LGD to unveil first 8K OLED display at CES

South Korea’s biggest display panel manufacturer LG Display announced Monday that it would unveil the industry’s first 8K 88-inch organic light-emitting diode display panel at the Consumer Electronics Show next week, vowing to lead the 8K resolution market. Models show LG Display's 8K 88-inch OLED display panel. (LG Display)LG dismissed the industry’s concerns about limits of OLED panels’ ability to display at the 8K level of 33 megapixels per inch -- four times the resolution of 4K panels. The

Jan. 1, 2018

S. Korean firms set to invest 10 tln won in 5G tech in 2018

South Korea's mobile carriers will likely invest more than 10 trillion won ($9.36 billion) in the fifth-generation network technology this year in a bid to lay a firm foundation for the high-end service, industry sources said Monday.The Ministry of Science and ICT and three mobile carries -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Inc. -- have plans to start commercial operations of the 5G network in 2019 and build nationwide infrastructure by 2020, according to the sources.The companies will make

Jan. 1, 2018

S. Korean tech company CEOs to show up in force for upcoming CES trade show

South Korean tech company CEOs are expected to show up in force at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show that kicks off in Las Vegas this month, industry sources said Monday.According to business insiders, big companies, such as Samsung Electronics Co, LG Electronics Inc. and SK hynix Inc., will have many of their top executives at the annual trade show that runs from Jan. 9-12."Executives will check out all the new products, technology innovations made and trends going forward, as well as exam

Jan. 1, 2018

Obesity report shows difference between men, women according to wealth level

Some 41 percent of adult men are overweight, much higher than 24 percent for women, according to an obesity report out Sunday that showed the correlation between body size and income level.The report was released by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) based on 13.95 million people who received medical checkups last year. Results showed that 41.28 percent of men and 23.74 percent of women were overweight, meaning their body mass index exceeds 25. (123rf)According to the findings, 29.99 p

Dec. 31, 2017

LTE subscribers top 50 mln in Korea

The number of mobile users subscribing to the long-term evolution (LTE) network topped 50 million in South Korea, six years after the fourth-generation mobile network was introduced, government data showed Sunday.According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of LTE subscribers reached 50.28 million at the end of November this year, up 0.71 percent from a month earlier.SK Telecom Co., the leading network operator, had the largest number of LTE subscribers with 22.3

Dec. 31, 2017

Apple to reduce costs of battery replacement

US tech giant Apple Inc. said Friday it will cut the cost of battery replacement for iPhone models, amid criticism that the company intentionally slowed down older smartphones."Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by $50  — from $79 to $29  — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January and available worldwide through December 2018," the company said.Apple's Seoul-based office said the policy will also b

Dec. 29, 2017

Budget smartphone manufacturers eye Korean market

Budget smartphone manufacturers are strengthening their model lineup in the South Korean market, industry sources said Friday, in a bid to attract consumers seeking cheaper options in the new year.Samsung Electronics Co. plans to release the 5.6-inch Galaxy A8 and the 6-inch Galaxy A8 Plus in January, which retain many of the top features of Samsung's high-end devices, such as the mobile payment system Samsung Pay. (Yonhap)The price tag on the devices is estimated at around 600,000 won ($560), w

Dec. 29, 2017

Apple faces legal suits in Korea for slowing down iPhone

Apple faces multiple lawsuits in South Korea after admitting to slowing down iPhones as the batteries aged. This is to be the first class-action suit in Asia on the issue after iPhone owners filed at least nine class-action lawsuits in the US and Israel. The latest legal action comes after the US tech giant admitted to slowing down older iPhone models to keep them running at optimal performance and stop the batteries from shutting down. (AP-Yonhap)Korean law firm Hannuri said Thursday it would r

Dec. 28, 2017

Korea to provide more frequency bands for new industries, social infrastructure in 2018

In a move to make South Korea a more convenient and safe country, the government will increase the supply of frequency bands for emerging industries and households next year by easing related regulations, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced Thursday. As part of the government’s plans for a 3 percent growth next year, the ICT Ministry unveiled its plan to provide frequency bands and set standards for new industries such as autonomous driving, wireless charging, Internet of Things and drone

Dec. 28, 2017

President Moon vows support for scientists, new research

President Moon Jae-in promised to double support for young scientists and their research projects Thursday, also vowing to nearly double government investment in independent research and development programs."The government will support with all its strength the path of science that you will walk," the president said in a meeting with some 200 students at his office Cheong Wa Dae. The participants included some 150 college students on a presidential science scholarship program."First of all, we

Dec. 28, 2017

[Newsmaker] Will Samsung unveil foldable phones next year?

