Samsung expands number of artworks displayed on The Frame TVs to 1,000

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it has expanded the number of artworks that can be displayed on its premium The Frame TVs to a whopping 1,000 by joining hands with more museums around the globe.The Frame is a high-end TV that comes with a stylish frame design to display artwork or photos when not in use. (Yonhap)Samsung said it recently concluded arrangements with Italy's Uffizi Galleries, the Netherland's Van Gogh Museum and New Zealand's Te Papa to provide 62 more artworks through The Fram

Dec. 10, 2018

Digital health care, smart cities key to 4th industrial revolution drive: committee

　South Korea’s presidential committee aimed at coordinating national strategies to boost the country’s competitiveness in the “fourth industrial revolution” will focus on next-generation health care and smart city development next year, its chief said Monday.　Chang Byung-gyu, who was reappointed to head the committee for a second term, said the committee will devote resources to supporting ongoing smart city initiatives, including those in Sejong and Busan, while narrowing its focus on health ca

Dec. 10, 2018

ICT exports in actual figures fall short of projection

South Korea's actual exports in the information and communications technology sector fall way short of the projected amount the government has announced, a report submitted for parliamentary audit showed Monday.Some US$2.51 billion worth of ICT exports were expected from 2014-2018 through consultation sessions held both at home and abroad, according to the report from the Ministry of Science and ICT. The government spent 10.04 billion won ($8.94 million) to support the consultations during the p

Dec. 10, 2018

Samsung scouting talents for autonomous driving

Samsung Electronics is aggressively hiring software engineers who specialize in autonomous driving technologies, raising expectations that it will launch a new business unit in the field, according to industry sources on Monday. The South Korean tech giant has been seeking experts in autonomous driving, an industry source said, with Samsung thought to be planning to kick-start the new business officially as early as 2019.“Samsung is looking for working-level engineers with over five years of exp

Dec. 10, 2018

LG installs digital signage in Delhi's largest shopping mall

LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it has installed a large digital signage at the largest shopping mall in Delhi in the latest move to promote its organic light-emitting diode displays.The new signage, built at Ambience Mall, located in the capital city, utilizes a whopping 63 units of 55-inch OLED display.  (Yonhap)Standing 8 meters tall, the signage are installed in a ring so that they can be observed at any angle, the company said. The displays will show off various advertisements, including th

Dec. 10, 2018

ICT exports in actual figures fall short of projection

South Korea's actual exports in the information and communications technology sector fall way short of the projected amount the government has announced, a report submitted for parliamentary audit showed Monday.Some $2.51 billion worth of ICT exports were expected from 2014-2018 through consultation sessions held both at home and abroad, according to the report from the Ministry of Science and ICT. The government spent 10.04 billion won ($8.94 million) to support the consultations during the per

Dec. 10, 2018

Kakao begins pilot carpool service, sets official launch for Dec. 17

Despite continued protests from taxi unions, Korean information technology giant Kakao has begun providing a trial of its carpool services, with plans to formally roll out the service for all users here on Dec. 17. Kakao Mobility, the transportation service arm of Kakao, launched a beta version of its carpool service on Friday involving a number of randomly selected users on the Kakao T app. Users can input a destination and place a ride request for drivers registered with Kakao’s “carpool crew.

Dec. 9, 2018

Commercial ‘boosting’ in video games now punishable by law in Korea

South Korea, the world’s fourth-largest gaming market, now has legal grounds to punish actors providing commercial video game “boosting” services. “Boosting” is a practice whereby businesses are paid to increase the rank of a gamer’s account, impeding the possibility of a fair and competitive ecosystem. 　The National Assembly recently passed a revision to the Game Industry Promotion Act, prohibiting entities from offering paid services to level up a gamer’s account using methods unauthorized by

Dec. 9, 2018

LG Display partners with NHK for 8K broadcasting of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

LG Display, the world’s biggest organic light-emitting diode panel maker, said Friday it is working with Japan’s national public broadcasting company NHK to broadcast the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with 8K picture quality. The partnership is a part of LG’s OLED business plan for the Japanese TV market, where there is high demand for high picture quality. To promote OLED panels in Japan, the company participated in the 28th Finetech Japan forum held in Tokyo on Thursday.  LGD advisor Yeo Sang-deok speak

Dec. 7, 2018

Reshuffle of Samsung, SK hynix CEOs send positive signals to market: analysts

Analysts at stock brokerages in South Korea on Friday expressed positive views toward the appointments of chief executive officers at the country’s two biggest chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, suggesting favorable trends in their stock prices. Kim Kyung-min, an analyst at Hana Financial Investment, said Samsung Vice Chairman and CEO Kim Ki-nam and SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee are expected to maintain the current supply and price strategies for their DRAM businesses. “The executive prom

