LG Display likely to produce world’s first 65-inch OLED panels

LG Display is reviewing building the world’s first 10th-generation OLED assembly line in Paju, the tech firm said Wednesday. If the plan is finalized, the 10th-generation assembly line -- which is optimized for 65-inch (165 centimeters) television panels -- will be producing the world’s first and largest organic light-emitting diode panels. Currently, LG’s 55-inch (140 centimeters) panels from the 8.5-generation assembly line are the biggest such panels. Since the end of 2015, LG Display has bee

Feb. 8, 2017

[Newsmaker] Kakao forms new subsidiary dedicated to AI development

Kakao, operator of South Korea’s top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, has formed a new subsidiary dedicated to developing artificial intelligence technologies in a move to ramp up its capabilities in future technologies.The Korean mobile giant said Wednesday that it officially founded a new subsidiary focusing on AI technology research and development, named “Kakao Brain,” on Feb. 1. Kakao founder and chairman Kim Beom-suKakao Brain will be directed by Kakao founder and chairman Kim Beom-su, who will

Feb. 8, 2017

Foreign mobile games become increasingly popular in Korea

Foreign mobile games have become increasingly popular in South Korea as seven foreign apps were among the 20 top-grossing mobile games, according to data on Wednesday.The Tuesday chart of Google Play's highest-grossing mobile game apps in South Korea showed that the augmented reality mobile game "Pokemon Go" by Nintendo came second.  (Yonhap)"FIFA Online 3" of the United States was ranked fifth, with "Clash Royale" of Finland and "MU Origin" of China coming in eighth and ninth each. The Tuesday

Feb. 8, 2017

Samsung, LG battle again with flagship display panels at ISE

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have met again, this time on the battleground for high-end display panels with their flagship QLED and OLED panels, respectively. At the Integrated Systems Europe 2017 that kicked off in Amsterdam on Tuesday, Samsung unveiled the quantum dot light-emitting diode Signage and light-emitting diode Signage IF series for the first time while LG stuck with its organic light-emitting diode brand. The two previously sparred at the Consumer Electronics Show last mon

Feb. 7, 2017

SKT-Ericsson-BMW develop fastest 5G for connected car

SK Telecom announced Tuesday that the company successfully implemented the fastest communications speed in a traveling vehicle so far, moving one step closer to an era of connected cars with its 5G network. The No.1 South Korean telecom business said it provided a peak rate of 3.6Gbps data transmission speed for a connected car driving at 170 kilometers per hour at the BMW Driving Center in Yeonjong Island. The driving center has the world’s largest 28GHz 5G test network, established by SKT, Eri

Feb. 7, 2017

LG to unveil G6 on Feb. 26 at MWC

LG Electronics sent out press invitations on Tuesday for the unveiling of its new flagship smartphone G6 at the upcoming Mobile World Congress to be held in Barcelona, Spain. The invitation says the company will host an unpack event for the G6 at Sant Jordi Club on Feb. 26, a day before the tech congress kicks off. The launch event, which will last around 100 minutes, is expected to be attended by around 1,000 reporters, business partners and tech experts, the company said. LG describes the G6 a

Feb. 7, 2017

NCSoft posts record W328.8b operating profit

South Korean game giant NCSoft said Tuesday that it posted a record high operating profit of 328.8 billion won ($287.8 million) in 2016 mainly generated by its flagship game “Lineage” and its intellectual property rights.　The company raised 983.6 billion won in revenue last year, up 17 percent on-year and falling slightly from the 1 trillion won revenue milestone. Net profit came in at 271.4 billion won in 2016, up 63 percent from the previous year, according to NCSoft.NCSoft said that its growt

Feb. 7, 2017

Scientists develop smarter MRI technology

A group of South Korean scientists discovered a new magnetic resonance imaging  platform that selectively finds diseased cells, the state-run research center said Tuesday, a development that could overcome the limits of the current MRI technology.The team led by Cheon Jin-woo at the Center for Nanomedicine under the Institute for Basic Science developed the so-called "nano MRI lamp" which activates MRI signals only in the presence of the disease target. (Institute for Basic Science)"This study c

Feb. 7, 2017

Netmarble posts record W1.5tr revenue in 2016

Led by the worldwide success of its mobile games, South Korea’s Netmarble Games raked in more than 1.5 trillion won ($1.32 billion) in revenue in 2016, the company said in its annual earnings report on Monday.　The Korean mobile game giant has broken the 1 trillion won revenue mark for the second consecutive year, setting another major milestone for the firm.Netmarble’s 2016 operating profit reached 295.4 billion won, up 31.3 percent on-year, while its revenue for the year reached around 1.51 tri

Feb. 6, 2017

Mobile carriers eyeing overseas amid limited growth

South Korean telecommunication businesses are making various efforts to increase their presence worldwide, moving beyond limited growth of the domestic market. KT said Monday its subsidiary KT Submarine won a $9.79 million order from US-based SubCom to lay fiber optic communications cables under the Pacific Ocean last December. The company will break ground in April. KT Submarine is the only submarine cable company in Korea, and it is also the only Asian firm participating in the latest project.

