Korean gene sequencing startup 3billion raises W3b in funding

South Korean startup 3billion, which specializes in gene sequencing and analysis for rare disease patients, said Wednesday that it raised 3 billion won ($268 million) in Series A funding.　The latest funding round was led by the Korea Development Bank and venture capital firms The Wells Investment and JW Asset, according to the startup. 3billion is also currently backed by Digital Healthcare Partners, a local digital health startup accelerator.3billion plans to use the newly raised funds to expan

July 11, 2018

Wake-up call about impact of drinking morning coffee

Over time, coffee has become a universal, and quick, antidote to morning sleepiness. In Korea, roughly 265 million cups of coffee, or some 500 cups per person, were consumed in 2017, according to Korea Customs Service. While coffee may be an effective solution to jolt a person awake, health experts say it may not be the best drink to go for the first thing in the morning. (FreeQration)In the first one to two hours after a person wakes from sleep, cortisol, a stress hormone, is secreted in large

July 11, 2018

LG Display gets green light for OLED plant in Guangzhou

South Korea’s largest panel maker LG Display said Tuesday the company has been approved by the Chinese government to build a new joint venture and plant for production of organic light-emitting diode display panels in Guangzhou. The Korean OLED panel maker has set up a joint venture with Guangzhou Development District with a capital of 2.6 trillion won, and invested nearly 5 trillion won to construct an 8.5-generatioin OLED manufacturing facility. The new plant will start its operations in the s

July 10, 2018

[Health-tech Korea] Fighting atopic dermatitis with digital maintenance

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles highlighting South Korea’s promising startups in the emerging sectors of digital health care and next-generation medical devices. This is the 20th installment. - Ed.Parenthood involves many surprises and hardships, but for Joshua Han, the biggest challenge in raising his children was managing their atopic dermatitis, a skin condition that is common but has yet to find a permanent cure.Atopic dermatitis, also called atopic eczema, is a chronic c

July 10, 2018

LG CNS launches smart access card system, AI document security solution

LG CNS, the information technology services unit of South Korea’s LG Group, launched a smart access card system on Tuesday to cater to the access control needs of large enterprises.The IT service provider introduced an automated access card-issue machine that will save time when checking in visitors, by digitalizing the verification and card issue process.(LG CNS)Visitors usually have to visit the information desk, present an ID card, receive a temporary pass and attach stickers to their smartph

July 10, 2018

Korea’s Drug Ministry approves Philips digital pathology solution

Philips Korea announced Tuesday that South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved its digital pathology solution, the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution, for diagnostic use in the country.Pathologists in Korea can now use the digital pathology technology from Philips to assess and diagnose clinical histology cases digitally, instead of with a microscope, with the aim to enhance laboratory efficiency and quality, the firm said. (Philips Korea)“MFDS approval for the Philips Inte

July 10, 2018

[Photo News] Artificial Intelligence Expo kicks off in Korea

Under the theme of “AI technology, toward better life,” the 2018 Artificial Intelligence Expo Korea kicked off Monday with some 100 exhibitors setting up booths at Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Information sessions introducing AI technologies -- machine learning, speech recognition and image recognition -- networking sessions and experiential tours are part of the three-day event. Attendees can explore various AI applications and services including, but not limited to, autonomous drivin

July 9, 2018

Samsung expands collaboration with UK-based Arm on foundry

Samsung Electronics announced that it will expand collaboration with UK-based semiconductor intellectual property firm Arm to 7 and 5-nanometer FinFET process technology for high-performance computing at a foundry forum held in Seoul on Thursday. The enhanced collaboration with Arm is part of the memory chip giant’s efforts to strengthen its foundry business by providing better solutions for its fabless customers. On 7-nm Low Power Plus and 5-nm Low Power Early process technologies, Samsung will

July 5, 2018

LG CNS launches IoT-linked smart city platform ‘Cityhub’

LG CNS, the information technology services unit of South Korea’s LG Group, announced Thursday the launch of a comprehensive smart city management platform that collects and analyzes data generated and sent by various city infrastructure via internet of things technology.Tentatively named “Cityhub,” the smart city platform collects data from IoT sensors attached on vehicles, buildings, transportation infrastructure and street lights. Such data can also be analyzed via LG CNS’ artificial intellig

July 5, 2018

Connectivity will determine nation’s competitiveness: forum

South Korean ICT Minister Yoo Young-min on Wednesday emphasized connectivity will play a significant role in strengthening the country’s competitiveness at Innovate Korea 2018, a forum on information and communication technology and science held by Herald Corp.“An era of hyper connectivity has already come, and how we respond will determine the national competitiveness for the next few decades,” Yoo said. The second edition of the Innovate Korea forum co-hosted by National Research Council of Sc

