Stratio’s portable spectrometer selected as Kickstarter “Project We Love”

Startup Stratio announced on May 18 that its portable spectrometer LinkSquare, which is currently being sold on Kickstarter, was selected as a “Project We Love” on May 15 by Kickstarter staff. Stratio’s Kickstarter campaign will be held until June 8.LinkSquare is a portable spectrometer that provides information on the test subject’s color and molecular composition by measuring its reactions to both visible and near-infrared radiation. The product currently featured on Kickstarter is targeted at

May 28, 2017

Hankook NFC gets 3 billion won Investment from Japan

Hankook NFC, headed by Richard Hwang, announced on May 17 that it attracted an investment of 3 billion won ($2.6 million) from Japan’s Miroku Jyoho Service and signed a service partnership agreement with the company on May 16. Hankook NFC is a startup company that has developed a mobile payment and authentication system based on NFC (near-field communication) technology. This investment is the first foreign investment that Hankook NFC has attracted so far. Last year, the company secured domestic

May 28, 2017

Korea urged to focus on connected car tech development, standardization: report

South Korea needs to step up efforts to develop connected car technology and its standardization in order to not lag behind global competition in the fast growing industry, a report suggested Sunday."The competitiveness in the technology standardization will lead to market domination in the connected car industry just like the case of smartphones," the report released by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade said.The report said the market size of the connected cars will reach 112

May 28, 2017

Video leak shows bezel-less 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 8

 The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 smartphone in late summer will allegedly have a 6.3-inch bezel-less screen, similar to the Galaxy S8 model, a video leak showed Friday. In a nine-second video posted on China’s Weibo, a front panel of what is claimed to be Samsung’s next flagship smartphone was revealed, raising assumptions that it is highly likely to adopt the company’s Infinity Display that drastically reduces the area of the bezel width. The Note 8 will be 0.6 inch larger than its predecess

May 26, 2017

Exports of rechargeable batteries hit record high in 2016

South Korea's exports of rechargeable batteries reached a fresh record high in 2016 on rising global demand for smart devices and electric vehicles, ctoms data showed Friday.Outbound shipments of accumulators, such as lithium-ion batteries amounted to a record $4.4 billion in 2016, up 11.6 percent from $3.94 billion a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Ctoms Service. (Yonhap)For the first three months of the year, secondary battery exports continued to post solid gains, soaring 22.

May 26, 2017

Kakao applies for Kospi listing

Kakao submitted Thursday a set of documents for listing eligibility review on South Korea‘s main bourse, according to the Korea Exchange.Kakao, the second-largest firm listed on the second-tier Kosdaq, will go through an abridged listing procedure. All formerly Kosdaq-listed firms undergo screening designed to verify the business stability for 20 days at maximum, whereas it normally takes 45 days for a market operator to review the eligibility.  (Kakao)The operator of mobile messenger KakaoTalk

May 25, 2017

S&P raises LG Electronics’ credit outlook

Standard & Poor’s said Thursday it raised its credit outlook for South Korea’s LG Electronics from the current BBB Negative to BBB Stable, considering the company’s improving profitability. (Yonhap)The international credit rating agency said LG’s strategy for the premium electronics market worked well in the first quarter, and its profitability is forecast to rise above market averages for the next two years. The agency also added that LG is expected to reduce losses in the smartphone business b

May 25, 2017

IT firms showcase latest industrial innovation in Seoul

More than 500 ICT firms from both home and abroad showcased their latest innovative technology and industry-leading products at South Korea's largest consumer electronics and technology trade fair on Thursday.The World IT Show, the 10th of its kind, kicked off at the Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul on Wednesday for a four-day run. The event is hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. (Yonhap)The participating firms include Samsung Electronics Co., the world'

May 25, 2017

Constitutional Court upholds law restricting subsidies on mobile devices

The Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld a law that restricts subsidies on the purchase of smartphones and other mobile devices. The regulation, which sets the legal limit of subsidies at 330,000 won ($295), was adopted to bring transparency and stability to the market long distorted by subsidies as telecom carriers vie for customers.  Kim Yi-su (center), nominee for chief justice of the Constitutional Court, and other justices are seated at the courthouse in Seoul on May 25, 2017, ahead of d

May 25, 2017

[Photo News] LG promotes its monitors at the 2017 PlayX4

GAME ON -- Models showcase LG Electronics‘ Gaming Notebook, LG Ultra Wide Gaming Monitor and LG HDR 4K Monitor at the 2017 PlayX4 running from Thursday through Sunday at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. (LG Electronics)

