KakaoTalk, the most popular mobile messenger app in Korea, on Tuesday added new alert sounds to its service, ranging from a dog’s bark to the sound of money jingling. The update is the first in five years. “We developed the idea based on users’ practice of using different wallpaper for chat groups for identification purposes,” an official from KakaoTalk said.Of the previously available alert sounds, only the six most representative ones remain, while 26 new sounds have been added. In a promotion

Industry Feb. 12, 2019

Japanese premium home appliances company Balmuda’s CEO Gen Terao unveiled its new air purifier Balmuda The Pure in Seoul on Tuesday, highlighting the importance of the Korean market and downplaying what he called “copycats” from China. The Pure is a new addition to the firm’s 2013 AirEngine purifier lineup, which, alongside Balmuda The Toaster, has garnered positive responses in Korea. “We have no set date for Japan launch,” said Gen, emphasizing the importance of the Korean market to the compan

Industry Feb. 12, 2019

Samsung Bioepis announced on Monday that it has sealed a licensing agreement with C-Bridge Capital, its second Chinese partner, to expand its biosimilar market share in mainland China. The Korean firm had earlier signed a similar partnership deal with 3Sbio. Under the new agreement, C-Bridge’s newly established biopharmaceutical company AffaMed Therapeutics will collaborate with the Samsung unit for the clinical development, regulatory registration and commercialization of its drug candidates in

Industry Feb. 11, 2019

It’s the course of nature for the TV industry to continue developing bigger screens with higher resolutions, according to Han Jong-hee, Samsung Electronics’ president of visual display business. The tech giant said it will meet consumer demand for bigger screens and higher resolution through its two-track strategy of quantum-dot light-emitting diode TV and micro-liquid crystal displays. Han Jong-hee, Samsung Electronics’ president of visual display business (Samsung Electronics)This year, Samsun

Industry Feb. 10, 2019

Daewoong Pharma stocks fluctuated Thursday upon market opening following reports during the Lunar New Year holiday that its botulinum toxin drug Nabota has gained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. When the market opened at 9 a.m. its shares jumped 10,000 won ($9) to 203,000 won from 193,000 won during the previous session. It quickly fell back to the 190,000 won range, and the price continued to fluctuate through the day before finishing at 204,000 won at market close, up 5.7 pe

Industry Feb. 7, 2019

BANGKOK, Thailand -- There’s a reason why Korean game makers are foraying into Thailand. The Southeast Asian nation’s game market is currently valued at 500 billion won ($445 million), with an annual growth rate of 20 to 30 percent indicating strong buying power. Netmarble Thailand accounts for 3 percent of the total annual revenue of Netmarble, one of the early Korean pioneers in the Thai market. The Korean games company recorded 2.4 trillion won in revenue in 2017. “The figure should b

Industry Feb. 7, 2019

 진행자: 임정요, Kevin Lee Selzer1. Netflix attributes popularity of ‘Kingdom’ to technological innovation기사요약: 넷플릭스 오리지널 신작 '킹덤'의 성공비결에 혁신적인 더빙과 자막기술이 뒷받침 되었다는 시사회 발표 내용.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Without Netflix’s innovative technologies, period drama “Kingdom” might have been tough for foreign viewers to understand, as the series set in 17th century Korea features a wide range of historica

Podcast Feb. 6, 2019

LG Electronics’ transparent organic light-emitting diode signage is introduced at Europe’s biggest commercial screen event, Integrated Systems Europe 2019, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. LG’s see-through screens serve various functions, such as digital windows, mirrors and touch-screen panels. The ISE 2019 runs from Tuesday through Friday. (LG Electronics)

Industry Feb. 6, 2019

South Korean parents’ enthusiasm for child education goes back as far as the moment they are born. It is common for parents to wonder whether they are doing enough for their children, and whether they are giving them as many opportunities possible to ignite their hidden genius. Such is the sentiment that propels the infants and toddlers’ educative playthings markets in Korea, which now has toys for 1-year-olds to play with to learn how to code. The difference in the niche yet lucrative market fo

Industry Jan. 24, 2019

Seeking the efficient utilization of existing infrastructure for new technologies, GS Caltex and LG Electronics have agreed to work together to provide various next-generation charging services at gas stations, the companies said Tuesday.The two sealed a memorandum of agreement to build energy and mobility convergence charging stations, which will have all the previous services offered by GS Caltex-run gas stations. New services will encompass electric vehicle charging, rental and maintenance. L

Industry Jan. 22, 2019

Kyung Hee University’s Global Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient Materials is hosting a symposium on Wednesday for working-level novel drug developers and students pursuing careers in the field. Firms involved with the Gyeonggi-do Regional Research Center, a regional project that supports advancement of science and technology, have also been invited, the organizers said.In July 2017, GPIM was selected as a GRRC business for a six-year research project to foster collaboration between business,

Industry Jan. 21, 2019

JW Pharmaceutical said Sunday that it had gained the South Korean drug regulator’s nod to begin domestic sales of the hemophilia treatment Hemlibra, developed by Chugai, a Roche-owned company.JW Pharmaceutical obtained an exclusive license to sell Hemlibra on the Korean market in 2017.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has now approved the antibody for the treatment of patients with hemophilia A, with or without factor VIII inhibitors. (flickr @zhouxuan12345678)Hemlibra is the first, and so fa

Industry Jan. 20, 2019

Samsung Bioepis’ Ontruzant, a breast cancer treatment biosimilar referencing Roche’s Herceptin, won US Food and Drug Administration approval Saturday, expanding the list of Herceptin successors in the US market to three.Ontruzant is the third FDA-approved biosimilar of Switzerland firm Roche’s blockbuster breast cancer antibody. Its FDA approval is preceded by Mylan’s Ogivri in December 2017, and Celltrion’s Herzuma in December 2018.The three firms’ biosimilars are expected to simultaneously hit

Industry Jan. 20, 2019

Whether you are a believer or a skeptic of divination, the following are questions you may ask a Korean “saju” reader: Is 2019 a good year to change jobs, start a business, or relocate to a new country? Will I meet “the one” this year? When is a good year to get married, if ever, and will I have a wholesome family? If I heighten my nose through plastic surgery, will my luck slide down my newly straightened nose bridge?Visiting a saju shop is easy. Compared to a “mudangjip,” the house of a shaman

Culture Jan. 17, 2019

The Korean biopharma industry can become one of Korea’s main economic growth engines, but only if the government helps shift its paradigm from domestic market to overseas, said Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association’s Chairman Won Hee-mok at a press briefing held Thursday.“(Korea’s) biopharma industry has so far duly served the social role of providing affordable drugs for the local market, but now is the time for the government to help the industry turn focus and advance

Industry Jan. 17, 2019