[Newsmaker] Samsung bets big on IoT

LAS VEGAS ― Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest electronics firm, said that its entire range of products would be connected through the Internet of Things technology by 2020. “Samsung will have all TVs connected through the IoT by 2017, and all other products by 2020,” said Yoon Boo-keun, head of the company’s consumer electronics business unit, in his opening keynote speech for the International CES on Tuesday. “Samsung will unlock infinite possibilities of the IoT by developing technology

TechnologyJan. 6, 2015

[Newsmaker] CES show a window into the ‘Internet of Me’

LAS VEGAS ― New technology is getting more personal. So personal, it is moving to connect and analyze our movements, our health, our brains and our everyday devices.Welcome to the so-called Internet of Me.One of the major themes at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is connecting thousands of objects that people use each day ― clothing, cars, light bulbs and home appliances.But the challenge facing developers is making that information useful, and the CES is increasingly se

World NewsJan. 5, 2015

[Newsmaker] Price hike impacts Korean smoking habits

Caught between the nearly-doubled price of cigarettes and toughened smoking-related regulations, an increasing number of smokers are changing their smoking habits by cutting back or opting for electronic cigarettes.The Korean parliament in September agreed to raise retail prices of cigarette packs to 4,500 won ($4.07), up from 2,500 won. The measure was put into effect on New Year’s Day, and its impact was immediate and resounding.As of Sunday, corner stores across Korea have started selling ind

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2015

[Newsmaker] ‘Nut rage’ spreads to family fiasco

A monthlong drama that started with a flight delay over a packet of macadamia nuts continued Wednesday, when an arrest warrant was issued for Cho Hyun-ah, a former Korean Air executive accused of violating aviation safety law and obstructing the flight crew in their duties.Cho, the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, became the first female chaebol scion to be held in a detention center.But the “nut rage” scandal spread to other members of the Cho family, after prosecutors reveal

IndustryJan. 1, 2015

[Newsmaker] After tumultuous year, Park to focus on economy

President Park Geun-hye had high expectations for 2014. In her second year in the office, Park unveiled a three-year plan to reinvigorate the economy by driving out irregularities in both the private and public sectors. She also vowed to kick-start preparations for reunification, calling it an “economic bonanza” for Korea and neighboring countries. Her vision started out fresh enough to captivate the public, with her approval ratings soaring past the 60 percent level. But the ferry disaster in A

PoliticsDec. 31, 2014

[Newsmaker] AirAsia boss faces first major crisis

KUALA LUMPUR ― Malaysian mogul Tony Fernandes, who transformed a floundering carrier into Asia’s biggest budget airline, faces his first major crisis after an AirAsia plane went missing Sunday with 162 people on board.AirAsia is credited with starting a revolution in the skies of Southeast Asia and has seen spectacular growth under Fernandes’ low-cost, low-overheads model despite intense competition.The ebullient tycoon is one of Asia’s most visible entrepreneurs, carving out an image that has s

World NewsDec. 29, 2014

[Newsmaker] KHNP chief apologizes over reactor crisis

The head of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power apologized Sunday over the recent internal data leaks at the country’s nuclear reactors and a gas leak at the construction site of an atomic reactor that killed three workers.The executive also tried to reassure the public, stressing that all of its plants were safe from cyberattacks. “The cyberattacks have been persistent but I assure you that the nuclear plants are being safely guarded,” said Cho Seok, chief executive of the KHNP, the operator of the n

IndustryDec. 28, 2014

[Newsmaker] Japan's push for bigger security role renews

Japan’s push for a greater security role is gaining traction as security hawk Shinzo Abe began his third term as prime minister Wednesday by renewing his push to revise the war-renouncing Constitution.Buoyed by a landslide victory on Dec. 14, the nationalist leader has been seen intensifying his campaign to make Japan a “normal state” with a full-fledged military, which has been hamstrung by the “pacifist” Article 9 of the postwar constitution.In the face of an assertive China and confrontationa

DefenseDec. 25, 2014

[Newsmaker] N.K. pushes to spur cyberwarfare force

After the U.S. officially blamed North Korea last week for the cyberattack on Sony Pictures, Pyongyang’s cybercapabilities and growing threats from them came into the spotlight.The communist state has nearly doubled the number of its cyberwarfare operatives to around 5,900 over the last two years, military authorities in the South estimate, as Pyongyang seeks to strengthen its asymmetric military capabilities.Through a series of educational facilities based in the North and abroad, Pyongyang has

North KoreaDec. 23, 2014

[Newsmaker] Obama faces tough decision on N. Korea

U.S. President Barack Obama faces a tough decision over whether to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism for its alleged cyberattack on Sony Pictures, as the decision may have political, diplomatic and security ramifications.In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Obama indicated that the U.S. may put the North back on the terrorism list. Obama has vowed to respond “proportionally” to the Nov. 24 attack on Sony following the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s conclusion that the North wa

