The number of subscribers to 5G network services in South Korea as of last year reached 11.85 million, according to government data, Sunday. Mobile data traffic using 5G networks too surged, due to the increasing number of 5G users, the government also reported. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of 5G subscribers in December increased 8.4 percent from a month earlier, continuing the upward trend in the previous month. The number of 5G users has increased by more than 90

Technology Jan. 31, 2021

The Q4 earnings season peaked in South Korea with the undefeatable Samsung Electronics reporting Thursday. Already overshadowed by the IT giant, the country’s top internet operator Naver and battery maker Samsung SDI reported record-high business results in 2020.  Naver reports record profits Thanks to the contactless trend, Naver saws its total sales and operating profit hit new highs in 2020. Revenue reached 5.3 trillion won in total, while operating profit climbed to 1.2 tri

Industry Jan. 28, 2021

Major telecommunications firms in South Korea are speeding up asset sales as part of their strategies to seek new growth opportunities in the non-telecommunications market. SK Telecom, the industry’s largest in terms of mobile subscription, announced Tuesday its sale of professional baseball team SK Wyverns to Shinsegae Group’s supermarket chain E-Mart. The deal, estimated at 135 billion won, includes a 100 percent stake in the baseball team as well as the team’s property h

Technology Jan. 27, 2021

A total of 101 products from South Korean companies were awarded at this year’s CES, taking 26 percent of the honors up for grabs, according to the Korea International Trade Association, Tuesday. In the most coveted Best of Innovation Awards, which recognized 27 items, seven local products took home prizes, up from six a year earlier. By category, South Korea grabbed 13 awards for health and wellness products, six for smart home solutions and five for sustainability. “CES 2021

Technology Jan. 26, 2021

South Korea will increase the coverage of the next-generation mobile networks, dubbed as 5G, to 85 cities across the country this year, from the current seven major cities, the Ministry of Science and ICT said. The ministry’s plan, unveiled Tuesday, also include an expanded support for local firms to transition to the ultra-fast networks, investments in research and development of mobile edge computing, a key component in driving the commercial use of 5G in areas such as virtual reality

Technology Jan. 26, 2021

Kakao, the company behind Korea’s most popular messaging app KakaoTalk, announced Monday the launch of Kakao Entertainment following the merger of its two subsidiaries Kakao M and Kakao Page. The process of binding mobile-based web comic platform Kakao Page and entertainment firm Kakao M is set to be completed by March 1. The largest scale reorganization at Kakao, the deal is subject to a final approval at a board meeting on Tuesday. Kakao Page currently holds intellectual property ri

Technology Jan. 25, 2021

LG Electronics, a household name in home appliances, is preparing for the future of homes by investing in robotics and artificial intelligence technology. The company, which has so far launched more than 10 kinds of robots, is seeking more innovation opportunities with global partners and experts to raise competitiveness in the field. CLOi robots At the 2021 CES, LG Electronics garnered attention with its CLOi UV-C robot, which can move around and sanitize indoor spaces with ultraviolet

Technology Jan. 24, 2021

KT has chosen IDIS, a local security solutions provider, as a preferred bidder for a controlling stake in its radio systems subsidiary KT Powertel, the company announced Friday. KT’s board of directors approved the disposal of its 44.85 percent stake in KT Powertel, worth 40.6 billion won in a meeting Friday. How much IDIS has offered to pay is not known. KT expects to finish the deal by the end of March this year, officials said. With the equity sale, the South Korean telecommunica

Technology Jan. 22, 2021

The future of LG Electronics’ next generation smartphone model with a rollable OLED display hangs in the air as the tech giant seeks to sell its money-losing mobile business unit. The company said Friday that it was still developing the Rollable, but added that detailed plans for its launch had not been decided, and that the company was “open to every possibility.” During this year’s CES, LG teased the model with a 10-second clip, grabbing global media attention as the

Technology Jan. 22, 2021

South Korea’s ICT Ministry said Friday it has dispatched the country’s new mid-sized satellite to Kazakhstan for a March launch. The 500-kilogram low Earth orbit satellite will arrive at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, where it will go through a series of steps before the March 20 launch, according to the ministry. From there, the mid-sized satellite will be flown into a 500-kilometer-high orbit by a Russian Soyuz rocket. When in orbit, the satellite, which is

Technology Jan. 22, 2021

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has begun supplying slimmer three-socket multilayer ceramic capacitors, or MLCCs, to global smartphone makers, the electronic components maker said Wednesday.　 The company’s latest MCCC model, 0.65 millimeter thin, is 18 percent smaller than existing products, allowing phone designers to spare internal space in mobile devices. It has also one additional earth socket than existing products and reduces high-frequency power noise, the company said. A MLCC is a k

Technology Jan. 20, 2021

Samsung Electronics Wednesday announced the global launch of its new consumer solid state drive series. The 870 EVO SSD series will be available in around 40 countries, starting with South Korea and the US, according to the company. Samsung Electronics’ new SATA solution, which features the company’s latest V-NAND and controller, allows maximum sequential read and write speeds of 560 and 530 megabytes per second, respectively. It also boasts 38 percent faster read and write spee

Technology Jan. 20, 2021

Washing machines made by South Korea‘s LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics swept the top spots in a ranking by American consumer organization Consumer Reports, according to industry sources Tuesday. LG Electronics ranked first in the front-load washer, top-load agitator washer and top-load high-efficiency washer segments, becoming the first non-US firm to win three out of five washing machines categories in the ratings compiled by the organization. LG Electronics continued its stren

Industry Jan. 19, 2021

PoongLim Pharmatech, a local medical device manufacturer, will produce 10 million syringes a month for COVID-19 vaccines, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said Tuesday. The Gunsan, North Jeolla Province-based firm recently finished repurposing its factory as a smart manufacturing facility to produce a more efficient type of syringe, known as a low-dead-space syringe. It is designed to minimize the amount of fluid left between the plunger and needle after a shot. PoongLim’s syringe rec

Technology Jan. 19, 2021

Samsung Electronics will introduce a smart tracking tag this week to help users find lost items, the company announced Monday. Dubbed the Galaxy SmartTag, the product will go on sale here Tuesday for a retail price of 29,700 won, the company said. The brand-new Bluetooth tracker is designed to help users locate lost items such as their keys, phones, pets and anything that they could misplace. By attaching the dongle to your personal belongings, SmartTag will emit an alarm sound when you

Technology Jan. 18, 2021