Minister defends measure against telecom subsidy

ICT Minister Choi Yang-hee said Friday that a government measure to curb overheated competition in the Korean wireless industry has yielded positive results.“No one would deny that the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act has achieved its initial goal of resolving discrimination against consumers,” said the ICT minister in a press meeting in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, dismissing claims that the act has undermined the global competitiveness of Seoul-based handset-makers such as Samsung El

July 19, 2015

CJ launches start-up incubation center in Seoul

CJ Group and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning opened the Seoul Creative Economy and Innovation Center, a start-up incubator aimed at transforming the city into a hub of entrepreneurs, in Seoul on Friday.The nation’s 16th creative economy center was set up as part of the Korean government’s flagship creative economy policy, which promotes healthy growth of both conglomerates and small and medium-sized businesses. ICT Minister Choi Yang-hee (seventh from left) and officials from CJ

July 17, 2015

[Photo News] LG G4 in TEL AVIV

LG G4 IN TEL AVIV — Video clips featuring the aerial views of Israel’s capital Tel Aviv have drawn attention as they crossed 500,000 hits this week on LG’s Facebook account in the country. The tech giant made the films last month with a drone loaded with its G4 smartphone to celebrate the launch of the handset in Israel. LGE LG G4 IN TEL AVIV — Video clips featuring the aerial views of Israel’s capital Tel Aviv have drawn attention as they crossed 500,000 hits this week on LG’s Facebook account

July 17, 2015

How robotic surgery can contribute to women’s health

The idea of undergoing a surgical procedure for the first time can be overwhelming for many, especially for those who are afraid of surgical scars and post-surgery pain, which are very often unavoidable.　According to Dr. Moon Hye-sung, who is the current head of the Robotic Surgery Center at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, the fear of pain and scars is especially common among women who are required to undergo a laparotomy -- a procedure involving a large incision through one’s abdomen -

July 16, 2015

[Photo News] Samsung reigns supreme

SAMSUNG REINS SUPREME — South Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics said Thursday it became the No. 1 TV brand by sales in the U.S and European markets as of May, with its market share standing at 53.5 percent and 50 percent in the respective regions. SamsungSAMSUNG REGINS SUPREME — South Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics said Thursday it became the No. 1 TV brand by sales in the U.S and European markets as of May, with its market share standing at 53.5 percent and 50 percent in the respec

July 16, 2015

[Photo News] YouTube promotion for LG G4

YOUTUBE PROMOTION FOR LG G4 — Promotional video clips for LG Electronics’ G4 smartphone filmed by global YouTube celebrities, including the members of sports and comedy entertainment group Dude Perfect and motorcycle adventure rider Alex Chacon, reached 10 million hits as of Wednesday, according to the Korean electronics firm Thursday. LGE

July 16, 2015

[Photo News] LG supports local community

LG SUPPORTS LOCAL COMMUNITY -- LG Foundations, a nonprofit organization run by LG Group, holds a groundbreaking ceremony of a day care center in Incheon on Thursday. The day care center to be opened early next year will be donated to the Seo-gu district in the city, and is in line with the conglomerate’s corporate social responsibility program to build energy-efficient, environmentally friendly day care facilities for local communities. LG　LG SUPPORTS LOCAL COMMUNITY — LG Group officials, lawmak

July 16, 2015

Netmarble ups ante in mobile game war

　Korean game developers are striving to increase their footholds in the global market in the face of fierce domestic competition. 　Netmarble Games, the No.1 mobile game firm by sales, which has so far released more than 100 mobile games, said it would make all-out efforts to win in the mobile game race.　“Cutthroat competition is inevitable in the world’s mobile game industry as major console and PC game developers, such as Sony, Disney and Blizzard, with big cash piles are tapping into the mobil

July 16, 2015

U.S. big data firm taps into Korean market

U.S. cloud-based big data solutions developer Treasure Data launched its services in the South Korean market Thursday.The California-based IT firm, established in 2011, chose to start businesses in Seoul to expand its presence in the Asian market, the company explained in a press release. The U.S. firm also runs a Tokyo office.  The logo of U.S. big data solutions firm Treasure Data. Treasure DataSome of the high-profile investors for the firm include Yahoo! cofounder Jerry Yang, Sierra Ventures

