During a launching ceremony Wednesday, LG Electronics announced price cuts for its flagship organic light-emitting diode TV lineup and vowed to boost annual sales of OLED models, which are up against liquid-crystal display TVs. Including the LG OLED TV AI ThinQ, the company unveiled nine OLED TV models featuring the second generation of deep-learning processor Alpha 9, which will be released in the market this week. The Alpha 9 Gen 2 processor in LG’s W, E and C series of OLED TVs elevates pictu

Technology March 6, 2019

What is being called “QLED TV” in today’s market is technically a liquid-crystal display TV using quantum dots, said Han Sang-beom, vice chairman of LG Display, the world’s largest provider of organic light-emitting diode panels, on Wednesday. “There is a need to clarify technical differences between QLED and OLED due to confusion in the market,” Han told reporters after a study session on the company’s OLED technology, at the LG Science Park in Magok, northwestern Seoul. QLED TV is Samsung Elec

Technology Feb. 28, 2019

SK Innovation on Wednesday announced a plan to spin off its material business unit while endorsing a 945.2 billion won ($844.6 million) investment for building a second manufacturing plant for electric vehicle batteries in Hungary.The energy and chemical affiliate of SK Group said its board has approved the plan to spin off its information and electronic material division, with the timeline of splitting the unit into a subsidiary by April 1.  (Yonhap)The material division has made SK Innovation

Industry Feb. 27, 2019

A second meeting between Samsung Electronics’ chief and the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates raised speculations Tuesday that the South Korean tech titan could take over ownership of the world’s third-biggest foundry business, GlobalFoundries. UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan was scheduled to visit Samsung’s production facilities in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday during his visit to Seoul. Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong greeted the UAE prince and took him on a

Technology Feb. 26, 2019

With the announcement of the V50 ThinQ phone, one thing has been clear: LG Electronics is out, for now, of the unfolding competition for foldable phones. According to online communities, tech bloggers and influencers on Monday, the South Korean smartphone manufacturer’s unveiling of its latest flagship phones for 2019 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, gave an impression that LG is “kind of lost” in its attempts to keep up with fast-changing trends in the mobile world. As Samsung

Technology Feb. 25, 2019

The de facto heads of South Korea’s two biggest conglomerates met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a state lunch at Cheong Wa Dae, according to industry sources on Friday. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun attended the luncheon at the request of the Indian government to discuss their business operations in India.  (Yonhap) (Yonhap)It was not immediately known what the Indian state leader hoped to discuss with th

Industry Feb. 22, 2019

Samsung Electronics announced Friday that it has completed chipset development for fifth-generation network base stations. The core components of the 5G chipsets are mmWave radio frequency integrated circuits and digital/analog front-end ASICs, supporting 28-gigahertz and 39-gigahertz bands.  (Samsung Electronics) (Samsung Electronics)Samsung’s new RFICs and DAFE ASICs enable a reduction in size, weight and power consumption of about 25 percent for the 5G base stations when compared with previou

Technology Feb. 22, 2019

Samsung Electronics will roll out all its latest Galaxy gadgets including the foldable model within the first half of this year, a move seen as a strategy to restore its smartphone business revenue, according to industry sources Thursday. Preorders for the three models of the Galaxy S10 edition -- Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ -- will begin Monday for two weeks through the country’s three mobile carriers. The 5G model will be available for preorder starting March 22.  Visitors look at

Industry Feb. 21, 2019

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip provider, announced Thursday it will invest a total of 120 trillion won ($106.65 billion) to build four fabrication lines at a new semiconductor industrial complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. According to the announcement, a special purpose company set up by SK Engineering & Construction and multiple financial investors has submitted a letter of intent for the investment to the city of Yongin, joining forces to help create a fresh cluster for ch

Technology Feb. 21, 2019

Samsung Electronics has finally unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, at the Unpacked event for the 10th anniversary edition of Galaxy S phones in San Francisco on Wednesday. The highly anticipated Galaxy Fold features the world’s first 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display, which folds into a compact device with a cover display, offering a new way of multitasking, including watching videos and playing games. “Today, Samsung is writing the next chapter in mobile innovation history by

Technology Feb. 21, 2019

A day before the official unveiling of the 10th-anniversary Galaxy smartphone series in San Francisco, nearly every detail about the newest Samsung products was leaked in an alleged mishap that even involved airing a TV commercial, various reports said on Wednesday. The 30-second ad for the Galaxy S10 series aired on TV2, the largest commercial broadcaster in Norway. (Samsung Electronics)Creating hype before a product launch by releasing teasers can often be part of a marketing strategy, but thi

Technology Feb. 20, 2019

SK hynix has become the 14th company in the world and the first in South Korea to obtain international Zero Waste to Landfill certification, the company said Tuesday. The honor is granted to businesses that send almost no waste to landfills despite running manufacturing facilities. The semiconductor supplier has diverted 90 percent of the waste from its main corporate campus in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, away from landfills and toward alternative disposal methods such as reuse or recycling. For

Technology Feb. 19, 2019

LG Innotek said Tuesday it will start mass-producing 3D sensing modules for smartphones, including LG Electronics’ upcoming G8 ThinQ phones. The electronics parts supplier of LG Group is rolling out the time-of-flight module, known as ToF. LG Electronics had previously announced that it had adopted the ToF sensor made by Germany’s Infineon Technologies for its new flagship phone G8 ThinQ.  ToF module (LG Innotek)The ToF sensor supplied by the German firm and assembled into a module by LG Innotek

Technology Feb. 19, 2019

SK Innovation’s decision to build a US production facility for electric vehicle batteries in Commerce, Georgia, will help raise public awareness and understanding of the next-generation vehicle technology according to the city’s mayor. Mayor Clark Hill visited Seoul for a weeklong trip that will involve a tour of SK Innovation’s EV battery plant in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and some learning about Korea’s cultural aspects. “SK’s participation in the

Economy Feb. 19, 2019

Kwon Young-soo, chief operating officer of LG Corp., will be appointed an executive director of the board of LG Electronics at a shareholders meeting next month, the electronics company said Monday. Kwon is a close aide to LG Corp. Chairman Koo Kwang-mo.  Koo Bon-joon, Chairman Koo’s uncle, will not be reappointed as a board member, and the industry views his departure to make room for younger successors as part of the LG family tradition. LG Electronics will hold its shareholders mee

Economy Feb. 18, 2019