May 25, 2017

SK C&C to develop AI to prevent antibiotics abuse

SK holdings C&C, the internet technology solutions unit of South Korea’s SK Group, has set out to develop a new artificial intelligence software based on IBM’s Watson that will be able to prevent doctors from overprescribing antibiotics.SK holdings C&C said Thursday that it has signed a partnership with the Korea University Medical Center to co-develop the Aibril Antibiotics Advisor and commercialize the system by the end of 2018.Aibril is a Korean-language version of IBM’s AI-powered cognitive

May 25, 2017

[Newsmaker] Data traffic costs spat hits Facebook in Korea

Facebook Korea said Thursday that it would comply with South Korea’s regulations over local network usage costs if new rules take effect, following clashes with a local telecom provider over sharing the costs of maintaining the quality and speed of its data traffic-heavy services.“Facebook’s fundamental policy and philosophy is to sincerely comply with the local regulations of all of the countries that we operate in,” a Facebook Korea official told The Korea Herald. “Should the Korean government

May 25, 2017

Fooling iris recognition unrealistic: Samsung

Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it is not easy to fool the Galaxy S8’s iris recognition, hitting back at a claim by a group of German hackers who said they had cracked the phone’s iris scanner.“Although the one-minute video (that shows the sensor being fooled with a dummy eye) appears simple, it is hard to see that happening in real life,” a Samsung spokesperson told The Korea Herald. “You need a camera that can capture infrared light (used in the video), which is no longer available in t

May 25, 2017

SKT to launch voice-activated navigation service in Q3

SK Telecom will apply artificial intelligence to its mobile navigation service T Map before September, it announced Thursday. “We have embarked on the development of an AI-based navigation service,” said Lee Hae-yeol, head of the T Map division at SK Telecom. “At the earliest, a conversable T Map will be available within the next three months.” (SKT)T Map provided by SKT is the most widely used mobile navigation service. According to the company’s data, 10.6 million people used the service as of

May 25, 2017

Android expands presence on Chinese handset sales

US Google Inc.'s smartphone operating system Android stood as the world's most popular platform in the first quarter, data showed Thursday, helped by robust sales of Chinese handsets.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Gartner Inc., the combined sales of smartphones running on the Android platform came to 327.1 million units in the January-March period, with its market share reaching 86.1 percent, rising from 84.1 percent posted a year earlier.  (Yonhap)Over the cited period, the

May 25, 2017

Samsung continues to tap deeper into foundry biz

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has hosted a forum on its foundry business in the United States, showcasing its latest production solutions.The event marks the first of its kind since Samsung Electronics opened a new department under its chip division focusing on the foundry business, in line with the company's efforts to expand its market presence in the area. (Yonhap)Foundry business refers to making chip designs for other companies that do not have a semiconductor fabrication plant.

May 25, 2017

Global users of 5G network may reach 400 m in 2022: report

The number of subscribers to the fifth-generation network  services may reach 400 million by 2022, a report showed Thursday, a development that can change the landscape of the global telecommunication industry.According to the report released by industry tracker Ovum, the 5G network services are anticipated to hit the market in 2019, and gradually expand around the globe to reach 45 countries and 120 mobile carriers by end-2021.(Yonhap)The 5G network technology allows data transmission speed tha

May 25, 2017

SK hynix to spin off foundry biz

South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. said Wednesday it plans to spin off its foundry business in order to beef up its competitiveness in this sector.The announcement was made through a regulatory filing under request from the main bourse operator Korea Exchange last month. (Yonhap)SK hynix said it has decided to hand over the business to its subsidiary.The deal will be completed on June 30 with the price estimated to be 171.6 billion won ($152 million). (Yonhap)

May 24, 2017

Korea’s largest IT show highlights transformation

About 500 information technology and communications businesses and startups from 57 countries have gathered in Seoul to boast their state-of-art technologies featuring artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and virtual reality at the country’s largest IT show from Wednesday to Saturday. First held in 2008, the annual World IT Show is Korea’s biggest IT show, attracting more than 100,000 visitors from around the world. This year, the event at Coex is being held under the main theme of “Trans

May 24, 2017

Samsung DeX set to pave new mobile life: executive

A senior executive at Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that the Samsung DeX, a desktop extension and other features for its high-end smartphone, the Galaxy S8, will play key roles in providing users with experiences beyond the boundaries of handsets.First showcased with the Galaxy S8 smartphone, the Samsung DeX, or Desktop Extension, allows users to utilize smartphones like a personal computer by connecting it to a monitor. (Yonhap)Samsung also unveiled Bixby, a voice support program power

May 24, 2017