LG starts trial service of intelligent robots at Incheon airport

LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday it has launched a trial service of its two intelligent robots at the Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea. LG unveiled the new line-up of robots featuring artificial intelligence technologies and voice recognition technology from Amazon's Alexa at the annual Consumer Electronics Show last month.  LG Electronics Inc.'s cleaning robot. (LG Electronics)One of the two robots serves as a notification center that displays information on its sc

Feb. 21, 2017

Govt. launches panel on financial support for new growth engine

South Korea launched a government-civilian panel on Tuesday to serve as a "control tower" for finance-related support for efforts to promote new growth engines.The New Growth Committee is meant to effectively allocate policy funds in the field, as Asia's fourth-biggest economy prepares for the fourth industrial revolution era. Yim Jong-yong, chairman of the Financial Services Commission, in an undated file photo. (Yonhap)"Especially in the financial sector, the government will actively expand su

Feb. 21, 2017

Korea’s Kakao Pay secures $200m from Ant Financial

South Korean mobile messenger giant Kakao said Tuesday its simplified mobile payment service unit Kakao Pay has secured $200 million in investment from the financial arm of China’s Alibaba Group, a move that broadens the scope of the two firms’ services.Kakao said it has struck a partnership with the Hangzhou-based Ant Financial Services Group, under which Kakao Pay will be synchronized with China’s widely used Alipay to allow subscribers of both services to use both systems.As part of the partn

Feb. 21, 2017

Google Campus Seoul pledges tailored support for startups

Google Campus Seoul, a co-working space for startups operated by the US internet technology giant, on Tuesday pledged to offer more tailored support to South Korean startups to help their growth and global expansion in 2017.　 “This year, we want to offer more tailored programs to encourage new growth, global expansion and diversity among Korean startups,” said Jeffrey Lim, head of Google Campus Seoul. Google Campus Seoul head Jeffrey Lim (second from right) poses with local startup CEOs at the C

Feb. 21, 2017

Runners’ high in metropolis

Walking up the steep Gyeongnidan-gil, Itaewon-dong on an evening, you may come across people jogging toward Namsan. The base camp for the group -- sitting across the street from Philippines Embassy -- is Runbase Seoul, Adidas’ recent attempt to make it easier for people to exercise.For 3,000 won ($2.60), you can rent out Adidas running gear and use the shower when you go for a run. That 3,000 admission fee also allows you to try out circuit training, beginner and expert training program for mara

Feb. 21, 2017

Microsoft to strengthen cloud computing service in Korea

US software giant Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it will strengthen cloud computing services in South Korea by capitalizing on its "data center regions" in the country.Earlier, Microsoft opened two data center regions in Seoul and the southern port city of Busan for its open cloud computing platform called Azure. The term, data center region, refers to a large complex of facilities that serve as a given geographic location, considered a core technology of Microsoft's cloud computing service A

Feb. 21, 2017

Personal computer penetration in Korea hits 15-year low

The penetration rate of personal computers in South Korea fell to its lowest level in 15 years as more people use smartphones and tablet computers, data showed Tuesday. The nation's penetration rate of personal computers was 75.3 percent last year, marking the lowest rate since 2001, according to the data by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency.  (Yonhap)Personal computer penetration had been on a steady rise until 2012, when the rate stood a

Feb. 21, 2017

Digital information level low among underprivileged

The level of digital information among underprivileged people in South Korea improved in 2016 from the previous year, but it remained far lower than the national average, a poll showed Tuesday.According to the survey of 15,000 people nationwide, the digital information level among the so-called information have-nots stood at 58.6 percent of the average for all South Koreans, up 6.2 percentage points from a year earlier. This undated file photo shows a handicapped child participating in an inform

Feb. 21, 2017

LG Display to start LCD supply to Samsung from July: CEO

(Yonhap)LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom on Feb. 20 hinted that the firm could start supplying liquid crystal displays to its cross town rival Samsung Electronics from as early as July this year. The two firms have been in talks on LCD supplies since Sharp, owned by Taiwan’s Hon Hai Group, notified its supply cuts to Samsung in November last year. Sources say the panel shipments are being delayed as they adjust different manufacturing technologies. “Nothing has been set in stone, regarding the suppl

Feb. 20, 2017

LG’s webOS 3.5 Smart TV wins global security certification

Hwang Jeong-hwan, head of R&D Laboratory of Home Entertainment at LG Electronics, (left), shakes hands with Sajeev Jesudas, CEO of consumer business at Underwriters Laboratories, Friday. (LG Electronics)LG Electronics’ webOS 3.5-powered Smart TV has been certified as a Cybersecurity Assurance Program by the Underwriters Laboratories, it said Monday.LG is the world’s first smart TV manufacturer to win the international certification, according to the company. UL is an American safety certificatio

