Merck, the German science and technology group, said Friday it is changing the name of its performance materials business to electronics. The renaming is part of a strategic realignment it has made since 2018 under its “Bright Future” transformation program. “The renaming of our business sector to Electronics is a logical step for us,” said Kai Beckmann, member of the executive board of Merck and Electronics CEO. “After all, the new name underscores our strat

Technology March 5, 2021

South Korea went up one spot to place fourth in terms of the number of international patent filings, according to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Thursday. The country’s applications for international patent rights to the World Intellectual Property Office increased 5.2 percent from 19,073 in 2019 to 20,060 in 2020, the patent body said. Korea, who placed fifth from 2010 to 2019, follows China, the United States and Japan. The growth in patent filings was made largely in

Technology March 4, 2021

The United States International Trade Commission has launched an investigation into an allegation that Samsung Electronics violated a patent related to LTE devices. According to the ITC on Tuesday in the US, the commission voted to institute an investigation of certain LTE-compliant cellular communication devices sold by Samsung and Motorola. The complaint was filed by Austin-based communication device company Evolved Wireless last month. The US firm claimed the importation into the US and

Technology March 3, 2021

LG Innotek said Tuesday it has developed the world’s first automotive Wi-Fi 6E module that would enable passengers to enjoy watching movies or playing games with seamless connections in cars. The electronic parts manufacturing affiliate of LG Group said the automotive Wi-Fi 6E module using 6GHz bandwidth boasts a data transmission speed of 1.2 gigabits per second that is approximately three times faster than the existing Wi-Fi 5. It only takes 2 milliseconds to connect to the network,

Technology March 2, 2021

South Korea’s share in global research and development spending in technology has waned as China’s is rapidly rising, a comparative report by the Federation of Korean Industries showed on Tuesday. The number of Korean companies that made it to the list of leading 2,500 corporate investors in R&D plunged from 80 in 2014 to 56 in 2019, the report revealed. The Korean firms’ share in the total value of R&D investments also shrunk from 3.9 percent to 3.6 percent during

Industry March 2, 2021

Despite the fallout from the ongoing trade dispute and COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea retained its position as the world’s seventh-largest exporter in 2020, showed data released by the World Trade Organization on Sunday. According to the WTO report on trade trends of major economies in 2020, Korea’s ranking in global trade was in seventh place last year, unchanged from the previous year. Asia’s fourth largest economy accounted for 3.1 percent of world exports, following Ch

Industry Feb. 28, 2021

LG Group unveiled its first achievement in artificial intelligence research conducted by the group’s AI research arm. The South Korean conglomerate announced two academic papers on explainable AI and continual learning in collaboration with University of Toronto, through the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Explainable AI, co-researched by a team led by Professor Konstantinos Plataniotis, refers to a technology that easily explains a result of its research to

Technology Feb. 25, 2021

LG Electronics’ potential plan to discontinue the smartphone business would have ripple effects on jobs in its overseas production bases, persons working for LG outside Korea said. 　 According to workers assembling LG phones at the company’s Brazil factory, local employees are paying keen attention to the circulating rumors about the Korean vendor’s plans for the struggling phone business. “The latest reports about LG’s sale of its smartphone business have made u

Technology Feb. 25, 2021

Apple will open its second Apple Store in South Korea this Friday in a move to expand its presence in the main turf of archrival Samsung Electronics. Called Apple Yeouido, the second Apple Store is located on the L1 floor of IFC Mall in Yeouido, western Seoul, which is the epicenter of finance, politics and broadcasting. It is about the same size as the company’s first store, in Garosugil in southern Seoul, which opened in January 2018 and has become a must-visit spot for Apple fans

Technology Feb. 24, 2021

Samsung Electronics announced on Tuesday it is launching the advanced image sensor ISOCELL GN2 with a more true-to-life auto focus function that makes the microchip operate similar to human eyes. ISOCELL is Samsung’s image sensor brand developed by its System LSI Business. Samsung, which is on a path to expand its presence in the system-on-chip market, including the image sensor sector, has been increasing efforts to bolster its product lineup. The newest ISOCELL GN2 boasts a new 5

Technology Feb. 23, 2021

Governmental ministers from multiple countries gathered on Tuesday at the Connected for Shared Prosperity forum co-hosted by Huawei and GSMA to mark the opening of Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021. Speakers, including ministers from Spain, Portugal, Hungary and more, agreed that the global economic recovery is increasing instep with greater enforcement of pandemic control measures. They also agreed that reductions in emissions, more jobs, and more initiatives in facilitating prosperity ar

Technology Feb. 23, 2021

The world is undergoing an unprecedented dearth of microchips needed for a wide spectrum of everyday gadgets from gaming consoles, smartphones, tablets and home appliances to TVs, as well as automobiles that are increasingly being electrified. The current chip shortage appears to be the consequence of multiple global issues including the prolonging trade dispute between the United States and China, COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters occurring in regions with large semiconductor production

Technology Feb. 21, 2021

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Friday underscored the importance of cooperation among players in the lithium-ion battery industry during a webinar hosted by the group’s foundation. During the online seminar hosted by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, the chairman attributed the recent success of the battery industry to “the longtime cooperation among researchers from the academia and industry.” “Such cooperation is crucial to expand the battery ecosystem i

Technology Feb. 19, 2021

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading petrochemical, high-tech material and biopharmaceutical company, has set out to innovate its business model as it shifts focus to sustainability. Last year, the flagship LG affiliate announced its sustainability strategy that pivots on carbon neutrality to be achieved by 2050 as the first Korean chemical firm. The company has recently committed to using 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 to join the global clean energy RE100 initiative led by the in

Technology Feb. 18, 2021

Samsung Electronics will hold a launch show for its TV products, dubbed “Unbox & Discover,” next month. Samsung said Thursday it has sent out invitations to global partners and media for the event set for March 2. “Samsung will share its vision for how the company’s latest innovative products are set to redefine the role of the TV through cutting-edge technologies, beautiful design and impactful partnerships,” it said. The company is expected to unveil

Technology Feb. 18, 2021