US supply chain review to boost Korean chip sales: analysts

The US government’s survey on its semiconductor supply chain would likely boost sales for Korean chipmakers, with the heightened surveillance on the usage of Chinese chips raising uncertainties for US tech giants, according to an analysis, Tuesday. Last week, the US Department of Commerce said it will start the survey in January to identify how US companies are sourcing so-called legacy chips -- the current-generation and mature-node semiconductors. The purpose of the analysis is to &ldquo

Dec. 26, 2023

[KH Explains] Naver, AfreecaTV rivalry heats up as Twitch exodus begins

With Amazon-owned popular game livestreaming platform Twitch’s decision to withdraw from the Korean market, the competition to lure the market leader’s popular streamers and millions of users appears to be in full swing among local platform operators AfreecaTV and Naver. Until recently, Twitch occupied more than half the market -- 52 percent -- with 2.32 million active users according to the monthly average of subscribers January 2022 through November 2023. AfreecaTV, the runner-up w

Dec. 26, 2023

LG Nova to offer glimpse into future startup tech at CES 2024

LG Nova, LG Electronics’ North American Innovation Center, will offer a glimpse into the technologies that will lead growth in the future at CES 2024, slated to be held in January in Las Vegas, the company said on Monday. At the annual consumer electronics show, LG’s US entity will open its showroom under the theme “Building a brighter tomorrow together.” Its 10 partnering startups will present their innovative technology ideas in four fields: digital health, clean tech,

Dec. 25, 2023

LG Electronics opens experience zone targeting 'Doi Moi' generation in Vietnam

LG Electronics said Friday it has launched an experience zone, called “Another Saigon,” in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, targeting young customers amid growing demand for premium home appliances. Vietnam's market economy has experienced a rejuvenation driven by the "Doi Moi" generation — individuals born after the country initiated political reforms in 1986 to establish a socialist market economy. Given the younger generation's greater familiarity with social media

Dec. 22, 2023

Huawei to spur Korea’s digital shift next year: CEO

Huawei Technologies Korea will maintain its commitment to accelerating Korea’s digital transformation momentum by providing safer and more innovative products and solutions industrywide, the company’s top executive said Wednesday. “We will help the Korean ICT industry develop more actively in the future by introducing our outstanding research and development achievements and experiences in various sectors, including artificial intelligence, 5G network and cloud computing, to th

Dec. 21, 2023

SK Broadband bolsters IPTV with AI

SK Broadband, a major South Korean internet service provider, said Wednesday it is introducing an internet protocol television, or IPTV, service using artificial intelligence that aims to provide more tailored content to users. Under the goal of becoming the paid broadcasting market leader, SK's IPTV platform B tv provides hyper-personalized services to users by analyzing and predicting their lifestyles using AI technology. "Starting with the launch of 'AI B tv,' we aim to gr

Dec. 20, 2023

Big firms skip year-end brouhaha, offer days off instead

South Korean conglomerates are skipping official year-end ceremonies and recommending employees to take their annual leave to close out 2023. Samsung Electronics, the country’s largest conglomerate, is rounding out the year without any official year-end ceremony -- or "jongmusik" in Korean -- according to a Samsung official. The conglomerate will hold an official ceremony to kick off the new year -- or "simusik" -- on Jan. 2, 2024, bringing together top executives and e

Dec. 20, 2023

Korea should be 'rule setter': KCCI chief

South Korea should step up to become a "rule setter" from being a "rule taker" by collaborating with Japan, as well as keep a balance between the United States and China, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who doubles as chairman of the business lobby group Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Underscoring that the current protectionist trend around the world is "very unfavorable" for South Korea, Chey said the country should come up with ways to expand its market s

Dec. 19, 2023

LG Electronics to unveil next-gen transparent antenna for cars

LG Electronics said Monday it will unveil its next-generation transparent antenna that will enhance telecommunication for cars at the upcoming CES 2024, slated for January in Las Vegas. The film-type antenna has been designed in collaboration with a renowned French glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain Sekurit, and is available as an on-glass or in-glass solution, LG said. According to the company, the transparent antenna can be seamlessly integrated in car windshields or glass sunroofs, meaning carma

Dec. 18, 2023

LG Innotek develops wireless battery management system for EVs

LG Innotek said Monday it has developed a wireless battery management system, or BMS, for electric vehicles that significantly improved battery performance. The BMS is an essential EV component that optimizes a battery’s performance and lifespan by monitoring battery voltage, electric current and temperature in real time. The wireless BMS has emerged as a key component for electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles since it does not require cables or connectors. The wireless feature makes E

Dec. 18, 2023

[KH Explains] Will Kakao's first female CEO survive 'glass cliff'?

