South Korea joins world's 1st digital trade pact to boost exchange

South Korea has become the fourth country to join the world’s first multilateral digital trade agreement, the Digital Economic Partnership Agreement, to boost its digital content and service exchange, the Trade Ministry said Friday. Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun met with his counterparts from the three DEPA member states -- Singapore, New Zealand and Chile -- on the sidelines of their Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ministerial council meeting in Paris, to finalize the

June 9, 2023

SK hynix begins mass production of industry's highest-layer-count NAND chips

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip maker, said Thursday it has begun mass production of its 238-layer 4D NAND Flash memory, boasting the industry's highest layer count and widening the technological gap with its rivals. The chipmaker said it has also begun product compatibility tests with a global smartphone manufacturer. When completed, it will begin supplying the 238-layer NAND product for smartphones, and expand usage across its product portfolio, such as Peripheral C

June 8, 2023

LG CNS, Honeywell team up for smart factory

Information technology service provider LG CNS said Wednesday it signed a deal with US tech conglomerate Honeywell to spur innovation in the smart factory industry. Smart factories are digitized factories that depend on device connection, machinery and production systems to collect and share data for the optimization of manufacturing and supply chain management. They involve various innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The two companies agreed to work toge

June 7, 2023

Samsung picks Seoul to unveil new foldable phones for 1st time

Samsung Electronics, the world’s No. 1 smartphone maker by shipment, said Wednesday it will unveil its new foldable smartphone series in Seoul for the first time, in the “beating heart” of the company’s dynamic growth worldwide. The upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event will be held at Coex convention center in Samseong-dong, Gangnam, on July 26. Samsung has advanced the launch schedule from the usual August to July, a move which would likely affect the company’s third-qua

June 7, 2023

Samsung’s Exynos processor to power Hyundai’s in-car infotainment systems

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that its latest automotive processor, the Exynos Auto V920, will be supplied to Hyundai Motor’s next-generation in-vehicle infotainment systems, a first chip collaboration between the nation’s top two companies. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Hyundai Motor, a prominent global mobility manufacturer, and we anticipate that this partnership will further solidify our position in the automotive infotainment space,” said Jae Geol Py

June 7, 2023

Samsung’s iconic Frankfurt declaration marks 30th anniversary

Samsung Electronics, the world’s leading smartphone and chip maker, on Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of the late former chairman’s iconic New Management Initiative, which is widely considered to have led the then consumer appliance firm towards becoming a global tech powerhouse. Three decades ago, Samsung late former Chairman Lee Kun-hee convened an executive meeting in Frankfurt, Germany for three days, during which he urged a drastic change in management. "If you are to

June 6, 2023

S. Korea's 5G users top 30m in April: data

The number of smartphone users on 5G mobile networks had topped 30 million as of April for the first time since the service was commercialized in 2019, data showed Tuesday. The total number of 5G users reached 30.02 million in April, accounting for 38.1 percent of the total 78.79 million mobile subscriptions in the country, according to the data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. SK Telecom Co., the country's largest mobile carrier by subscriptions, had the most 5G users at 14.35 million

June 6, 2023

Celltrion, Rani team up to develop oral Humira biosimilar for arthritis

South Korea's biopharmaceutical company Celltrion announced Monday that the company will cooperate with the US biotech firm Rani Therapeutics to develop an oral version of the Humira biosimilar CT-P17. CT-P17, also known as Yuflyma, is a high-concentration, low-volume and citrate-free biosimilar of Humira, an injectable treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, developed by AbbVie. Celltrion received the US Food and Drug Administration's approval for the injec

June 5, 2023

Daewoong seeks global expansion of Fexuprazan

South Korean drugmaker Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Monday that it is in talks with multinational pharmaceutical companies to carry out clinical trials of Fexuprazan, its new gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment, in key markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. The announcement comes after Daewoong ended its partnership with US biotech firm Neurogastrx on the same day. Earlier in June 2021, Daewoong signed an agreement to license out Fexuprazan to the US biotech firm. Under the contract wor

June 5, 2023

LG Electronics joins RE100 to go net zero by 2050

LG Electronics announced Monday it has joined RE100 initiative to go net zero by 2050. The RE100 initiative, introduced by The Climate Group in partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2014, sets a 2050 target for using 100 percent renewable electricity. Global tech giants such as Samsung Electronics, Apple, TSMC and Sony have already joined the initiative. LG Electronics said it will gradually increase the percentage of renewable electricity usage to 60 percent by 2030, and then to 90

