Samsung Electronics will open its Innovation Forum on Thursday where the global tech giant will show off its technology prowess.“We (Samsung) have been growing to the point where we should light the way in the market like a lighthouse,” said Kim Nam-yong, a vice president of Samsung Electronics’ Corporate Management Office at a media event the day before the opening of the Samsung Innovation Forum. The self-assessment was also reflected at a closed-door event, held earlier this month, in which e

Industry June 26, 2013

Samsung announced plans in February to create a $1.1 billion fund to invest in Silicon Valley start-ups to search for new growth engines. Kevin Lane Keller, a world-renowned marketing expert with close ties to Samsung executives, says that’s perfectly doable. “Considering what Samsung has done so far, (Samsung’s initiative for open innovation) is achievable in Silicon Valley,” said Keller in an interview on the sidelines of a symposium on Thursday, which marked the 20th anniversary of Samsung’s

Industry June 20, 2013

A top Indian government official expressed hope that Korea and India would expand business cooperation, stressing that the two countries are the growth engines of the Asian economy.“The 21st century is the Asian century. I am very happy that we are part of it and India and Korea will play an important role,” said Jitin Prasada, minister of state for human resources development in India, in an interview with The Korea Herald this week.“I expect more cooperation between the two countries not only

Industry June 20, 2013

The main opposition Democratic Party said Sunday it received a tip-off that indicates powerful figures from the same region as President Park Geun-hye tried to hamper a police probe into intelligence agents accused of interfering in last year’s election.The party did not elaborate on what it called “the main body” behind former Seoul police chief Kim Yong-pan, the main suspect of the attempted cover-up, but the argument is expected to heat up partisan debates ahead of the planned parliamentary i

Social Affairs June 16, 2013

Prosecutors indicted former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon without detention Friday on charges of meddling in last year’s presidential election. Announcing the results of its two-month-long probe, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Won ordered his agents to put up online comments and express opinions on Internet posts over political issues. Among 1,760 posts by the NIS agents with hundreds of fake IDs from Sep. 19 to Dec. 14 last year, 67 are confirmed to have

Social Affairs June 14, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Disparate interests ranging from environmental activists to businesses and industry are lining up to support a first-of-its-kind deal between the U.S. and China to phase out a chemical blamed for climate change.Although it took most proponents by surprise, the deal was in the bag before President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the California desert retreat where they announced it over the weekend. And for China, it came only after a change in financial

June 13, 2013

Korea’s legal systems fall short of protecting women from of sexual harassment in working and social spheres, experts say. Three laws regarding women’s development, gender equality and human rights cover sexual harassment. But they are fraught with loopholes that offenders can exploit, from inadequate rules for punishment, to unclear standards for supervision and education, to cumbersome legal procedures that often frustrate victims, according to experts.The first law acknowledging sexual harass

Social Affairs June 12, 2013

Seoul City said Tuesday it would complete a project to build a 157-kilometer-long walking trail (“dullegil” in Korean) around the city by late 2014. Of the eight courses, three sections with an length of 57.5 kilometers, have been completed connecting Mount Daemosan in southern Seoul and Anyang Stream in southwestern Seoul, Four other courses along Mount Yongmasan in the eastern part of Seoul through Mount Bukhansan in the northern part of the city will be finished late this year. “Seoul Dullegi

Social Affairs June 11, 2013

Won Sei-hoon, a former spy chief and long-time aide to former President Lee Myung-bak, is likely to face charges for personal corruption as well as his role in intelligence agents’ illegal intervention in politics. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that he received bribes from a private construction firm while he served as chief of the National Intelligence Service. During a raid of the agency, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office seized documents reportedly containing a list o

Social Affairs June 3, 2013