LGE sees Q3 earnings plunge

Facing tough competition in the world’s mobile and electronics markets, tech giant LG Electronics saw its profit drop by a whopping 37 percent in the July-September period as losses widened in its flagship mobile business unit.The electronics firm said in its regulatory filings that it earned 14.3 trillion won ($12.5 billion), down 5 percent year on year, in the third quarter. The company reported 294 billion won in profit, down 37 percent on-year. An employee enters LG Electronics`s head office

Oct. 29, 2015

SK Telecom makes 5G push

South Korea’s leading mobile carrier SK Telecom on Thursday opened an innovation center named the 5G Playground for developing and testing advanced network technologies with its partners.The 5G Playground, located in the wireless firm’s office in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, features places where visitors can have a firsthand experience of virtual reality technology and test bed labs to conduct joint R&D projects with global IT firms including Samsung Electronics, Ericsson, Nokia, Intel and Rohde

Oct. 29, 2015

Smartphones may ruin your eyes

South Korea is one of the world’s most connected countries, with more than 80 percent of the population owning smartphones as of this year. But spending too much time with smart devices can be a serious threat to eye health, a group of Korean ophthalmologists said this week.　According to the Korean Ophthalmological Society, one of the biggest representative bodies of eye doctors here, the number of Korean patients with dry eye syndrome has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 970,000  to

Oct. 29, 2015

LG launches air care brand PuriCare

LG Electronics on Wednesday launched new air care brand “PuriCare” in a renewed push to expand its air purifier and humidifier product lineup globally. The company added that it aimed to see 1 million unit sales in the $6 billion market within the next three years.  “Korea, China and the Middle East may be the key markets for now. But we aim to launch the brand in some 30 countries in the near future,” said Cho Seong-jin, head of LG’s home appliance and air solution business division, in a press

Oct. 28, 2015

Start-up sisters learn resilience from father’s sacrifice

SAN FRANCISCO ― Half a century after The Kim Sisters singing trio took the U.S. music scene by storm, three sisters from Korea are aiming to make their mark among San Francisco’s start-ups. From left: Dawoon, Arum and Soo Kang, cofounders of Coffee Meets Bagel. (Coffee Meets Bagel)The Kang sisters, who moved alone to the U.S. as teenagers, have been picking themselves up by their bootstraps their whole lives. And their experiences taught them the resilience and devotion that have helped them fos

Oct. 28, 2015

Samsung to roll out new mobile chip for Galaxy S7: report

Samsung Electronics will soon roll out its new mobile application processor, the Exynos 8890, which is likely to be mounted on the next flagship smartphone Galaxy S7, according to news reports.Samsung will mass produce its own mobile chip as late as December at its production lines in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province, according to a local news outlet. Samsung refused to comment on the production plans of the next-generation chip model. Samsung Electronics‘ Exynos 7 Octa featured in the Galaxy S6. (Yon

Oct. 28, 2015

Kakao CEO pledges to restore profits

JEJUDO ― Kakao CEO Rim Ji-hoon made his official debut on Tuesday, pledging to restore profits through more customized, mobile-based services. “You cannot seek short-term profits in Internet services,” he said of the company’s sluggish sales in the first half of this year during a press conference held at the headquarters on Jejudo Island. “In the next mobile era, all previously PC-based services will be available on mobile devices. We will lead the new era by offering more customized, ‘on-deman

Oct. 27, 2015

LG sues Dyson over ad campaign in Australia

LG Electronics has recently filed an injunction against the U.K.-based home appliances manufacturer Dyson to stop its ad campaign in Australia that claims its cordless vacuum cleaner boasts “the highest suction power” among rivals. The Korean tech giant said Dyson’s claims are misleading consumers, saying its Cord Zero Cyking produces twice the suction power of Dyson’s V6 cleaner. According to the company, LG’s Cyking has a maximum suction power of 200 watts, double the 100 watts of Dyson’s V6.

Oct. 27, 2015

LG Chem churns out EV batteries in China

South Korea’s leading battery maker LG Chem said Tuesday that it had completed the construction of a plant for electric car batteries in Nanjing, China.The Seoul-headquartered battery firm has already inked supply deals with 16 local car companies, including China’s top three automakers Shanghai Automotive Industry Group, Dongfeng Motor Group and the FAW Group, and supplied batteries for 1 million EVs.LG Group chairman Koo bon-moo (center), vice chairman Koo Bon-joon (second from right), and Chi

Oct. 27, 2015

Samsung aims at $10b sales of air conditioner by 2020

Aiming to boost its presence in the global business-to-business sector, Samsung Electronics has laid out a blueprint to lead the global air-conditioning market, pledging that it would achieve $10 billion in sales by 2020.To that end, Yoon Boo-keun, Samsung Electronics consumer electronics business unit head, vowed that it would beef up the business for system air conditioners, or central air conditioners in construction markets, utilizing the firm’s capabilities in air-conditioning for general c

Oct. 27, 2015

[Graphic News] TVs screens getting bigger

The average screen size of TV sets to be sold in markets is expected to surpass 40 inches next year for the first time, data indicated Monday.According to market researcher IHS, the average TV screen size is estimated to reach 40.8 inches next year from 39.4 inches this year.Market analysts said this trend in favor of a bigger screen sizes reflects consumers‘ growing preference for high-definition premium TVs.By region, North America will likely top average TV screen sizes with 44.5 inches, foll

Oct. 26, 2015

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt to visit Seoul this week

Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google’s new holding company Alphabet, will visit Korea on Thursday to meet key partners such as Samsung and LG, as well as local start-ups the company supports. This will be his fifth visit to Korea and the first since he took office as chairman of Alphabet in August.  During his three-day visit, the ex-Google CEO is expected to meet executives of Samsung and LG, including Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong. He met the Samsung heir apparent wh

Oct. 26, 2015

LG tops U.S. washer market this year

LG Electronics maintained the top place in the U.S. market for front-loading washing machine as of the third quarter ending September this year, according to the Korean electronics maker Monday. The Seoul-based electronics firm said its cumulative market share by sales from January to September in the U.S. market for front-load washers stood at 25.6 percent, citing an industry report released by Stevenson Company. Models pose with LG Electronics‘ Twin Wash, featuring two washing tubs -- one on t

Oct. 26, 2015

[Photo News] Samsung's upgraded speaker

SAMSUNG’S UPGRADED SPEAKER -- Samsung Electronics releases the R1, a wireless cylinder-shaped and omni-directional speaker, which can be linked with smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. The wireless audio product priced at 199,000 won ($175) features a tap-and-swipe user interface which allows users to control the speaker by tapping and swiping on the top. (Samsung)

Oct. 26, 2015

Twitter to focus on video

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microblogging service Twitter has long been serving as an agora open to all people to discuss, share and spread information about what is happening around the world in 140 characters. 　With the change of time and trends in the social networking industry, however, the 9-year-old service is trying, somewhat belatedly, to shift its focus from a text-based service to one brimming with video content, following the footsteps of other services like Facebook.Kevin Weil, senior vice pres

Oct. 23, 2015

Korea, U.S. to launch precision medicine cohort

Officials from Ministry of Health & Welfare, KNIH, U.S. NIH, and NCC pose after signing a letter of intention to cooperate in precision medicine research in Washington last week. (NCC)The Korean National Cancer Center joined hands with the U.S. National Institutes of Health to launch a large-scale precision medicine research cohort to combat cancer, the NCC said Wednesday.The cancer research cohort aims at conducting joint precision medicine research on cancer and the Middle East respiratory syn

Oct. 23, 2015

[Photo News] iPhone 6s hits stores

Oct. 23, 2015