Netflix under probe in Korea over potential tax avoidance

Netflix’s regional office in South Korea is being investigated for alleged tax avoidance, according to industry sources on Thursday. The National Tax Service made its first visit to the Netflix‘s office in Seoul and launched a probe on Wednesday. The NTS suspects the global streaming giant might have intentionally avoided paying tax by reporting fiscal deficits after sending large-sized management consultation fees to the company‘s US-based headquarters. Netflix’s o

Aug. 27, 2020

Ministry to review Google and Apple’s in-app payment systems

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday that it will look into Google and Apple‘s in-app payment systems over claims that they apply excessive commssions to app developers using their platforms. Local app developers and businesses earlier this month asked the government to look into their in-app payment systems and see if the US tech giants are violating local laws that prohibit telecommunications service operators from obstructing users in choosing services. Local developers argu

Aug. 26, 2020

Samsung smart TVs recognized by UK institute

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that its 2020 smart TV lineup has been certified by the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the United Kingdom. The organization offers a platform design and app services that increase access to TV for people with impaired vision. The RNIB has granted Samsung its Tried and Tested Accreditation for the smart TVs launched this year. It is the first time it has granted accreditation to a TV maker. The institute awards accreditation to products, webs

Aug. 26, 2020

LG’s twisting dual screen phone image goes viral

A video clip showing a potentially new dual screen smartphone model by LG Electronics is going viral online. According to a post made on technology blog Android Authority Wednesday, a near-final version of the temporarily-named “LG Wing” phone was spotted in action. The video shows that the Wing’s secondary screen can be rotated, making a T-shape formation. In the clip, navigation was running on the full-screen main display without a notch, while the second screen sho

Aug. 26, 2020

[Monitor] Foreign-made laptops see surge in sales

Foreign manufacturers of laptops saw their sales surge drastically in the second quarter, according to market researcher IDC. They concentrated more on on-line marketing and benefited from a surge in e-commerce sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic, IDC said. Lenovo, for instance, sold 92,325 units between April and June, up over 70 percent from 53,556 in the first quarter. Korean firms, meanwhile, saw slight drops. Samsung’s sales reaching 259,754 units from 308,388 in the first quarter

Aug. 26, 2020

[Chew on IT] Resemblance widely accepted in tech world

When Apple released its iPhone 11 Pro Max last year, it was teased for having an induction cooktop-design camera module on the rear. But in a few months, its archrival Samsung Electronics came up with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, boasting a similar cooktop-like rear camera that offered a 108-megapixel lens and calling it the industry’s first. “It is difficult to buck the trend,” said a Samsung official at the time in response to a question about why the company risked critici

Aug. 25, 2020

MS opens experience center in Seoul

Microsoft announced Tuesday it has opened an experience center in Hyundai Department Store branch in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. The company noted that its Smart Life-style Experience Store will hold exhibitions featuring the latest products. The store comes in four sections showcasing different types of products, including its gaming console Xbox, the company’s operating system, software, digital devices and character products from Minecraft. The company will also hold promotional ev

Aug. 25, 2020

Market expects Samsung’s Quantum Dot displays in Q3 2021

Samsung Display could commercialize its next-generation Quantum Dot displays for televisions as early as the third quarter of next year, according to a market researcher Monday. A report released by Omdia noted Samsung Display recently supplied prototypes of its QD displays for Samsung Electronics and Sony for use in TV manufacturing. The panel maker officially announced its switch from large-size liquid-crystal display panels to QD displays in October as it started converting the curren

Aug. 24, 2020

Tech industry on high alert as COVID-19 hits R&D, manufacturing facilities

South Korea’s tech industry is again on high alert as the resurgence of the novel coronavirus across the country has hit companies’ major research and manufacturing facilities, according to industry sources on Sunday. Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest semiconductor supplier, reported on Saturday that two employees who work for the 16 and 17 chip fabrication lines in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, were confirmed to be COVID-19 patients. The two lines are Samsung&rsquo

Aug. 23, 2020

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 now available globally

Samsung Electronics said Friday that it has officially launched its flagship Galaxy Note 20 phablets globally. The South Korean tech giant’s newly launched lineup, available in 70 countries, comprises the standard Note 20 and the high-end Note 20 Ultra. Samsung Electronics added that the products will be available in a total of 130 nations worldwide by mid-September. The company plans to hold launch events and promotional activities depending on the COVID-19 situation in each nation.

