The Busan government said Friday it would proceed with AI Korea 2020, despite the resurgence in new coronavirus cases in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The Busan government said it would strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures for the event, scheduled between Sept. 17-19 at Bexco in Busan. The expo, which will be held at 13,000 square-meter exhibition areas, has been designed to attract leading scientists, developers and entrepreneurs in related sectors. The Busan government said it would show

Industry Aug. 21, 2020

LG Display said Friday that the company has provided its transparent organic light-emitting diode panels for windows of subway trains based in Beijing and Shenzhen, China. The 55-inch OLED display windows installed in trains can show information ranging from news and a weather forecast to subway transit maps and flight schedules. LG Display said the company aims to collaborate with train window makers to increase its transparent OLED panel supplies. The company added it would diversify tran

Technology Aug. 21, 2020

  Local startup companies Wednesday have submitted a petition to the Korea Communications Commission, asking for an investigation into whether Apple and Google are violating laws related to in-app purchases. According to an alliance of local application developers and startup firms, Apple has been forcing developers to use their specific in-app purchase system since 2011, through which the company takes around 30 percent commission from purchases by users. Google might apply an in-app pu

Technology Aug. 19, 2020

South Korean telecom firm LG U+ announced last week that it has commercialized the world’s first 5G-based augmented reality glasses. Although the glasses use its local 5G network, they rely on equipment developed by China-based Nreal. Smart glasses were initially adopted by company facilities, mainly due to the high price tag, which still keeps them unaffordable for average consumers. They are now being widely used to check facilities and provide remote support on industrial sites. Be

Technology Aug. 18, 2020

One of the nation’s leading low-cost carriers, Jeju Air said Monday that new stocks worth 135 billion won ($114 million) have been allocated to the company’s existing shareholders and employees. The stocks were offered at 12,400 won, a 20 percent discount from the company’s stock price as of the end of last week. The company’s shares fell by 0.32 percent to close at 15,500 won. In Jeju Air’s recapitalization scheme, the Jeju municipal government subscribed for ar

Industry Aug. 17, 2020

SK Telecom, a leading mobile carrier in South Korea, said Monday that usage of company‘s home care service by senior citizens using through its artificial intelligence speaker Nugu is continuing to increase this year. According to the telecommunications firm’s latest report, the number of seniors using the home care service has increased to 4,700 as of July from 3,200 in April last year. The monthly average uses of the AI-based home care service have also jumped by 127 percent,

Technology Aug. 17, 2020

South Korean exports of information and communications technology products increased for the second consecutive month in July, latest data showed Thursday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea’s value of ICT exports in July increased by 3.3 percent on-year to reach $14.99 billion. Imports during the same period also grew by 1.2 percent at $9.86 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $5.13 billion. The nation’s exports of ICT products in July expanded du

Technology Aug. 13, 2020

The number of digital driver’s license app users in South Korea has surpassed 1 million, according to major telecommunications firms here Wednesday. Personal smartphone authentication app Pass was developed in June, as a collaboration between SK Telecom, KT, LG U+ and the Korean National Police Agency. The digital driver’s license is currently used as to show driver’s qualification and as identification at convenience stores. The local mobile carriers said they plan to incr

Technology Aug. 12, 2020

South Korean telecom firm KT on Wednesday announced the launch of its subscription-based game service that streams computer and console games on smartphones. The streaming service will be up against rivals SK Telecom and LG U+, who have joined hands with Microsoft and Ndivia, respectively, for a similar service. KT said it has decided to offer a platform that is more flexible and fits the demands of local users. The company started its beta tests of the cloud-based gaming service GameBox sev

Technology Aug. 12, 2020

GS Group said Tuesday it has donated 1 billion won to the Community Chest of Korea to help victims affected by the recent heavy downpour in South Korea. “We hope the donation will support those who suffered from heavy monsoon rains,” a company official said. “The group will continue its relief efforts.” GS Group affiliates have been separately joining relief efforts to support recovery efforts. GS Caltex last month delivered 100 million won worth relief kits to a l

Industry Aug. 11, 2020

LG U+, a South Korean telecommunications firm, said Tuesday that the company has commercialized the world‘s first 5G-based augmented reality glass solutions. The wearable device named LG U+ Real Glass is supported by smart glasses provided by mixed-reality product developer Nreal and chipmaker Qualcomm, according to the telecom firm. The glasses, which are to be connected to users‘ smartphone via USB, can project a display as wide as 254 centimeters. Users can project multiple ap

Technology Aug. 11, 2020

Korean telecom giant KT said Friday its operating profit increased by 18.6 percent though its sales dropped during the same period in the second quarter this year. Operating income of KT in the second quarter reached 207.6 billion won ($175 million), compared to 203 billion won last year, according to a regulatory filing Friday. Sales of KT during the same period dropped 3.6 percent to 5.8 trillion won, the regulatory filing also showed. Improved earnings from business-to-business units he

Technology Aug. 7, 2020

Korea’s third-largest mobile carrier LG U+ said the company’s operating profit in the second quarter increased by 59.2 percent on-year, the fastest growth rate for three consecutive quarters among local mobile carriers. In the meantime, quarterly sales for LG U+ went up by 5.1 percent on-year to reach 3.2 trillion won ($2.7 billion) during the April-June period, the company added. Since the fourth quarter last year, quarterly operating profit for LG U+ has increased by 75 percent,

Technology Aug. 7, 2020

Naver on Friday said that its online cartoon business is posting 3 billion won ($2.5 million) in average daily gross sales as of Aug. 2, up from 2 billion won in August last year. Naver contributed the growth to the increased number of monthly active users. Active users in July surpassed 650 million worldwide, increasing by more than 1 million over the last two months. Revenues also started to increase as the number of users in foreign nations saw a rapid surge, according to the firm. Sales

Technology Aug. 7, 2020

The Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea on Wednesday reported its assessment of 5G networks provided by the nation’s three largest mobile carriers. According to the assessment conducted in Seoul and six other major cities in Korea, the average upload and download speeds of 5G networks reached 64.16 megabits per second and 656.56 Mbps, respectively. SK Telecom’s 5G network boasted the fastest speed among telecommunications firms, while that of LG U+ was listed as the to

Technology Aug. 7, 2020