July 4, 2018

Rules toughened to reduce damage from clinical trials

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday it will toughen regulations on clinical trials, as they have led to an alarming number of deaths and hospitalizations due to side effects.Eighty-two people were reported to have died during clinical trials from 2012 to June 2017, while 1,168 people were hospitalized due to life-threatening conditions, according to ministry data released by Rep. Kim Sang-hoon of the opposition Liberty Korea Party. Kim is a member of the parliamentary committee o

July 4, 2018

Samsung SDS introduces IoT-powered smart door lock

Samsung SDS, the information technology solutions unit of South Korea’s Samsung Group, said Wednesday that it has launched a new door lock that employs Internet of Things technology to connect to smartphones, for both Korean and global markets.　The device, named the SHP-DR900, is equipped with a power-efficient Wi-Fi chip that extends battery life by two times, compared to existing devices in the market, the company said. (Samsung SDS)It also informs users of their door status via a smartphone i

July 4, 2018

Korean mobile carriers leaning towards Samsung with partnership on 5G

South Korean mobile carriers are ramping up partnerships with Samsung Electronics as part of moves towards completing the country’s first fifth-generation commercial network system amid ongoing biddings joined by global vendors such as China’s Huawei, according to the industry on Tuesday. SK Telecom, the nation’s No.1 telecom business by the subscriber number, said the company has developed the 5G NextGen Core equipment based on international standards such as the hyper text transfer protocol, a

July 3, 2018

94% of Korea’s Google Play revenue comes from games

An overwhelming majority of Google Play’s revenue in the South Korean market is generated by games provided on the mobile app marketplace, industry tracking data released Tuesday showed.According to local app analytics firm WiseApp, the games category took up 94.4 percent of revenue generated on Korea’s Google Play, the biggest app marketplace for mobile devices running on the Android operating system.Revenue on Google Play refers to tax-exclusive funds generated by app sales — where users have

July 3, 2018

‘Fine dust’ most searched keyword by Korean users in H1: Google

Google Korea said Monday that “fine dust” topped the list of most popular search keywords over the first half of this year among South Korean users, rising sharply from 12th place for all of 2017.　The Korean-language service of the U.S. search engine said the result apparently indicates a rising number of South Koreans are becoming more aware of problems sparked by fine dust. Seoul`s Namsan Tower. (Yonhap)　Fine dust refers to airborne particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers and have been

July 2, 2018

NCSoft invests W22b in Korean visual effects tech company

South Korean video game giant NCSoft said Monday that it has invested 22 billion won ($19.67 million) in a local visual effects technology firm, 4th Creative Party, with aims to forge new synergies in the digital media space.Established in 2009, 4th Creative Party is one of Korea’s top visual effects tech companies. It has participated in the production of major Korean films including “Okja,” “The Handmaiden,” “Snowpiercer” and “Oldboy.” The firm also recently branched out into new areas of digi

July 2, 2018

Instagram Stories outpaces Snapchat, attracting 400m users

Instagram said its popular Stories feature now has 400 million daily users, which is twice as many users compared to Snapchat’s 191 million, citing Instagram and Snapchat’s first-quarter report, respectively.Instagram is proving to be a strong competitor in the social media realm, rapidly winning over users from not only rival social media platforms, such as Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube, but even its parent company Facebook. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has bought companies that posed the bigge

June 29, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Huawei or Samsung? Just leave it to the market’

SHANGHAI -- If Huawei has good reference sites and excels in quality, it is up to mobile operators to decide whether to use the made-in-China telecommunications equipment, says Johnny Kim, strategic engagement director and head of North East Asia at the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). “There are political implications about the issue, but if they have good reference sites and good quality, why not use them?” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Herald at the Mo

June 29, 2018

Samsung releases Galaxy A6 with Infinity Display

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it will start sales of its Galaxy A6 smartphone, which offers high-end features at a more affordable price, in its home market.The 5.6-inch Galaxy A6 comes with Samsung's minimum bezel Infinity Display, boasting a 18.5:9 aspect ratio that allows users to enjoy the widest viewing experience, the company said.The Galaxy A6 was first launched globally in May. Samsung Electronics Co.`s Galaxy A6 (Yonhap)Among the key features of the Galaxy A6 are a 16-megapixel se

June 29, 2018

Huawei dismisses security concerns in Korea over 5G drive

SHANGHAI -- Top officials of China’s No. 1 network equipment manufacturer Huawei Technologies strongly dismissed concerns about the cybersecurity risks of its products, promising to support South Korea’s leadership in the fifth-generation telecommunications network industry. “South Korean mobile carriers are demanding much tougher requirements for security of their 5G networks, and we are trying hard to meet their requirements,” said Shawn Meng, CEO of Huawei Korea, at a press conference for Kor

June 28, 2018