Tuesday it has joined a global car infotainment system alliance, the GENIVI Alliance, as a board member. The GENIVI Alliance is a group of 150 tech firms and car manufacturers committed to setting technical standards for Linux-based car infotainment software GENIVI. A car infotainment system installed in a car. (Yonhap)The in-vehicle infotainment system has gained traction in recent years as global carmakers, including Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Renault-Nissan and Volvo have ado

April 26, 2016

Korean network operator KT Corp. has become the first in the world to install Long-Term Evolution network service in office surroundings to pave the way for smoother and safer communication. The service allows employees and customers to utilize the intranet of a firm through mobile devices in a secure manner, as it is operated separately from existing LTE networks used for noncorporate mobile subscribers. Lee Moon-hwan, executive vice president of KT, explains the world’s first LTE service for c

April 26, 2016

SK hynix, the chipmaking unit of SK Group, on Tuesday hinted at reducing new investment this year after posting a 65 percent plunge in its first-quarter net income on weak demand for electronics products. “We invested 6.6 trillion won ($5.7 billion) last year but the spending will be reduced this year,” SK hynix president Kim Joon-ho said during a conference call.  SK hynix’s headquarters building (Yonhap)“Our investment for 3D NAND will start from the second or third quarter as planned.”In a re

April 26, 2016

Riot Games, developer of the immensely popular online game “League of Legends,” said Tuesday it will donate 500 million won ($44,000) for the restoration of the Korean Empire’s legation building in Washington, D.C. The three-story building, built in 1889, was used for diplomatic activities of Korea’s last empire, the Daehan Empire, for 16 years.  The legation building of the Daehan EmpireThe Korean government purchased the building, the only litigation building left overseas, from an individual

April 26, 2016

Korean battery makers are beefing up production in China, the largest market for nascent yet lucrative electric vehicles. Samsung SDI, the battery-making unit of Samsung Group, will showcase a range of battery technologies, including quick-charging battery cells and pouch-type and cylindrical batteries, at the Auto China event that runs through May 4 in Beijing.  Models pose with Samsung SDI’s batteries at the Auto China aotomotive exhibition in Beijing on Monday. (Samsung SDI)The company, which

April 25, 2016

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 at the Conde Nast International Luxury Conference held in Seoul last week. The Samsung Gear S2 by de Grisogono (de Grisigono offici

April 25, 2016

SUPER PREMIUM FRIDGE APPEALS TO KOREAN CONSUMERS -- Samsung Electronics’ high-end refrigerator Family Hub on Wednesday surpassed the 1,000-sales mark in just 20 days since its release in the Korean market. The 837-liter fridge sports a 21.5-inch (54.6 centimeters) display on the right door and three built-in cameras, which allow users to monitor items stored inside.　(Samsung Electronics)

April 25, 2016

LG ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER GAINS SALES TRACTION-- LG Electronics said Monday that its robot vacuum cleaner Roboking has crossed the 400,000 mark since the first model of the autonomous vacuum cleaner was released in Korea in 2003. Roboking, equipped with three cameras and 51 sensors for object detection and voice recognition, can be controlled by a smartphone. (LGE)

April 25, 2016

April 24, 2016

The nation’s air purifier market is soaring as concerns grow over yellow dust, the seasonal wave of dust storms originating from China and Mongolia that now seems to stretch all throughout the year. Last year, the market surged to 600 billion won ($520 million) in sales. The figure is expected to exceed 1 trillion won this year and 2 trillion won in 2017. About 1 million devices are estimated to be sold or rented every year. Korea is a unique market that has grown based on rental services. Coway

April 24, 2016

LG Electronics has topped front-load washer sales in the U.S. in the first quarter, paving the way for it to grab the No. 1 position in the all-important market for the 10th consecutive year. According to market research firm Stevenson Company, LG recorded a 26.4 percent market share in the first three months of this year. In the $900-plus premium category, it also topped the list with a 34.2 percent share.  Since topping the list first in 2007, the Korean tech giant has continued to be the best

April 24, 2016

Samsung Pay, a mobile payment service run by tech giant Samsung Electronics, is making global inroads. The Seoul-based tech behemoth announced Tuesday that it would make its mobile payment system available in Singapore in the second quarter of this year -- the first launch in Southeast Asia -- following the launch of the mobile payment solution in the U.S., China and South Korea last year. A Galaxy S7 Edge user uses mobile payment solution Samsung Pay. (Samsung Electronics)The announcement refle

April 22, 2016

President Park Geun-hye has pledged that the Korean government would make the utmost efforts to keep the nation’s economy strong by beefing up research and development in the information and communications technology and biotechnology sectors.“The government’s creative economy based on development of science technology and ICT is the one-and-only economic growth engine as well as a stepping stone for the nation’s economy to take the next big leap forward,” President Park said in a speech at the

April 21, 2016

  LIGHT AS PAPER -- LG Electronics’ YouTube video featuring a paper replica of the firm’s laptop Gram 15, a 15.6-inch (40-centimeter) laptop weighing just 980 grams, has crossed 3.5 million views. The paper art piece is made only of paper based on the actual design of the laptop. (LGE)

April 21, 2016

Globally recognized author, motivational speaker and leading figure of the New Age movement, Deepak Chopra, has returned to Seoul after two years to share some of his spiritual insights into Korean society and his thoughts on the country’s overly stressed and work-centric society.　Chopra presented his latest motivational presentation on the future of well-being, “Super Soul Relay,” to the local audience Wednesday.  Doctor, author and alternative medicine motivational speaker Deepak Chopra speaks

April 21, 2016

Apple Korea Inc., the local unit of the U.S. tech giant, has revised its unfair business agreement with local maintenance service firms for the first time in the world, the South Korean antitrust watchdog said Thursday.Apple has designated six local repair firms including Ubase Inc. and Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Service Corp. as its authorized repair service providers that can do business under the worldwide Apple Authorized Service Agreement.The previous agreement let the U.S. firm terminate co

April 21, 2016

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading chemical firm by sales, saw its net profit jump nearly 40 percent on-year in the first three months this year thanks to increased margins in petrochemical raw materials.The firm’s first quarter net profit stood at 338.1 billion won, up 37.3 percent from the same period last year, LG Chem said in its earnings report Thursday.  Park Jin-soo (center) and executives of LG Chem visit one of the firm’s factories in Korea. (Yonhap)Compared to the previous quarter, net pro

April 21, 2016

LG Hausys, a construction materials firm and affiliate of LG Group, said Wednesday it has completed the construction of a factory in the U.S. in Gordon County, Georgia. The factory will produce materials for car seats, door panels and dashboards, collectively often referred to as automotive skins.The opening ceremony for the factory, dubbed “Autoskin Plant,” took place in the U.S. town on Tuesday. LG Hausys president Oh Jang-soo (left) and local state representative John Meadows look at automoti

April 20, 2016