SKT’s first Facebook recruiting event draws 15,000

SK Telecom said Tuesday its first online recruiting event through Facebook Live drew about 15,000 viewers a day earlier, suggesting a new way of hunting for talent. According to the mobile carrier, 14,939 Facebook users viewed one of the two live recruiting sessions held online for the first time. Officials in charge of recruitment at SKT staged a talk show at a studio, introducing the firm’s recruiting process. They answered questions asked by Facebook viewers in real time. The live sessions we

March 20, 2018

Philips partners with local organizations for sports rehab research

Philips Korea said Tuesday that it has sealed a strategic partnership with the Korea Paralympic Ski Association and Korea University’s sports science research subsidiary Fortium, to jointly conduct a clinical research program for sports rehabilitation.The three entities signed the strategic partnership agreement during a ceremony held Thursday in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, host to the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. They will mutually support and cooperate on clinical research for

March 20, 2018

[Tech Brunch] KT prepares blockchain as next network technology

This May, South Korea’s leading mobile carrier KT is set to unearth what it has secretly been developing for the past three years. Since the establishment of an exclusive research and development center for blockchain in 2015, Seo Young-il, vice president and head of the blockchain center at KT’s Institute of Convergence Technology, has been working on the utilization of blockchain technologies in telecommunications based on the firm belief that they will address security and data sovereignty pr

March 19, 2018

Korean researchers develop ‘OLED patch’ that heals wounds using light

A team of South Korean researchers developed an “OLED patch” that can be attached to the skin to help wounds heal using an organic light-emitting diode source aimed at damaged areas.　The technology was developed by a group of researchers led by KAIST’s Jeon Yong-min and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital’s Choi Hye-ryung. 　The finding were published in the academic journal Advanced Material Technologies on March 8. Prototypes of the OLED patch developed by the team of Korean researchers

March 19, 2018

Cyworld seeks to return to mainstream with news curation app

Cyworld, a South Korean first-generation social networking site that once dominated the country’s cyberspace, announced Monday the launch of a news curation app called “Que,” seeking to become Korea’s leading online news platform.The Korean social networking service firm’s news curation app consists of two main sections: the curation service NewsQ and Q-feed, a social media platform tailored to sharing news, according to Cyworld. 　NewsQ is a personalized news recommendation service that uses art

March 19, 2018

Volkswagen deal indicates smooth growth for Korean battery makers

German carmaker Volkswagen’s recent announcement that it will be supplied with electric vehicle batteries from Samsung SDI and LG Chem through to 2025 in Europe and China is boosting market expectations for growth in the battery industry.Last week, Volkswagen announced in Berlin that it had selected Korean battery makers Samsung SDI and LG Chem as well as China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. to supply batteries for its upcoming electric vehicles at its European and Chinese plants, with s

March 18, 2018

Samsung soars as Apple plummets in reputation rankings

Samsung Electronics and Apple, two tech companies that were beleaguered by product scandals in 2017, showed very different performances in global corporate reputation rankings for 2018.Samsung Electronics jumped 44 spots to land at No. 26 in the annual Global RepTrak 100 released by the Reputation Institute, while Apple plummeted 38 steps to land at No. 58. Both companies suffered major setbacks in 2017. Samsung Electronics grappled with the fallout from safety concerns surrounding its battery f

March 18, 2018

[Photo News] Curling team’s long-awaited vacuum ad goes on air

A highly anticipated vacuum TV ad featuring Korea’s women’s Olympic curling team began airing Saturday, according to LG Electronics on Sunday.The commercial uses the Winter Olympic sport as a motif to promote its Cord Zero A9, R9 and T9 vacuums. Starting with a cut of team skip Kim Eun-jung’s piercing stare, the team maneuvers LG Electronics’ vacuums to clean a house the way they maneuver brooms and stones on the ice.The Korean women’s curling team ultimately lost the gold to Sweden during the P

March 18, 2018

[Newsmaker] Kakao Taxi’s new option: added convenience or effective fare hike?

Kakao Taxi, South Korea’s most widely used taxi-hailing mobile app, recently announced the introduction of a “paid option” that would allow users to call up taxis faster or immediately by paying an extra fee on top of the ride fare.　The new feature, set to be rolled out by as early as late March, has been drawing mixed reactions from local users, despite Kakao’s reassurance that it will retain the current taxi-hailing service option offered free of charge.　Extra fees for faster pickup　Kakao Mobi

March 18, 2018

[Weekender] Looks outweigh health in Korea’s obesity problem

South Koreans have a reputation for being slim. But in recent years, obesity has been on the rise here, as people increasingly turn to instant and fast food and lead more sedentary lives. However, social perceptions on obesity remain focused more on physical appearances than on health, leading to slow change.“Public interest in obesity is relatively low. Perhaps we want to continue believing that we are the second-thinnest country in the world after Japan. Or perhaps, we want to believe that obe

