Apple to allow alternative payment system for 1st time in S. Korea

Apple will allow alternative payment systems in South Korea in compliance with a new local law that bans app store operators from forcing their own in-app payment systems, the country's telecommunications regulator said Tuesday. The move came as a new law went into effect in the country in September last year, restricting app store operators, such as Google and Apple, from forcing their in-app payment systems on developers. In November, Google pledged to provide an alternative payment system o

Jan. 11, 2022

Former Samsung patent head turns against tech giant

A former Samsung Electronics executive, who led patent prosecutions and litigations representing South Korea-based technology giant, was found to have turned against his previous employer with a patent suit. Synergy IP, founded by Samsung’s former vice president Ahn Seung-ho in 2020, was one of the plaintiffs that filed patent suits with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas since November last year, according to a report by local media outlet Electronic Times

Jan. 10, 2022

LG joins IBM Quantum Network

LG Electronics said Monday it has joined the IBM Quantum Network as a member to further explore its applications for quantum computing required in the field of artificial intelligence, connected cars, internet of things and robotics. LG Electronics, an electronics arm of South Korea‘s fourth-largest conglomerate, was the latest to take part in the alliance of over 170 entities. Those taking part in the community as a member, partner or quantum hub are given access to IBM‘s quantum c

Jan. 10, 2022

Samsung’s QD-OLED display certified by SGS

Samsung Display, the display panel maker arm of Samsung Electronics, said Monday its latest quantum-dot organic light emitting diode display technology was certified by evaluation services provider SGS. The QD-OLED, touted as the technology to support next-generation TV picture quality, had received three certifications for True Color Tones, Pure RGB Luminance and Ultrawide Viewing Angle upon performance testing by the Switzerland-based SGS. Samsung Display said in a statement the certificati

Jan. 10, 2022

[CES 2022] SK to launch Sapeon Inc. for AI chip supremacy

LAS VEGAS – SK Group’s three tech units, SK hynix, SK Telecom and SK Square, have teamed up to launch a new ICT technology development and investment body, called SK ICT Alliance. Their first project will be Sapeon Inc. where the three firms will make co-investments in the US to target the burgeoning AI chip market, the group said. During a press conference held on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Thursday, top executives, inclu

Jan. 10, 2022

LG Electronics’ 2021 sales to top W70tr without mobile biz

LG Electronics has topped 70 trillion won ($58.2 billion) in full-year sales for the first time in its history in an earnings surprise, in the same year that the company took down its mobile phone business, a preliminary filing showed Friday. The revenue of LG Electronics came to 74.72 trillion won through 2021, up 28.7 percent from the previous year, according to its preliminary consolidated financial report. This beat the earnings consensus estimate by South Korean analysts. According to mark

Jan. 7, 2022

[CES 2022] SK Innovation rolls up its sleeves to tackle emissions across value chain

SK Innovation, a chemical arm of South Korea‘s third-largest conglomerate SK Group, said Friday its high-ranking officials including Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kim Jun agreed on a course of actions to achieve its net-zero goal before 2050, while at CES 2022 on Thursday morning local time. Under its Carbon to Green initiative, SK Innovation executives approved plans to tackle indirect emissions that occur in the company’s value chain, often described as Scope 3 emissi

Jan. 7, 2022

[CES 2022] SK seeks data center chip development with Qualcomm

South Korea-based SK Group is in talks with US chip maker Qualcomm to develop a new hyper speed memory chip tailored to data centers, its communication technology arm SK Square said Friday. The new chips would run applications or computers for data center operation in order to meet soaring corporate demand amid the global chip shortages that could cause server delays, according to SK Square, the parent of memory chip maker SK hynix. The world‘s data center chip market could potentially gr

Jan. 7, 2022

NFT of ‘Jirisan’ characters sells at record-low price

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit said Friday that nonfungible tokens featuring images of main lead characters from TV drama series “Jirisan” had sold at record-low prices. NFTs are digital tokens of physical or digital assets, mostly of music or art, that guarantee ownership through blockchain technology. According to the digital asset trading platform, the pixel art NFTs of the characters played by top Korean actors Gianna Jun and Ju Ji-hoon sold for 18,653 won ($15.50)

Jan. 7, 2022

[CES 2022] Hyundai, Unity to build factory linked to its digital twin on metaverse

LAS VEGAS -- Hyundai Motor has partnered up with Unity, the world’s leading platform for real-time 3D content, to connect an actual factory with its digital twin operating on metaverse space, the companies said Thursday. The Meta-Factory project will enhance plant management and innovate manufacturing, Hyundai Motor said, adding that it plans to first apply the concept to the Hyundai Motor Global Innovation Center in Singapore. The facility is due to be completed this year. ”Hyunda

