S. Korean hospital develops AI-based COVID-19 mortality risk predictor

South Korean researchers developed a machine learning model for predicting a COVID-19 mortality risk in patients at the point of care. The research team at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital said in Monday’s press release the model was able to estimate poor outcomes in patients with COVID-19 for over 90 percent of the cases. The model, as described in a study published last week on Scientific Reports, is based on 10,237 patients diagnosed here between Jan. 23 and April

Nov. 2, 2020

Microsoft launches HoloLens 2 in S. Korea

Microsoft Korea Monday announced the launch of mixed-reality headset HoloLens 2 in South Korea, targeting business customers that plan to implement digital transformation. HoloLens 2 is an upgraded version of its mixed-reality headset that uses technology that overlays digital images onto the real world. The latest version of headset was first launched in February 2019. The newest version of mixed-reality headset features a field of view that’s twice as large as the company‘s prev

Nov. 2, 2020

SK Telecom pilots AI program for dementia diagnosis

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, said Monday it has started testing an artificial intelligence (AI) program that can detect dementia by listening to patients' speech. The carrier said it partnered with Seoul National University College of Medicine last year to develop the program to allow early diagnosis of the disease. The two will start testing the program at major hospitals and the country's dementia centers this month to improve the program's accuracy. The AI program

Nov. 2, 2020

Golfzon introduces new version of indoor golf simulator

Golfzon, South Korea’s leading screen golf operator, said Friday that it has launched a new version of its indoor golf simulator. The latest version comes with new features that are designed to improve the player experience, according to the company. For instance, it allows players to make changes to putting green soils, which can influence how a golf ball lands and how it rolls on the ground. The users can also adjust the speed of a golf ball rolling on a putting green, according to t

Oct. 30, 2020

Samsung launches mobile device locator app

Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday launched a mobile application that allows users to easily locate their misplaced smart devices. SmartThings Find is now available on Samsung's Galaxy devices globally after the service was tested by 6 million users in South Korea, the United States and Britain for about two months, the company said. The South Korean tech giant will provide a new software update for the service on Galaxy smartphones and tablets running Android 8 or later, Galaxy Watch smartwat

Oct. 30, 2020

Apple's new iPhone 12 heats up 5G competition in S. Korea

Apple Inc. launched its new iPhone 12 in South Korea on Friday, joining the fierce competition for the local 5G phone market. The country's 5G phone market has so far been dominated by local tech giants, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., but the newest iPhone models -- Apple's first smartphones to support the high-speed network -- are expected to heat up competition. South Korea commercialized the 5G network in April last year as the first in the world. Local telecom o

Oct. 30, 2020

SK hynix CEO says $9b Intel deal 'not expensive'

Lee Seok-hee, the CEO of SK hynix, said Thursday he believes the company's 10.3 trillion won ($9 billion) acquisition of Intel's NAND memory business is not an expensive deal. South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker last week announced it agreed to buy Intel's non-volatile memory unit for $9 billion, including its solid state drive business and a NAND flash chip plant in Dalian, China. If completed, it will be the largest-ever acquisition by a South Korean firm, far exceeding Samsung Electronics's $8 b

Oct. 29, 2020

[Advertising Awards] SK Telecom leads in age of hyper innovation

CORPORATE PR AWARDS/ GRAND PRIZE SK Telecom By Kim Hee-sup Senior vice president of Public Relation Office What use would it be if the latest technologies mean nothing to your life? SK Telecom believes that the new era should be multifaceted just as taste varies from person to person. The new age with technological innovations should also be the same. SK Telecom aims to bring the age of hyper innovation that fits each and every individual.  SK Telecom is experiencing transformati

Oct. 29, 2020

Naver posts record revenue in Q3

Naver posted all-time high quarterly sales in the third quarter this year, the company announced Thursday in its regulatory filing. The sales of Naver in the third quarter reached 1.36 trillion won ($1.2 billion), up by 24.2 percent on-year. Naver’s operating profit during the July-September period also increased by 1.8 percent on-year to reach at 291 billion won. The net profit of Naver also marked 235.3 billion won in the third quarter, surging by 176 percent on-year. The record-hi

Oct. 29, 2020

KT announces vision to become telecom-IT firm

KT, South Korea‘s leading telecommunications firm, announced its corporate vision Wednesday to strengthen its non-telecommunications businesses. The company also introduced a new corporate brand KT Enterprise as part of its efforts to increase investment in services powered by artificial intelligence, big data and cloud technology. KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo stressed that the company will increase its investment in up-and-coming platform sectors to secure future growth during a press conference