March 16, 2018

[Newsmaker] SKT mulls ADT Caps takeover to empower artificial intelligence, internet of things

South Korea’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom is preparing for another significant acquisition, buying security firm ADT Caps from private equity firm Carlyle Group as part of its strategy to strengthen its internet of things business. According to industry sources Friday, SKT is taking serious moves to acquire a 100 percent stake in ADT Caps at an as of yet undecided price in partnership with Australia’s Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. (Yonhap)Washington-based Carlyle Group has reported

March 16, 2018

‘Beyond products, end-to-end solutions key to success in medtech business’: Medtronic VP

Today, the global medical technology sector is at a crossroads. Despite a decline in health care spending and a sharp growth in the number of firms pursuing medtech, demand for products and services that promise the best patient outcomes and satisfaction is higher than ever.　In this age, developing a product alone cannot guarantee the success of a medtech company. Firms must instead focus on building, or integrating themselves into, an end-to-end solution that guarantees the best, most economic

March 15, 2018

SNU study identifies protein involved in asthma attacks

A university research team has identified a protein produced by immune system that plays a key role in asthma attacks, opening up new possibilities for treatment research.The team led by professor Chung Doo-hyun at Department of Biomedical Sciences at Seoul National University found that XCL1 protein, produced by immune cells called natural killer T cells, engages with dendritic cells that contribute to the induction of allergic asthma. (123RF)If the lungs are exposed to external substances such

March 15, 2018

Startup develops food delivery robot

Woowa Brothers Corp., a South Korean startup that operates the country's most popular food delivery app, "Baedal Minjok," said Thursday that it is currently developing an autonomous delivery robot.The self-driving robot -- named "Dilly" -- is being co-built by a team of researchers from Korea University and is expected to be commercialized within the next few years, the company said. "We have completed the development of a trial product of Dilly and our goal is to commercialize it in next two or

March 15, 2018

[Herald Interview] Blending design to humanize future technologies

Designing technology projects for the future requires a radical change in thinking as social demographics shift and ubiquitous connectivity changes the way people interact with the world around them, says Ju Da-young, an assistant professor at Yonsei University who heads the Technology and Design Research Center.The center is part of the Yonsei Institute of Convergence Technology, a school set up to explore how different disciplines can come together to create new ideas.“We’re seeing completely

March 14, 2018

No plans to merge Dayou Winia and Daewoo: Dayou Group executive

The Dayou Group has no plans to merge its household appliance affiliate Dayou Winia with its newly acquired affiliate Daewoo, according to a top executive Wednesday.“We are benchmarking the operating strategy of Hyundai and Kia Motors,” said Cho Sang-ho, vice president at Dayou Group, at a press conference Wednesday at The Plaza Hotel Seoul. Executives from Dayou Group speak to the press at The Plaza Hotel Seoul on Wednesday. From left: Ahn Byoung-deok, head of strategic planning at Daewoo Elect

March 14, 2018

Samsung SDI introduces upgraded ESS battery cell at ESE 2018

Samsung SDI said Wednesday that it introduced its latest high-capacity battery cell at a trade show dedicated to energy storage systems in Germany. Samsung SDI‘s booth at Energy Storage Europe 2018 in Dusseldorf, Germany (Samsung SDI)The company‘s exhibition at the three-day Energy Storage Europe 2018 featured the company’s latest ESS battery cell with a capacity of 111 ampere-hours, upgraded from 94 ampere-hours in its predecessor. The 111-ampere-hour battery cell is the same size as its predec

March 14, 2018

More than half of Korean biopharma firms view R&D investments as assets

More than half of South Korea’s top biopharmaceutical companies calculate their research and development investments as assets, according to data released by a corporate tracker Wednesday, raising concerns that the accounting practice may be distorting firms’ net earnings.Korean corporate tracking firm CEO Score looked into the accounting practices of Korea’s top 50 biopharma companies with a market capitalization of more than 400 billion won ($375 million). Among them, 31 had disclosed their R&

March 14, 2018

LG Electronics taps skeleton champion Yun Sung-bin as smartphone model

LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday it signed an agreement with South Korean skeleton gold medalist Yun Sung-bin to promote its latest LG V30S ThinQ smartphone, an upgraded version of the V30 smartphone released last year. Under the project, the South Korean company said it will unveil a new advertisement on major social media where Yun will promote the smartphone on Thursday. The agreement marks the extension of the sponsorship contract signed between LG and Yun in 2015.  South Korean skeleton g

March 14, 2018

[Photo News] Samsung Wind-Free at MCE

Models introduce Wind-Free air conditioners from Samsung Electronics at the Mostra Convegno Expocomfort 2018, a biannual trade exhibition in Italy dedicated to residential and industrial installations and air and energy solutions. Samsung Electronics will be presenting products targeting the European air conditioner market at the show, which runs from Tuesday to Friday. (Samsung Electronics)

March 13, 2018