S. Korea to open up public Wi-Fi in network outage, disasters

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday it will open up public Wi-Fi networks in case of network outages to help citizens gain access to basic telecommunication services. The decision came two months after KT Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, suffered a nationwide network outage of services due to a routing error in the process of upgrading its equipment. The outage crippled businesses, including schools, restaurants and other facilities, for over an hour on Oct. 25. The go

Dec. 29, 2021

Samsung likely to regain top spot in global chip market

Samsung Electronics is expected to regain the top spot in the global semiconductor market by revenue this year, outpacing its archrival Intel for the first time in three years. According to estimates collected by market tracker FnGuide on Wednesday, the Korean tech giant is estimated to post 95.13 trillion won ($80.18 billion) in chip sales this year, up 30.6 percent from last year. The record figure is compared to Intel’s sales estimates of $75.5 billion, down 1 percent from a year ag

Dec. 29, 2021

Loosening of helium tank led to Nuri rocket’s failure: officials

The loosening of a fixture that holds a helium tank of the Nuri rocket blocked the country’s first homegrown rocket from a successful launch, officials said Wednesday. After two months of data analysis, government officials and experts concluded that the degree of buoyancy increase during flight was not sufficiently considered when designing the fixture for Nuri’s helium tank. According to the Science Ministry and Korea Aerospace Research Institute, an unusual vibration from Nuri

Dec. 29, 2021

Loose anchor for helium tank blamed for Nuri rocket failure: science ministry

The loosening of a device to anchor a helium tank of the Nuri space rocket was found to have caused the early shutdown of the rocket's third-stage engine, leading to a mission failure, the science ministry said Wednesday. In October, South Korea launched the country's first homegrown space rocket, also called the KSLV-II. It flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers, but failed to put the dummy satellite into orbit as its third-stage engine burned out 46 seconds earlier than expected. The g

Dec. 29, 2021

[Best Brand] Dunamu puts investor protection first

Dunamu, the operator of Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, is putting priority on protecting investors in the fast-growing crypto market by correcting deposit errors and strengthening its security systems. The blockchain company has recently returned 154 billion won ($130 million) to investors who had mistakenly deposited money into other people’s blockchain wallets. Since 2017, there have been 32,770 cases of deposit errors and Dunamu has managed to correct 96.6 perce

Dec. 28, 2021

S. Korea to double electric, hydrogen cars in 2022 in net zero emission drive

South Korea plans to double the number of electric and hydrogen vehicles on its roads next year as part of efforts to achieve its goal of net zero carbon emission by 2050. The government will seek to bring up the number of electric and hydrogen cars in use to about 500,000 in 2022, from the current level of about 248,000 units, the environment and four other ministries said in their joint announcement of policy plans for next year. Under the plans, the numbers of electric cars will rise by 200

Dec. 28, 2021

Apple hints at submitting compliance plans on in-app payment law

Apple could submit its compliance plans for a new South Korean law that bans app store operators from forcing in-app payment systems on developers, industry sources said Tuesday. The new law went into effect in September, making South Korea the first country in the world to introduce such curbs on in-app billing policies of Apple and Google. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) requested Apple to turn in its compliance plans within this year as it drafted an enforcement decree of the revi

Dec. 28, 2021

Samsung to showcase startup projects at CES

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it will showcase 13 startup projects at the CES trade show next month to introduce their innovations to a global audience and gauge marketability. The Korean tech giant has nurtured in-house ventures under the C Lab Inside program since 2012. In 2018, the firm launched the C Lab Outside program to support outside startups as well. A total of 406 startups have been accelerated under the programs. For the upcoming CES, four in-house ventures are making their deb

Dec. 28, 2021

SK Square invests W35b in agricultural tech startup Green Labs

SK Square, an information and communication technology arm of SK Group, has added South Korean agricultural startup Green Labs to its range of portfolio companies with a 35 billion won ($29.5 million) investment as a sole investor, it said Monday. The startup operates a smart farming platform called “Farm Morning,” dedicated to optimizing the supply chain of crop harvesting and distribution, as well as providing data-driven consulting services to farmers. The deal puts the curren

Dec. 27, 2021

[CES 2022] LG teases transparent OLED display concepts at CES 2022

LG Display on Monday unveiled four new concepts using its transparent panel solutions to be premiered at its hybrid CES 2022 exhibitions in January. The new concepts feature screens that look like normal transparent glass windows, allowing users to see objects on the other side. But the screens can display images or deliver information while remaining transparent at the same time. These concepts aim to achieve spatial innovation at home, the office and commercial facilities including department

Dec. 27, 2021

US firms suspend CES events over omicron spread, business as usual for Korean tech industry

