LG to unveil new premium brand Signature at CES

LG Electronics said Wednesday it would unveil its new high-end home appliance brand “LG Signature” during the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. After its official debut at the world’s largest electronics trade show, the brand will roll out in the U.S., Europe and Korea in the first half of next year, the company said.  The new brand represents the sleek design and upgraded product quality of its high-end home appliances. This is the first time for LG to have a subbrand

Dec. 23, 2015

LG Uplus CEO stresses ‘field management’

LG Uplus CEO and vice chairman Kwon Young-soo made his first visit to retail shops in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to inspect sales activities and encourage employees this week. Kwon took office on Nov. 27 to lead the nation’s No. 3 telecom company. Over the past month, the company said he has met executives, managers and working-level employees to better communicate with them.  “Creative services can make a big difference. We can find solutions through field management,” he said during a store v

Dec. 23, 2015

‘Streaming music boon to music industry’

Often touted as a game changer in the music industry, growing streaming music services are a bone of contention in Korea as in many other global markets.Concerned over the idea of “free music” services on the streaming platforms, the nation’s major music copyright groups are not shy in expressing their displeasure, arguing that streaming music negatively impacts the music industry.The head of Korea’s first and largest ad-supported music streaming services firm said the opposite: The streaming mu

Dec. 23, 2015

[Newsmaker] Kakao in spotlight for fat paychecks

Kakao, Korea’s fast-sprawling mobile empire built on the omnipresent phone messaging service KakaoTalk, is in the public spotlight for fat paychecks. The KOSDAQ-listed firm was the highest-paying workplace among the top 100 companies by market capitalization in Korea last year, leading by a big margin a pack of older and larger corporate players such as Samsung Electronics.According to data compiled by CEO Score, an online business information provider, Kakao employees took home an average of 17

Dec. 23, 2015

VCNC unveils 15 hot dating spots in Korea

Naksan Park, a low-height mountain with trekking trails that overlook the Daehangno area in northern Seoul, topped the list of the best dating spots. The park, which earned its name from its resemblance to the hump of a camel, or “nakta,” offers great night views of the northern part of the city. Between Date (VCNC)Following Naksan Park were Common Ground, a shopping mall built out of shipping containers in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, an exhibition center in Dongdaemun-gu, S

Dec. 22, 2015

[Photo News] LG unveils new G PAD tablet with LTE support

  NEW LG TABLET HITS SHELVES -- LG Electronics said Tuesday that it would release the G Pad II 8.3 LTE with Long-Term Evolution support through mobile carrier LG Uplus from Wednesday in Korea. The new tablet PC sports an 8.3-inch full HD display, a micro SD slot and a stylus. (LGE) NEW LG TABLET HITS SHELVES -- LG Electronics said Tuesday that it would release the G Pad II 8.3 LTE with Long-Term Evolution support through mobile carrier LG Uplus from Wednesday in Korea. The new tablet PC sports a

Dec. 22, 2015

‘Fake battery is culprit behind hoverboards fires’

Hoverboards, battery-powered self-balanced scooters which are now the hottest holiday gift in the U.S., are literally too hot. Some of them catch fire or even explode, injuring riders, which prompted an investigation by the U.S. regulators to find the exact cause.Amid increasing concerns over possibly defective lithium-ion batteries deployed in the devices, battery-maker Samsung SDI said most of the batteries involved in the fire and explosion cases were made by counterfeiters. Counterfeit lithi

Dec. 22, 2015

SK hynix engages in voluntary activities in Cambodia

SK hynix employees participated in a two-month voluntary program in Cambodia by paying visits to local schools and welfare facilities to give away educational kits and donations, and participate in cultural exchange events, according to the chipmaker Monday. The outreach program held in Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia from Oct. 18 to Dec. 19 was aimed at helping SK hynix employees get global mindsets and supporting local children in need. SK hynix employees take part in a two-month voluntary

Dec. 21, 2015

[Photo News] Mobile carriers prep for holidays

  MOBILE CARRIERS PREP FOR HOLIDAYS — Korea’s three major mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus said Monday in their respective statements that they would closely monitor and manage communication infrastructure, including base stations, across the nation during the year-end holiday season when telecom and data traffic are expected to surge much more than usual.(SKT) MOBILE CARRIERS PREP FOR HOLIDAYS — Korea’s three major mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus said Monday in their resp

