SK hynix reaches settlement in chip cluster dispute

South Korean memory chip manufacturer SK hynix has reached a compromise with Yeoju city over a dispute surrounding the chipmaker's right to use freshwater for new fabrication plants in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the government announced Monday. The settlement, with a memorandum of understanding signed on Monday at the National Assembly, opens the doors for SK hynix to proceed the chip cluster project as planned by 2027 on the 4.15 square-kilometer site, which would cost at least 120 trillion won

Nov. 21, 2022

[Photo News] Metaverse cooperation

Ryu Young-sang (left), chief executive officer of South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom, poses for a photo with NTT Docomo CEO Motoyuki Ii at a signing ceremony on Friday in Seoul. SK Telecom announced Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Japanese counterpart to seek a strategic partnership in the fields of the metaverse, sixth-generation telecommunication infrastructure and media content development.

Nov. 21, 2022

Nexon becomes largest shareholder of 'Avengers' directors' production firm

South Korean game developer Nexon said Monday it has become the largest shareholder of US production company Agbo, co-founded by Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors of Marvel’s global megahits. After initially investing $400 million to acquire 38 percent of Agbo’s shares in January, Tokyo-listed Nexon recently invested an additional $100 million to acquire 11.21 percent. The latest acquisition made the game developer the No. 1 shareholder of the US firm, with 49.21 percent of its sh

Nov. 21, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘You can start making changes for gamers with disabilities tomorrow’

BUSAN -- Korean game developers should begin creating accessibility for people with disabilities as it can be easily done with some of the existing guidelines, says a longtime activist who has led the US movement for gamers with disabilities. “You can start making real change tomorrow with the resources out there,” said Mark Barlet, founder and executive director of the AbleGamers Charity, in an interview with The Korea Herald at South Korea’s game exhibition, G-Star, in Busan

Nov. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Why Korea is set up for success in console games

BUSAN -- South Korea is poised to succeed in the global console game market despite having a relatively shorter resume in that particular area of gaming, according to an expert specialized in creating successful console games. “Many years ago, I first found out how excited Korean players were for video games when StarCraft became a global sensation. It was very fascinating to see that Korea was so excited about that,” said Steve Papoutsis, chief development officer at Striking Distan

Nov. 20, 2022

Neowiz looks to lead Korea's console game industry with awards-winning Lies of P

BUSAN -- Game developer Neowiz is hoping to take the lead and set an exemplary case for Korean console games on the global stage with its awards-winning title Lies of P. “(For Lies of P) we really received good feedback at Gamescom including good graphics, high level of completion, no bugs, smooth play and great optimization of the frame,” said Choi Ji-won, the chief producing director of Lies of P in a press conference held Thursday on the sidelines of G-Star, South Korea’s bi

Nov. 20, 2022

Samsung tops global brand ranking, outpacing Google, YouTube

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics was ranked the highest in United Kingdom-based market research firm YouGov's annual Global Best Brand Rankings in 2022, data showed Sunday. Of 380 brands in 38 markets including the United States, the UK, China, India and South Korea, Samsung scored 127 points overall to take the top notch, followed by Google's 106 points, YouTube's 85 points, Netflix's 59 points and Shopee's 51 points. The score was based on YouGov's esti

Nov. 20, 2022

[Weekender] Revived G-Star back with bang

BUSAN -- For Ji Young-hoon, a 22-year-old South Korean who had just finished his mandatory military service duty in September, this year’s G-Star -- the country’s largest annual gaming exhibition felt like seeing an old friend after a long time. “I was here three years ago right after I took Suneung (Korea’s national college entrance exam). I have been looking forward to this year’s G-Star because the last two years’ events were not enjoyable,” Ji told T

Nov. 19, 2022

Science Ministry suggests tax cuts to support content biz

The Ministry of Science on Friday suggested a slew of ideas such as tax reductions for over-the-top, or streaming, content producers to expand the South Korean content business and boost its global competitiveness. The government said the support will foster high-quality, exclusive content production on domestic platforms as well as emerging media businesses involving the metaverse and content creators. "We will turn the nation's content industry into an engine for the country's g

Nov. 18, 2022

Microsoft CEO discusses cooperation with SK, NCSoft chiefs

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday met with chiefs of SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, and NCSoft, the country’s game giant, to discuss future cooperation. According to industry sources familiar with the matter, Nadella sat down with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, SK Square CEO Park Jung-ho and NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin in Seoul. The Microsoft chief’s meeting with SK leaders was a sign of the continued partnership between the two sides. In 2019, Park, who

