[THE INVESTOR] A government report showed on July 22 that more than 1.18 million units of 3M’s air filters, found to contain toxic chemicals, were distributed to electronics makers and automotive firms over the past three years.According to the report of the Ministry of Environment, submitted to Rep. Kim Sam-hwa of the opposition People’s Party, 1.18 million units of the problematic 3M filters were used for a total of seven air purifier models made by electronics firms including Samsung Electron

July 22, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electro-Mechanics said on July 22 that it would start to supply the first batch of its dual-lens camera modules to Chinese smartphone-makers in the July-September period.“The company is currently working on installing the production facilities for the dual-lens camera modules at its global production factories,” said an executive from the firm in a conference call after announcing its earnings for the second quarter ending June on the day. Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ camera

July 22, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] After posting the best earnings in years, Samsung Electronics’ share price is continuing to gain positive momentum in recent days on renewed expectations about its upcoming Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. Samsung saw its share price cross the 1.5 million won threshold on July 11 for the first time since March 2015.Many eyes are now on whether the company’s share price can break the record high of 1,584,000 won ($1,389.2) set on Jan. 3, 2013.The shares closed slightly up 0.19 percent at

July 21, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics has filed an application at the Korean patent office to trademark its next virtual reality headset, tentatively dubbed Odyssey. Images of Samsung’s patent filings for the Odyssey VR device. The Investor No specific details of the VR device have been unveiled yet, but some market watchers speculated that the headset will likely be released during the IFA electronics trade show in Germany in September.By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)

July 20, 2016

Memebox is a relatively new face in the South Korean beauty industry which is largely dominated by cosmetics giants such as Amorepacific, Estee Lauder and MAC. Entering a market occupied by such established corporations poses challenges for any newcomer. But Memebox saw an opportunity in what seemed an already crowded market. It jumped into the sector as a cosmetics subscription and delivery service in 2012.  Meme Box CEO Ha Hyung-seok (Yoon Byung-chan/The Korea Herald) “Other cosmetic companies

Business July 15, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] On the day when mobile messenger LINE Corp. went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on July 15, Lee Hae-jin, the board chairman of Internet giant Naver, called for the so-called ‘Google Tax’ to ensure fair competition in the Korean market.“Global companies including Facebook, Google, and Apple neither unveil how much they make with their services and products nor pay taxes,” said Naver board chairman Lee, who made his first public appearance in nearly three years at a media event

July 15, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] HAAN, an electronics firm well known for its steam vacuum cleaner, had its capital completely impaired last year while having posted an operating loss for two years in a row, according to news reports. Han Kyung-hee, CEO of home appliances firm HAANThe electronics firm, which had grown rapidly on the back of the popularity of its home appliances for years, was inundated with 30.9 billion won (US$26.94 million) of debt last year, which surpassed 10.7 billion won of the company’s to

July 12, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s largest conglomerate Samsung Group has picked 12 university research projects in the three categories of artificial intelligence, fast charging battery cell, and exterior materials for IT devices -- as a part of its future technology support program. Among them, six involve developing the latest AI and deep learning technologies, while three are focused on battery technology. The rest will be studying exterior materials for IT devices. Samsung Group’s headquarters in

July 11, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] State antitrust watchdog Fair Trade Commission’s preliminary decision to oppose the proposed merger and acquisition plan between IPTV operator SK Broadband and cable TV operator CJ HelloVision has left the two companies as well as the cable TV and media content sectors in trouble.The 50-billion-won (US$43 million) investment plan of the merged business entity in nurturing media content businesses, promised by network operator SK Telecom, the parent firm of SKB, has now seemingly g

July 10, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics said in its earnings guidance released on July 8 that it posted 584.6 billion won (US$503.9 million) in operating profit and 14 trillion won in revenue in the April-June period.The estimated operating profit and revenue increased 139.5 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, on-year while they increased 15.7 percent and 4.8 percent, compared to the first quarter this year. LGE billboard at New York City's Times Square. / LG Electronics  The company’s home appliance b

July 8, 2016