Samsung to supply LTE smartphones for UK emergency network

Samsung Electronics announced Sunday that it will start supplying Long Term Evolution smartphones and related accessories to the UK’s new emergency services network for police, fire, ambulance and other public safety users across the country.The company’s LTE smartphones won an exclusive contract from the UK’s Home Office for their water resistance and emergency functions including voice services, according to company officials.The emergency services network is to replace the current airwave sys

Nov. 26, 2017

LG vice chairman pledges to automate contractors’ production facilities

Jo Seong-jin, vice chairman and CEO of LG Electronics pledged to expand the company’s efforts to automate production facilities and to consequently enhance manufacturing competitiveness in the global market, according to officials Sunday.“Capabilities at the production lines will determine the fate of the competition in the fourth industrial revolution era,” Jo said Friday at a workshop that invited officials from the company’s contractors, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. LG Elec. Vice C

Nov. 26, 2017

[Herald Interview] China chip tech to catch up by 2035: expert

[Reshaping Semicon Map]The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles dissecting the status and plans of South Korea’s leading semiconductor businesses that are shifting the shape of the global market. This is the fourth installment. -- Ed.With increasing efforts to promote its semiconductor industry at the government level, it may be possible for China to step closer to first-tier technologies by 2035, according to a Chinese professor who is known as a “semiconductor tutor” to President Xi

Nov. 26, 2017

[Herald Interview] Ushering in a 5G world

Oh Seong-mok, president of KT’s network business, says one of his most unforgettable memories is of when he was with a group of engineers from mobile chipset makers and KT officials, standing on a ski jump built for the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The group had been mired in an endless debate over what would be the best specifications for the “5G Olympics” even after 10 months of heated overnight discussions via conference calls.With no resolution in sight, they took a trip to the ski

Nov. 24, 2017

CrucialTec develops micro thermometer sensor module for smartphones

CrucialTec, a South Korea-based biometric solution developer, said Friday that it has succeeded in developing the world’s first micro-sized thermometer sensor module that can be built into smartphones.　By adopting an integrated-microelectromechanical system, or i-MEMS, which is a foundational component of semiconductor design, the newly-developed module can measure a person’s body temperature within 0.5 second via a connected application.The module is also touch-free, meaning the subject does no

Nov. 24, 2017

[Photo News] iPhone X lands in Korea

IPHONE X IN SEOUL -- Customers line up to claim their pre-ordered iPhone X at the KT Square in Gwanghwamun of Seoul, Friday. The iPhone X, which Apple designed as its 10th anniversary smartphone, officially became available for purchase through Korea’s three mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus on the day. (Yonhap)IPHONE X IN SEOUL -- Customers check out the iPhone X at the KT Square in Gwanghwamun of Seoul, Friday. The iPhone X, which Apple designed as its 10th anniversary smartphone, of

Nov. 24, 2017

iPhone X sets sail in Korea

Sales of Apple Inc.'s latest high-end smartphone began Friday in South Korea with hundreds of consumers lining up at stores to buy the iPhone X.The 64 GB iPhone X costs 1.36 million won ($1,237), while the 256 GB version is 1.55 million won. Local users will be able to choose between discounts of around 34,000 won to 122,000 won and a 25 percent cut in monthly payment plans.Even considering the discounts, market observers said local prices are still far higher than in the US, where the 64GB edit

Nov. 24, 2017

Korea to investigate Google’s covert location data collection

South Korea’s media regulator said Thursday that it would open an investigation into Google’s user data management practices, following news reports confirming the US tech giant has been secretly collecting users’ location data from phones running on the Android operating system.　“We plan to first summon Google (Korea) to determine the exact circumstances of this case, and later take appropriate action if necessary,” the head of the Korea Communications Commission’s Privacy Infringement Investig

Nov. 23, 2017

Korea forms new regulatory guidelines for AI, big data-based medical devices

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday it has established formal approval criteria for the new generation of medical devices leveraging artificial intelligence and big data. 　By clarifying for the first time what type of products can be considered AI or big data-based medical devices, rather than conventional software, the guidelines are expected to help companies build their products more efficiently and in compliance with local regulations, the ministry said.　According to