Nov. 15, 2022

Smilegate founder’s divorce could affect ownership

Kwon Hyuck-bin, founder of South Korea’s gaming giant Smilegate and the nation's fifth richest person in terms of asset value, is going through an expensive divorce, according to legal sources Tuesday. Kwon’s wife was recently ruled in favor of her claim banning her husband from selling company shares until the divorce is finalized. Kwon controls 100 percent shares of Smilegate that is best known for its popular shooting game “Crossfire.” If the court orders Kwon t

Nov. 15, 2022

ASML to strengthen foothold in Korea: CEO

ASML, the world-leading Dutch equipment supplier for semiconductor manufacturers, will expand its foothold in South Korea with the planned construction of new facilities and add more capacity with the global chip industry’s growth forecast, the company’s CEO Peter Wennink said Tuesday. Acknowledging that the global chip industry may struggle in the short term due to worldwide inflation and geopolitical issues, Wennink underlined that more semiconductors are going to be needed to mee

Nov. 15, 2022

Korean researchers develop portable virus killer

South Korean researchers have developed a portable virus killer that uses ultraviolet rays to take out COVID-19 in a second, the Korea Railroad Research Institute said Monday. According to the KRRI, the newly developed anti-virus equipment weighs 1.8 kilograms, making it easy for workers to carry it around public transportation such as subways and trains. As the UV ray-using virus killer does not have a risk of fire or leave residue, the KRRI said it can be used for disinfection work in places w

Nov. 14, 2022

KT invests $2m in US voice biomarker tech startup Sonde Health

KT Corp. said Thursday it is making a strategic investment worth $2 million in Sonde Health, a US voice biomarker tech startup that analyzes people’s voice to recognize depression, anxiety and respiratory problems. The Boston-based firm, equipped with the world’s largest amount of data on voice health, has already secured partnerships with global tech companies like Qualcomm and GN Group. Vocal biomarkers are gaining renewed attention recently, with voice-related services from smartp

Nov. 10, 2022

Twitter Korea likely to lose legal battle against dismissed employees

Twitter Korea Ltd., the US social media giant’s Korean office, is highly likely to lose a potential legal battle against its abruptly laid-off employees under the local labor law if they decide to file a class action lawsuit against their employer, according to labor experts here. “Regardless of whether (Twitter Korea) had urgent managerial reasons behind the layoffs, there seems to have been no efforts to overcome them. The employer should have talked to a representative of laborers

Nov. 10, 2022

Samsung not interested in slidable phones: analyst

Foldable phones may have prompted the demand for devices with an expandable screen, but Samsung Electronics seems not interested in slidable phones due to lukewarm marketability, an analyst said Wednesday. “The market for foldable phones overlaps with that for slidable phones. It will be difficult for slidable phones to create its own market,” said Yi Choong-hoon, CEO and top analyst of Seoul-based display market tracker UBI Research at a conference. “Samsung seems uninterested

Nov. 9, 2022

[Photo News] Night of blood

A total lunar eclipse, also called "blood moon," was observed in South Korea on Tuesday evening. According to the Gwacheon National Science Museum, the lunar eclipse also blocked Uranus, a rare occasion that could be seen from the country only once between year 1600 and 2300.

Nov. 9, 2022

Kakao Bank reaches 20m customers; Kakao Pay shares rise

KakaoBank Corp. said on Wednesday that the number of its customers has risen above 20 million in the five years since its launch in 2017, while Kakao Pay shares rose for a fourth day on news that it has partnered with China’s Alipay+. Kakao Bank, the internet-only bank under mobile platform service provider Kakao Corp., doesn’t charge any fees for wiring money or withdrawing cash via ATMs. It also waived early repayment charges for all borrowers who repaid their loans early, and help

Nov. 9, 2022

G-Star 2022 expected to draw over 250,000 visitors

South Korea’s largest gaming convention G-Star is coming back at full strength for the first time in three years as the country’s major game developers are gearing up to showcase their new titles at the event next week. Taking place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, commonly known as BEXCO, from Nov. 17 to 20, this year’s event is expected to draw over 250,000 game-lovers -- the largest attendance in the 17-year history of the gaming convention -- to the southern p

Nov. 8, 2022

Korean lunar orbiter Danuri plays BTS' 'Dynamite' from space

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Monday that South Korea's uncrewed space vehicle Danuri transmitted BTS’ "Dynamite" music video to Earth, successfully relaying data from space to Earth. According to the Ministry of Science, Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, underwent disruption tolerant network tests on Aug. 25 and Oct. 28. DTN tests are designed to test if data is transmitted wholly under extreme conditions and over very large distances. During

Nov. 8, 2022