[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics, once considered a smartphone powerhouse along with Samsung Electronics and Apple, may feel like tumbling down a steep hill due to the disappointing performance of its flagship mobile business in recent years.After the sluggish sales of the G4 in 2015, the tech company had to eat humble pie once again with its latest high-end smartphone G5 when the latest marquee device lost its steam rather fast. LG Electronics’ mobile business chief Cho Ju-noUnveiled in March 31 w

July 8, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] A Go match between an artificial intelligence program and a human player will be held for the second time in Russia later this month.The National Institute for Mathematical Science, a state-run agency to promote the start-up and industrial mathematics sectors, said on July 7, Korean Go master Cho Hye-yeon and Japanese AI Go solution Zen will compete in a one-round match at the European Go Congress to be held on July 27 in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Go master Cho Hye-yeon (far right)

July 7, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The country’s antitrust watchdog said on July 4 that it has completed its review of the merger and acquisition deal being pursued by IPTV operator SK Broadband and CJ Hellovision -- a cable TV company.The Fair Trade Commission said it sent its final evaluation report including its recommendations on the merger to SK Telecom, the parent company of SK Broadband, for feedback. Based on the results, a final decision on whether to allow the M&A will be made by Ministry of Science, ICT

July 4, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Multinational conglomerate 3M is remaining silent over its potentially toxic filters used in local air cleaners, stirring public anger over the lack of countermeasures. Earlier last month, a local broadcast revealed that a toxic substance called OIT was detected in air cleaners produced by Cuckoo and Dayou-winia. LG Electronics also admitted later that it had found the same issue in products. The filters of those products were all provided by 3M. OIT, or octylisothiazolinone, is a

July 3, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Korea Development Bank will spend as much as 500 billion won to buy corporate bonds rated “A” or lower, as part of measures to support smaller companies with cash needs to sell new bonds more easily. "Demand in Korea’s corporate debt market has been focused on large companies and their low-risk debt,” the Financial Services Commission said in a statement. “The announced measures are intended at supporting demand for lower-rate debt, so that more companies can raise funds through t

July 3, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Korea may choose to cut the policy interest rate further from the current record-low level in an effort to maximize the effect of its recently-announced stimulus package, some foreign investment banks predicted. According to the Korea Center for International Finance, JPMorgan and BNP Paribas noted the possibility of a fiscal-monetary policy mix in Korea in their recent analyst notes on the Korean Finance Ministry’s additional public spending plan. Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-ye

July 3, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s hot and humid summer weather makes keeping food fresh a challenge during the summer, and beverage brands are lining the shelves with specially packaged products to put health-conscious consumers at ease.Focusing on popular natural beverages like fruit juices and dairy, the packages are specially designed to keep heat and moisture out even when the products are kept at room temperature.Beverages using aseptic packaging. Clockwise from top left: Dole’s 100% Ice Juice Bar, De

July 3, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Sales of hybrid cars more than doubled in June in Korea on the back of the popularity of new compact sports utility vehicle Niro produced by Kia Motors, industry data showed July 3.A total of 6,215 units of Korean-made hybrid cars were sold in June, up 140 percent from 2,617 a month earlier, according to the data.Kia Motors‘ sports utility vehicle Niro / Kia MotorsThe June figure marked a monthly sales record, outnumbering the previous record of 6,061 units tallied in April.Kia Mo

July 3, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean government has expanded its incentive program for home appliances with high energy efficiency to all major stores in a bid to encourage consumers to use environmentally-friendly products as well as to spur domestic spending, the commerce ministry said Saturday.The program offers cash backs of up 10 percent on five types of household electronic appliances that have the highest energy efficiency ratings.Initially, the government incentives were only offered on products so

July 3, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics has been trying to relocate and merge its production bases in Europe in order to enhance management efficiency.The tech company has moved its production facilities in Wroclaw in western Poland where it used to produce around 3 million TVs per year to Mlawa, a county located northwest of Polish capital Warsaw. The total production capacity at the Mlawa production plant has increased to 7 million with the relocation.“The latest decision to relocate the production faci

July 2, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics has revamped its troubled mobile business division in a desperate effort to restore slowing profits after continuing failures of its flagship G phones, including the latest G5. According to the company on July 1, a new position, called “product management officer,” has been set up under president and CEO Cho Ju-no with aims to pour resources into developing premium smartphones. Two PMOs were announced on the day: Oh Hyeong-hoon, former head of the division’s R&D cen

July 1, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said July 1 that it is currently consult with experts for the possible rescheduling of the test launch of a 200-ton space vehicle, Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II.The announcement comes after local new outlets reported that the the test launch of the vehicle has been delayed by 10 months and the official launch in 2020 has been consequently postponed.The Korea Aerospace Research Institute, a state-run space agency, is scheduled to hav

July 1, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The delayed merger and acquisition deal between IPTV operatorSK Broadband and cable TV firm CJ HelloVision is wreaking havoc on both companies, hampering them from proceeding with their investment plans to beef up infrastructure and services.“As the review session for the M&A among the government bodies is being delayed, SKB is struggling to execute investment plans, which sequentially causes damage to its equipment suppliers and other partners,” a public relations representative

July 1, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Game developer Nexon said June 30 that its mobile role-playing game “HIT” will be released in global markets on July 7.The mobile game, which will support 10 languages including English, Chinese, German, French, and Thai, is to hit 140 global markets.But two neighboring countries Japan and China were excluded for the launch.“Japan is different from other markets as animation-inspired games featuring cute characters mostly top the mobile game chart, so we are planning to enter the

June 30, 2016