The Korea Herald

Roche Diagnostics receives approval for COVID-19 test

May 6, 2021

Roche Diagnostics Korea announced Thursday that the company has received approval for the cobas test, an assay used to specifically detect the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in laboratories settings. According to Roche, the cobas test is capable of qualitative detection and differentiation between SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A and Influenza B present in nasal swab samples collected from individuals suspected of a respiratory infection. Roche’s laboratory-based assay cobas SARS
Samsung’s foundry biz enhances chip packaging tech

May 6, 2021

Samsung’s foundry biz enhances chip packaging tech By Song Su-hyun Amid the heightening competition in the global chip foundry market, Samsung Electronics unveiled a new packaging technology Thursday that would help differentiate its foundry service. Samsung said it has completed the development of the next-generation 2.5D packaging technology named Interposer-Cube4, or I-Cube4, which is immediately available for customers. Samsung’s I-Cube is a heterogeneous integration technology that hor
Kakao’s Q1 profit hits record high on mobility, fintech business growth

May 6, 2021

Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea’s top messaging app KakaoTalk, posted a record-breaking revenue of 1.25 trillion won ($1.1 billion) for the first quarter, up 45 percent from a year earlier, the company said Thursday. Its operating profit also rose by 79 percent to a record-breaking 157.5 billion won during the same period, largely on the back of its taxi-hailing and digital wallet services. The relatively new platform business, including Talk Biz, Portal Biz and New Business, ra
KT to form AI lab with IBM Korea and Woori Bank

May 6, 2021

KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, said Thursday it has formed business ties with IBM Korea and local major banking firm Woori Bank to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology for financial services. The three will establish an AI lab to develop new services, such as an AI-based language model specifically designed for the financial sector and an asset management system that uses AI technology to make quick and accurate market predictions, according to a statement from the telecom o
Samsung to maintain 3rd spot in hearables market in 2021: report

May 6, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to stay on as the world's third largest vendor of true wireless stereo (TWS) products, including wireless earbuds, for this year as competition heats up in the fast-growing hearables market, a report showed Thursday. Samsung's market share in 2021 was estimated to stay unchanged at 7 percent and sit behind its rivals Apple Inc. and Xiaomi Corp., according to market tracker Counterpoint Research. The South Korean tech giant, which makes Galaxy Buds in-ear dev
COVID-19 self-test kits to hit local convenience stores shelves

May 5, 2021

COVID-19 self-test kits developed by local companies are available at convenience stores here, startubg Wednesday. GS Retail announced Wednesday that the company’s convenience store chain GS25 would begin the sale of COVID-19 self-test kits at around 2,000 locations nationwide, the South Korean retail company said. They products would be also available at the company’s grocery store chain GS Supermarket and health and beauty chain Lalavla, starting on Friday. There are two produ
[Herald Interview] AI inevitable force to shape education: Riiid

May 5, 2021

Korean education startup sees huge potential in ’AI tutor‘ as education struggles to overcome pandemic shock
US trade court lifts import ban on Daewoong’s Nabota

May 4, 2021

The US International Trade Commission has lifted a 21-month ban on the sale of Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s botulinum toxin product Nabota, or Jeuveau, in the United States, according to an announcement from Medytox on Tuesday. The decision allows Evolus, a US partner of South Korea’s Daewoong, to resume sales of Nabota in the US, after a legal battle between Medytox and Daewoong over misappropriation of trade secrets. The dispute between the two Korean pharmas, Medytox and Daewoon
Samsung's presence in smartphone chipset market to decline in 2021: report

May 4, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to lose its share in the smartphone chipset market this year, a report showed Tuesday, as Taiwanese and US rivals are to expand their presence with a rise in the 5G device sector. Samsung was estimated to take an 8 percent share in the global smartphone application processor (AP)/System on Chip (SoC) market in 2021, down 11 percent from a year earlier, to take the fourth spot, according to a report from industry tracker Counterpoint Research, The South Korea
SK Telecom to cancel W2.6tr worth of treasury shares

May 4, 2021

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, said Tuesday it has decided to cancel 2.6 trillion won ($2.32 billion) worth of treasury shares, over 10 percent of its total floated stocks, in a move to boost shareholder value amid plans to split into two companies later this year. The telecom operator said in a statement that it would retire 8.69 million treasury stocks, or 10.8 percent of its total issued stocks, by Thursday. The cancellation would reduce SK Telecom's total floated sto
S. Korea's development of novel drugs lags behind others

May 3, 2021

A total of 40 novel drugs were approved by Seoul‘s pharmaceutical authorities in 2020, but none were developed by South Korean companies, according to a survey released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday. According to the Korean drug safety agency, local companies failed to introduce novel drugs domestically for the second consecutive year. In 2018, there were two novel drugs developed by local pharmaceutical companies that received approvals from the agency. “Laun
Celltrion's COVID-19 test kit receives conditional approval in Korea

May 3, 2021

South Korea‘s pharmaceutical giant Celltrion announced Monday that the company has received a conditional approval for its COVID-19 test kit DiaTrust from the country‘s drug safety agency. DiaTrust, developed jointly by Humasis and Celltrion, is an antigen test kit that can detect the most recent COVID-19 variants from the UK and Brazil. The test kit uses a sterile nasal swab which can identify specific antigens of COVID-19 present in specimens collected from the nasal cavity within
LG U+ to launch 5G-based solutions for local seaports

May 2, 2021

LG U+ has set up a crane remote control system at Busan Port and aims to commercialize 5G network-based solutions for automated seaport infrastructure management, the company said Sunday. The yard cranes at Busan Port are controlled remotely by an operator in an office, using the control system developed by the South Korean telecommunications firm. The tall cranes, equipped with sensors and high-definition cameras, are designed to send live feeds to a control room via the 5G network. The so
LG Uplus on lookout for automated seaports with 5G tech

May 2, 2021

BUSAN -- A towering shipyard crane nimbly moves over stacks of cargo crates at a terminal in Busan Port, South Korea's largest seaport 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to snatch a container box and gently load it onto a truck. While the scene is business as usual for the bustling port that processed over 410 million tons of cargo last year, the crane is unusual in that its driver's seat -- 25 meters off the ground -- is empty. The over 20-year-old industrial machine runs in semi-autonomous m
S. Korea's 5G users top 14m since commercialization

Apr 30, 2021

The number of 5G users in South Korea stood at over 14 million last month, two years after the networks first went live in the country, data showed Friday, as the country pushes to accelerate adoption of the latest generation networks. As of the end of March, 5G subscriptions stood at 14.48 million, accounting for 20 percent of the total 71.1 million mobile subscriptions in the country, according to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. South Korea was the first country in the world to co