LG Uplus to apply IoT tech on ventilator

South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. said Thursday it has clinched an agreement with a local ventilator maker to apply its Internet of Things technology to the products.LG Uplus said it plans to release two ventilators for restrooms using the technology in cooperation with Himpel, the top local player in the area. (Yonhap)IoT is a concept in which all tangible objects are connected to the Internet and can identify themselves to other devices in order to exchange necessary data for i

March 23, 2017

LG Pay to start service in June, G6 assumes top sales

LG Electronics’ mobile payment service LG Pay will be available in its new flagship smartphone G6 in June in partnership with the US payment solution company Dynamics, the company said Wednesday. LG Pay, which will be available through a software update, will use wireless magnetic communication technology Dynamics developed in 2007.  Models pose with the LG G6 in this photo released by LG Electronics Inc. in a shop in Seoul on March 12, 2017. (Yonhap)“Dynamics is (LG’s) strategic partner securin

March 22, 2017

Chang Sung-goo appointed chairman of KAMS

Professor Chang Sung-gooChang Sung-goo, a professor of Urology at Kyung Hee University, was elected as the next chairman of the Korean Academy of Medical Science.The KAMS appointed professor Chang on Tuesday afternoon during a council meeting held at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul.Chang, 65, is set to get a formal confirmation from the General Assembly to be held next Tuesday. When approved, he will officially take office in March 2018 and serve a three-year term. Chang, currently the vice

March 22, 2017

Red iPhone gets mixed reaction in Korea

South Korean consumers on Wednesday showed mixed reactions to the first-ever red iPhones that are slated for launch here Saturday. While some welcomed Apple’s efforts to release its smartphones in red as a first in the industry, others downplayed the decision for its irrelevance to technology.“The red iPhone reminds me of the iPhone C series, which seems shallow,” said a tech blogger here, referring to a previous low-priced colorful series in 2013 that had received criticism at the time for look

March 22, 2017

Scientists develop gold nanomaterials for gout treatment

A group of South Korean scientists developed a new type of gold nano-sized materials to treat hyperuricemia, the science ministry said Wednesday, opening a new gateway for the treatment of diseases such as gout.Hyperuricemia is a phenomenon marked by an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood. Such a high level of uric acid is associated with numerous diseases ranging from cardiovascular illnesses to gout. (Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning)The team led by Kwon In-chan of the

March 22, 2017

Dongbu Daewoo shows new home appliances for US

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics said Wednesday the company introduced about 30 new products customized for American consumers at the 2017 International Home & Housewares Show held in Chicago from Saturday. The electronics maker’s retro-style The Classic series was highlighted at a preview event on the opening day of the four-day show, the company said.  Visitors view The Classic microwave range by Dongbu Daewoo Electronics at the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago on Tuesday. (Dongbu Daew

March 22, 2017

Google's AI algorithm to achieve human-level soon

Google Inc.'s improved artificial intelligence powered algorithm can better recognize and classify photos and may achieve "human-level" accuracy soon, the company's engineer said Wednesday.In November 2016, Google announced that it has applied a machine learning algorithm to its computer vision model of Google Photos to produce captions that can accurately describe images. The service -- both available online and through mobile applications -- can back up, organize and label the photos automatic

March 22, 2017

[Advertorial] Kakao aims to become all-around lifestyle platform

Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s most widely used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, is striving to transform itself into an all-around lifestyle platform that connects users with diverse businesses and services.　Kakao will embark on this new direction with a repositioning of its “Plus Friends” feature -- corporate accounts on KakaoTalk that let firms send out promotional messages to users who add them.Kakao CEO Rim Ji-hoon (Kakao)In the future, “Plus Friends” will go beyond being a one-way marketi

March 22, 2017

KCC fines mobile carriers for giving foreigners higher incentives

The Korea Communications Commission late Tuesday slapped three local telecom businesses with a total of 2.1 billion won ($1.88 million) in fines for violating the country’s mobile device distribution law in their sales to foreign customers. The communications authority said its committee decided to impose the penalties, citing that excessive incentives on the sales of mobile devices and services to foreigners could discriminate against other consumers. The KCC ordered SK Telecom to pay 794 milli

March 21, 2017

Samsung releases QLED TV, shuns display tech controversy

Kim Hyun-suk, president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, introduces the company‘s flagship QLED TV series at Raum Art Center in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, Tuesday. (Samsung Electronics)Brushing aside the marketing controversy over its quantum dot display technology, Samsung Electronics on Tuesday launched its latest premium QLED TV lineup here, asserting it has placed greater emphasis on users’ lifestyle over display technology.At a press event to debut the company’s super p