Feb. 6, 2017

‘Unique battery model behind Note 7 explosions’

The Korean government concluded Monday that Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7 explosions were caused by faulty batteries and vowed to strengthen battery safety and recall measures for smartphones. The conclusion came after the state-run Korean Agency for Technology Standards conducted tests for three months with 14 overheated smartphones, 46 normal phones and 169 batteries given by Samsung Electronics. “We found batteries (made by Samsung SDI and ATL) had some factors that cause explosions and

Feb. 6, 2017

[Photo News] Google begins recruitment for 3rd ‘Campus for Moms’ program

STARTUP SUPPORT FOR MOMS -- Google Campus Seoul, a co-working space for startups operated by the US internet giant, said it is recruiting new participants for its “Campus for Moms” program until Feb. 28. Run by Google, “Campus for Moms” is a baby-friendly startup school that provides entrepreneurial and human resource support to mothers striving to open a startup. A total of 52 parent-entrepreneurs have taken part in the Seoul program since its inception here in July 2015. Google will hold an op

Feb. 6, 2017

Naver, Kakao eye future in video platform business

As the web transitions from text and images toward interactive videos, South Korea’s two flagship internet technology companies Naver and Kakao are eyeing a future in the video platform business.According to a recent forecast from Cisco, by 2020 around 82 percent of consumer internet traffic will be generated by videos, while total global internet traffic will grow annually by 22 percent from 2015 to 2020.With video slated to dominate the web, Naver and Kakao have been moving to streamline and s

Feb. 6, 2017

Flaws in battery caused Galaxy Note 7 fires: gov't

The South Korean government said Monday that flaws in batteries caused the fires in Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Note 7, which led to a worldwide recall and production halt of the smartphone.In a test conducted by the state-run Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, it was found that electrodes of batteries installed in the Galaxy Note 7 were damaged, while some batteries missed insulation materials, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a release. (Yonhap)The ministry said

Feb. 6, 2017

Korea to spend W77b to advance climate technology in 2017

South Korea's science ministry said Monday that it will inject 77 billion won ($67.7 million) this year to develop climate-related technologies to curb carbon gas emissions.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said it designated seven new sectors in 2017 to secure related technologies to better combat climate change. (Yonhap)The ministry said it will earmark 19.2 billion won for the seven projects, including carbon use technology and a climate change adaption program to help developi

Feb. 6, 2017

KICT joins NASA-funded STEM program

The Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology said recently that it will be taking part in creating a National Aeronautics and Space Administration-funded education program producing space educational content.Together with the US-based Wex Foundation and the International Space Exploration Research Institute at Hanyang University in Seoul, KICT was awarded a 1.48 billion won ($1.24 million) grant from the NASA, the institute said.  Vacuum chamber being built at KICT (KICT)“KI

Feb. 5, 2017

SK Telecom to build network for Internet of Things in Thailand

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top mobile carrier, said Sunday it will build a network for the so-called Internet of Things in Bangkok and Phuket. Under a contract with Thailand's state-owned CAT Telecom, signed last Friday, SK Telecom plans to build the network and start a trial service of IoT in April, the company said in a statement.  Cha In-hyeok (2nd from L), head of SK Telecom's IoT business shakes hands with CAT Telecom's chief executive, Sanpachai Huvanandana, after signing a contract in

Feb. 5, 2017

Global market for auto semiconductors to grow 7.1% annually

The global market for automotive semiconductors is expected to grow 7.1 percent annually by 2020, fueled by strong investment by carmakers into electric and self-driving cars, according to a market estimate on Sunday. With semiconductor demand for cars growing, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. have expanded their automotive semiconductor businesses.  (Yonhap)Research firm Gartner recently predicted that the global market for automotive chips would grow to $42.4 billion in 2020 from $32.

Feb. 5, 2017

Surgeons conduct hand transplant for 1st time in S. Korea

A team of surgeons reported Friday that they have completed a hand transplant on a man in his 30s, marking the first time that a surgery replacing a hand has taken place in South Korea.The 25-strong team, led by W Hospital chief Woo Sang-hyun, transplanted the hand of a man in his 40s who had been pronounced brain dead. The procedure took 10 hours starting at 4:00 p.m. the previous day at the Yeungnam University Medical Center in the southeastern city of Daegu.The body part being transplanted wa

Feb. 3, 2017

[Photo News] Dream performance

 Students sponsored by LG Display introduce themselves at a performance staged at the Paju factory of the display provider in Gyeonggi Province on Friday. Since 2012, the company has supported a total of 74 students with talents in arts, music and engineering with about 500 million won. (LG Display) 　

Feb. 3, 2017