The Korea Herald

Innovative tech augments autos

TechnologyJan 9, 2013

LAS VEGAS ― Carmakers are expressing their big appetites for in-vehicle technology integration at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, led by Audi and Lexus’ unveiling of skills for driverless driving.“Whenever I don’t want to drive, I can allow myself to be driven. Ultimate responsibility rests with the pilot,” said Ricky Hudi, head of development in electrics and electronics at Audi. Boasting that Audi is the world’s first car manufacturer that has a license to test automated driving in Neva
OLED TV market to grow to 1m units in 2014: LG

TechnologyJan 9, 2013

LAS VEGAS ― LG Electronics’ home entertainment chief Kwon Hee-won said Wednesday that the firm expects that about 1 million units of OLED TVs will be shipped globally next year thanks to the increase of competitors.With the rise of Japanese firms in the OLED TV market, LG is getting ready to mass produce the 55-inch OLED TV which it claims to have superior brightness, clear picture quality and good contrast ratio. Using W-RGB display technology, the company also showcased the world’s first 55-in
Samsung, LG unveil world’s first ‘curved’ OLED TVs

TechnologyJan 9, 2013

LAS VEGAS ― Samsung and LG Electronics, the world’s top two TV makers, once again boasted tech prowess in the TV industry by revealing the world’s first curved OLED TV at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday.Creating a panorama effect, the 55-inch curved OLED TV is intended to offer a more immersive viewing experience for consumers, according to Samsung officials.They also said that the curved display offers consistent picture quality from any angle and that consumers are deemed to be more
Online game 'ArcheAge' captivates with unique economic system

TechnologyJan 9, 2013

"ArcheAge," a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is said to provide gamers with a new experience of farming and trade.Korean game developer XLGAMES’ new title "ArcheAge" offers a complex economic system, including farming, lumbering, mining, manufacturing and trading, with which gamers can not only earn in-game money but also raise their character’s level without engaging in combat or completing quests.The system allows players to produce crops, livestock, lumber and minerals to pro
LG Display to finalize OLED investment soon

Jan 9, 2013

LAS VEGAS ― LG Display chief executive Han Sang-beom said Tuesday that the company will make a final decision on its additional investment scheme involving the next-generation OLED displays by early next month.The move comes as the company projects that the market will ship up to 3 million units of its latest OLED displays by 2015."Commercial sales of OLED TVs will not number too high this year and we expect the industry to sell around 600,000-700,000 units next year," Han said.“Based on the be
Smart TVs get smarter, by just a little bit

TechnologyJan 9, 2013

In the not-so-distant future, couch potatoes will be waving, pointing, swiping and tapping to make their TVs react, kind of like what Tom Cruise did in the 2002 movie ``Minority Report.'' That's the vision of TV manufacturers as they show off ``smart TVs.''The sets will recognize who's watching and will try to guess what viewers want to see. They'll respond to more natural speech and will connect with your smartphone in a single touch.The idea is to make TV watching easier and more pleasant as v
S. Korea's jobless rate stands at 2.9 pct in Dec.

Jan 9, 2013

South Korea's jobless rate remained under 3 percent for the fourth straight month in December, but job growth sharply slowed down, suggesting the labor market conditions remain tough for many job seekers, a government report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the jobless rate stood at 2.9 percent last month, slightly up from the previous month's 2.8 percent. The rate has been in the 2-percent range since September.The number of jobs added to the economy, however, decli
Samsung expects to post W200tr in sales

IndustryJan 8, 2013

Smartphone sales appear to have spearheaded the stellar performance
Korea’s exports to emerging nations soar

Jan 8, 2013

Korea now may have to pay more attention to emerging countries given that the nation’s exports to them have soared over the past decade.According to government data released Tuesday, Korea’s exports to emerging countries accounted for 72.8 percent of its total exports while outbound shipments to advanced economies declined to 27.2 percent last year.Officials attributed the changing trend to emerging countries’ relatively fast economic growth and advanced nations’ protracted economic slump.But th
Foreigners planning start-ups invited to workshop next week

IndustryJan 8, 2013

Nonprofit organization the TIDE Institute is hosting a three-day workshop in English for foreigners planning start-up ventures at Kyungil University next week.Developers, designers and entrepreneurs are invited to come together to share ideas, form teams, build prototypes and find out if their start-up ideas are viable at the “Start-up Springboard” to be held from Jan. 16 through 18 at the university in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province.The event begins with an open pitch session on Jan. 16 i
Samsung Electronics takes up 20% of stock market cap: data

CompaniesJan 8, 2013

South Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has increased its presence in the local stock market with its value reaching nearly 20 percent of the total market capitalization, data showed Tuesday.The market cap of Samsung Electronics reached 223.8 trillion won ($210.5 billion) as of Monday, or 19.26 percent of the market total and up 4.3 percentage points from end-2011, according to data compiled by the bourse operator Korea Exchange.Samsung’s market cap had stayed below 20 percent after rea
Seoul to overhaul operator of scandals-hit nuclear power plant

Jan 8, 2013

The government announced a set of measures Tuesday to overhaul the country’s state-run nuclear power plant operator that seeks to enhance the safety of nuclear reactors and public confidence.The move comes as public confidence over the safety of nuclear power plants plunged from 71 percent in January 2010 to only 34.8 percent at the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which oversees the country’s energy affairs.Such a large drop was largely caused by a nuclear accid
Dongbu Group inks deal to buy Daewoo Electronics

Jan 8, 2013

South Korean conglomerate Dongbu Group signed a contract to take over Daewoo Electronics Corp. on Tuesday, ending a decade-long search for a buyer for the country’s No. 3 electronics firm.The group said its consortium inked the deal with Daewoo Electronics creditors to purchase the appliance maker for 272.6 billion won ($256.4 million).The move comes five months after Dongbu Group was tapped as the preferred bidder of Daewoo Electronics, a former unit of Daewoo Group, one of South Korea’s larges
KT reports LG Uplus to watchdog for ‘irregularities’

Jan 8, 2013

KT Corp., the country’s top fixed line and No. 2 mobile carrier, on Tuesday reported rival LG Uplus Corp. to the communications watchdog for illegally luring subscribers.“KT has submitted a report to the Korea Communications Commission requesting a strict measure on LG Uplus, which has been receiving subscribers through illegal means despite its business suspension stemming from excessive subsidy payments,” KT said in a press release.Since Monday, LG Uplus has been under a 24-day business suspen
Banks’ foreign-currency deposits dip in Dec.

Jan 8, 2013

Foreign currency deposits at South Korean banks fell for the second straight month in December as local firms withdrew money to cover import bills, the central bank said Tuesday.Outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits held by local residents reached $36.03 billion as of the end of December, down $2.35 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.The December data marked the lowest level since August when such deposits hit $35.83 billion, it added. In October, the dep