Jan. 7, 2022

Samsung’s 2021 profit soars on robust chips, smartphones business

Samsung Electronics logged an operating income of 51.57 trillion won ($42.89 billion) for 2021, up 43.3 percent from a year prior, as its businesses ranging from semiconductor chips to smartphones and home appliances have seen a surge in global demand, its preliminary filing showed Friday. It was the company‘s largest annual profit since it posted 58.89 trillion won in 2018. It is also the third-largest annual profit it recorded in history. During the fourth quarter alone, the South Kor

Jan. 7, 2022

[CES 2022] Samsung, SKT execs discuss partnership on 5G, AI, metaverse

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang and Samsung Electronics’ mobile business chief Roh Tae-moon discussed their potential partnership on a slew of tech areas, including 5G network, artificial intelligence and the metaverse, the company said Thursday. “Samsung has been creating comprehensive services by converging different areas of business into one,” Ryu said at CES 2022 held in Las Vegas. “SK Telecom will continue to push forward to fine-tune its convergence of telecommunic

Jan. 6, 2022

S. Korean lab, EU develop intercontinental 5G-satellite network system

A South Korean research lab said Thursday that it has successfully developed the world's first intercontinental 5G-satellite network system to help communicate in case of a disaster. The 5G-satellite multiple network system -- co-developed with the European Union -- connects 5G networks to satellite networks to allow communication services in remote areas or in disasters, the state-funded Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) said. The new system provides communication t

Jan. 6, 2022

LG's virtual presentation met with mixed reactions at CES 2022

LAS VEGAS -- LG Electronics Inc. on Wednesday welcomed visitors to its massive booth, physically and virtually, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, offering an alternative approach to exhibiting its latest technology innovations amid the raging pandemic. LG Electronics virtually presented its new consumer electronics products, ranging from an indoor gardening gadget to a duel filter air purifier, in the 2,000-square-foot eco-friendly booth constructed of materials that are upcy

Jan. 6, 2022

[EXCLUSIVE] SK plans new AI chip collaboration with Qualcomm

LAS VEGAS -- SK and Qualcomm will collaborate on artificial intelligence chips in an effort to lead the burgeoning eco-friendly, low-power AI chip market. Speaking exclusively to The Korea Herald at CES 2022 on Wednesday, SK hynix Vice Chairman and CEO Park Jung-ho said, “SK hynix, SK Telecom and Qualcomm plan to make co-investments and make good AI chips. I‘ll talk to Qualcomm to join in.” “There are about 500 companies that do AI chips. It’s all about who gets i

Jan. 6, 2022

[CES 2022] Samsung brings sustainable innovation to fore at CES

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Han Jong-hee said at the world’s largest tech show CES 2022 that the company’s new sustainable technologies would become part of the consumer experience. The green technologies would help Samsung‘s product lifecycle minimize the impact on climate change and encourage its consumers to reduce their carbon footprints, Han said during the keynote speech Tuesday. The green technologies suggested by Samsung range from the

Jan. 5, 2022

In face of omicron scare, Korean tech firms make bigger presence at CES

The Consumer Electronics Show will be back in-person this week after going fully online last year, with a record number of Korean exhibitors flaunting their technological prowess. Kicking off its three-day run Wednesday in Las Vegas, the number of participating companies overall this year have been reduced by almost half to some 2,200 due to the protracted coronavirus pandemic. But facing the virus risk, a record number of 502 Korean companies, including 292 startups, are set to test their pot

Jan. 4, 2022

[CES 2022] LG adds larger, smaller OLED TVs for 2022, hails newcomers

LG Electronics said Tuesday it plans to roll out new self-lit television models that come in both the largest and smallest size in the world, as early as March this year. The latest strategy appears to have been laid out to solidify its industry leadership amid dozens of electronics rivals making their TV market entries with organic light-emitting diode displays. The company, which ships over 60 percent of OLED TVs globally, showcased the world‘s largest 97-inch OLED TV model, and at the

Jan. 4, 2022

[CES 2022] Samsung Galaxy S21 FE makes debut at CES

LAS VEGAS -- Samsung Electronics on Monday unveiled the latest Galaxy S21 FE 5G, a budget version of its flagship Galaxy S21, at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 held in Sin City. Coming in four different colors -– olive, lavender, white and graphite -- the mid-range smartphone has a sleek body just 7.9 millimeters thick but is equipped with a generous 4,500 milliampere-hour battery that supports quick charging in 30 minutes. The protruding rectangular camera bump on the back could n

Jan. 4, 2022

Seoul to open booth at CES 2022 to pitch city's innovative tech firms

The city of Seoul will open a booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week to help pitch innovative technologies by smaller firms based in the city, officials said Tuesday. The Seoul booth will open inside the event's Eureka Park section, an exhibition area for startups, on the first day of the exhibition on Wednesday (US time), according to the Seoul Digital Foundation, a digital arm of the city government. Measuring 310 square meters and covering 25 tech firms from the

Jan. 4, 2022