SK Chemicals, a listed Korean chemical materials company, is seeking to boost its super engineering plastic materials business for automobiles.The company said on Thursday that it is in talks with Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, as well as some European automakers to supply polyphenylene sulfide.When asked whether SK Chemicals is engaging German carmakers such as BMW, a company official said it is too early to disclose this since it is in the “pre-marketing stage.”Hyundai and Kia are still testing

Feb. 13, 2014

LG Electronics Co., a South Korean smartphone maker, on Thursday revealed its newest smartphone model, the G Pro 2, paving the way for the country's No. 2 tech giant to expand its share in the large display smartphone market.LG's phablet, a cross between a smartphone and tablet PC, boasts a 5.9-inch display, larger than its predecessor's 5.5-inch screen, and will compete with rival products such as the Galaxy Note series manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of smart

Feb. 13, 2014

KT Corp., South Korea's No. 2 mobile carrier, said Wednesday it has signed a deal with the Angolan government to export its security systems to the police there.Under the deal, KT will provide the African country with its security solutions including closed circuit television in the capital city of Luanda to prevent crimes.The project, which is estimated to be worth 41 billion won ($38.4 million), is due to be completed by 2016."KT will sign a memorandum of understanding soon, and it will share

Feb. 12, 2014

South Korean tech companies have been slashing prices of Ultra HD (UHD) TVs in the global market, data showed Wednesday, as they vie for consumers amid stiff competition.The latest price of the 55-inch UHD TV made by Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top TV maker, was $2,999 in the U.S. market, down 45.4 percent from $5,500 in August, market data showed.The price for the same size made by LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 tech giant, came to $3,500, also falling sharply from $6,000 in

Feb. 12, 2014

Police on Tuesday raided the offices of a KT Corp. affiliate as part of their investigation into allegations of large-scale loan fraud by employees.KT ENS Co., affiliated with KT Corp., the country's No. 2 mobile operator, is being probed over suspicion of illegally taking out some 280 billion won ($260 million) in loans from 16 local banks with forged documents.A team of officers of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency seized computer hard drives and related documents during the raid of six off

Feb. 11, 2014

[Reporter's Column] Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. This is what most tech-savvy Koreans think when Google comes to mind.It may be big overseas where it spends billions of dollars to invest in and acquire start-ups. But the global search giant is relatively a “small kid on the block” in Korea, the playground of Naver and Daum.This is why, for some observers, it seemed fair when Korea‘s communications regulator recently slapped Google with a fine of just 210 million won ($196,000).It m

Feb. 10, 2014

VCNC, the operator of Between, a mobile messenger application for couples, said Monday it has successfully attracted investment from DeNA Co., a global leader in mobile Internet services. The Korean start-up said the investment is aimed at forming a business alliance to promote the mobile application and turn it into an open platform to improve its sales drive.“We are pleased to welcome DeNA as a strategic investor,” VCNC’s chief executive Park Jae-uk said in a press release. “We look forward to

Feb. 10, 2014

South Korea's trade surplus in the information technology sector widened last month from a year earlier as its exports inched up while imports shrank, the government said Monday.Outbound shipments of IT products edged up 0.2 percent from the same month last year to $13.13 billion in January, partly on growing demands in European and Southeast Asian countries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."Despite various external factors, such as the weak Japanese yen and financial ins

Feb. 10, 2014

South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Monday it plans to purchase a local security firm to expand its business portfolio and seek synergy with its information and communication technology.The firm said it will buy NSOK Co., South Korea's No. 4 security and guard company, by the end of this month. SK Telecom has not yet revealed details of the deal, including the price.Industry watchers said SK aims to use its telecommunications technology in entering the security business and chal

Feb. 10, 2014

LG Electronics has provided four high-speed battery chargers for Google’s electric vehicle plug-in charging stations in a bid to make headway in the automotive industry while strengthening its relationship with Google, industry sources said on Sunday. LG said it did not manufacture the chargers, and that they were made by another domestic firm. The deal appeared to have been discussed in detail in October 2013 when Google chairman Eric Schmidt visited LG Electronics’ Incheon campus, where LG’s a

Feb. 9, 2014

A controversy is heating up surrounding claims that Samsung demanded athletes to cover up their non-Samsung electronic products such as Apple’s iPhones during the Sochi Winter Olympics.Samsung, a major Olympic sponsor, has allegedly set a condition for athletes receiving gift bags with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 smartphones: to physically hide all Apple’s logos if they are using products such as iPhones during the opening ceremony of the games.Details of the clamp-down, which is said to require tha

Feb. 9, 2014