Most Popular
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom strengthen ties amid COVID-19
South Korea’s SK Telecom and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom agreed to launch a joint venture later this year to develop non face-to-face platform technologies, for which the demand has been soaring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SKT said Sunday that the two firms have agreed to expand their cooperation on 5G technology and know-how in adapting to changes brought by the new coronavirus. Around 20 executive members of the two companies gathered for a video conference on Wednesday and discu
May 3, 2020
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[Chew on IT] Samsung keeps multivendor strategy for Exynos despite users’ aversion
If a Samsung Galaxy user gets a smartphone powered by Samsung’s Exynos chipset, is the person getting the short end of the stick? Depending on where they buy their Samsung phones, two users might end up owning Galaxy devices with identical exteriors, but different brains -- that is, different mobile application processors. The chances are 50-50: Users get either Samsung’s Exynos or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. In the case of the Galaxy 20 series, Samsung equipped phon
May 3, 2020
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New disinfectant to kill coronavirus for 90 days
Scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed "MAP-1," a new disinfectant spray that can kill viruses -- including the novel coronavirus -- and bacteria for up to 90 days. Unlike alcohol or bleach-based solutions, MAP-1 remains effective in disrupting existing bacteria and preventing new bacteria from spreading even after it has dried. A special blend of heat-sensitive antimicrobial polymers releases disinfectants upon human contact. The coating c
May 3, 2020
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Koreans spend 20 hours a month on smartphones: report
South Koreans spend an average of 20 hours per month on their phones, and the peak time is from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., a survey showed. According to the report from the Korea Communications Commission, 95.5 percent of smartphone users watch videos on their devices. The average usage time per month was about 20 hours and 35 minutes. Time spent watching videos accounted for 17.9 percent of total smartphone time. Of those who own smartphones, 66.5 percent watched at least one broadcast per month.
May 1, 2020
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LG, Samsung gain in Q1 but brace for tougher Q2
Korean tech titans on Wednesday reported better-than-expected earnings results for the first three months of the year, with LG Electronics achieving the largest-ever first-quarter operating margin and Samsung Electronics posting 21.9 percent on-year rise in semiconductor sales. But both expressed grave concerns about the upcoming quarters, anticipating sharper falls in sales as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. According to its earnings announcement, LG Electronics obtained 1.09 trillion won
April 29, 2020
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Samsung braces for tougher Q2
Samsung Electronics said Wednesday the company is bracing for bigger adversities from the COVID-19 crisis, anticipating sharper falls in sales of some products. In its first quarter earnings announcement, the South Korean tech giant posted 6.45 trillion won ($5.29 billion) in operating profit, growing 3.43 percent from a year earlier. The company’s sales stood at 55.33 trillion won, up 5.61 percent from the same period last year. But its net profit dropped 3.15 percent to 4.88 trillion
April 29, 2020
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SK Broadband ups support for online classes amid pandemic
Korean internet network operator SK Broadband has been continuing support for online classes upon sudden demand during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the firm said Tuesday. SK Broadband is currently the content delivery network provider for Educational Broadcasting System, a public broadcasting organization that provides online classes. SK Broadband previously increased the network capacity for EBS from 300 megabits per second to 1 terabit per second. Recently, the company added 2 Tbps to th
April 28, 2020
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Korean telecom firms’ operating profits to drop in Q1: report
Korean telecom firms are expected to see decreases in their operating profits in the first quarter this year, according to a market report on Tuesday. The report by FnGuide said that the operating profits of the three major telecom companies are likely to decline due to the sluggish economy amid the COVID-19 outbreak, though they avoided major damage from it. Their sales, however, are expected to increase, backed by a sales increase in media units, as well as revenues from 5G network subscribe
April 28, 2020
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LG Velvet to hit Korean smartphone market on May 15
LG Electronics will release its new flagship smartphone Velvet on May 15 in the Korean market only, the company announced Tuesday. Nicknamed the “water droplet phone,” the LG Velvet marks a design departure for the firm. The triple camera module on the rear, including the 48 million-pixel lens, has been designed to resemble water droplets. The new device also features a 6.8-inch organic light-emitting diode display trademarked as FullVision with a 20.5:9 aspect ratio, Qualcomm&rs
April 28, 2020
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Korea ups investment to self-produce parts in space development
South Korea’s Science Ministry on Monday said that it will inject 211 billion won ($170 million) into space research to help the nation’s space industry produce key parts of launch vehicles and satellites. The Ministry of Science and ICT’s “Space Pioneer” research project passed a feasibility study Monday, which approved the investment of 211 billion won from 2021 to 2030. The ministry will provide 58 billion won in the launch vehicle area and 137 billion won i
