Korean electronics and telecom carriers are fiercely competing to take the leadership in 5th-generation mobile networks, or 5G, viewing it as the next-generation technology. Transmitting data 20 times faster than 4G, 5G is expected to be a platform enabling growth in information technology, automobiles, entertainment and manufacturing industries.LG Electronics said Sunday it demonstrated Full Duplex Radio, or FDR, for the first time in the world in partnership with Yonsei University. FDR is a st

Technology Dec. 4, 2016

Samsung Electronics recently hired a law firm to respond to a series of lawsuits over the Galaxy Note 7, which were discontinued due to explosion cases, according to local news reports Sunday. The news reports said the Korean tech giant hired Lee & Ko in response to the class-action lawsuit filed by 2,400 local consumers and to lawsuits filed by five individuals. The five claimed they suffered physical damages including burns and respiratory diseases due to the explosions of Note 7. “We gave eno

Technology Dec. 4, 2016

The first Apple Store in South Korea is expected to open in late 2017, potentially putting an end to the poor services received by iPhone users here. According to local news reports Thursday, citing mobile and architecture sources, an Apple Store is currently under construction in Garosugil, a shopping district in southern Seoul, and is expected to be completed in November 2017.The store is designed by London-based architecture firm Foster and Partners, the news reports said citing papers submit

Technology Dec. 1, 2016

Samsung Electronics is facing a patent lawsuit from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology in the US, the institute confirmed Wednesday. KAIST IP, the institute’s intellectual property management arm, said it sued Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm and Global Foundries in a Texas court, claiming they used KAIST’s chip technology without permission. Texas is where Samsung’s Austin chip plant is located. KAIST is a state-run research institute set up in 1971 with the aim of improving rese

Technology Nov. 30, 2016

Korea Industrial Complex Corp. aims to increase its support for auto parts exporters looking to increase sales to Vietnam, the state-run corporation said Tuesday. KICOX is a government agency set up in 1997 to support companies in industrial complexes here. Since 2010, the corporation has carried out diverse programs to support auto parts companies in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. It has built a network with Vietnamese regional governments, the automobile manufacturers’ association and au

Industry Nov. 29, 2016

Samsung Electronics is set to unveil its position Tuesday on a proposal to split the company into two, a suggestion made by activist hedge fund Elliott Management.In early October, Elliott called on Samsung Electronics to separate into a holding company for ownership purposes and an operating company. It also suggested dual-listing the operating company on the US exchange Nasdaq and paying shareholders a special dividend of $27 billion. In response to the proposals, Samsung had said it would sha

Industry Nov. 28, 2016

Apple recently faced a fresh round of complaints over its customer support in South Korea, after belatedly providing a Korean announcement for replacing problematic iPhone batteries.On Sunday, Apple posted an announcement in English only on its Korean website about how to replace batteries if the device unexpectedly shuts down. This was different from Apple’s move to immediately post a Chinese announcement after receiving complaints from Chinese consumers. The move here immediately stoked compla

Technology Nov. 24, 2016

As part of its full-fledged initiative of new growth engines, Samsung has recently quickened steps toward connected car technologies that are expected to play a major part in the conglomerate’s future pillars of electronics, bio and finance.After setting up an automotive electronics team in December, Samsung Electronics recently announced a deal to buy the US car infotainment provider Harman International Industries for $8 billion. This is the latest in a series of the company’s push into the co

Technology Nov. 23, 2016

Concerns are growing among South Korean businesses after political parties agreed on Monday to call in eight conglomerate heads to December’s parliamentary hearings over the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.Samsung Electronics’ Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will be summoned to testify alongside the chairmen of LG, Hyundai Motor, SK, Lotte, Hanwha, Hanjin and CJ. The business heads are suspected of having made donations to the Mir and K-Sports foundatio

Industry Nov. 22, 2016

Samsung Electronics on Monday reaffirmed its intention of becoming a Tier 1 car supplier instead of becoming an automaker, denying rampant speculation that had followed its surprise announcement to acquire a leading maker of connected car solutions“Over the last week since the Samsung-Harman deal, we have visited many key automotive clients globally and made sure that we wanted to become primary solution provider, Tier 1,” said Harman International Industries’ CEO Dinesh Paliwal at the press bri

Technology Nov. 21, 2016

Mercedes-Benz has recently launched two sport utility vehicles, GLS and GLE Coupe, in South Korea to target the growing premium SUV market. “We have achieved the goal of doubling SUV sales this year thanks to the continued rollout of upgraded models,” Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO Dimitris Psillakis said at a recent launch event. 　The chief also added that the SUV market in Korea is expected to continue growing, despite the saturated vehicle market here.The German auto giant had sold 7,454 SUVs this y

Mobility Nov. 21, 2016

SsangYong Motor’s flagship model Tivoli has retained the top spot in the compact SUV market in Korea with the continued rollout of upgraded models. Tivoli is SsangYong’s first vehicle -- which was released in early 2015 -- since Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group bought the Korean automaker in 2011. It cumulatively sold 91,000 units locally and 130,000 units globally. On its home turf, Tivoli takes up 56 percent of the market share, with sales of around 46,000 units this year through October. Ki

Mobility Nov. 20, 2016

LG Electronics on Thursday unveiled its new air purifier, the latest in its air care brand PuriCare lineup launched late last year. The cylinder-shaped device quickly purifies air with its 360-degree air intake and a booster that creates a strong wind for faster cleaning process, the company said. “We will expand our air purifier business into the US, China and Europe following the launch in Korea,” LG Electronics’ CEO Cho Seong-jin said at a launch event held at the company’s headquarters in Se

Technology Nov. 17, 2016