Sales of feature phones rising amid smartphone slump: data

The global shipment of feature phones increased in the third quarter of the year amid slowing demand for high-end smartphones, as consumers in emerging markets opted for devices with basic functions, industry data showed on Wednesday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Counterpoint Research, global shipments of feature phones came to 112 million units in the July-September period, up 3 percent from a year earlier.  (Yonhap)The figures compare to smartphones, which posted shipments

Dec. 19, 2018

KT’s choice of Huawei for financial industry networks draws mixed views

The expansion of Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei into South Korea’s financial sector is drawing mixed views, industry sources said Monday. KT, the No. 2 player in the telecom industry, has selected Huawei’s equipment, including its multiservice switching platform, for upgrades of landline network connections for financial institutions. Major clients include Koscom and Nonghyup. Koscom is an IT solution provider owned by the Korea Exchange, which serves public financial institutions and bu

Dec. 17, 2018

OLED accounts for 60 pct of world's market for smartphone displays: IHS Markit

Organic light-emitting diode panels accounted for more than 60 percent of the world's market for smartphone displays in the third quarter of 2018, data showed Monday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker IHS Markit, the global market for smartphone displays came to US$10.7 billion in the July-September period, with OLED panels taking up 61.1 percent, or $6.6 billion. (Yonhap)The proportion of OLED panels rose sharply from the 35 percent posted in the first quarter of 2017, the data

Dec. 17, 2018

Samsung, LG to showcase 5G phones at MWC

South Korean smartphone makers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are planning to unveil their first fifth-generation network-enabled smartphones at the biggest mobile industry tradeshow in Barcelona in February, aiming to launch the phones in March upon commercialization of wireless 5G services, according to industry sources Sunday. Industry observers are paying attention to the Mobile World Congress 2019 that opens in Barcelona in late February in order to witness the new phones of the fir

Dec. 16, 2018

Hyundai Mobis to unveil windshield display technology at CES

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker by sales, said Sunday it will introduce a windshield display technology for its autonomous vehicles that can play movies and be controlled with hand gestures.Hyundai Motor plans to unveil the technology, which tracks a driver's eye and finger motions to manipulate the display while in autonomous drive mode, at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, the carmaker said in a statement. (Yonhap)A movie can be shown on a wraparound windshield that

Dec. 16, 2018

KAIST delays decision on dismissing president accused of mishandling public funds

KAIST, South Korea’s top science and technology university, on Friday decided to delay its decision on dismissing its incumbent President Shin Sung-chul, who has been accused by the government of mishandling public funds during his previous post at another university. KAIST’s board said it will reconsider the dismissal of the president at the next board meeting, given the gravity of the issue and continued dispute over the accusations by the Ministry of Science and ICT.The ministry alleges that

Dec. 14, 2018

[Newsmaker] Kakao delays formal launch of carpool service after taxi protest death

Kakao Mobility said Thursday that it will delay the formal launch of its carpool service that was initially slated for Monday, citing a need to engage in continued discussions with taxi drivers, the government and other industry stakeholders on the issue.The move came after a 57-year-old taxi driver burned himself to death in protest of Kakao’s carpool service plans Monday, shocking the public and driving up tensions between the company and taxi unions that have been staging fierce protests agai

Dec. 13, 2018

Google Korea under tax probe, signaling widening crackdown on foreign tech firms

South Korea’s tax agency has launched an investigation into the local branch of US technology giant Google over allegations of tax evasion on the part of some local YouTubers, a move that signals stepped up government efforts to crack down on foreign tech firms long accused of taking a free ride on lax regulations.　The National Tax Service on Wednesday sent its auditors and investigators to the headquarters of Google Korea in Seoul to secure the company’s financial and accounting records.The NTS

Dec. 13, 2018

KT to work with UN to combat fine dust

KT signed an agreement with the United Nations Environment Program to provide consultations on uses of information communications technology with a view to resolving global environmental issues such as fine dust, the mobile carrier said Thursday.Under the agreement, KT will support UNEP in establishing an integrated platform for handling global environmental issues, data analysis on activities to reduce fine dust, and measures to help vulnerable groups of people to combat fine dust in developing

Dec. 13, 2018

LG launches 100-kW ESS for solar systems

LG Electronics announced Thursday it will launch a 100-kilowatt energy storage system for solar power plants featuring LG Chem’s battery in an effort to expand into the ESS market. Named All-in-one ESS, the system is equipped with power-condition and power-management systems that increase efficiency and convenience for users, the company said.  (LG Electronics)Adopting LG Chem’s 274-kilowatt per hour battery, the ESS is capable of storing electricity for one full day for 25 households in Seoul.