North KoreaDec. 22, 2014

[Newsmaker] Attack could cost Sony $500m: experts

LOS ANGELES ― The devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures could see the Hollywood studio lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and incur massive recovery costs, experts say.The cancellation of “The Interview,” which President Barack Obama called a “mistake,” has significantly escalated the potential losses of last month’s hack, Hemanshu Nigam of the SSP Blue cybersecurity consultancy told AFP. In all, he said, the crisis would lead to “a loss of income of $500 million.”The film about

World NewsDec. 21, 2014

[Newsmaker] NPAD chief mired in nepotism accusation

The chief of the country’s main opposition party has come under fire after local court papers on Tuesday revealed the veteran lawmaker allegedly engaged in influence peddling 10 years ago.Documents from the Seoul Central District Court said Rep. Moon Hee-sang, chief of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy party, had asked Korean Air Lines Co. chairman Cho Yang-ho to offer a job to his brother-in-law. Moon then belonged to a parliamentary committee overseeing the airline industry.Rep. Moon Hee

PoliticsDec. 18, 2014

[Newsmaker] Lotte apologizes for worker’s death

Lotte, the constructor and operator of the 123 story-Lotte World in southwestern Seoul, on Wednesday expressed regret over the death of a construction worker at its site as well as the shutdown of the facility’s cinema and aquarium due possibly to shoddy construction. “We apologize to the citizens for the accidents that took place at Lotte World Mall including the death of a worker at the concert hall construction site. We will follow the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s guidelines and regulation

IndustryDec. 17, 2014

[Newsmaker] Hostage drama: Jihadist propaganda win?

PARIS ― His motives are a mystery and his acts described as random and deranged, but analysts say the gunman who took a Sydney cafe full of terrified people hostage could still score a propaganda coup for jihadists.Bearing a black jihadist flag, the Iranian-born Islamist created precisely the sort of lone-wolf attack urged by groups such as the Islamic State ― replete with bomb threats, hostages and panic in a major Western city. Although any link to a specific group has yet to be established, t

World NewsDec. 16, 2014

[Newsmaker] Abe faces reform battle after win

TOKYO ― Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces strong resistance to a promised economic and political overhaul despite a weekend election victory that gives him up to four more years in power.In Sunday’s snap election, the conservative Liberal Democrats who have ruled for most of the post-World War II era locked up a solid majority of at least 291 seats. About 35 seats were claimed by the LDP’s coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komei party, giving the ruling bloc more than two-thirds of th

World NewsDec. 15, 2014

[Newsmaker] Xi: Nanjing Massacre cannot be denied

NANJING, China ― President Xi Jinping said Saturday that no one can deny the Nanjing Massacre, as China for the first time held a national day of remembrance for the Japanese military rampage that Beijing says killed 300,000 people.State media estimated 10,000 people attended a ceremony in Nanjing to mark the 77th anniversary of the massacre, including ageing survivors ― some in their 90s ― of the Japanese invasion of the eastern city on Dec. 13, 1937.The crowd sang a boisterous rendition of Chi

World NewsDec. 14, 2014

[Newsmaker] Lee’s resource diplomacy faces scrutiny

South Korea’s legislature will begin probes into former President Lee Myung-bak’s “resource diplomacy” initiative sometime early next year after the country’s two main parties on Wednesday agreed to set up an investigative committee. But the probes are expected to be highly politicized, with the main opposition party saying the ex-president must be held accountable for allegedly wasting billions of won, and Lee supporters saying the investigation is a witch hunt based on a political deal between

PoliticsDec. 11, 2014

[Newsmaker] CIA torture brutal, ineffective: report

WASHINGTON  ― CIA torture of al-Qaida suspects was far more brutal than acknowledged, did not produce useful intelligence and was so poorly managed it lost track of detainees, a scathing U.S. Senate report revealed Tuesday.The Central Intelligence Agency also misled the White House and Congress with inaccurate claims about the program’s usefulness in thwarting attacks, the Senate Intelligence Committee said in its graphic report that revived the debate over interrogation techniques such as water

World NewsDec. 10, 2014

[Newsmaker] India, Netherlands ban ride-sharing app Uber

The fast expanding ride-sharing service Uber is facing pressure from local authorities and taxi drivers in major cities, most recently in The Hague, New Delhi and Portland. Uber has expanded at breakneck speed since it launched in 2009 and is now present in more than 200 cities across 45 countries.But its rapid growth has caused tensions, especially in Europe where rival taxi companies have protested that Uber cars are not subject to the same regulations.Dutch judges on Monday banned the U.S. co

World NewsDec. 9, 2014

[Newsmaker] Saenuri adopts political reform package

Political reform, or the pretense of it, is once again in the spotlight with the ruling Saenuri Party officially adopting plans drawn up by its reform committee.Led by potential presidential contender Kim Moon-soo, the committee drew much attention from the beginning with party chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung throwing his weight behind it.Despite the support given to the committee, and its high-profile nature, the plans the committee drew up were initially rejected by the party last month. The reject

PoliticsDec. 8, 2014