SK C&C aims to earn 2.5 tr won in AI, big data businesses

IT solutions firm to nurture AI, big data businesses SK Holdings C&C, an information technology services firm, said it plans to accelerate its push to transform into a data service company that provides tailored IT services by utilizing up-to-date artificial intelligence and big data technologies.“The emergence of new technology is accelerating digital transformation and disruption across a wide range of industries,” said Lee Ho-soo, chief technology officer of SK Holdings C&C, at a press meetin

June 10, 2016

Tech firms seek to entice consumers with design

Korean electronics-makers are trying to remain competitive in the cutthroat competition of the global electronics sector by rolling out products with unique and user-friendly designs.Dongbu Daewoo Electronics, the nation’s third-largest electronics-maker, has made some progress in infiltrating the global market with its Klasse front-load washing machine. A model poses with Dongbu Daewoo Electronics' Klasse washing machine. (Dongbu Daewoo Electronics)The washer features what the company calls an

June 10, 2016

Naver, telecom carriers to take on Google, Apple with new app store

Internet giant Naver and the nation’s top three telecom carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- have teamed up to create a mega app store, called One Store, with more than 30 million users.The new app store has combined their own four different platforms for Android-based smartphones and other mobile devices. Users can upgrade one of the apps to use One Store.One Store’s mobile pages (One Store)One Store Corp., an affiliate of SK Telecom, will be responsible for the operation, while Naver has

June 10, 2016

Korean start-up aims to dominate space for smartphone lock screens

An old habit sometimes becomes an inspiration for inventors or entrepreneurs to make achievements. For John Lee, the chief executive of reward-based mobile advertising platform operator Buzzvil, note-taking is a habit that has long served as a driving force behind his successful entrepreneurship which started early in his life.The CEO, a voluminous note-taker since he was grade school student, keeps more than 3,000 pieces of paper, on which he scribbled down his ideas and thoughts, at his home.J

May 18, 2016

Start-ups form alliance for joint online-to-off-line services

A group of South Korea’s leading start-ups announced Wednesday that they would join forces to invigorate the online-to-off-line sector, in which many, if not all, are bleeding cash due largely to high marketing costs.Representatives of five start-ups -- SOCAR, Yogiyo, Yanolja, Mesh Korea, and Spoqa -- said they would form the O2O Alliance, seeking collaboration among the rising firms in the Korean start-up scene.(Starting from second from left) Shin Seung-ho of SOCAR, Ryu Jeong-beom of Mesh Kore

April 27, 2016

SKT to cement partnership with Google, Facebook

Mobile network operator SK Telecom said Thursday that it had joined a Google-led global initiative, dubbed OpenConfig, to improve network infrastructure around the world.SKT’s chief technology officer Choi Jin-sung delivers a presentation at the annual Open Compute Summit event Wednesday in San Jose, California. (SKT)OpenConfig, an informal working group of network operators, was founded in October 2014 with the aim of developing network systems and enhancing the efficiency of network infrastruc

March 10, 2016

Samsung's TV reign faces challenges

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has added a new chapter to the history of the global TV market as it topped the segment last year for the 10th consecutive year. According to global market research firm IHS, Samsung was the world’s largest TV seller in 2015 on the back of the strong performance of its high-end models, taking 27.5 percent of the global TV market in terms of sales and 21 percent in shipments.The Korean TV maker has held the top spot for the past decade since 2006, when

March 1, 2016

Winter is coming for Korea's start-up funding

In terms of funding rounds, 2015 was the Korean start-up scene’s seven years of plenty. E-commerce giant Coupang and start-up acquisition machine Yello Mobile raised multibillion-dollar valuations from big-name global investors SoftBank and Formation 8, respectively, while disclosed investments across the industry are estimated to have doubled on-year, according to data by start-up news outlet Tech in Asia.But tech businesses are not immune to economic realities, where the Korean currency has wi

Feb. 17, 2016

Korean start-ups eye Southeast Asian tech boom

As global-bound Korean start-ups struggle to break into the fray of competition in the U.S. and China, a handful are seeking the road less traveled, but booming with potential -- to Southeast Asia.　Internet penetration from the Philippines to Indonesia has more than quadrupled in the past five years as rising incomes and rapidly developing infrastructure have allowed nearly 200 million users across the diverse region access to mobile services. 　And the popularity of Korean pop culture, from musi

Jan. 20, 2016

Korea can surpass Israel’s start-up success: Yozma Korea chief

In the early 1990s, Israel’s flagging economy struggled to take on a population influx after the fall of the Soviet Union. With few resources to help pull the country out of the economic doldrums and high unemployment, the conflict-zone country turned to a new growth engine: technology.Powered by heavy government and foreign investment, Israel has now developed into a “start-up nation” with high-tech industries fueling economic growth since 2000 by building from scratch a healthy ecosystem that

Jan. 13, 2016

Braille smartwatch start-up catches global PR wave

A Korean start-up swept headlines around the globe last year for developing a $300 braille smartwatch that it said would help solve illiteracy for the blind. Dot Inc. became one of the most hyped Korean hardware start-ups both locally and abroad, with its baby-faced CEO Eric Ju-yoon Kim, 25, speaking at events including a TEDx conference in Mumbai and Herald Corp.’s own Herald Design Forum.Yet no one has even seen the watch work. Its commercial launch, originally slated for last month, has been

Jan. 6, 2016