ILSAN, Gyeonggi Province -- In simplistic attire and with a quiet demeanor, Lee Sang-hyeok seems no different from any other young Asian guy. But when he walks down the streets of Seoul, heads turn and cheers can be heard. His fame reaches far and wide -- from Korea and China to North America and Europe.　Meet Lee, aka “Faker,” an undisputed superstar in the world of competitive gaming, or esports. Born and raised in South Korea, the 22-year-old is considered among the top echelon of players in m

Technology Nov. 8, 2018

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong met Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in Seoul to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence and cloud-computing technology, according to industry sources Wednesday.During the meeting, the two agreed to expand their partnership in technologies critical to future growth, including AI, cloud-computing services, data-center operations, 5G networks and software development, Samsung Electronics said. Microsoft Korea decli

Technology Nov. 7, 2018

Samsung BioLogics said Tuesday that it will transfer its shares in its subsidiary Samsung Bioepis to US-based Biogen on Wednesday, concluding the two sides’ call option process that had been pending since its formal execution in June.　Under the share swap deal, Samsung BioLogics will provide 9,226,568 shares it holds in Bioepis to Biogen. Biogen will pay Samsung BioLogics around 759.5 billion won ($677 million) for the transaction including purchase fees and interest. As a result, Samsung BioLog

Industry Nov. 6, 2018

Curevo, a Seattle-based a vaccine development company under South Korea’s GC Pharma, said Monday that it had received clearance from the US drug regulator to start phase one clinical trials for a next-generation shingles vaccine.　The US Food and Drug Administration has advanced the company’s Investigational New Drug application for CRV-101, a vaccine candidate for the treatment of herpes zoster, a viral disease commonly known as shingles. As a result, Curevo, along with the Seattle-based collabo

Industry Nov. 5, 2018

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Yuhan announced Monday that it had licensed out its new clinical-stage lung cancer drug to Janssen Biotech in a deal potentially valued at up to $1.25 billion.　Yuhan said it had entered a licensing and cooperation agreement with Janssen to develop a novel clinical-stage therapeutic candidate for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC.　Under the terms of the agreement, Yuhan will receive an upfront payment of $50 million and is eligib

Industry Nov. 5, 2018

Despite the strong overall growth of South Korea’s startup sector, local tech startups developing proprietary technology-based products for the market are in the toughest position to succeed, said Naver Chief Technology Officer Song Chang-hyun on Friday.“Among the 99 local startups which procured more than 3 billion won ($2.65 million) in investment in 2017, only eight, or less than 10 percent, were tech-based startups. This signals that Korea’s startup ecosystem is particularly tough for tech s

Technology Nov. 2, 2018

Striving to move on from its decades-long history of bombings and explosions, South Korea’s coastal village of Maehyangri in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, is working to rebrand itself as a symbol of peace and ecological preservation.Two islets around Maehyangri Village were used as a bombing range for the US Air Force -- the Kooni Firing Range -- between 1954 and 2005. Given this, the town’s residents had to endure what they said was life similar to a war zone, even after the Korean War ended in

Culture Nov. 1, 2018

South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical said Wednesday that its new drug candidate for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia has been designated as an orphan drug by the US Food and Drug Administration. 　Hanmi’s drug candidate in development, HM43239, is a small molecule FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia. It’s a next-generation drug that has overcome resistance to FLT3 inhibitors currently used to treat the disease, the firm said. Hanmi P

Industry Oct. 31, 2018

Posco Engineering and Construction is seeking tenants to fill the studio apartments and store spaces of the Songdo The Sharp Triple Tower apartment complex set to be built in Songdo, Incheon.The Songdo The Sharp Triple Tower consists of two buildings with three underground floors and 23 above-ground floors. The first two floors are available to store owners. And as of now, only parts of the first floor are available to prospective tenants.From the third floor up, the building houses studio apart

Industry Oct. 30, 2018

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles highlighting South Korea’s promising startups in the emerging sectors of digital health care and next-generation medical devices. This is the 22nd installment. - Ed.Most people have undergone a health checkup where a nurse puts on a cuff on your upper arm that tightens and releases, to measure your blood pressure. You’re most likely to be doing this at a hospital.　However, this dynamic may soon change with new advances in digital health technol

Technology Oct. 30, 2018

Allergan will formally begin phase 3 clinical trials of Medytox’s Type A liquid-type botulinum toxin this week, as recruitment for the clinical study is slated to start Wednesday, according to data shown on ClinicalTrials.gov.Allergan recently posted its clinical trial agenda for MT10109L on ClinicalTrials.gov. The third-phase clinical study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the drug for the treatment of moderate to severe glabellar and lateral canthal lines, the firm said, referring t

Industry Oct. 29, 2018

South Korean video game company NCSoft is moving to strengthen its intellectual property portfolio by investing in and striking strategic partnerships with global webtoon and web novel platforms.NCSoft has struck investment relations or strategic partnerships with a number of webtoon and web novel production studios and distribution portals over the few years, with aims to promote and strengthen its game content IP. NCSoft`s headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province (NCSoft)The Korean game giant

Industry Oct. 29, 2018

LIGHTING UP ARENA -- The State Farm Arena, home to the US NBA team Atlanta Hawks, is now equipped with new videoboards, featuring 12,000 square feet of Samsung Smart LED signage. The main, center-hung video board is not only the NBA’s first 360-degree, continuous video screen, but also the first arena bowl to feature HD-quality, 6 mm LED video display technology, Samsung said Sunday. (Samsung Electronics)

Technology Oct. 28, 2018

Google and LG Electronics are working together to develop and provide hardware and software technologies to upcoming smart city development projects that utilize information and communication technologies to increase the efficiency of urban services.The US tech giant announced the partnership and its details at the first Google Cloud Summit in Seoul, Thursday. The two firms plan to work with real estate developers and investors to build smart towns powered by artificial intelligence, the interne

Technology Oct. 25, 2018

Interest in computer coding is growing worldwide, as technologies like artificial intelligence and big data are becoming ever more relevant to today’s product and service innovation.　Taking such demands into consideration, South Korean video game giant Nexon has introduced a slew of education programs for young students here as part of its social contribution efforts.Since 2016, the company has been hosting the annual Nexon Youth Programming Challenge competition that encourages kids to learn ab

Business Oct. 25, 2018