June 5, 2023

Korea Herald charity golf tournament held to promote Hangeul

The Korea Herald, South Korea’s largest English daily, on Thursday held a charity golf tournament to celebrate its 70th anniversary and renew its commitment to boosting the global potential of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. About 250 participants, consisting of CEOs across industries, celebrities and sports stars, joined the event held at Serenity Golf Club in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. “Based on your support and affection today, The Korea Herald will ramp up efforts for Ha

June 4, 2023

Meta unveils Quest 3 VR headset before Apple

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the Quest 3, his company’s latest virtual and mixed reality headset, via social media on Thursday, teasing the product before rival Apple’s similar launch expected next week. In a video on Instagram, Zuckerberg showed the Quest 3, which releases in fall. Meta said the latest headset features higher resolution, stronger performance with Meta Reality technology and is slimmer with a more comfortable form factor than the previous iteration. The latest d

June 2, 2023

Samsung, Naver Cloud team up to provide private 5G network at construction site

Samsung Electronics said Friday it is joining hands with Naver Cloud to launch a private 5G network for Hoban Construction, bringing the private 5G network in the construction sector for the first time. Samsung said it will be developing the 5G network for Hoban Construction, a mid-tier local builder to enhance worksite safety and efficiency. The 5G network will support new construction industry-specific 5G applications to help reduce on-site hazards and errors, including drone-based high-resolu

June 2, 2023

Samsung signals unveiling new foldable phones in Seoul for 1st time

Samsung Electronics’ marketing chief on Thursday hinted that the tech giant’s Galaxy Unpacked event could be held in South Korea for the first time this summer. “South Korea is an important market and Seoul is a meaningful place,” Lee Young-hee, president of global marketing at Samsung’s mobile business division, told reporters last week at the Samsung Ho-Am Prize award ceremony when she was asked about the possibility of Samsung unveiling its new foldable phones in

June 2, 2023

Samsung founder’s legacy honored

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the awards ceremony for the Samsung Ho-Am Prize held in Seoul, Thursday, renewing his commitment to inheriting the group’s founding spirit of “patriotic industrial service,” according to company officials. It was the first time for Lee to take part in the annual event as chairman of the tech giant. The Samsung Ho-Am Prize, which uses the pen name of Samsung Group’s late founder Lee Byung-chull, was established in 1990 by

June 2, 2023

GGGI, Elders discuss path to net zero for Asia

Leaders and experts discussed a path to net zero for Asia at a forum co-hosted by the Global Green Growth Institute and the Elders on Monday. "Reaching net zero by 2050 could boost Asia’s gross domestic product by up to 6 percent, create 36 million new jobs by 2030, and improve Asia’s trade balance by hundreds of billions of dollars as a result of declining fossil fuels in the world," said former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who serves as president and chai

June 1, 2023

[KH Explains] Last chance saloon for Kakao’s portal biz

South Korean internet giant Kakao recently separated Daum, the operator of the nation’s No. 2 portal site, into an independent in-house company, fueling speculation that Kakao may be losing appetite for the search engine business a decade after their highly publicized merger back in 2014. Under the new decision announced on May 4, Daum began operating as a “company-in-company” on May 15, a more independent subsidiary with its CEO being appointed by the parent company to maintai

June 1, 2023

Hyundai Elevator launches advanced elevator maintenance service

Hyundai Elevator announced Thursday that it has launched an advanced elevator maintenance service, called Miri, which integrates the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, big data and robotics technologies. The new Miri, which means “in advance” in Korean, reflects the company’s commitment to providing the best customer satisfaction, the company said. Hyundai Elevator held the launch event at its smart campus in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, with CEO Cho Jae-cheon

June 1, 2023

Netmarble to launch 3 new games in H2

Netmarble announced Thursday that it will launch three new titles in the second half of this year as the South Korean mobile game giant seeks a turnaround after five consecutive quarters of operating losses. The three games slated to be released in the upcoming months are Tower Of God: New World, Grand Cross: Age of Titans and Seven Knights Idle Adventure. “The three games we are introducing today each have an easy level of gameplay as well as immersive storylines that were fully created o

June 1, 2023

Intel to build research lab for chips in Seoul

US chip giant Intel, which takes up over 70 percent of the global CPU market, is expected to establish a semiconductor data center development lab in Seoul to ramp up cooperation with major chipmakers here. The tech giant revealed the plan to build such research facilities in six countries, which also include the United States, Taiwan, China, India and Mexico, at Intel Vision 2023 last week in Taiwan, according to industry sources here on Thursday. In Seoul, the envisioned facility will be dubbe

June 1, 2023