[PyeongChang 2018] Samsung launches official Olympic smartphone app

Samsung Electronics has launched the official smartphone application of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic & Paralympic Games. This screenshot shows the home screen of the official 2018 PyeongChang Olympic smartphone app, as of Jan. 24.As of Wednesday, the app is available via Galaxy Apps, Google Play Store and iOS App Store for free. Information on game schedules, major venues, cultural events, transportation and more are currently included on the app.When the Winter Games kick off, the app will addi

Jan. 24, 2018

Samsung, LG outcry against US safeguard on washers

South Korean washing machine manufacturers on Tuesday strongly protested the US International Trade Commission’s decision to issue “safeguard” import restrictions on their products, which are harsher than the institute had previously recommended. Samsung said in an official statement that such restrictions will limit choices of US consumers, bringing a loss to the market. Samsung had until now remained silent about the possibility of the US ITC actually imposing additional tariffs on washer impo

Jan. 23, 2018

President urges swift removal of excessive regulations to allow new beginning

President Moon Jae-in called for swift measures to remove unnecessary and excessive regulations Monday, calling them a major hurdle to a new start for the country's economy, and for new and innovative firms. "Regulation reform is an urgent task at least to provide a chance for our young people to freely make challenges. They may fail while making a challenge, but they will have an outcome only if they can at least try," the president said in a special meeting held at his office Cheong Wa Dae to

Jan. 22, 2018

Samsung C-Lab startups make waves at CES

Startups being incubated by Samsung‘s C-Lab turned heads at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, receiving offers for investments and further development, according to reports Sunday.At CES this year, Samsung’s C-Lab unveiled three new projects working on innovations in audio, health recovery and vision enhancement. S-Ray is a directional sound system that allows users to privately enjoy audio without having the sound spread to their surrounding environments. Unlike previous directional s

Jan. 21, 2018

Samsung Galaxy S9, LG V30 to be introduced at MWC

Korea‘s top two smartphone manufacturers are set to reveal new models at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, with industry watchers keeping an eye on rollouts of new innovations in camera and artificial intelligence technology.As for the core functions of the phones, both companies seem to be focused on keeping the essentials from their previous models rather than completely overhauling their designs for MWC, they said.Samsung’s head of mobile Koh Dong-jin confirmed at th

Jan. 21, 2018

[Newsmaker] Korea’s IT giants invest in cryptocurrency exchanges

Though South Korea’s government has announced tougher measures to crack down on the country’s heated cryptocurrency trading, major internet technology companies here are showing continued interest in investing in digital currency trading platforms.From local mobile messenger giant Kakao to video game company Nexon, major businesses in Korea’s IT space have already made major investments in crypto exchanges where users can buy and sell digital assets like bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Kakao cur

Jan. 21, 2018

LG Chem obtains approval for sale of biosimilar etanercept in Japan

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's leading chemical company, said Friday that it has obtained Japanese approval to sell its biosimilar etanercept for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved LG Chem's new drug, which is biosimilar to Amgen Inc.'s Enbrel.LG Chem said it will produce the biosimilar at its plant in South Korea before shipping it to two Japanese distributers, Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. and Ayumi Pharmaceutical Corp.(Yonhap)The bi

Jan. 19, 2018

Samsung’s patent shows holes in display for larger screen space

Samsung Electronics has won a patent for a smartphone display design that has holes on the screen with a nearly full screen-to-body ratio, which could be adopted for the Galaxy Note 9 smartphone model, according to news reports Friday. Samsung filed a patent titled “Electronics apparatus having a hole area within screen and control method thereof,” on Thursday with the World Intellectual Property Organization, according to Armsterdam-based LetsGoDigitla that first spotted the filing. The company

Jan. 19, 2018

LG may unveil V30 smartphone with enhanced AI features at MWC

LG Electronics may introduce an upgraded V30 smartphone with improved artificial intelligence features at the Mobile World Congress slated to open on Feb. 26, according to the industry Friday. Instead of a new model of its flagship G series, which used to be presented every February or March, LG is expected to announce new technologies and functions added to the V30 smartphone, which was launched last September. The new version could be named “V30+‘α’,” according to news reports.  Models show V3

Jan. 19, 2018

LG kicks off premium AI air conditioner battle

LG Electronics kicked off this year’s battle in the market for premium air conditioners equipped with artificial intelligence by introducing its 2018 LG Whisen ThinQ air conditioner at a media event Thursday.“The Whisen ThinQ air conditioner has evolved to an air conditioner that can see, hear, think and speak,” said Song Dae-hyun, president of home appliance and air solutions at LG. Song Dae-hyun (left), president of LG Electronics’ home appliance and air solutions, introduces the 2018 LG Whise

