Samsung Electronics on Tuesday announced the launch of its upgraded wireless earphones Galaxy Buds+ armed with woofer sound and clearer mic function, with battery that can last for 11 hours on a single charge. Galaxy Buds+ is also the first set of wireless earphones from Samsung that is compatible with iOS, posing a competition to Apple’s latest AirPods Pro. Galaxy Buds+ is equipped with dynamic two-way speaker and three microphones for deeper sound and clearer voice calls, the firm expl

Industry Feb. 12, 2020

Biotech company Genexine’s CEO Sung Young-chul on Tuesday gifted his stocks worth 8.2 billion won ($6.9 million) to his two daughters, sons-in-law and wife. Genexine, which is listed on the secondary bourse Kosdaq, filed a disclosure on Friday about the transfer of stocks, but it was belatedly reported that his daughters were the beneficiaries. Sung has in the past gifted his stocks to academic associations, hospital and universities on several occasions, but this is the first time he h

Industry Feb. 11, 2020

GC Pharma and SK Plasma, the two South Korean companies that produce plasma-derived medical products, or PDMPs, are actively seeking overseas expansion to offset the limited blood supply in Korea. For companies that use human blood, or more specifically plasma, procuring sufficient amounts is the toughest obstacle to business. Blood can quite literally be turned into medicine once it is separated into its component parts. The red fluid running through our blood vessels is actually 55 percent

Industry Feb. 11, 2020

Samsung Electronics aired a surprise teaser commercial for its new foldable cell phone Z Flip, during the live Academy Awards 2020 on Sunday. Z Flip is the second foldable phone from Samsung Electronics, after the Galaxy Fold that launched in 2019. The Galaxy Fold horizontally folds, while the Z Flip shuts vertically. In the teaser, the clamshell type Z Flip could display an incoming call while shut closed in a square shape, allowing users to choose to accept or decline the call. The hinge

Industry Feb. 10, 2020

As Chinese authorities’ priorities shift to containing the novel coronavirus, concerns are rising that launch dates for drugs pending approval for the Chinese market may be postponed, according to industry sources on Sunday. No official announcement has been made by the Chinese drug authority National Medical Products Administration, but Korean pharma insiders widely believe all drug approvals may be pushed back. GC Pharma, Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Il Yang Pharmaceutical all have pendi

Industry Feb. 9, 2020

Woongjin Coway is now simply Coway after Netmarble’s acquisition of the company. Coway convened an interim shareholders meeting on Friday at its head office in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, where it voted on loosing Woongjin from its company name. Netmarble Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk was made a director, as well as Netmarble-Coway task force team leader Seo Jang-won and Coway CEO Lee Hae-sun. 　 Four newly appointed outside directors were Kim Jin-bae, professor at Korea University Bus

Industry Feb. 7, 2020

Game company Smilegate said Thursday it made a 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) donation to help the people in Wuhan, China, epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The donation has been delivered to China’s Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming. “China and Korea are long-time neighbors who must help each other to overcome hardships. I thank the support from Smilegate, as well as many other Korean companies,” the envoy said. Smilegate is the third Korean game company to reac

Industry Feb. 6, 2020

진행자: 임정요, Kevin Lee Selzer 1.   China envoy urges Seoul to follow WHO advice on virus response 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638 [1] New Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming on Tuesday called on Seoul to follow the World Health Organization’s recommendations on handling the new coronavirus, as Korea began barring entry of noncitizens who have visited China’s v

Podcast Feb. 5, 2020

Korean biologics firms are putting their heads together to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, with experts opining that a potential vaccine development would require governmental investment. The natural market development of a coronavirus vaccine is unlikely given the characteristics of the epidemic, said Lee Jong-koo, professor of family medicine at Seoul National University, speaking at an open debate on Wednesday. A new vaccine would take more than a year to develop, by which time th

Industry Feb. 5, 2020

Nexon Korea set a precedent in the domestic gaming industry Monday by revealing the average 6.8 percent wage hike it agreed upon with the labor union, saying the disclosure would prompt a “constructive future.” The company’s labor union, Starting Point, said it had reached a tentative agreement with the management last week to raise the average wage for 2020. This is the first time a South Korean game company has made public its wage hike rate. Its subsidiary Nexon GT&rsquo

Industry Feb. 4, 2020

Multinational pharma firms in South Korea are scaling up the telecommuting options for their employees -- work from home or remote places -- to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, industry sources said Tuesday. Pharma employees, by the nature of their work, often visit hospitals where they can be exposed to various pathogens. The Korean offices of MSD, Pfizer, Amgen, Novartis, Astrazeneca, BMS, Sanofi-aventis, AbbVie and UCB as of Tuesday have decided to allow their employees to teleco

Industry Feb. 4, 2020

The Korea Game Society on Monday initiated a fundraiser among gamers to support the people of the recent novel coronavirus-hit Wuhan in China’s Hubei province. “We support the people of Wuhan and the greater China fighting against the new coronavirus,” said KGS head Wi Jong-hyun. “Games is an industry where Korea and China hold a special relationship like none other. Korean games have received much love from Chinese fans, and it is only a matter of course that we rise t

Industry Feb. 3, 2020

Boryung Holdings, the holding company of Boryung Pharmaceutical, established its first overseas entity, Hayan Health Networks in San Francisco, the firm said Monday. “Hayan Health Networks will monitor the local clinical trials of Boryung Pharmaceutical, as well as build rapport with global pharmas, investors and early-stage research and development biotechs there,” said a Boryung Pharmaceutical official. Boryung Pharmaceutical’s lymphoma treatment pipeline BR2002 is curren

Industry Feb. 3, 2020

A Korean college student’s self-coded “Coronamap,” showing the movements of confirmed coronavirus-infected patients before they were put in quarantine, has recorded more than 3 million visits and may soon record 5 million, reports said Sunday. The map is marked with a web of lines showing the places visited by the 15 patients in Korea and where they are currently confined. It also spells out the number of people showing symptoms of pneumonia and other complications possibly r

Industry Feb. 2, 2020

Any vaccine for the fast-spreading 2019 novel coronavirus is unlikely to take shape in the near future, experts said Sunday, citing the rapid mutational characteristic of the ribonucleic acid virus as what makes speedy pharmaceutical countermeasures impossible. “It would take more than a year even if the government allows all fast-track clearance for drug development,” a vaccine company employee told The Korea Herald. No vaccine has been developed for Middle East respiratory syndro

Industry Feb. 2, 2020