[Graphic News] Dementia increasing in Korea

　More than 1 in 10 senior citizens in South Korea suffer from dementia, data showed.　According to the data from the National Institute of Dementia, 748,945 South Koreans aged 65 and above suffered from dementia as of 2018 last year. 　That figure is expected to grow to 2.18 million by 2040, 3.03 million by 2050 and 3.32 million by 2060 as the population continues to age. 

May 13, 2019

Competition grows over ‘edge cloud’ computing market in Korea

　With telecom companies here accelerating efforts to process massive data at faster speeds since the launch of the fifth-generation cellular network, competition in the cloud edge computing market has intensified. 　The country’s major mobile carrier KT said Sunday it had installed cloud computing systems at mobile communication centers in Seoul and Busan, where it has been operating edge computing technology since March to improve 5G network quality. 　Combining cloud services with edge computing

May 13, 2019

[Photo News] SKT, Microsoft sign MOU on ICT partnership

SKT-MICROSOFT PARTNERSHIP -- SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho (left) and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shake hands during a meeting at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. SKT said Monday the two have signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to collaborate in areas including 5G, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to foster new business opportunities. (SKT)　

May 13, 2019

ZmyHome aims to take Thailand property market to next level

BANGKOK -- Lacking proper governing systems, the Thailand real estate market has a sort of Wild West feel to it. There are no rules to appraise the value of properties, and self-proclaimed real estate agents put a price on and sell properties in an arbitrary manner. Many traditional real estate platforms often do not screen out fake listings to allure buyers. Even the government is unable to track property transactions.Frustrated by the unstructured market, Natthapon Asswisessiwakul, a former pr

May 13, 2019

Samsung to build mobile battery, display plants in India

South Korea’s tech giant Samsung is making additional investments in India with the goal of making the 1.3 billion-population market its mobile business hub, according to industry and news reports Thursday. Samsung Electronics battery affiliate Samsung SDI and display panel maker Samsung Display recently invested around 25 billion rupees ($357.83 million) to build additional battery pack and mobile display assembly plants, according to local news outlets. The detailed amount of their respective

May 9, 2019

[Non-memory Korea: 6] Nvidia’s ‘intellectual honesty’ culture offers lessons for Korean fabless firms: exec

What has made Nvidia a strong player in the non-memory chip market today is the firm’s corporate culture to promote “intellectual honesty,” said Cha Jung-hoon, Nvidia Korea head of enterprise sales and marketing.Cha is currently in charge of the American company’s automotive and embedded businesses in South Korea, after serving at several domestic fabless firms.“Nvidia has been doing what it has wanted to do for the past 26 years,” he said during an interview with The Korea Herald. “The company

May 9, 2019

Samsung CEO confirms imminent launch of Galaxy Fold after fixing flaws

Samsung Electronics will soon announce a rescheduled plan for the launch of its Galaxy Fold smartphone in the United States after resolving reported issues involving its main display, CEO Koh Dong-jin said Thursday. The South Korean tech giant’s mobile business chief told The Korea Herald, “(The company) has reviewed the defect caused from substances (that entered the device), and we will reach a conclusion in a couple of days (on the launch).”  Samsung CEO Koh Dong-jin presents Galaxy Fold in F

May 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Cancer is No. 1 cause of death in S. Korea

　The death rate from cancer in South Korea has been on the rise every year, according to the Korea Insurance Development Institute.　The number of life insurance subscribers who died of cancer increased from 18,144 in 2008 to 19,560 in 2010, 21,179 in 2012, 23,213 in 2015 and 24,940 in 2017, data showed.　By total number of deaths, the deadliest cancers were of the lungs, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon and breast.　

May 7, 2019

[Herald Interview] Stop blaming technology, it’s on people who use it’

South Korea has been seeking to outperform global competitors with many futuristic innovations, but cryptocurrency is not one of them. Alarmed by the massive price fluctuations of bitcoins, the Korean government has taken a cautious approach toward cryptocurrencies. Their trading has yet to show full signs of recovery since the government banned initial coin offerings in 2017. The measure had sparked intense debate over how to treat blockchain technology that underlies cryptocurrencies. While th

May 7, 2019

[News Briefs] Year’s first flesh-eating bacteria found in Gyeonggi

Vibrio vulnificus, a strain of necrotizing bacteria, was detected in seawaters off the west coast of Gyeonggi Province, the province’s Health and Environment Research Institute said Tuesday. Three of the 38 seawater and 33 wetland mud samples tested positive for the bacteria on April 29.  About 50 cases of the bacterial infections occur nationwide every year, with nearly half of those infected dying, according to the institute. The bacteria are typically found during su

May 7, 2019

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in children’s products

About 130,000 children’s products were found to contain endocrine disruptors during customs clearance procedures, a Korea Customs Service report showed Friday.KCS and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards jointly performed a safety evaluation on children’s products for two months starting in March, ahead of the May 5 Children’s Day. (Korea Customs Service)Endocrine disruptors were detected in children’s products, containing 14 to 220 times more phthalate-based plasticizers than allowed.