Anticipation is rising over Samsung’s foldable smartphone, with concept images and videos of the so-called Galaxy X making the rounds every month. However, industry insiders are cautious about the high expectations, saying there are still many unaddressed technical challenges. A new concept video of the Galaxy X from US tech media outlet Tech Configuration caught attention Wednesday. It showed that the device’s 5-inch display can be used as a normal smartphone in the folded mode and as an 8-inch

Dec. 27, 2017

More sophisticated AI, autonomous driving techs to appear in 2018: report

Artificial intelligence will operate more like humans, while human drivers will be less needed for the level 4 autonomous driving next year, a report by LG Economic Research Institute forecast Wednesday. The institute cited AI and level 4 autonomous driving technologies among the top 10 major technologies that will prevail the information communications technology industry next year under the four biggest trends: hyper-intelligence, hyper-automation, hyper-connection, and hyper-convergence.  LG

Dec. 27, 2017

CrucialTec expands into biomedical business

CrucialTec, a Korean biometrics business, said Wednesday it will expand into the biomedical market next year with a plan to provide products like smartphone thermometer and diabetes diagnosis kit.The company said it plans to add biomedicine as a new business area at its shareholders’ meeting in January. The announcement comes after years of research and development projects with domestic and foreign institutes including Texas A&M University in the US based on a judgment that 2018 will be an oppo

Dec. 27, 2017

Korea agrees to adopt ‘fast track’ approvals for next-generation medical devices

South Korea’s government and businesses have agreed to newly adopt “fast-track” approval procedures for next-generation medical devices whose success hinges on entering the market ahead of competitors.　They also agreed to push for new policies that would allow innovative medical devices to be certified on a global basis, as well as adopt a new “value-based” evaluation system for novel medical technologies with immediate value to society.The consensus was forged during an inaugural marathon polic

Dec. 27, 2017

SK Telecom mulls legal action against KT

SK Telecom is considering legal action against KT claiming defamation, amid continuing accusations by the rival company that SKT illegally damaged KT’s Olympic network cables, according to the company’s officials Tuesday. With less than 45 days left until the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics kick off in Gangwon Province, the spat between the country’s two biggest mobile carriers appears to be escalating.“The company is mulling a defamation suit against KT as the accusations are getting nowhere,”

Dec. 27, 2017

LG distributes AI development tool to all divisions to speed up growth

LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday it has distributed its artificial intelligence development tool to all business divisions in line with its efforts to speed up the release of new products equipped with the latest technology.The South Korean tech giant said the development platform, dubbed DeepThinQ 1.0, will help researchers easily apply deep-learning technologies to electronics products. The announcement came a week after the company introduced the new AI brand named ThinQ, which will be used i

Dec. 26, 2017

Users look for emotional aspects when using AI: report

South Korean customers expect emotional responses from artificial intelligence programs more than technological benefits, a survey showed Monday.  (Innocean Worldwide)Innocean Worldwide, an advertising agency under Hyundai Motor Group, analyzed some 480,000 AI-related keywords online. Its big data analysis team found that customers sought more for interaction and understanding from artificial intelligence, considering them friends and assistants.Related keywords when sharing experiences with AI

Dec. 25, 2017

LG, Samsung rev up connected car business

LG Electronics said Monday it had won safety certification for self-driving components by Germany-based testing service provider for quality and safety, TUV Rheinland, signaling the tech firm moving further into the automobile industry. LG said it received safety certification for advanced driver assistance and infotainment systems and vehicle display, to meet growing demand for the safety of self-driving vehicles. This is the second time the Korean tech firm has received safety certification re

Dec. 25, 2017

Flexible OLED sales surge fueled by market demand

Global sales of flexible organic light-emitting diode panels have surged amid strong market demand for premium mobile devices, industry watchers said Monday.According to business insiders here that checked data provided by IHS Markit, release of the newest smartphones that make use of curved screens is fueling recent growth.Numbers by the global market researcher showed that sales of flexible OLEDs have been breaking new records every quarter.Flexible displays are three times more expensive than

Dec. 25, 2017

BlackBerry seeks to win back Korean consumers with new phone

The president of BlackBerry Mobile expressed confidence on Friday that his company can grab South Korean consumers with the BlackBerry KEYOne Black Edition, but it remains unclear whether the entry-level premium smartphone can make a dent in a country dominated by Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc.Alain Lejeune said South Korea is "a demanding and competitive market," but he said the BlackBerry KEYOne Black Edition will be a successful product in South Korea."This is an opportunity as we are bri

Dec. 22, 2017