Dec. 13, 2018

SKT, Deutsche Telekom to introduce mobile edge computing to 5G

SK Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiary MobiledgeX to introduce mobile edge computing technologies to its fifth-generation network services, it said Thursday. Mobile edge computing refers to a set of technologies that enable computation on distributed devices known as smart devices or edge devices as opposed to primarily taking place in a centralized cloud environment.  SKT and MobiledgeX officials pose after an MOU signing ceremony on Thursday. (SK Tel

Dec. 13, 2018

KT launches epidemic prevention platform in Kenya

KT will establish a platform to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases across the African continent, in partnership with the Kenyan government, the South Korean mobile carrier said Wednesday. The company broke ground for the Global Epidemic Prevention Platform that will serve as a center for collecting and analyzing data on contagious diseases in traveling areas and particularly critical regions, sent by Kenya’s No. 1 carrier Safaricom. A ceremony was held to mark the occasion at Safaric

Dec. 12, 2018

Samsung to be reshaped centering on AI, auto parts and 5G

Samsung Electronics’ year-end organizational restructuring focuses on three new businesses: artificial intelligence, vehicle components and the fifth-generation network, according to the industry on Wednesday.The tech conglomerate has worked on realigning current business divisions and units, and transfers of positions, all of which are to be completed by Thursday. While maintaining the current three divisions -- device solutions, IT and mobile communications, and consumer electronics -- each di

Dec. 12, 2018

[News Focus] Korea to impose expanded digital VAT on global tech giants from July 2019

Starting next July, global technology giants, such as Google, Amazon and Facebook, will be required to pay value-added tax on a wider range of services they provide in South Korea, as a new law stipulating the change was approved last week. The National Assembly passed a bill to amend the Value-Added Tax Act that enforces a 10 percent VAT on online advertisements, cloud computing services and forms of online-to-offline businesses provided by foreign information and communication technology compa

Dec. 12, 2018

LG CNS partners with Korea’s Megazone for cloud business

LG CNS, the information technology services unit of South Korea’s LG Group, has partnered with Korean public cloud provider Megazone to expand the scope of its cloud business, the company said Tuesday.The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul, agreeing to jointly research and commercialize cloud platforms, exchange resources and partner for global business expansion.(LG CNS)Under the partnership, LG CNS will combine its large-scale cloud service capabilities with the public

Dec. 11, 2018

LG to unveil home-brewing machine at Las Vegas trade show

LG Electronics will unveil a beer-brewing machine at Consumer Electronics Show 2019 in Las Vegas in January with the aim of leading the market in the widely popular home-brewing trend, the company said Tuesday. Dubbed “LG Home Brew,” the newest brewer is an automated beer-making machine, equipped with LG’s proprietary brewing technology supported by its inverter compressor and automatic temperature- and pressure-control technologies, the company said. The brewer works like an espresso machine. U

Dec. 11, 2018

Google accelerates Plus closure after another privacy lapse

(AP) - Google is still having trouble protecting the personal information on its Plus service, prodding the company to accelerate its plans to shut down a little-used social network created to compete against Facebook.A privacy flaw that inadvertently exposed the names, email addresses, ages and other personal information of 52.5 million Google Plus users last month convinced Google to close the service in April instead of August, as previously announced. Google revealed the new closure date and

Dec. 11, 2018

Samsung sells 110,000 units of convertible laptops at home

Samsung Electronics Co. sold more than 110,000 units of its convertible laptop, Pen, up till last month after the device was released in the local market in December 2017, industry sources said Tuesday.Considering the popularity, the South Korean tech giant is expected to sell 120,000 units of its versatile laptop, which can also function as a tablet PC, by the end of this year. (Yonhap)The sales performance is significant as the size of the South Korean market for laptops has been decreasing ov

Dec. 11, 2018

[Newsmaker] Korea cab driver burns himself to death in carpool protest

A South Korean taxi driver burned himself to death on Monday in protest at an Uber-like ride-sharing service being introduced by the country's largest mobile chat app, reports said.(Yonhap)South Korean taxi drivers have angrily protested against the car-pooling service created by KakaoTalk, saying it would threaten their jobs and livelihoods. US giant Uber has only a minimal presence in the country, offering only taxi- and licensed-hire vehicle hailing after closing its main ride-sharing service

Dec. 10, 2018

KT to deduct up to 6-month phone bills for victims of network blackout

South Korean mobile carrier KT announced Monday its plan to compensate those who suffered from a network blackout caused by a fire at its regional branch last month, including the exemption of telecom bills worth up to six months.In addition to its initial plan to shave off one-month bills for both landline and wireless service subscribers among the victims, which largely included small merchants in the Seodaemun District, northern Seoul, the operator decided to exempt fees worth up to six month

Dec. 10, 2018