LG Uplus Corp., the smallest of South Korea's three mobile carriers, has emerged as the sole winner in number portability this year on aggressive marketing, industry data showed Thursday.LG Uplus posted a net increase of more than 3,600 new subscribers, who transferred from other carriers, during the first 18 business days of the year, according to the data by the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association. (Yonhap)In contrast, industry leader SK Telecom Co. recorded a net decline of nearly

Starbucks Korea announced Wednesday it will accept mobile payment service Kakao Pay from Thursday.  (Yonhap)In a special promotion until Feb. 7, those who spend 10,000 won ($8.90) or more via Kakao Pay at the coffee chain will be rewarded with special emojis for KakaoTalk. The promotion is available at Starbucks stores nationwide except at Incheon Airport and military garrisons of US Forces. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Samsung, LG, Huawei to introduce folding phones, gesture-controlled UI, wireless charging tech ahead of MWC 2019

Amid South Korea’s efforts to revitalize the economy, debate over whether to lift the securities transaction tax has been rekindled, with the government, lawmakers, and the financial sector divided over the consequences.The issue regained attention after ruling Democratic Party Chairman Lee Hae-chan said, “It is time we take it up as an agenda item,” in response to a request to either lift or cut the tax in a rare meeting with financial firm representatives on Jan. 15. “There are various factors

Samsung Display said Wednesday that it has developed the world’s first ultrahigh definition organic light-emitting diode display, as the company makes its foray into the premium laptop market.According to Samsung Display, the 15.6-inch UHD OLED panel will enter mass production next month. The new ultrahigh resolution display will be optimized for gaming, graphic design and video streaming, the company said. The news comes as the display giant is trying to expand into laptop markets after emergin

EV version to launch next month; carmaker aims to sell 20,000 units in Korea, 100,000 overseas

Around 60 percent of South Korean households purchased ready-made food over the past year, with dumplings and pizza being the most popular, data showed Wednesday.According to the findings by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the two dishes were the most popular ready-made food products, followed by instant noodles and gimbap, a rice roll in sheets of dried seaweed.  (Yonhap)The survey was conducted on 2,021 households from July to August last year. It also made a deeper study

A 25 percent tariff slapped on imported vehicles and auto parts by the United States could have a serious impact on South Korean and U.S. carmakers in the long term, a local think tank said Wednesday. If the US invokes Section 232 tariffs on vehicles and components imported from the European Union and other trading partners, it could have far-reaching consequences for the auto industry around the world, the Korea Economic Research Institute said in its recent report.  (Yonhap)"If the country doe

Exports of oil and related goods by South Korean refiners reached an all-time high last year on strong demand and higher oil prices, industry data showed Wednesday.The four oil refiners in South Korea -- SK Energy, GS Caltex, S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank -- shipped 494 million barrels of petroleum products, up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Petroleum Association. (Yonhap)In terms of value, exports of oil and related goods reached $39.96 billion, surging 33

South Korea's international trade organization said Wednesday it held a meeting with the industry ministry to share ideas on supporting the local automobile industry amid growing protectionism around the globe.The Korea International Trade Association said it held this year's first round of regular forum talks with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, centering on the car industry.  (Yonhap)While KITA and the ministry have held regular trade discussions once a year, the two decided to co

Chief of world’s most popular dating app says company will expand service to social networking for millennials in South Korea

Seeking the efficient utilization of existing infrastructure for new technologies, GS Caltex and LG Electronics have agreed to work together to provide various next-generation charging services at gas stations, the companies said Tuesday.The two sealed a memorandum of agreement to build energy and mobility convergence charging stations, which will have all the previous services offered by GS Caltex-run gas stations. New services will encompass electric vehicle charging, rental and maintenance. L

Samsung to mass-produce industry’s most compact image sensor for full-screen smartphones in Q1, but refuses to confirm Galaxy S10 will adopt sensor

Spam, a well-known brand of canned cooked meat and a popular South Korean holiday gift, has attained 4 trillion won ($3.54 billion) in cumulative sales since its launch 32 years ago.CJ CheilJedang said Wednesday that it had sold around 1.2 billion 200-gram cans of Spam in the product’s history -- the equivalent of 24 cans for each person in Korea. Spam has become an indispensable item in Korean households. (Yonhap)Spam was introduced to Korea by the US army during the Korean War, and domestic pr

A Seoul court approved Tuesday a request by Samsung BioLogics Co. to put on hold the execution of penalties by the financial watchdog for the company's suspected accounting irregularities. The Seoul Administrative Court accepted Samsung's argument that enforcing the penalties before a formal court ruling can cause unrecoverable damage to the firm. The penalties will be suspended until the court reaches a verdict in the litigation between the tech giant and the state.  (Yonhap)Samsung BioLogics l