Why Korea's 8th attempt to launch 4th telecom carrier fell through

South Korea's recent attempt to launch the fourth telecom carrier -- the eighth of its kind -- fell through again, raising skepticism about the government's preparedness and the feasibility of the plan itself. The Ministry of Science and ICT earlier this month decided to cancel the license of Stage X as the fourth mobile carrier, citing a lack of trust in its capitalization plan. Amid the long-standing dominance of three telecom carriers -- SK Telecom, KT Corp. and LG Uplus, the govern

June 23, 2024

[Photo News] Samsung promotes Olympics

The facade of Palais Garnier in Paris is covered in a Samsung Electronics' advertisement promoting its Galaxy Z Flip 5 series and the 2024 Paris Games, in this photo provided by the smartphone maker on Sunday. The tech giant, a worldwide Olympics and Paralympics partner, is launching its "Open always wins" campaign focused on the importance of openness and inclusivity, to run through the end of September. (Samsung Electronics)

June 23, 2024

SK Group set for major revamp for management efficiency

SK Group, the country's second-largest conglomerate by asset, is speeding up efforts to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of some 200 affiliates and business portfolios, starting with selling its affiliates and pushing for mergers. SK Networks announced Thursday that it is selling 100 percent of its share of SK Rent-a-Car, its rental car service, to Affinity Equity Partners, a Hong Kong-based private equity fund, for 820 billion won ($600 million). The move comes as the company intends to

June 20, 2024

Samsung Tizen OS integrates AI features for expanded connectivity

Samsung Electronics has been enhancing the reach of its proprietary Tizen operating system by incorporating artificial intelligence capabilities. According to Samsung Newsroom on Thursday, Tizen has been deployed in approximately 270 million units of Samsung smart TVs released as of the end of last year. Considering that it was installed in about 50 million units in 2015, it recorded a growth rate of about 440 percent. “Samsung Tizen is preparing for another leap forward by evolving into

June 20, 2024

[Photo News] Robotic butler for smart building

Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday that it has dispatched robotic services to the Factorial Seongsu office building in eastern Seoul. The DAL-e Delivery robot by Hyundai Motor and Kia and the parking robot by Hyundai Wia will automate services ranging from parking vehicles up to 2.2 tons to delivering items within the building weighing up to 10 kilograms. The parking robot will also synchronize with Hyundai-Kia’s automatic charging robot, set to arrive in the third quarter at the same build

June 20, 2024

SKT-led quantum alliance named 'X Quantum'

SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier by membership, on Wednesday unveiled the official name of its quantum alliance: X Quantum. In March, SK Telecom allied with six other companies -- Nokia, SOS Lab, Xgate, Wooriro, KCS and IDQ Korea -- to promote developments in the quantum ecosystem through exploring joint marketing and business opportunities. Regarding X Quantum, SK Telecom explained that it encompasses the identity of the “quantum frontier,” which plays a role

June 19, 2024

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 to livestream Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony

As the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to hold its opening ceremony outside the confines of a stadium for the very first time, Samsung Electronics will install its flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones inside the city to broadcast the iconic event, the tech giant said Tuesday. Samsung, an official partner for the Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic events, announced that it will install more than 200 units of its most up-to-date smartphone at the bow and sides of each of the 85 vessels that will be carr

June 18, 2024

Samsung, SNU to set up joint AI research lab

Samsung Electronics and Seoul National University are collaborating to establish a joint research center dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence technology and nurturing talent in the field. Samsung Electronics held a signing ceremony Monday at SNU’s Global Engineering Center for Engineers in southern Seoul to formalize the establishment of the joint AI research center. Key figures including Cheun Kyung-whoon, president and chief technology officer at Samsung's DX or device exp

June 17, 2024

SK chief claims 'flagrant error' in divorce settlement ruling

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won issued an apology Monday for raising public concerns with his high-profile divorce settlement but made it clear that he will appeal to the Supreme Court because a “flagrant error” was found in the court ruling that now threatens his grip on the telecom-to-chips conglomerate. Last month, the Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Chey's estranged wife Roh Soh-young in their divorce settlement and ordered the SK chief to pay 1.38 trillion won ($1 billion

June 17, 2024

Top 4 conglomerates convene strategy meetings to navigate uncertainties

Top conglomerates in Korea are set to hold their strategic meetings this month to navigate the ongoing economic slowdown and geopolitical uncertainties according to industry sources on Sunday. Samsung Electronics, the country's No. 1 conglomerate in terms of assets, will kick off its series of strategic meetings from Tuesday to Thursday. Top executives are expected to convene to discuss the company’s global strategies in key technology sectors, including artificial intelligence, which touc