May 3, 2019

Kono launches smart LED stick utilizing IoT tech

South Korean firm Kono, known for a commemorative watch used by the Blue House, said Friday it will be launching a smart LED stick that utilizes internet of things technology. Kono, originally a maker of watches and jewelry, is now expanding into IoT-based products, and the new LED stick is designed to reflect a user’s lifestyle, responding to sound sources at concert venues or hiking conditions to prevent accidents. The product, which will be released under the brand Mangosteen Swing, requires

May 3, 2019

Samsung’s Montreal AI Lab kick-starts research on system chips

After announcing a 133 trillion won ($114 billion) investment in research and development of non-memory semiconductors last week, Samsung Electronics said Thursday its artificial intelligence research institute in Montreal, Canada, has been expanded to support the company’s drive for system chips.The company said the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology’s AI Lab in Montreal has been incorporated into the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms by recently moving into Mila's building. Foun

May 2, 2019

Plug and Play eyes launch in Korea by 2020

Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center plans to launch operations in South Korea by the first half of 2020, according to company officals.Despite the rapid growth in Korea’s startup ecosystem, Plug and Play, which is widening its presence in Asia -- with offices in China’s eight cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Tokyo, Jakarta and Singapore -- has not yet started an office here.“(Plug and Play Tech Center) is preparing to launch in Korea between the fo

May 2, 2019

Experts caution against trend to pathologize gaming

Although addiction to gaming should be categorized as a mental health issue according to the new guidelines of the World Health Organization, debate has persisted on how to draw the line on addiction, and whether existing regulations to mitigate such risks are appropriate.Researchers gathered at the Game Science Forum in Seoul on Monday to explore the implications of gaming disorder being highlighted in the context of public health at a forum on gaming and science, where participants cautioned a

May 1, 2019

Free Wi-Fi to be available on city buses nationwide

Free Wi-Fi services will be available on 4,200 public city buses nationwide, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced Wednesday.In an effort to improve information accessibility and reduce telecommunication costs, the ministry will provide 100 gigabytes of data per bus every month for public use. Buses with Wi-Fi services will have a ministry-issued sticker attached for easy recognition. Ministry-issued sticker (MSIP)Public Wi-Fi services are available at some 13,000 designated areas across the

May 1, 2019

LG Electronics Q1 net profit down 21% on lackluster mobile biz

LG Electronics said Tuesday its first-quarter net profit dropped 20.8 percent from a year earlier as its money-losing smartphone business clouded robust revenue from its home appliance division. The South Korean electronics maker said it posted 578 billion won (US$495 million) in net profit in the January-March period, compared with 730 billion won a year earlier.Timothy Alessi (left), a US product marketing team leader, and David Vanderwaal, a US marketing division leader, present LG Electronic

April 30, 2019

Samsung expects better second half after reporting weak Q1 results on chips

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday cautiously expected an uptick in chip demand for high-value products and mobile devices in the second half of the year, after delivering a 60 percent drop in its first-quarter earnings on weak memory chip prices.The South Korean tech giant posted a net profit of 5.04 trillion won (US$4.3 billion) in the January-March period, the lowest since the third quarter of 2016, its regulatory filing showed. Its operating profit dropped 60.1 percent on-year to 6.2 trillion wo

April 30, 2019

[Non-memory Korea: 5] ‘Policy focuses on stronger links among fabless, design houses, foundry businesses’

The latest set of policy measures to boost the non-memory chip industry focuses on fortifying the relationships between firms in different areas of the industry to help them collaborate on development and production, Korea Semiconductor Industry Association Vice Chairman Nam Ki-man told The Korea Herald.  “Compared to the past policies announced in 2010 and 2015, the latest package has its focus on strengthening the links among the different segments of the system chip industry,” Nam said, refer

April 30, 2019

Samsung showcases first vertical TV to target millennials

To meet the needs of millennials who are more familiar with smartphones than the traditional television screens, Samsung Electronics on Monday showcased its first vertical TV model as part of its lifestyle lineup. Dubbed “The Sero,” meaning vertical in Korean, the TV features a 43-inch quantum-dot light-emitting diode screen that can also be turned around for a normal horizontal screen. While the vertical form is more suitable for consuming mobile contents by mirroring a user’s smartphone for mo

April 29, 2019