July 16, 2015

Korean mobile carriers to take 5G initiative at MWC Shanghai

South Korea’s three largest mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- will prove their technical prowess at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2015, a mobile trade show that kicked off in the Chinese city Wednesday.With aims to take the initiative for the next-generation 5G network industry, top executives of the mobile carriers also had planned to meet up with global partners for future collaboration during the three-day event. SKT, which has the largest subscriber base for its mobile s

July 15, 2015

[Herald Interview] Chinese mobile security firm sets sights on global market

China’s No. 1 mobile antivirus application developer 360 Security Group has been ramping up its marketing efforts in earnest in South Korea, which the company said would serve as a test for businesses in other Asian markets. The 360 Security Group launched the antivirus and memory boosting application, dubbed 360 Security, in 2013 and the mobile app has garnered worldwide popularity with the number of downloads on Google’s app market crossing 200 million, including 5 million in South Korea, so f

July 15, 2015

Hwang Woo-suk in fresh controversy over mammoth cloning

Disgraced South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk is in a legal battle over the rights to a technique critical to his attempts to clone mammoths, it was revealed Wednesday. Doctor Hwang Woo-suk oversees a cloning procedure on a dog in November, 2014 at Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul. Park Hyun-koo/The Korea HeraldAccording to reports, Hwang filed a criminal complaint accusing prominent researchers including Park Se-pil of Jeju National University, accusing them of embezzlement and atte

July 15, 2015

Tesla eyes Korea in Asia push

Tesla, the U.S. electric sports car maker, is turning its eyes to Korea in its latest push for the all-important Asian market amid lukewarm Chinese sales. According to a job posting on its Japanese website on Tuesday, the carmaker is searching for a vice president who will lead its Japanese and Korean sales teams. “Our Japan-Korea sales vice president will be focused on all of Tesla’s direct sales activities in the Japanese and Korean markets, ensuring the attainment of both short- and long-term

July 14, 2015

Naver, Daum Kakao go head-to-head on mobile platform

South Korea’s two largest Internet giants Naver and Daum Kakao are going head-to-head to take the leadership in the local mobile platform war for consumers who are shifting their time away from PCs and toward smartphones and tablet computers. The nation’s biggest portal Naver, which belatedly made forays into the mobile sector, is ramping up efforts to stay ahead by capitalizing on its knowhow in Internet content services. Daum Kakao, which has long lagged behind Naver in search services, is poi

July 14, 2015

LG Uplus joins hands with Huawei for 5G

South Korean mobile carrier LG Uplus said Tuesday that it would beef up its partnership with Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei to develop technology for the next-generation 5G mobile network.The two signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony in China, at which Kim Sun-tae, executive vice president of LG Uplus’ service development division, and Yang Chao Bin, chief marketing officer of the Chinese firm, discussed the details of the future collaboration.  Kim Sun-tae

July 14, 2015

Tesla eyes Korea in Asia push

Tesla, the U.S. electric sports car maker, is turning its eyes to Korea in its latest push for the all-important Asian market amid lukewarm Chinese sales. According to a job posting on its Japanese website on Tuesday, the carmaker is searching for a vice president who will lead its Japanese and Korean sales teams. “Our Japan-Korea sales vice president will be focused on all of Tesla’s direct sales activities in the Japanese and Korean markets, ensuring the attainment of both short- and long-term

July 14, 2015

Samsung advances release of Galaxy Note 5

　Samsung Electronics plans to advance the release of the Galaxy Note 5 to August from September in an apparent move to boost its sagging mobile devices, sources said Monday. 　But it remains yet to be seen whether the global top tech giant‘s strategy will yield success, analysts said. 　The world’s largest smartphone maker had planned to unveil the latest Note 5 at the IFA electronics trade show in Germany in September. Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 4 (Yonhap)　“Advancing the unveiling date may

July 13, 2015