Feb. 20, 2017

SKT introduces new CCTV, AI speaker for smart home

SK Telecom is ramping up efforts to take the lead in the fledgling smart home market by developing the country’s first sensor-connected closed-circuit television system and applying its artificial intelligence-based speakers to apartments. According to the largest South Korean mobile carrier Monday, it has developed a new CCTV system equipped with a moving sensor that is capable of not only detecting intrusions by strangers but can also examine changes in temperature, humidity and the concentrat

Feb. 20, 2017

Human vs. AI translation battle to take place Tuesday

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have brought significant improvements in automated translations, which was accompanied by a sense of uneasiness that it would eventually spell an end to human translators.In a pre-emptive attempt to explore this question, a battle between a professional human translator and AI-powered translation software will take place in South Korea on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The event will be broadcast live via the Sejong Cyber University website.Organized by Sejong Cyber

Feb. 20, 2017

[Photo News] Naver’s autonomous vehicle wins government license

NAVER’S AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE LICENSED -- Naver Labs, the research and development unit of South Korean portal website Naver, won a government license that allows the company to test-drive its autonomous vehicle on the road. Naver’s vehicle was the 13th self-driving car to be approved by the Transportation Ministry since its introduction of a temporary license system for autonomous vehicles in development in February 2016. Naver is the first local information technology company to have obtained a l

Feb. 20, 2017

‘Pokemon Go’ to partner with 7-Eleven in Korea

Niantic, co-developer of hit augmented reality mobile game “Pokemon Go,” has reportedly partnered with convenience store chain 7-Eleven in South Korea to designate select 7-Eleven outlets here as either “Pokegyms” or “Pokestops.”　It marks the first-ever corporate partnership between “Pokemon Go” and a major retailer in Korea, fueling expectations the game — which involves people visiting real-life locations to catch “Pokemon” on their smartphones — can help boost local businesses.  (Niantic)News

Feb. 20, 2017

Scientists discover retina cell related to light sensitivity

A group of South Korean medical scientists has discovered a retina cell that responds to light, the science ministry said Monday, a finding that could potentially help the sight of people suffering from severe sensitivity to light.The team led by Kim Jin-woo from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology discovered that visual responses are sensitive to the overall composition of retinal interneurons called amacrine cells, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said. (Mini

Feb. 20, 2017

Samsung ranked 4th in global semiconductor R&D spending in 2016

Samsung Electronics Co. was ranked fourth in research and development spending by chipmakers last year, according to market data on Monday. Samsung spent $2.88 billion in R&D activities in 2016, up 11 percent from 2015, the data by market researcher IC Insights showed.  (Yonhap)Intel Corp. came first with R&D expenditures of $12.7 billion, followed by Qualcomm Inc. with $5.1 billion and Broadcom Ltd. with $3.1 billion. Intel's R&D spending accounted for 22.4 percent of its total sales last year,

Feb. 20, 2017

Less than 1 in 5 medical device companies to increase R&D

Less than one in five South Korean manufacturers of medical supplies and equipment said they plan to increase new research and development (R&D) jobs, a survey showed Monday, despite the government's push to become a global biotech and medical industry hub.According to the survey by the Korea Medical Devices Industrial Coop. Association of 267 medical device manufacturers, only 17 percent said they have decided to add R&D positions over the next two years. The survey showed that 52 percent of th

Feb. 20, 2017

[Health-tech Korea] What it takes to boost Korea’s digital health care

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles highlighting South Korea’s promising start-ups in the emerging sectors of digital healthcare and next-generation medical devices. This is the first installment. –Ed.Digital technologies continually transform every industry, but one area that technological advances are forecast to impact the most in the years ahead is the global health care sector.　Eyeing new opportunities, global tech companies, medical device firms as well as startups have beg

Feb. 19, 2017

History of probes involving Samsung chiefs

The arrest of Samsung Group’ de facto leader Lee Jae-yong on Friday over his ties to the presidential scandal involving Choi Soon-sil, was a shock to many, as it marked the first-ever detainment of the chief of South Korea’s biggest conglomerate in its 79-year history.Over the past decades, prosecutors have regularly targeted the head of Korea’s biggest and most powerful family-controlled conglomerate for corporate misbehavior. However, neither Lee Kun-hee, the bedridden chairman of Samsung Elec

Feb. 17, 2017

Imports of FMD vaccine not on the cards

South Korea's plan to import a vaccine against food-and-mouth disease from a British company may end up in smoke as it has yet to respond to a Seoul request for an emergency import, sources said Friday.South Korea remains gripped by a serious undersupply of FMD vaccines following the simultaneous outbreak of type A and type O viruses. Since the first outbreak on Feb. 5, nearly 800 cows have been culled so far. This undated file photo shows an FMD vaccine (Yonhap)After a type A case was reported

Feb. 17, 2017