April 27, 2020
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Samsung offers ‘Frozen 2’ edition of wind-free air conditioner
Samsung Electronics has adopted Elsa, the main character from Disney’s hit “Frozen” movies, as the exterior design of its flagship wind-free air conditioners, the company said Monday. The “Frozen 2” edition, only for the wall-mounted type, offers two exterior panels including the one with Elsa on it and the original version, allowing customers to change the panel design as they wish. The collaboration has been announced ahead of the Children’s Day holiday
April 27, 2020
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S. Korea considers introducing faster coronavirus testing kit
South Korea's health authorities said Sunday they are considering introducing a coronavirus testing kit that could produce results in about one hour for emergency operations or women in labor. Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), told reporters that authorities are reviewing a plan to allow doctors to use the one-hour polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing kits in case of emergency. "We are considering applying the kits to emergency oper
April 26, 2020
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SK hynix pledges support to contractors amid COVID-19
SK hynix pledged Friday it will support contractors by ensuring early payments to help minimize the negative impact of the novel coronavirus spread. The company unveiled its plan to utilize 130 billion won ($105 million) from its co-growth fund for those in financial difficulty in front of Fair Trade Commission Chairperson Joh Sung-wook who visited its corporate campus in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. SK hynix also highlighted that it is paying around 600 billion won to its contractors four t
April 24, 2020
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LG to hold online phone launch event in May
LG Electronics said Friday it will hold an online launch event for its upcoming flagship Velvet smartphone on May 7. The South Korean tech giant released a video invitation on YouTube, which included the date, time and an online link. The 15-second clip highlighted the water drop design of the flagship model. It shows water droplets in white, gray, green and red, to represent the product colors slated for the Velvet phone. Putting much weight on the design factor, the phone l
April 24, 2020
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Pay with your face: LG CNS unveils facial recognition payment system
LG CNS announced Thursday that the company has introduced a facial recognition payment system using cloud server and blockchain technology. The Korean company’s new payment system uses a kiosk equipped with artificial intelligence specialized in recognizing facial biometrics to identify customers. The payment system then proceeds with payments by accessing customers’ account data encrypted in the cloud server. The company said the AI-based payment system is much more convenient th
April 23, 2020
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ICT Ministry hosts ‘untact’ IR for startups
The Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday held an online conference to match local information and communication technology startups with investors. The event, titled “Untact IR” in reference to the trend for non-face-to-face contact, is a weekly online conference that has been hosted by the ministry since April 9 and is designed to increase exchanges between investors and companies amid the viral outbreak. During the three-hour online conference, local firms promoted their busi
April 23, 2020
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SK hynix reports earnings surprise amid high server demand
SK hynix, the second-largest memory chipmaker in the world, announced an earnings surprise Thursday, with a 239 percent on-quarter increase in its operating profit in the first quarter. Despite concerns about a coronavirus downturn in the global economy, the South Korean chipmaker posted 7.19 trillion won ($6.4 billion) in sales and 800.3 billion own in operating profit during the January to March period, according to its regulatory filing. Its net profit stood at 649.1 billion won. Compar
April 23, 2020
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Everyday steps to stem COVID-19
South Korea is gearing up for an economic reopening with renewed guidance for physical distancing. The updated guidance, issued Wednesday, is meant to replace the stringent physical distancing implemented March 22 that is set to last until May 5. If the number of COVID-19 cases continues to stabilize, the country may switch over to an eased form of social distancing. The following steps are intended to limit the spread of the virus while at the same time allowing the resumption of normal acti
April 22, 2020
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Phone makers turn to midrange phones amid pandemic
The world’s major smartphone makers -- US-based Apple and South Korea’s Samsung and LG -- are seeking to restructure their product lineups, shifting from premium flagship models to midrange phones this year, following the global novel coronavirus pandemic, according to industry sources Wednesday. The market for less expensive and high-spec phones is growing worldwide amid slowing demand for new gadgets triggered by the outbreak. Market researcher Counterpoint said in a recent re
April 22, 2020
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COVID-19 could be systemic in newborn babies, says pediatrician
South Korea’s youngest patient, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 8 at just 27 days old, had higher viral loads for a longer period of time than her mother despite being exposed to an identical infection source at around the same time, medical staff said Tuesday. SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus responsible for COVID-19 -- was detected in all of the baby’s samples including blood, urine, stool and saliva, according to pediatrician Dr. Han Mi-seon of the Boramae Medical Center in sout
April 22, 2020