[Herald Interview] Relax, AI can’t take your job ... yet: BCG senior advisor

Artificial intelligence is growing smarter by the second, and soon it will be able to outsmart us and take our jobs -- or at least many fear it will.But this sentiment is largely premature, as AI in its current state is “not the beginnings of general intelligence,” Philip Evans, a senior adviser to the Boston Consulting Group, told The Korea Herald. Philip Evans, senior advisor to the BCG (BCG)“There is a widespread perception that AI is converging on human intelligence, that there is a process

Feb. 19, 2018

Telecom companies to show off 5G at MWC

Korean telecom carriers are preparing to show off their latest 5G-related advancements at the Mobile World Congress as Korea races towards commercializing the ultra-fast network technology.Although 5G, or fifth-generation networks, is best-known for its potential for lightning speeds and low latency, the technology also allows for real-time interchanges of much larger packets of data than current 4G networks -- opening up new possibilities in the popularization of services such as self-driving c

Feb. 18, 2018

[Monitor] LBS market to surpass W1tr

The market for location based information services has been expanding rapidly with the size this year expected to surge 25 percent on-year to reach 1.2 trillion won ($1.1 billion), data by the Korea Internet and Security Agency showed.The data was based on a survey of 893 LBS businesses operating in the country as of August to October last year.For the market as of 2016, 296.1 billion won came from marketing and commerce-related services, followed by 114.3 billion won from living and entertainme

Feb. 18, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] From cleaner bots to robotic fish, South Korea’s robots impress Olympic visitors

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Typically, world-class athletes make up the core of any Olympic Games. At PyeongChang, however, an unlikely entity has emerged as a new star: high-tech robots roaming the premises of the Olympic venues.　From a self-navigating cleaner bot vaguely resembling Star Wars’ R2-D2 to autonomous drink-serving robots and robotic fish swimming inside water tanks, South Korea’s service robots have been capturing the attention of Olympic guests from around the world.Korea has

Feb. 18, 2018

Nokia likely to stage smartphone comeback: report

While growth of Samsung Electronics and Apple in the global smartphone market is expected to slow this year, Nokia is being forecast to resurface as a global smartphone brand, according to an analysis by US market researcher on Wednesday. Trendforce said in a report that Nokia, a Finnish firm once the world’s largest provider of cellular phones, is seeing a clear future growth this year. Nokia’s partnership with HMD and FIH Mobile that started in 2017, recorded a production volume of 11.5 millio

Feb. 14, 2018

[Herald Interview] We are moving from IT era to data era: Alibaba exec

The next evolution in the way companies do business will be represented by a movement from existing IT solutions to data and cloud-based solutions, according to an Alibaba executive.“In the next 20 years, the era will be changing from IT to data technology,” said Leo Liu, general manager for Alibaba Cloud for Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Korea, in an interview with The Korea Herald. According to Liu, the competitiveness of companies in the future will depend on how companies can use new technolo

Feb. 14, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Hard to follow cross-country skiing? 5G is here to help

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- On Sunday, thousands of spectators anxiously waited in the cold at the Winter Olympics men’s 30-kilometer cross-country skiing skiathlon finals to witness their favorite athletes in action as they vied for gold.Throughout the endurance race lasting over an hour, the audience at the scene had no choice but to watch the main big screen to see where and what the athletes were doing. And more, the cameras focused only on those in the lead, so if your country’s athlet

Feb. 14, 2018

[Video] Humanoid robots compete for gold in alpine skiing on sidelines of PyeongChang Olympics

HOENGSEONG, Gangwon Province — “Skiro, who showed an impressive performance in the first round is off to a steady start. He passes through the red gates successfully! He makes a great turn to the right at the right speed!” Though they may seem like the words of any regular sports commentator, this announcer was describing a skiing tournament with a difference — the world’s first ever humanoid robot ski competition, organized by South Korea on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Olympics.(Shot and e

Feb. 12, 2018

Samsung SDI embarks on R&D for cobalt-less batteries

South Korea’s leading battery maker Samsung SDI has embarked on research and development of cobalt-less batteries as a strategy to hedge against rising cobalt prices in the long run, the company said Monday. Recent increases in the prices of cobalt have been a major headache for battery developers across the world, which is a core material for lithium-ion batteries, according to the firm. (Samsung Electronics)The international cobalt price soared $34,600 per ton in January 2017 to $81,360 this y

Feb. 12, 2018

IoT revenues surge 23 percent: data

Revenues from Internet of Things-related services surged 23.4 percent in 2017 in South Korea as companies continued to roll out connected services and devices, data showed Monday.According to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea IoT Association and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency, revenues from IoT reached 7.15 trillion won ($6.6 billion) last year, up from 5.8 trillion won in 2016. (The Korea Herald)IoT is a core technology of the so-called “fourth industrial revolutio

