LG Innotek, the high-tech parts making unit of LG Group, said Wednesday the company has developed a “highly efficient” ferrite material to be used for ultra slim TVs and vehicles. Ferrite, made of iron oxide power, is used to change voltage in power modules for TVs and on board chargers in vehicles. As home appliances including TVs and electric vehicles go slimmer and lighter, the ferrite has become a viable material. LG’s ferrite can make power modules for TVs as thin as

Technology Oct. 14, 2020

Samsung Electronic Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong met top executives of Dutch semiconductor equipment provider ASML, the company said Wednesday. Lee held a meeting with Peter Wennink, ASML’s chief executive officer, and Martin van den Brink, chief technology officer, in which they discussed supply and operation plans for extreme ultraviolet equipment that is needed for production of chips on 7-nanometer processes and below. They also talked about increasing cooperation on next-generation

Technology Oct. 14, 2020

Kim Ran-do, renowned scholar on fast-emerging trends in South Korea, has defined the year 2021 as “Cowboy Hero” as he announced 10 key words for next year that would continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through an online lecture live-streamed on YouTube to mark publication of his latest publication Trend Korea 2021 late Tuesday, the professor from Seoul National University created the term “Cowboy Hero” from the initial letters of 10 key phrases. “W

Industry Oct. 14, 2020

Samsung Electronics on Thursday announced an earnings surprise for the third quarter of this year, posting the largest operating profit in two years. The South Korean tech giant said in its preliminary earnings report that it would register 66 trillion won ($57.01 billion) in revenue and 12.3 trillion won in operating profit for the July to September period. It was a surprise, since the financial market’s profit forecasts hovered around 10 trillion won. If confirmed, the Q3 revenue

Technology Oct. 8, 2020

Samsung Electronics on Thursday announced an earnings surprise for the third quarter of this year, posting the largest operating profit in two years. The South Korean tech giant said in its preliminary earnings report that it would register 66 trillion won ($57.01 billion) in revenue and 12.3 trillion won in operating profit for the July to September period. It was a surprise, since the financial market’s forecasts hovered around 10 trillion won. If confirmed, the Q3 revenue will hav

Industry Oct. 8, 2020

Winia Daewoo announced on Wednesday that the company has renamed itself Winia Electronics as part of its strategy to reinforce its business at home and abroad. Winia Daewoo is the home appliance unit of Daeyu Winia Group, which was launched in 2018 as the result of Daeyu’s acquisition of Dongbu Daewoo Electronics. The company provides mid-range home appliances, including refrigerators, air conditioners and electronic rice cookers. The rebranding comes after the overseas trademark li

Technology Oct. 7, 2020

South Korean memory chipmaker SK hynix announced Tuesday the company will launch the fifth generation of DRAM chips, DDR5, as the first in the world. Compared to its predecessor DDR4, the latest edition is 1.8 times faster and consumes 20 percent less power, making it optimal for big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions. SK had embarked on development of the first 16-gigabit DDR5 in November 2018 and sought cooperation from customers like Intel to complete verificat

Technology Oct. 6, 2020

Anticipations are high for South Korea’s electronics industry to announce earnings surprises for the third quarter, despite initial worries about the impact of COVID-19, according to industry sources Monday. Due to higher sales of semiconductors, smartphones and home appliances over the last three months, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are forecast to report increased operating profits for the July-September period. According to the latest forecasts by financial market research

Technology Oct. 5, 2020

South Korea’s business community expects to see the imminent relaxation of entry restrictions for travelers to Japan amid hopes of improving economic relations between the two countries, according to industry sources on Sunday. Regarding the possibility of the two governments pounding out an agreement easing the seven-month-long restrictions on entry to Japan amid the COVID-19 pandemic, industry officials are optimistic about maintaining better business relations with their Japanese pa

Industry Oct. 4, 2020

Seventy-five new COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday, staying below 100 for the third straight day over South Korea’s biggest national holidays Chuseok. According to the daily tally announced by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 75 more COVID-19 cases, raising the total infection figure to 24,027. There were 52 local infections. After hitting 133 on Wednesday, daily infections have declined back to double-digit figures during the three-day Chuse

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2020

Suffering from stalled growth in recent years, the smartphone market remained dull until the first half of this year amid the gloomy sentiment driven by the pandemic. But starting with Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 20 launch in August followed by LG Electronics’ new swiveling form factor smartphone in September, the market is seeing consumer excitement grow again with the releases of new models. Among others, the launches of new form factors seem to be leading the overall recov

Technology Oct. 1, 2020

Will we ever be able to feel the excitement and joy that we had at airports before the COVID-19 outbreak?  After eight months of border shutdowns, the Incheon International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in Asia, appears to be trying to return to normalcy.  Yet, the third-floor departure area remains eerily quiet, as people continue to refrain from flying abroad under travel restrictions.  On the first floor for arrivals, hundreds of quarantine officials are s

Travel Sept. 26, 2020

Korean mobile carriers are preparing a variety of communication services and events for people staying at home during the Chuseok holidays next week. KT, the country’s No. 2 telecom company by subscribers, said Friday it will launch a challenge using the rich communication service, known as RCS, which is aimed to encourage people to send messages to loved ones. The RCS, which is a free messaging service launched between the country’s three major mobile carriers, can open gro

Technology Sept. 25, 2020

Samsung Display said Thursday the company has received the highest level of certification for its efforts to produce no industrial waste from Underwriters Laboratories as the first Korean manufacturer. The Korean panel maker’s production site (line No.1) in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, obtained a platinum grade in the zero waste to landfill segment. Underwriters Laboratories grants the platinum level for manufacturing sites that recycle all of their industrial waste, while givin

Technology Sept. 24, 2020

LG Electronics unveiled a collaboration on future car interiors with Hyundai Motor Company, the tech giant said Thursday. Dubbed the “Ioniq Concept Cabin,” the model offers a glimpse of the inside of how future vehicles could look like if they go fully electrified. The two companies focused on maximizing the benefit of greater space inside of future electric vehicles than conventional combustion engine cars, aiming to make passengers feel at home. The Ioniq Concept Cabin feat

Technology Sept. 24, 2020