SK Telecom plans to install Mobileye ADAS in 200 vehicles run by local car-sharing firm SoCar in a move to test its own safety technologies integrated with network, according to a source familiar with the matter. Israeli tech firm Mobileye’s advanced driver-assistance system, or ADAS, refers to vehicle systems used by most global automakers as a safety feature. It alerts drivers to potential collisions or accidents and helps them keep in the correct lane.The local telecom operator plans to integ

Industry Aug. 8, 2017

LG Electronics appears to be finding it difficult to turn around its money-losing smartphone business this year. But the tech firm could retain the business if it seeks synergy with its new businesses, such as smart home appliances and connected cars, according to industry watchers. Ahead of launching its flagship smartphone G6 early this year, the Korean tech giant was confident about turning around its smartphone unit during a conference call, after seeing losses for seven straight quarters. A

Industry Aug. 7, 2017

Samsung Electronics has reclaimed the top spot in the North American smartphone market from its rival Apple, driven by strong sales of its latest flagship smartphone Galaxy S8, according to a US report. In the second quarter, the world’s largest smartphone maker by sales grabbed a 33 percent share in the US market, shipping 13.4 million units of smartphones, according to a report released by Strategy Analytics on Wednesday. Apple took a 25 percent share with 10.1 million units of sales in the sa

Industry Aug. 4, 2017

Samsung SDI, LG Chem and SK Innovation are seeking a breakthrough by diversifying their products and markets as their plants in China for electric vehicle batteries face a setback in the world’s largest EV market. The Korean battery makers failed to get battery certifications from China in June of last year and have since been repeatedly left out from government subsidies. The move that has been seen by industry watchers as retaliation against Korea’s deployment of a US anti-missile system pushe

Industry Aug. 2, 2017

Samsung Electronics reshuffled its Chinese arm Tuesday with the aim of turning around its sluggish business in the world’s largest smartphone market, but the Korean tech giant denied speculations of job cuts resulting from the reshuffle.“We have reshuffled our Chinese unit today in the hope of reversing declining sales. Seven sales points have been closed and replaced by more segmented 22 bases to be more closely supervised by the Beijing headquarters,” a Samsung Electronics’ official told The K

Industry Aug. 1, 2017

Home appliance makers are releasing new devices with superhero and movie themes to stand out in the increasingly saturated market and appeal to a growing number of “kidults,” adults with interests similar to children. Local firm Dongbu Daewoo Electronics said Monday it had launched limited edition Marvel Comics-themed refrigerators in partnership with the US entertainment firm The Walt Disney Co. The small refrigerators feature the characters Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America, fictional s

Industry July 31, 2017

The heads of South Korean conglomerates including Samsung, Hyundai Motor and Hanwha appear to have passed a qualification screening by financial authorities, which tested whether they are eligible to run or own financial arms of the group they lead. However, questions are being raised over the effectiveness of the screening, as it allows those who have been indicted on charges of malpractice and embezzlement. The Financial Services Commission said Sunday, “We found no distinct problems while scr

Industry July 30, 2017

Samsung Electronics, which posted record-high revenue, operating profit and net profit in the second quarter, is expected to post another top profit number in the next quarter on a continued chip boom and its new OLED panel supply for Apple’s new iPhones. The South Korean electronics giant said Thursday it posted 61 trillion won ($54 billion) in sales and 14 trillion won in operating profit between April and June, rising 19 percent and 72 percent, respectively, from the previous year. Samsung sa

Industry July 27, 2017

Samsung Electronics posted its best quarterly profit in the second quarter due to a boom in memory chips. The South Korean electronics giant said Thursday that it posted 61 trillion won ($ 54 billion) in sales and 14 trillion won in operating profit in the April-June period, rising 19 percent and 72 percent, respectively, from the previous year. Samsung said its record-high earnings were mainly buoyed by the booming chip market amid rising demand for storage products. Samsung’s chip unit posted

Industry July 27, 2017

In response to a supply shortage of cobalt, a key ingredient used in lithium-ion batteries, South Korean battery makers Samsung SDI and LG Chem are stepping up development of new batteries and diversifying their material suppliers.Amid growing demand for the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles and smartphones, cobalt, the key energy metal, has seen a decline in production this year driven mainly by the unstable political situation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which account

Industry July 26, 2017

LG Display announced Tuesday a new investment of 7.8 trillion won ($6.9 billion) for organic light-emitting diode panels, pinning its hopes on the emerging OLED market and hoping to become the second OLED display supplier for Apple’s iPhones.The investment plan, which was decided at its board meeting, includes 5 trillion won for small plastic OLED and 2.8 trillion won for large OLED out of the total 7.8 trillion won.“We made the meaningful decision in the TV and plastic OLED with the confidence

Industry July 25, 2017

SK hynix reported its best-ever quarterly operating profit in two successive quarters, amid favorable conditions in DRAM and NAND flash markets, the chipmaker announced Tuesday. The firm said it posted 6.6 trillion won ($5.9 billion) in sales and 3.05 trillion won in operating profit, rising by 69 percent and 573 percent, respectively, in the April-June period on-year. The ratio of operating gains to revenue was 46 percent, also setting a new record in surpassing the 40 percent posted in 2004.Th

Industry July 25, 2017

Samsung SDI has recognized seven employees at its Ulsan plant producing batteries for electric vehicles as “technology meisters,” the firm said on Monday. Samsung SDI’s hall of fame for its “technology meisters” /Samsung SDIDuring the ceremony held last week, seven employees that were newly added as technology meisters in the first half of this year were presented certification trophies from the company CEO Jun Young-hyun. “Your efforts to develop aptitude will become a base for the company’s co

Industry July 24, 2017

SK Telecom said Sunday it has developed the world’s smallest chip to generate random number utilizing its quantum technology, which can significantly raise the security level of connected devices and vehicles.“We have developed a prototype of Quantum Random Number Generator, which is small enough to be used for diverse electronics devices including self-driving cars, smartphones and drones to prevent them from being hacked,” a SK Telecom spokesperson said. Quantum, which is the minimum amount of

Industry July 23, 2017