Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's leading tech firm, said Thursday it has selected 12 research projects to help the country's efforts to secure future science technologies. Samsung said it will provide 12.35 billion won ($10.3 million) to 12 research projects in six areas. Since 2014, the company has been naming research themes that require more research for South Korea's technological competitive edge. This year, the selected research fields include disruptive semiconductor technologie

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled an ultraviolet sterilizer with wireless charging for mobile gadgets like smartphones as hygiene awareness is growing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The portable UV sterilizer, manufactured by Samsung C&T, can disinfect smartphones, earbuds and even glasses in 10 minutes, according to the company. It kills up to 99 percent of bacteria and germs, including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, according to tests done by two independen

LG Electronics has supplied its first autonomous driving-based serve bot for Seoul National University Hospital, announcing the robot’s commercialization Wednesday. The LG CLOi serve bot was installed at the outpatient unit of the hospital on Tuesday, which started carrying devices, treatment kits and other necessities for treating patients through the corridors of the hospital building. It features autonomous driving technology that can detect and avoid obstacles. The serve bot is

South Korea's two major electronics firms on Wednesday released their new soundbar products as they aim to expand their presences in the home audio market. Samsung Electronics Co. announced the global launch of its two new premium soundbars, the HW-Q950T and the HW-Q900T, which completes its full 2020 Q-series soundbar lineup. The new soundbars will be sold in major markets in stages, starting with Australia. In South Korea, both products will be launched next Tuesday, with the HW-Q950T pric

Samsung Electronics will throw its signature Unpacked show for new Galaxy products online for the first time on Aug. 5, according to the company’s invitation sent to global media and partners on Wednesday. The invitation displayed an image of a bronze-colored crown, which might be the signature color for the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series. The event will be broadcast live on Samsung’s corporate homepage and its newsroom website. The South Korean tech giant is expected to pres

Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday said it will launch an ultraviolet (UV) light sterilizer for smartphones to meet a growing need for mobile device sanitization amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Samsung said its new UV sterilizer with wireless charging will be sold in South Korea with a price tag of 49,500 won ($40). The latest device was manufactured by Samsung C&T, a partner of Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program (SMAPP), the tech giant added. Samsung said its portable

LG Electronics on Tuesday announced its preliminary earnings for the second quarter of this year, beating forecasts by market watchers over concerns about sales falls during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the earnings guidance, LG is expected to have posted 12.8 trillion won ($10.7 billion) in revenue and 493.1 billion won in operating profit for the April-June period. The figures were down 17.9 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. The second-quarter operating

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, a state-funded research body under the ICT Ministry, announced Tuesday that it has rolled out an educational program designed to nurture experts in artificial intelligence. The new educational program has been launched jointly by AWS and Nvidia’s regional offices, which provided assistance to develop the curriculum, according to ETRI. ETRI’s new curriculum includes platforms that allow students to get hands-on training i

Tech giant to see W8.1tr in operating profit despite COVID-19 woes

The leaders of South Korea’s leading IT firms have called on lawmakers to change regulations for fair competition with foreign tech companies at the National Assembly on Monday. Kakao CEO Yeo Min-so, Naver CEO Han Seong-sook, Woowa Brothers CEO Kim Beom-joon and other tech leaders joined the forum held by lawmakers. “Local and foreign companies are offering their services here, but the regulations and penalties that bind them are seemingly different,” Kakao CEO Yeo said. W

A professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology is currently being investigated by the prosecution for allegedly handing over technology related to autonomous driving to China for financial gain, according to news reports and the ICT Ministry on Monday. The Daejeon Prosecutors‘ Office is currently investingating the professor, who reportedly received around 300 million won from a China-based college where he was dispatched for academic programs. The prosecutors ar

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong stressed the spirit of challenge toward the future at a meeting with employees in the startup program C Lab at the firm’s Suwon office in Gyeonggi Province on Monday. C-Lab is the South Korean tech firm’s in-house incubation program introduced in 2012 aimed at spreading creative organizational culture. Participating executives and employees will be given the opportunity to implement creative ideas they have come up with for one year.

Samsung Electronics may face tougher competition in the global 5G smartphone market starting in the second half this year when Apple launches its new smartphone that supports the fifth generation network, latest report showed Sunday. According to Strategy Analytics’ report, the total 5G smartphone sales this year is expected to reach 234 million devices, accounting around 15 percent of all smartphone sales. The number of 5G-compatible phones sold last year was 18.6 million, it added.

SK Telecom has launched an application that provides recommendations for restaurants by using big data analysis, the company said Sunday. The newly launched app uses big data compiled by the telecommunications firm’s mobile navigation service Tmap. According to the company, the number of users of the navigation services has reached 18 million, and it has some 1.8 billion points of data indicating restaurant visits over the past five years. SK Telecom noted that the new application util

Samsung Electronics will provide 100 percent performance-based bonuses to the employees of the semiconductor division next week, industry sources said Friday. The world’s biggest memory chip provider is planning to give its workers a half-year bonus, dubbed “target achievement incentives” based on their performances, which could be a maximum of 100 percent of their monthly salary. While the employees of the chipmaking unit are reportedly said to receive bonuses that are eq