Aug. 21, 2020

LG Display provides transparent displays to Chinese subways

LG Display said Friday that the company has provided its transparent organic light-emitting diode panels for windows of subway trains based in Beijing and Shenzhen, China. The 55-inch OLED display windows installed in trains can show information ranging from news and a weather forecast to subway transit maps and flight schedules. LG Display said the company aims to collaborate with train window makers to increase its transparent OLED panel supplies. The company added it would diversify tran

Aug. 21, 2020

[Monitor] SK hynix restores 30% share in DRAM market

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory provider, restored its share in the global DRAM market with over 30 percent for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2018. According to data from TrendForce, more than half of the DRAM market was occupied by Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in the second quarter of 2020. Samsung cemented its solid lead with 43.5 percent, followed by SK hynix with 30.1 percent. SK hynix’s presence in the DRAM market was redu

Aug. 21, 2020

Online complaints allege defects in Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

A series of complaints surfaced on online tech forums Wednesday about defects in the latest Galaxy Note 20 Ultra edition. Over 100 complaints were posted on the Samsung Smartphone Community, one of the largest online communities for Galaxy device users, suggesting that customers who preordered the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra have detected flaws in their phones. The first major issue was raised Tuesday, when it was revealed that some of the camera lenses may have a condensation problem. Multiple

Aug. 19, 2020

Startups seek probe on in-app purchase system of Apple, Google

  Local startup companies Wednesday have submitted a petition to the Korea Communications Commission, asking for an investigation into whether Apple and Google are violating laws related to in-app purchases. According to an alliance of local application developers and startup firms, Apple has been forcing developers to use their specific in-app purchase system since 2011, through which the company takes around 30 percent commission from purchases by users. Google might apply an in-app pu

Aug. 19, 2020

Are smart glasses the next everyday gadget?

South Korean telecom firm LG U+ announced last week that it has commercialized the world’s first 5G-based augmented reality glasses. Although the glasses use its local 5G network, they rely on equipment developed by China-based Nreal. Smart glasses were initially adopted by company facilities, mainly due to the high price tag, which still keeps them unaffordable for average consumers. They are now being widely used to check facilities and provide remote support on industrial sites. Be

Aug. 18, 2020

Samsung to support Android 11 on Galaxy phones within the year

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it will support three generations of Android operating system upgrades on millions of its Galaxy devices, which includes a plan to start offering Android 11 on some Galaxy phones within the year. Samsung is planning to make a range of its mobile offerings, from Galaxy S, Note, Z, A to the Tab series, eligible for the Android upgrades. The Galaxy S20 lineup that is currently powered by Android 10 will get support for three OS upgrades starting with Android 11

Aug. 18, 2020

[Gadget Review] Reasons for hesitancy over Galaxy Note 20

The Galaxy Note 20 series unveiled about two weeks ago is definitely the easiest option for those approaching the end of their two-year mobile contracts with existing phones. But despite initial market expectations, the hype appears to have died down quickly for the latest models, partly due to reduced subsidies for new phone purchases. More significantly, potential consumers have pointed to “less-than-expected” innovations for the pricey device, which is to cost at least $999.

Aug. 17, 2020

Use of AI speakers surge among seniors living alone

SK Telecom, a leading mobile carrier in South Korea, said Monday that usage of company‘s home care service by senior citizens using through its artificial intelligence speaker Nugu is continuing to increase this year. According to the telecommunications firm’s latest report, the number of seniors using the home care service has increased to 4,700 as of July from 3,200 in April last year. The monthly average uses of the AI-based home care service have also jumped by 127 percent,

Aug. 17, 2020

[67th Anniversary Special] Blurring lines in Korea’s industries: manufacturing merges with AI

It was an inevitable future only to be hammered on by the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea’s key manufacturing giants that have pulled up the country’s economy since the rubbles of the Korean War (1950-53) are fast transforming their DNA by merging with world-class technologies offered by their information technology peers. These companies once with heavy production processes and conventional services are stepping beyond their boundaries, revolutionizing to incorporate artificial i

Aug. 16, 2020

[67th Anniversary Special] Mobile screens take center stage of entertainment

Commuting to work by public transportation in Seoul at 2020, after just a few seconds onboard you will easily come across people watching the latest films, full length, in full HD. You might stop and wonder, “Where did they download those films? I saw the review of that film last week saying it’s going to come up in theaters soon.” That’s right. This weekend’s film that you bought tickets for and have been waiting heartily is already up on your smartphone. With

Aug. 15, 2020