Nov. 23, 2017

KT expands presence of its AI platform with additional devices

South Korea’s mobile carrier KT on Thursday unveiled three additional devices connecting to its artificial intelligence speaker GiGA Genie as part of efforts to expand the use of the AI platform currently from the living room to all corners of a residence and even outside, with upgraded voice and dialogue capabilities. One of the devices is the GiGA Genie LTE, which combines a 10-watt Harman Kardon speaker and LTE router, running on an eight-hour battery.Adopting an LTE router, the AI speaker se

Nov. 23, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] 5G industry leaders gather in Seoul

More than 400 fifth-generation network experts gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss the latest cutting edge industrial trends.The 4th Global 5G Event, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT brought together influential mobile network operators and policymakers from around the world to help pave the way for next-generation mobile information and communication network.The 5G network technology allows a data transmission speed that is 40-50 times faster than the existing long-term evolution

Nov. 22, 2017

[News Focus] Korea's taxi drivers protest 24-hour carpooling services

South Korean taxi drivers have begun staging protests against the carpooling industry’s recent decision to operate their services around the clock, escalating controversy over the legality of providing commercial 24-hour carpooling services here.　More than 400 unionized taxi drivers staged a protest in front of Seoul’s City Hall on Tuesday, calling for the government to “terminate illegal carpooling services that threaten the taxi industry” ahead of a public hearing on the issue.　A similar prote

Nov. 22, 2017

LG Uplus showcases cloud-based drone control system

LG Uplus said Tuesday that the mobile carrier will make inroads into the drone business, at an event held to demonstrate a cloud-based drone controlling system. At a press conference held at the telecom firm’s headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul, the company demonstrated spotting a missing child with a drone flying over Sky Park in Sangam-dong in the northwestern part of the city, taking just three minutes. The drone communicated with the company’s U+ Smart Drone Cloud Control System at the h

Nov. 21, 2017

Korean scientists develop potential drug candidate for hair loss

South Korean scientists have developed a biochemical substance that instigates new hair follicle growth, opening new doors in the realm of hair loss treatments, which have been limited to slowing hair loss or accelerating growth, rather than regeneration, experts said.The Korean Ministry of Science and ICT said Monday that a team of researchers led by Yonsei University’s professor Choi Kang-yell has developed a potential drug candidate targeting a protein that prohibits new hair follicle growth.

Nov. 21, 2017

Samsung sales expected surpass Intel this year

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to outpace US-based Intel Corp. in terms of sales this year and emerge as the world's No. 1 chipmaker, data showed Monday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker IC Insights, Samsung will likely post sales of $65.6 billion in the chip segment to account for 15 percent of the global market. Intel, on the other hand, is anticipated to rake in $61 billion and take up 13.9 percent of all sales worldwide.  (Yonhap)"For the first time since 1993, the semi

Nov. 20, 2017

[Health-tech Korea] MediBloc eyes blockchain for patient-centered medical recordkeeping

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 13th installment. - Ed.Seeking to overturn the traditional hospital-led medical recordkeeping system, a South Korean technology startup has set out to create a new patient-centered health database platform using blockchain technology.Medical recordkeeping has long operated as a closed system, with individ

Nov. 20, 2017

[New Samsung] Beyond mobile, chipsets, Samsung bets future on data business

This is the final installment of a series of articles delving into new technologies Samsung Electronics is betting on for its new source of growth. -- Ed.Samsung Electronics is preparing to rebrand itself as a data business, shifting away from being a hardware company by undergoing major changes in its leadership and business restructuring,“Data is new oil,” said Young Sohn, Samsung’s chief strategy officer. “About 70 percent of data around the world is being produced and stored in Samsung produ

Nov. 20, 2017

Scientists develop treatment for hair loss

A group of South Korean scientists has developed a new type of biochemical material to prevent hair loss, the science ministry said Monday, opening a new gateway for treatment in the field.The team led by Choi Kang-yeol of Yonsei University discovered that a protein called CXXC5 acts as negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway inside of a cell that is linked to follicle development and hair regeneration in adults, the Ministry of Science and ICT said.In order to prevent CXXC5 acting as a

Nov. 20, 2017

[Herald Interview] Dayli Marketplace opens doors to youth money management

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews on promising startups in the fintech industry. This is the 4th installment. -- Ed. For young adults at the beginning stage of their financial achievements, finding and holding on to cash is a new challenge and a constant battle.They often face cost thresholds of private banking services by conventional banks, or find it challenging to seek alternatives, especially amid the record-low interest rate. Moreover, tech-savvy youths often find it tr

Nov. 19, 2017