Samsung Electronics will likely release next year a Tizen smartphone with its own security solution, according to a market analystThe push for a phone running on the new operating system and using Knox, Samsung’s own security software, could increase its presence in the enterprise market. “The ultimate goal for Samsung in developing the Android-based Knox is likely to make a smartphone embedded with Knox that runs on the Tizen OS, powered by a 64-bit chip,” said Song Jong-ho, an analyst from KDB

Industry Dec. 11, 2013

As smartphone makers scramble to adopt new identification technologies, Korean manufacturers Samsung and LG are expected to soon sign deals with Fingerprint Cards, a Swedish company that specializes in fingerprint verification systems, industry sources told The Korea Herald. The deal, if realized, would not be an acquisition, as some sources had previously suggested. “All tier-1 OEMs will have smartphones with either touch or swipe sensors during 2014 or early 2015,” CEO Johan Carlstrom of Finge

Technology Dec. 8, 2013

Samsung Electronics and China Mobile discussed ways to strengthen their cooperation in the mobile telecommunication sector when the Chinese firm’s chairman visited the Korean company on Friday, sources said.Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile unit, met China Mobile chairman and CEO Xi Guohua at the Korean firm’s office in Suwon, south of Seoul, according to the sources.Samsung declined to confirm whether Samsung’s heir apparent Lee Jay-yong joined the Shin-Xi meeting.The sou

Technology Dec. 6, 2013

Embracing religious, cultural and regional aspects of global markets with its products, Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corp. is making waves in the world’s home appliances market. For instance, most Iranian women wash their hijab by hand, mostly because the delicate fabric can tear in a washing machine. Also, Muslim women don’t want their head scarves to be washed together with dirty laundry. Considering these cultural factors, Dongbu Daewoo Electronics came up with the idea of adding a washing funct

Technology Dec. 4, 2013

Korea’s largest conglomerate Samsung Group is expected to conduct its year-end personnel reshuffle starting Monday, a move that is widely expected to have huge repercussions as the Samsung Electronics chairman prepares to delegate more authority to his children.Much of the scrutiny is on Seo-hyun and Boo-jin, chairman Lee Kun-hee’s two daughters, who reportedly will receive promotions in the upcoming reshuffle, industry sources said. The sources predicted that Lee’s eldest daughter Boo-jin, curr

Business Dec. 1, 2013

 SK Telecom, the country’s biggest mobile carrier in Korea, plans to launch a mobile service next year that provides faster connection speeds than the existing Long Term Evolution network. Holding a press meeting at the company’s office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, the telecommunications firm demonstrated the new network technology, which is three times faster than LTE. The mobile service, called “two-band LTE,” uses carrier aggregation technology, through which the firm aggregates

Technology Nov. 28, 2013

Samsung SDI said Thursday it had struck an exclusive deal to supply energy storage systems and related parts to a major Indian energy management equipment manufacturer. Under the deal, the Korean energy solution firm will supply 110 MWh energy storage systems to ACME for the next two years. The Indian firm, which specializes in energy management products for photovoltaic power generators and telecommunications equipment, is one of the largest companies in the Indian market.Samsung SDI’s lithium-

Technology Nov. 28, 2013

LG Electronics said Wednesday that it has named three new presidents along with other top executives. Park Jong-seok, president and CEO of LG Electronics’ mobile communications division, will be promoted to company president while maintaining his current position. Ha Hyun-hoi, executive vice president of LG Corp., was named president and CEO of LG Electronics’ home entertainment division, while Jung Do-hyun, its executive vice president and CFO, will be promoted to president. Kwon Hee-won is ste

Industry Nov. 27, 2013

A Korean candidate for director of a U.N. agency for telecommunications said that South Korea can play a critical role in bridging the gap between developed and less-developed nations through the world’s information and communication technology sector. “Korea is now in a position to lead the world’s ICT industry. It is not a follower anymore,” said Lee Chae-sub, a candidate for the director of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, a division of the International Telecommunication Union (

Technology Nov. 27, 2013