Oct. 28, 2020

Korea Post tests autonomous mail delivery vehicles

Korea Post said Wednesday it has tested a self-driving mail delivery vehicle, joining the country's race to introduce unmanned delivery services. The agency said it tested the vehicle, developed by PostCube Co., a local automatic postal service developer, at the Korea University Sejong Campus in the central city of Sejong, 120 kilometers south of Seoul, delivering a package to a student on campus. The unmanned vehicle, which serves as a standalone post office, has a digital kiosk inside that a

Oct. 28, 2020

Samsung SDS marks record-high sales in Q3

Samsung SDS, Samsung Group‘s IT service unit, announced the Tuesday that company’s sales marked an all-time high in the third quarter this year. The sales of Samsung SDS during the July-September period reached 2.96 trillion won ($2.6 billion), up by 11.7 percent on-year, according to a regulatory filing posted Tuesday. Compared to the second quarter this year, the sales went up by 15.6 percent, the company added.  The firm‘s operating profit during the three-month pe

Oct. 27, 2020

[KH Biz Forum] Figuring out future consumers, loyalty-based biz model

What will consumers want in the future, and how can companies lure them? Samsung Electronics’ innovation and startup investment arm, Samsung NEXT, is delving into the behavior of future consumers and preparing to establish new business models to attract them, said Jamie Choi, vice president at Samsung Electronics.  “In comparison with consumers in the past, today’s consumers seek diversity, empowerment and expression of one’s value,” Choi said during her lec

Oct. 27, 2020

SK Telecom to open flagship store by collaborating with Apple and Microsoft

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest wireless provider, said Tuesday it will open a new flagship store by working with Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The new store, named T Factory, in the trendy neighborhood of Hongik University in western Seoul, will open on Oct. 31, according to the carrier. SK Telecom said it is collaborating with the US tech giants and Samsung Electronics Co. to showcase their latest products and services, including the carrier's cloud gaming service, launched in Septemb

Oct. 27, 2020

Samsung SDS Q3 net up on record sales

Samsung SDS Co., an IT service unit of Samsung Group, on Tuesday reported strong third-quarter earnings as its quarterly sales reached a record high amid the pandemic. The company logged a third-quarter net profit of 161 billion won ($142.7 million), up 2.6 percent from a year earlier. Samsung SDS said its revenue jumped 11.7 percent on-year to 2.96 trillion won in the July-September period, its largest-ever quarterly sales. The company's operating income advanced 6.4 percent on-year to 219.8

Oct. 27, 2020

Naver, CJ sign share-swap deal in strategic tie-up

South Korea's top online portal operator Naver and entertainment and logistics giant CJ Group signed a share-swap deal Monday in a strategic tie-up to boost their competitive edge in the e-commerce and entertainment industries, officials said. Under the deal worth 600 billion won ($531 million), Naver will acquire a 7.85 percent stake in CJ Logistics Corp., a parcel delivery company, a 5 percent stake in entertainment giant CJ ENM Corp. and a 6.26 percent stake in Studio Dragon, a drama produc

Oct. 26, 2020

YouTube ranks as fifth most trustworthy media in South Korea: survey

  YouTube ranked as the fifth most trustworthy media in South Korea in the third quarter, beating other traditional local outlets, a survey showed Monday. The state-run broadcaster KBS topped the list with 17.7 percent trust level in the survey conducted by Kantar Korea, a research firm, and commissioned by KBS, from Sept. 24-26 on 1,009 adults across the country. Public broadcaster MBC came in second with 10.6 percent, followed by two cable channels, JTBC with 7.9 percent and TV Chosun w

Oct. 26, 2020

Korean researchers develop cell culture technique for human lung cells

A group of South Korean researchers has developed a 3D-based cell culture technique for human lung alveolar cells that become targets of COVID-19 infection, according to Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Monday. KAIST professor Ju Young-seok, who was on the research team, said the cell culture technique could artificially produce cells that mirror the cellular physiology and pathology of human lung alveolar cells. The technique would help other researchers to characterize p

Oct. 26, 2020

LG releases upgraded wireless earbuds in S. Korea

LG Electronics Inc. on Monday released premium wireless earbuds with an active noise cancellation (ANC) system in South Korea as the company seeks to expand its presence in the wearables market. The high-end model of the LG TONE Free wireless earbuds, the HBS-TFN7, was launched here for 219,000 won ($190). LG said the earwear device is equipped with ANC technology that tunes out ambient noise, allowing users to better concentrate on the sound coming through the earbuds. It also used technolo

Oct. 26, 2020

[Herald Interview] Glimpse into future of AI that talks fluently

While artificial intelligence is slowly entering everyday life, AI that speaks and understands human language flawlessly is still a work in progress for tech firms. Google’s Duplex technology, for instance, has been allowing users to make reservations in restaurants automatically or arrange appointments, with the AI assistant making the phone call, since 2018. South Korean telecommunications firm SKT earlier this month has added its self-developed voice assistant Nugu to its voice call

Oct. 25, 2020