Dec. 21, 2015

[Photo News] LG robotic vacuum cleaner with augmented reality

  ROBOTIC VACUUM WITH AR TECH -- LG Electronics said Monday it would unveil the Roboking Turbo Plus, a robot vacuum cleaner equipped with augmented reality technology, at the International CES, the world’s largest electronics trade show to be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 5-8. (LGE) ROBOTIC VACUUM WITH AR TECH -- LG Electronics said Monday it would unveil the Roboking Turbo Plus, a robot vacuum cleaner equipped with augmented reality technology, at the International CES, the world’s largest electr

Dec. 21, 2015

KT steps up attack on SKT over takeover plan

　Mobile carrier KT has ratcheted up criticism of its local rival SK Telecom’s plan to acquire CJ Hellovision, a cable TV and mobile virtual network operator. 　Lim Heon-moon, president of KT’s mass general business division in charge of the business-to-customer segment, said Friday that SKT’s acquisition of CJHV is something that would “wreak havoc to both telecommunications and broadcasting industries.”　He went as far as saying that SKT, the No. 1 wireless carrier with its market share reaching

Dec. 20, 2015

Samsung Pay, Apple Pay to vie in China

Rival mobile-payments services Samsung Pay and Apple Pay will compete head to head in the all-important Chinese market next year. Samsung Electronics and Apple on Thursday announced separate deals with state-owned bank card network China UnionPay Bank that will allow customers to add credit or debit cards to their respective mobile-payments services. The services would start in China as early as the first quarter of next year after the tests and certifications required by the Chinese regulators.

Dec. 20, 2015

[Photo News] Samsung launches Galaxy Note 5 special edition

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 5 SPECIAL EDITION -- Samsung Electronics rolls out the Galaxy Note 5 Winter Special Edition, equipped with 128 gigabytes of built-in memory, a much larger capacity in comparison with previous 32-gb and 64-gb models, in Korea on Friday. The limited Note 5 winter edition comes in two colors -- gold platinum and silver titanium. (Samsung)

Dec. 18, 2015

[Photo News] LG runs marketing campaign for premium kitchen appliances in U.S.

MARKETING BLITZ FOR PREMIUM KITCHEN APPLIANCES IN U.S.-- Designer David Bromstad (first from left), Cho Ju-wan (second from left), the head of LG Electronics’ U.S. division, designer Emily Henderson (third from left) and David VanderWall, vice president of marketing at LG, pose at a promotional event for Black Stainless Steel, LG’ premium kitchen appliance lineup, in New York on Thursday. (LGE)

Dec. 18, 2015

Samsung Pay joins forces with China's UnionPay

South Korea's top tech firm Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has agreed with China's credit card operator UnionPay Co. to cooperate in promoting its new mobile payment system in the Chinese market.Under the deal, the two firms will aim to release Samsung Pay in the first half of 2016.Samsung Pay supports magnetic secure transmission technology that works on traditional credit card machines. Like rivals Apple Pay and Android Pay, it also supports near field communication technology that req

Dec. 18, 2015

LG chief inspects R&D complex site

LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo on Thursday paid a visit to the construction site of the group’s new research and development complex LG Science Park in Magok, western Seoul. LG last year announced a plan to build a 4 trillion won ($3.4 billion) science park on a 170,000-square-meter site in the emerging tech district located a five-minute drive from Gimpo International Airport.  LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo (center) looks around the construction site of the LG Science Park in Magok, western Seou

Dec. 17, 2015

LG OLED TV to shine in Super Bowl

Tech behemoth LG Electronics said Thursday it would run its first TV marketing campaign during the 2016 Super Bowl to be held in Santa Clara, California, in February next year.The Seoul-based tech giant has joined hands with movie director Ridley Scott’s production company RSA Films to produce the TV commercial to promote the firm’s organic light-emitting diode TV technology. Film directors Ridley Scott and Jake Scott pose at a production studio for LG Electronics` Super Bowl commercial. (LGE)So

Dec. 17, 2015