Feb. 12, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Blockchain can take on shady side of entertainment industry’

At the core of the success of K-pop and Korean drama series are record labels and management agencies that allow their artists’ work to be distributed to global audiences and help them earn star status through vigorous marketing.The commanding presence of such intermediaries in creating world-famous artists here may have proved successful so far, but it has also come with adverse effects and inefficiencies, such as frequent claims of artists being exploited or excessive financial burdens of agen

Feb. 12, 2018

Samsung’s QLED TVs up ante in 2018

Samsung Electronics is heralding an era of 8K video with the introduction of its premium TVs in 2018. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, the company revealed the 8K-resolution Q9S, which is equipped with artificial intelligence that can learn to upgrade videos of lower resolution to 8K quality.Once the TVs are released to the wider market, they will be able to provide an 8K experience even with content that was not developed at that high resolution. The 8K resolution is cu

Feb. 11, 2018

KT IS partners with Tencent for tax refund service for foreigners

An employee introduces a tax refund service in front of KT IS' tax refund kiosks. (KT IS)KT IS, a subsidiary of South Korean mobile carrier KT, said Sunday it signed a partnership with China’s Tenpay to offer a tax refund service for foreigners starting later this month. The company will offer the tax refund service via WeChat for foreign tourists under the partnership with Tenpay, a mobile payment firm of Tencent Group, signed on Friday. The two companies are currently developing and testing th

Feb. 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] South Korea stages world-record drone light show at 2018 Olympic opening ceremony

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Thousands of glittering drones filled the night skies of PyeongChang at the tech-savvy 2018 Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday, impressing Olympic viewers worldwide.　A record-setting 1,218 drones shot into the sky and traveled to a nearby ski slope, first taking on the shape of a moving snowboarder and later rearranging themselves into the iconic interlocking five Olympic rings.Adding further excitement to the performance, hundreds of South Korean sn

Feb. 10, 2018

Samsung’s air solutions target buyers in Middle East

Samsung Electronics is hoping to woo Middle Eastern commercial buyers by presenting its latest air conditioning solutions at a trade show in Istanbul, the company said Friday.At the biannual Isitma Sogutma Klima-Sogutma Dogalgaz Expo air solutions trade show in Istanbul, Turkey, held from Wednesday to Saturday (local time), Samsung presented its full lineup of wind-free air conditioners.  Buyers browse products from Samsung Electronics at the ISK-SODEX held in Istanbul, Turkey, from Wednesday to

Feb. 9, 2018

LG brings OLED tech to new levels

Global heavyweight LG Electronics bases much of its market prowess in its organic light-emitting diode technologies that have led to successes in both industrial and commercial businesses.Most recently at the Integrated Systems Europe show held in Amsterdam this week, the company revealed a series of signage and transparent displays for enterprise use.The main highlights of the exhibition included a transparent 55-inch OLED display, open frame OLED displays and the Even Bezel Video Wall.“We are

Feb. 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Watch Olympic broadcasts live in SRT trains with free Wi-Fi

Passengers on the Super Rapid Train will be able to enjoy live broadcasts of the Winter Olympics aided by the extended capacity of the train’s wireless internet. SR, the operator of SRT, said Thursday that it is extending trains’ on-board wireless network capacity by 150 percent during the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games.SRT, a high-speed train which started service in December 2016, operates two lines, connecting southern Seoul with Busan to the southeast and Mokpo, South Jeolla Provin

Feb. 8, 2018

Samsung aims to lead future technologies with 5G

IT businesses around the world are facing a paradigm shift toward connectivity enabled by the next-generation telecommunications network. Among them, South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has set a strategy to enhance its end-to-end network business to provide fifth-generation technologies that will be fundamental to upcoming electronics powered by artificial intelligence. The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will offer an opportunity to look at Samsung’s preparations for the 5G era.Samsun

Feb. 8, 2018

Samsung Engineering wins $3.1b order to upgrade oil refinery in UAE

Samsung Engineering Co., a major South Korean industrial plant builder, said Thursday that its joint venture secured a $3.1 billion deal to upgrade an oil refinery in the United Arab Emirates.Under the deal with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Samsung and Netherlands-based CB&I will introduce crude processing flexibility at Ruwais oil refinery, the builder said.The refinery modifications -- set to be completed by the end of 2022 -- will enable ADNOC's Ruwais Refinery-West complex to process

Feb. 8, 2018

SK ventures into new areas to achieve ‘Deep Change’

(SK Group)Since 2016, the growth mantra of SK Group has been “Deep Change,” and this year, the third-largest conglomerate in South Korea is taking it up a notch in newfound areas. The group is looking into new business models in the fields of semiconductors, oil refinery and information and communication technology in the face of a paradigm shift toward the “fourth industrial revolution.”SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is spearheading the undertaking by leading talks with global business leaders

Feb. 7, 2018