Jan. 18, 2018

YouTube tightens rules to keep content ‘clean’

Google is adopting a more rigorous worldwide advertisement policy for content uploaded to YouTube, with aims to clean up its video-sharing site and address growing complaints from advertisers that their messages are being attached to inappropriate videos.YouTube will impose stricter criteria on the types of videos that can earn advertising revenue through the video-sharing site, and will manually review “top-tier” videos with high view counts and viewer engagement before attaching ads to them, G

Jan. 18, 2018

[Graphic News] Frostbite on the decline

　With the average temperature falling in January, the number of frostbite patients usually peaks drastically in that month, but the number has been declining in recent years. 　According to data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of patients suffering from frostbite reached 17,496 in 2014, 11,122 in 2015 and 9,806 in 2016.　There were 1,297 patients in December 2016, 2,499 in January 2017 and 1,610 in February 2017.　The proportion of patients in their 50s was the hig

Jan. 17, 2018

[Exclusive] Samsung nearly completes development of AI chips for servers, mobile phones: sources

South Korean tech titan Samsung Electronics has nearly completed its development of neural processing units, or “AI chips,” to help boost capabilities of artificial intelligence software for servers and mobile devices, according to sources Wednesday.“Samsung is almost done with the development of AI chips for servers, which is expected to be commercialized for server firms, according to Samsung insiders,” a source with expertise in AI told The Korea Herald. “For mobile devices, Samsung has alrea

Jan. 17, 2018

Apple’s first Korean store is coming, but is it too little, too late?

Apple’s first brick-and-mortar branch in Korea is finally set to open on Jan. 27, but the long-awaited store may have kept consumers waiting just a little too long.　“I‘m happy the Apple Store is coming to Korea, for sure. But I don’t really see the point of them coming now after all these years of ignoring Korean consumers’ requests for an offline store,” said 30-year-old Choi Soo-yeon, a longtime iPhone user in Seoul. An online announcement for Apple Garosugil on Apple Korea’s website (Apple Ko

Jan. 17, 2018

[Photo News] Samsung to provide Olympians with Galaxy Note 8

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled its special Olympics edition of the Galaxy Note 8. The company will deliver over 4,000 devices to all Olympians as well as officials for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. The edition features shiny white glass at the back, with gold Olympic rings. (Samsung)

Jan. 17, 2018

[News Analysis] Beyond cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology seeps into different industries

South Korea’s recent craze for cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ether has thrust to the spotlight blockchain -- the foundational technology behind the virtual currencies being traded in large numbers here every day.　　While bitcoin is the most widely known application of blockchain, there is more to the distributed ledger system than just digital currencies. It’s a game-changing technology with wide potential to transform how different industries work.　Blockchain is already in use today to impro

Jan. 17, 2018

Apple to launch 1st retail shop in South Korea

Apple Korea said Wednesday it will open its first full-fledged retail shop in South Korea this month to help customers buy, repair and experience iPhones and other Apple products.The first shop in South Korea will open on Garosugil in the affluent southern district of Gangnam in Seoul on Jan. 27, Apple said on its website. (AP)The store will open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.Consumers will be able to try out iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, MacBooks and other Apple products, and

Jan. 17, 2018

[Graphic News] Working women have higher chance of miscarriage

　The annual miscarriage rate for working women in Korea is 23 percent. 　Data also showed that the danger of failed pregnancy was 1.3 times higher for women with jobs as compared to those who do not work. 　According to a team of researchers led by Kim Eun-Ah from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, the miscarriage rate for working women was 3.9 percentage points higher than those who did not have a job.　The data was based on 430,343 pregnancies and 340,088 births registered with the

Jan. 16, 2018

[Exclusive] SK Telecom likely to acquire factory automation firm Toptec

South Korea’s leading mobile carrier SK Telecom is on track to acquire the factory automation technology firm Toptec to seek synergy with its telecom and semiconductor businesses, according to the industry Tuesday. Despite a denial by Toptec in its regulatory filing early Tuesday, an official at SK Holdings -- the de facto control tower of new investment and business projects of all SK affiliates -- told The Korea Herald that the telecom firm is close to making a final decision on the acquisitio

Jan. 16, 2018

One-third of Korea’s smartphone users to make mobile payments in 2018

Home to a tech-savvy population, South Korea is expected to see nearly one-third of its smartphone users making mobile payments this year, according to a report released Tuesday by global market analytics firm eMarketer.　According to the report, around 31.9 percent of smartphone users in South Korea will use their phones to pay for goods or services at a point of sale -- the “cash register” where a retail transaction is completed -- in 2018.A proximity mobile payment is defined as a transaction

Jan. 16, 2018