South Korean technology giants’ plan to attend CES 2022 remains unperturbed so far, despite a series of announcements by US firms that they are suspending in-person events due to concerns about the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Among notable exhibitors based in Korea -- Samsung, LG, Hyundai Motor, SK and Doosan -- none of them has yet to announce a withdrawal of an earlier plan to attend the world’s biggest consumer electronics show. There was also no talk yet about s

Dec. 24, 2021

Who will take the lead? Naver, Kakao to enter digital health care market

The competition is heating up between two South Korean tech giants, Naver and Kakao, to enter the emerging digital health care market worth an estimated 320 trillion won ($270 billion) and growing using artificial intelligence, market insiders said Friday. According to Naver, it plans to build an in-house “smart hospital” supported by AI in its new headquarters next year. Attending to some 4,300 employees, the medical staff will use its AI technology Naver Clova to keep medical re

Dec. 24, 2021

Amazon Prime Video joins Samsung-led 8K Association

Amazon Prime Video, a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon, joined cross-industry group 8K Association earlier in December, Samsung Electronics said Friday. Samsung Electronics, one of the founding members of the 8K Association, said in a statement that Amazon Prime Video’s entry raises the anticipations for the 8K ecosystem’s growth momentum, in addition to Google that joined the group in May this year. 8K refers to a set of high-performance standards that of

Dec. 24, 2021

Huawei looks to empower low-carbon ICT

Huawei Technologies‘ low-carbon projects across the world and its climate-related track record are now in the spotlight, amid growing regulatory hurdles and customer demand regarding green technologies in South Korea. Introducing its technologies to promote clean energy at a recent press conference held in Seoul, Karl Song, vice president of Huawei’s corporate communications department, said the company is ready to play a role in empowering its Korean partners‘ pursuit of low-

Dec. 23, 2021

S. Korea begins trial run of hydrogen heavy duty trucks

A trial run of hydrogen-powered heavy duty trucks kicked off Thursday as part of South Korea's broader efforts for a shift to eco-friendly vehicles in line with the carbon emission cut initiative. Five 11-ton fuel cell trucks, including Hyundai Motor Co's Xcient, will run on roads in the Seoul metropolitan area and the southern region for the next 12 months, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a release. Two logistics companies -- CJ Logistics Corp., Hyundai Glovis Co. -

Dec. 23, 2021

Will Oppo’s foldable challenge Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold?

Chinese smartphone brand Oppo’s Find N, the first flagship foldable phone unveiled the previous week, suggests how premium electronic gadget fans have been thirsty for a seamless end-user experience. With Find N, Oppo is looking to prove that consumers can find a foldable phone attractive with creaseless inner screens. But it is unlikely that Oppo’s release would directly challenge Samsung’s leadership in the market, especially since it already has a similar foldable phone, th

Dec. 22, 2021

CEO war heats up among big three battery makers

The latest battlefield for the nation’s top three battery makers -- LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On -- is their new leaderships. High-profile executives, including a chaebol scion, have stepped in to nurture the battery-making units of LG, Samsung and SK as new growth engines. The Korean trio has seen a surge in battery output capacity this year amid soaring demand for electric vehicles around the world, especially in the all-important US market. Their market share reached

Dec. 22, 2021

Korea to provide 10 times faster Wi-Fi in subways for free

Starting next year, subway passengers in South Korea will be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi services that are 10 times faster, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Tuesday. According to the ministry, subway commuters will be able to use Wi-Fi 6E that has a more reliable internet connection, and is 10 times faster than the current Wi-Fi speed. The upgraded Wi-Fi speed will be on par with that of private telecoms networks. Previously, the ministry had limited the transmitted signal power level in su

Dec. 21, 2021

LG’s wireless StanbyME TV to hit Asia

LG Electronics announced Tuesday it plans to release its wireless StanbyME televisions in the Asian market starting this month and heightened its production capacity by threefold to meet demand overseas. Hong Kong will be the first Asian market for LG to set its sights on, according to the electronics arm of South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate. Sales of the movable 27-inch TVs, powered by built-in batteries that last for three hours on a single charge, will begin within December

Dec. 21, 2021

Samsung takes over Intel as top chipmaker by revenue: report

Samsung Electronics Co. took over the top spot in the global semiconductor market by revenue in the third quarter, a report showed Tuesday, on the back of strong memory chip sales. Industry tracker Omdia said Intel, which had been the top chipmaker for 11 straight quarters, slipped to number two behind Samsung "as the memory segment, where Samsung is the number one DRAM and NAND supplier, was the largest growth area for semiconductor" in the three months ending in September. DRAM, o

Dec. 21, 2021