While the South Korean IT industry has historically been dominated by male leadership, leading internet giants Naver and Kakao are seeing a new wave of young female leaders taking the helm and steering the ship through challenging waters and toward new horizons. Kakao named its first female CEO last week as it faces urgent challenges in revamping its corporate culture and management. Industry watchers are paying keen attention to how crucial a role the company's first-ever female leader wil

Dec. 17, 2023

Samsung's AI model to be trained on 20,000 telecom-related academic papers

Samsung Electronics inked a partnership with the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences for access to telecommunication-related academic papers to use in the training of its artificial intelligence program, the company said on Friday. Samsung Executive President Cheun Kyung-whoon leading Samsung Research signed the agreement with Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences President Hong Een-kee at the company's research and development campus in Seoul o

Dec. 15, 2023

Samsung chief returns from Netherlands, satisfied with ASML deal

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong hinted at his satisfaction over his trip to the Netherlands with President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, saying that most of the achievements made there were focused on semiconductors. "About 90 percent of the achievements made in the trip to the Netherlands are on semiconductors,” Lee told reporters when asked about the achievements of the trip, at Gimpo International Airport on Friday, with a satisfied smile on his face. Lee returned from the tri

Dec. 15, 2023

SK to unveil net-zero vision at CES

SK Group said Thursday it will present its blueprint for a world free from the climate crisis -- the net-zero world -- via low-carbon technology at the Consumer Electronics Show 2024, the world's largest consumer electronics show, slated to open in Las Vegas next month. SK’s seven affiliates, including SK Inc., SK Innovation, SK hynix, SK Telecom and SK E&S, will jointly operate a pavilion under the theme of “Inspire Happiness” during the four-day annual US tech show

Dec. 14, 2023

[KH explains] Will ‘chip alliance’ help Samsung, SK secure more ASML machines?

As global chipmakers are competing fiercely to get their hands on ASML's scarce extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, the enhanced chip partnership between South Korea and the Netherlands this week is creating an upbeat mood for the Korean chip industry. On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the chiefs of the country's top two conglomerates -- Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won -- met with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and ASM

Dec. 13, 2023

Kakao names new chief in push for radical reform

Kakao said Wednesday it had nominated a new chief executive as part of the company's comprehensive reform efforts amid ongoing internal and external conflicts. The company's CEO candidate recommendation committee earlier in the day named Chung Shin-a, head of Kakao Ventures, Kakao’s venture capital unit, as the sole candidate for the role. Kakao praised Chung’s expertise and experience in the IT sector, as well as her comprehensive understanding of the conflicts and hardshi

Dec. 13, 2023

LK-99 not superconductor, says Korean review committee

The Korean Society of Superconductivity and Cryogenics’ review committee on Wednesday said LK-99, an alleged room-temperature superconductor created by a South Korean research team, has not shown any key features of superconductivity. “There is no ground for saying that LK-99 is a superconductor,” the committee said in a report, stressing that it showed no signs of superconductivity in a series of tests on resistance and magnetic susceptibility in either room- or low temperatur

Dec. 13, 2023

Samsung, ASML agree to build W1tr research fab for chip equipment in Korea

Samsung Electronics and ASML, a Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier, agreed on Tuesday to jointly invest about 1 trillion won ($762 million) to build a research facility in South Korea for the development of "ultra-microscopic" level semiconductor production technology, using next-generation extreme ultraviolet photolithography equipment. SK hynix also forged an agreement with the Dutch firm to collaborate on developing an eco-friendly technology aimed at minimizing energy consumpti

Dec. 12, 2023

Samsung sets out in search of ‘unprecedented’ technology

Samsung Electronics has established new teams devoted to forging new ideas for the future of its smartphones and home appliances businesses, according to the company on Monday. The latest organizational restructuring of the tech giant comes as its chairman, Lee Jae-yong, has emphasized technological development as the key to survival amid growing uncertainties in the global economy. To strengthen its device experience division that oversees the company's mobile devices together with home ap

Dec. 11, 2023

Samsung, SK chiefs to visit ASML to discuss chip alliance

Samsung Group Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won are set to travel to the Netherlands this week to strengthen business ties with ASML, the sole provider of equipment critical in producing advanced chips. The heads of South Korea's top two conglomerates are accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his state visit to the Netherlands from Monday to Thursday. There, they will visit ASML's headquarters in Veldhoven, and also explore the Dutch firm's newly built cle

Dec. 10, 2023