March 21, 2017

Samsung to open Bixby tool to third-party developers

Samsung Electronics’ vice president said the company’s upcoming artificial intelligence technology Bixby will be applied to all of its appliances and will also be opened to third-party developers to make applications. Bixby is Samsung’s new voice assistant and will make its debut in the company’s upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8.According to a statement released by the Korean tech giant’s Executive Vice President Rhee In-jong on Tuesday, a subset of preinstalled applications will be Bixby-

March 21, 2017

Samsung developing OLED without polarizer

Samsung Electronics unveiled several new display technologies at the private room during this year’s Mobile World Congress, including its development of OLED without polarizer, a source familiar with the matter said.“Samsung exhibited new technologies, including force touch, OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) without polarizer, VR (virtual reality) headsets with high resolution and blue-less OLED. They are expected to be launched within one to two years,” a source who attended the private room

March 21, 2017

Olympus Korea offers integration of surgical systems at hospitals

Olympus has launched its new surgical system integration solution Endoalpha, designed to improve work efficiency of endoscopy units and operating rooms inside hospitals of all sizes, in South Korea.Endoalpha brings multiple tasks -- such as operating diverse medical devices and sending endoscopic images and videos -- under a single network, so they can be controlled via a single smart touch panel.A model uses the smart touch panel from Olympus Korea’s newly-launched surgical system integration s

March 21, 2017

Public demand for security-related software surges in 2017

South Korea‘s public sector is seeing growing demand for software programs, particularly that for security, this year, a government report showed Monday.According to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, about 4.1 trillion won ($3.66 billion) in purchases is expected to be made for software and information and communications technology-related equipment in 2017, a 1.7 percent increase from last year.The ministry saw demand for software rise 4 percent to 3.12 trillion won, while deman

March 20, 2017

Samsung’s QLED TV lineup certified as UHD Premium models

The QLED TV lineup by Samsung Electronics has been certified by the UHD Alliance as Ultra HD Premium models, the South Korean electronics maker announced on Monday. The UHDA is a global coalition comprised of more than 50 member companies, established to promote the Ultra HD ecosystem and benefits of Ultra HD technology. (Samsung Electronics)All 2017 QLED TV models, including the Q9, Q8 and Q7, are certified by the international organization, giving Samsung a boost to its new QLED TV strategy ai

March 20, 2017

Netmarble aims to raise up to W2.7tr with IPO

South Korean mobile game giant Netmarble Games is out to raise as much as 2.66 trillion won ($2.4 billion) in an initial public offering as it seeks new capital to fund its continued global expansion.Netmarble said Monday that it has submitted a securities report to the Financial Services Commission to sell 16.95 million shares at 121,000 won to 157,000 won apiece. The shares are to be listed on Korea’s main bourse Kospi.The final share pricing will be set on April 24, after which the shares wil

March 20, 2017

Kakao aims for social impact with unique online commerce model

South Korean mobile messaging giant Kakao is moving to fulfill its corporate social responsibility with a unique, on-demand production system that benefits both small manufacturers and consumers — Kakao Makers.　Introduced in February 2016, Kakao Makers is a platform on which a company can present a product they plan to make and receive orders for a week. The firm will make that product only if it achieves the “minimum order quantity” — the number of units that must be produced and sold to make a

March 20, 2017

LG takes aim at Samsung with new Nano Cell TV

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- LG Electronics and its sister firm LG Display on Friday offered a glimpse of their latest collaboration, “Nano Cell,” a new technology based on liquid-crystal display that aims to beat Samsung Electronics’ Quantum Dot.Since the Nano Cell TV debuted early this year, it was the first time that the panel production line in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, was unveiled to the media.LCDs do not produce light so they have a separate illumination module called a backlight unit. To fu

March 19, 2017

[Health-tech Korea] Adding perks to fitness: Zikto seeks to diversify application of fitness wearables

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 fifth installment. -- Ed.In 2014, South Korean startup Zikto created a buzz in the still-nascent wearable device market by crowdfunding $165,000 on Kickstarter to build a unique, posture-tracking fitness band that provides feedback on a user’s walking posture by analyzing the speed and angle of their swin

March 19, 2017

[KOSDAQ STAR] SK Materials benefits from semiconductor, display boom

This is the 37th in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. -- EdSK Materials, a semiconductor materials company, is one of the top 10 caps on the tech-heavy Kosdaq bourse with more than 1.8 trillion won ($1.59 billion) in market capitalization. Since November 2015 when it became part of SK group, South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate, its share price has soared from slightly over 100,000 won to 171,000 won when it closed Friday. The company was

March 19, 2017