June 16, 2024

Science Ministry to cancel license of Stage X as new mobile carrier

South Korea's Science Ministry said Friday that it will revoke the license of new mobile carrier Stage X for failing to meet legal requirements to run the business, including paid-in capital of 205 billion won ($149 million) that was due last month. The Ministry of Science and ICT will carry out a hearing on Stage X's case to finalize its decision on canceling the designation of the firm as a frequency allocation target corporation. Stage X had been expected to become the country'

June 14, 2024

Line Pay service to be terminated in Japan next year: LY

LY Corp., the operator of popular mobile messenger Line, has announced its plan to terminate its Line Pay service in Japan next year, amid criticism over Japan's apparent pressure to shed Naver Corp., South Korea's biggest internet portal operator, from LY. LY, a 50-50 joint venture between Japan's SoftBank and South Korea's Naver, said Thursday the mobile payment service will be terminated by April 30, 2025, in Japan, citing "optimal allocation of management resources.&

June 14, 2024

Samsung chief holds meetings with global tech CEOs in US

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong held consecutive meetings with the chiefs of global tech giants including Meta, Amazon and Qualcomm, in an effort to strengthen ties and boost collaboration during his two-week trip to the US, the company said on Thursday. Lee shared insights and prospects over advanced technology markets with the tech leaders and also checked on the company's business operations, the company said. In his meeting with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on Monday, Lee discu

June 13, 2024

Tmax’s Gaia allows to build apps without coding

Korean software developer Tmax Group on Thursday unveiled a groundbreaking super-app platform, Gaia, which allows users to create apps without coding skills, declaring a new era of digital transformation. “There have been numerous attempts to achieve great IT integration, but no one has been able to achieve effective integration in the right way,” Chairman and CTO Park Dae-yeon said during a press conference held in Seoul. “The IT grand integration presented by Tmax refers to i

June 13, 2024

SK CEOs to hold strategy meeting at end of June

SK Group, the country’s second-largest conglomerate in terms of assets, will hold its biannual business management strategy meeting June 28-29 to comprehensively review the group’s plans and renew commitment to "go back to basics," according to industry sources Wednesday. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and other members of the founding family, including SK Innovation Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won and SK Supex Council Chairman Chey Chang-won are expected to join the meeting, al

June 12, 2024

[From the Scene] Kakao unveils first data center

Korean IT giant Kakao, having suffered from its worst-ever server shutdown in October 2022, unveiled its first in-house data center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to local media Tuesday. As part of Kakao's efforts to keep users' daily lives safe, this data center is the first one of its kind to maximize stability. Located on a 47,378-square-meter site, about 2.6 times the size of a soccer field, Kakao Data Center Ansan is situated in Hanyang University’s ERICA campus in the industr

June 12, 2024

Does Apple Intelligence have edge over Galaxy AI?

Months after Samsung Electronics launched the world's first artificial intelligence smartphone equipped with its original Galaxy AI, its archrival Apple debuted its own Apple Intelligence, only to show it lacks any kind of overwhelming advantage to differentiate itself. At the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple presented Apple Intelligence, its AI system that will be incorporated across products from iPhones to Macbooks. “Our unique approach combines generative AI with a

June 11, 2024

S. Korean ChatGPT app users soar 30% in May

The popularity of OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, has surged in South Korea, with the number of monthly users of its mobile app surpassing 1 million for the first time last month. User numbers rose by 30 percent in May, reaching an estimated 1,273,922, compared to 980,318 in April, according to statistics from the mobile big data company IGAWorks released Tuesday. This follows a steady increase from 697,830 in February to 880,364 in March. "The mobile app version i

June 11, 2024

IEEE honors Korea’s contribution to CDMA commercialization

South Korean tech firms and a local research center were recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, on Monday, for their significant contribution to commercializing the world's first code division multiple access network used in mobile phones in 1996. The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Samsung Electronics, LG E

June 10, 2024

SKT brings K-pop fan community service to metaverse platform

South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom has unveiled a new K-pop service for its metaverse platform, ifland, designed as an arena where K-pop idols and their global fans gather and communicate with one another. Starting Monday, ifland will offer a fan community service with hotel-style spaces enabling fans to meet different K-pop groups and solo artists on each floor. Its introduction page provides an overview of the hotel's floors, while an artist lounge where each K-pop idol can check in t

June 9, 2024