Dec. 7, 2018

LG OLED TV named best of 2018: Consumer Reports

LG Electronics Inc.'s 65-inch OLED TV was named the best OLED TV of 2018, US industry tracker Consumer Reports said Friday.According to the research conducted by Consumer Reports, LG's 65-inch TV with a model number of OLED65B8PUA received the top mark among OLED TVs in terms of resolution, sound and other performances.  (Yonhap)Consumer Reports claimed the LG TV boasted outstanding resolution with a vivid sound system.The evaluator noted users can activate the TV through LG's artificial-intelli

Dec. 7, 2018

LG Display promotes OLED tech in Japan

LG Display Co. said Friday that OLED TVs have emerged as a huge electronics business in Japan, claiming the country's market holds a bright future and that it is home to major clients.During the 28th Fintech Japan held in Chiba, near Tokyo, LG Display claimed that Japan is one of the world's major markets for OLED TVs, and that such products take up 69 percent of Japan's high-end TVs priced $2,000 and above. (Yonhap)LG Display added that a number of its major clients are Japanese companies, whic

Dec. 7, 2018

LG Display raises 20b yuan in loans to finance Guangzhou plant

LG Display said Thursday that the company has raised 20 billion yuan ($2.91 billion) in syndicated loans with Chinese banks to finance the construction of its organic light-emitting diode plant in Guangzhou. The panel-maker said its Chief Financial Officer Kim Sang-don met on Wednesday with officials from the China Construction Bank, the Bank of Communication, the Agricultural Bank of China and the Bank of China to ink the deal.  LG Display officials celebrate a 20 billion yuan loan deal with Ch

Dec. 6, 2018

Samsung seeks stability with minimal executive promotions for 2019

South Korea’s biggest conglomerate Samsung on Thursday conducted the smallest scale of senior executive promotions since 2015, indicating that the tech giant prefers stability over change for next year. Two major promotions were made in the C-level reshuffle. Kim Ki-nam, previously chief executive officer of Samsung’s device solutions division and chairman of the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, was promoted to vice chairman in recognition of his leadership that led the company to unpre

Dec. 6, 2018

Today’s Home, ‘Black Desert Mobile’ top Korea’s 2018 Google Play App Awards

Today’s Home, a social network-based home interior information platform, and “Black Desert Mobile,” a hit mobile role-playing game from Pearl Abyss, were named the top mobile apps in South Korea for 2018 by Google Play on Thursday.　Every year, Google’s mobile app store operator recognizes outstanding apps in various categories ranging from lifestyle and commerce to social networking, finance and games.Among the apps considered by Google Play for the Korean market this year, Today’s Home develope

Dec. 6, 2018

Samsung’s chipmaker CEO promoted to vice chairman

Samsung Electronics on Thursday promoted Kim Ki-nam, chief executive officer of Samsung’s device solutions division, to vice chairman in recognition of his leadership that led the company to unprecedented performance this year. The promotion was made as part of the tech titan’s annual personnel reshuffle. Kim has been leading Samsung’s most lucrative semiconductor division since November 2017 as he was promoted to the CEO position by Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong while the latter was in jail for inv

Dec. 6, 2018

LG Display raises 20b yuan in syndicated loans

South Korea's panel maker LG Display Co. said Thursday it has raised 20 billion yuan ($2.91 billion) in syndicated loans with Chinese banks to finance its local affiliate, LG Display High-Tech Co.The display maker said the deal was reached with China Construction Bank, the Bank of Communication, the Agricultural Bank of China and the Bank of China on Wednesday. (Yonhap)A syndicated loan refers to a loan provided by a group of lenders to a borrower under the same conditions. The instrument helps

Dec. 6, 2018

[Tech Brunch] Samsung Electro-Mechanics eyes new demand for capacitors in 5G era

Tech Brunch breaks down how complex technologies work. -- Ed.Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic component affiliate of Samsung since 1973, had belatedly joined a Japan-led market for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) for electronics in 1986. But decades later, it is now seeking to lead the specific market with its signature nanotechnology and ultra-thin technology on new demand for the capacitors in the era of the fifth-generation network. “It was a huge challenge for the company that u

Dec. 5, 2018

Sales of OLED TVs expected to hit 1 m units in Q4

Global shipments of OLED TVs are expected to hit 1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2018 to set a new record, industry watchers said Wednesday, as high-end TVs have become more affordable.  Market watchers sales of OLED TVs will likely break the previous record, especially since the period is the peak shopping season for consumer electronics as retailers offer large discounts. (Yonhap)IHS Markit earlier expected shipments to reach around 929,500 units in the October-December period.LG Disp

Dec. 5, 2018

Korea's indigenous weather satellite successfully launched

South Korea's first indigenous geostationary weather satellite, the Chollian-2A, intended to enhance the country's weather monitoring system, successfully made initial contact with a ground station after blasting off from a space center in French Guiana, the government in Seoul said Wednesday.The multipurpose satellite, also known as GEO-KOMPSAT-2A, lifted off aboard a launch vehicle made by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Center at Kourou at 5:37 a.m., according to the Ministry of Science and

Dec. 5, 2018