GS E&C, one of South Korea’s leading apartment builders, has become embroiled in a feud with the buyers of mega apartment complex units over the relatively small number of parking spaces at the complex in Gimpo City, Gyeonggi Province. The construction business of GS Group is currently building an apartment complex fitted with some 4,000 units, called the Hangang Central Xi, near Gimpo New Town, west of Seoul. It began presale contracts of the apartments in May. “When the construction firm chang

Technology Dec. 15, 2014

Aiming to beef up its technological prowess in the world’s organic light emitting diode industry, LG Display, a leading Korean display manufacturer, has agreed to expand its alliance with Japanese display materials firm Idemitsu Kosan, according to the Korean display maker Friday. The expanded alliance includes closer cooperation in developing OLED technology and sharing related technology patents.  LG Display president Yeo Sang-deok (left) and Yoshihisa Matsumoto, executive vice president of Id

Technology Dec. 12, 2014

David Steel, the first foreign national who became an executive at Samsung Electronics in 2002, will come back to Seoul and join the global public relations team following his recent promotion as executive vice president, the tech giant said.In the 2014 executive reshuffle at the group level, Steel became the third foreign executive vice president, following Tim Baxter and Wang Tong, who were promoted to the same rank in 2012 and 2013 respectively.  David SteelSome market watchers expect Steel,

Technology Dec. 12, 2014

Announcing a list of the most viral tweets and memorable moments of the year, Twitter Korea said the Sewol ferry tragedy that took the lives of more than 300 people was at the top. “On the day the Sewol sank, the microblogging service in Korea was flooded with tweets and retweets praying for those on board the ferry to come home safely, and also checking for follow-ups,” Soh Young-sun, market director of Twitter Korea said on Thursday. A slew of Korean Twitter users also joined a yellow ribbon c

Technology Dec. 11, 2014

Even at first glance, it was easy to tell that LG Electronics’ AKA is not just a dumbed-down version of one of LG’s high-end models. With its glossy case and animated eyes, the AKA is aimed at younger consumers who want to stand out. To open the phone, you have to tap on the exposed part of the screen twice, after which a set of eyes appear. It feels a bit odd, and even creepy at first, but before long I become attached to the googly, playful eyes. The phone comes with four covors ― white, yello

Technology Dec. 10, 2014

Korea Electric Power Corporation, the state-run electricity provider, has teamed up with KT Corp., the country’s largest telecommunications firm, to map a blueprint for creating a smart energy ecosystem.Holding a meeting at KEPCO’s new head office in Naju, South Jeolla Province Tuesday, the heads of the two firms signed an agreement on making the combined effort for the smart energy cause.“By working with KEPCO for convergence of telecommunications and energy technologies, KT will try to produce

Technology Dec. 9, 2014

Concerns are rising over the security of the digital currency bitcoin following hacking cases that allegedly took place for the first time in South Korea at local online bitcoin exchange Bitcore.A man surnamed Kim in the southeastern port city of Pohang filed a complaint with the Pohang Cyber Police Agency on Nov. 14, claiming that 15 of his bitcoins worth around 6.2 million won (based on the value of a bitcoin as of Monday) were stolen by an anonymous person operating from Bitcore on Nov. 11.An

Technology Dec. 8, 2014

The chief of LG Uplus, the nation’s third-largest mobile carrier, pledged that the company would make the utmost effort not to be left behind in the era of fifth-generation networks. “We are standing at the tipping point of the 5G era where we will see the biggest changes unfold down the road,” LG Uplus vice chairman Lee Sang-chul said at an annual year-end media conference in Seoul Friday, vowing to brace for the next phase of the mobile network business. “How we are getting ourselves prepared

Technology Dec. 7, 2014

Samsung Group on Thursday announced its annual reshuffle, promoting 353 executives. The number of the promotions ― down from 476 in last year’s reshuffle and the lowest since 2008 ― signaled the conglomerate’s drive to streamline some of its oversized businesses including its sluggish mobile business wing, according to industry officials.“Samsung, as usual, rewarded those who had achieved great performance this year, and tried to keep the growth momentum by promoting executives in a wider range

Technology Dec. 4, 2014

Imagine people exploring the deep sea, taking pictures of the underwater landscape and exotic sea creatures and using Wi-Fi networks to share them on the spot through social media sites such as Facebook.Slowly but steadily, the underwater wireless communications technology environment is becoming a reality thanks to Singapore-based start-up Subnero’s pioneering researchers.Subnero’s wireless nodes. (Subnero)The 2-year-old start-up is dreaming of a new Internet revolution deep down in the ocean. 

Technology Dec. 3, 2014

Swedish air purifier-maker Blueair has launched new models in South Korea to compete against premium products made by local rivals such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Winix.The chief of the Swedish firm is confident that the new Blueair E series ― the 650E, 450E and 270E ― would appeal to Korean consumers. “Our vision is to enable people to breathe clean air, which is a basic human right,” said Bengt Rittri, the chief executive of Blueair at a media conference held in Seoul Tuesday.

Technology Dec. 2, 2014

Top executives at Samsung Electronics’ mobile business unit will step down to take responsibility for the sluggish mobile business this year, according to sources Monday. Market watchers had expected the anticipated reshuffling, as Samsung had signaled that it would take action to streamline its oversized mobile business down the road. Lee Don-joo, chief of the mobile business unit’s strategic marketing office, Kim Jae-kwon, chief of the global operations office and Lee Chul-hwan, head of the mo

Technology Dec. 1, 2014