KT Corp., the country’s biggest fixed-line operator, said that it will join the Asian branch of the International 3-D Society as the Korean chair Thursday.With the goal of activating 3-D stereo-scopic image projects, the Asian branch will be joined by representatives from Korea, Japan and China, according to KT officials.It will focus on activities like developing 3-D related technical education p

The number of registered automobiles in South Korea could top 18 million as early as next month.The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said the number of registered automobiles in the country came in at 17.94 million units at the end of last year.The ministry expects the number of registered automobiles to rise above the 18 million mark in February if the pace is maintained at last y

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest supplier of memory chips, flat-screen panels and TVs, is scheduled to announce an estimate of its earnings for the October-December quarter this week, a company official said Thursday.   Samsung will report its guidance of the fourth-quarter earnings on Friday, the official said.    The company is estimated to have posted 3.39 trillion won ($3.02 billio

LG Electronics Inc., the beleaguered world's third-largest handset maker, said Thursday that it will introduce a new smartphone model with an enhanced screen display that has significantly lowered power consumption.The Optimus Black is the company's first model to use a "NOVA" display, which cuts power consumption in half in comparison to previous products and features an enhanced visibility even

The number of registered cars in South Korea jumped last year as consumers purchased more vehicles amid recovering economic conditions, the transportation ministry said Thursday.The number of registered cars reached 17.94 million at the end of last year, up 616,000 from a year earlier, according to the ministry. The increase was the second largest following a jump of 637,000 in 2003.The ministry a

Mortgage loans extended by South Korean financial firms grew by the largest amount in four years in December, as low borrowing costs and eased rules on home-backed lending spurred demand, data showed Thursday.Home-backed loans handled by local financial institutions grew by 4.9 trillion won (US$4.36 billion) on-month to 379.3 trillion won in December, according to data by the Financial Supervisory

Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world's second-largest maker of computer memory chips, said Thursday that it will spend 3.4 trillion won (US$3.03 billion) on plants and equipment in 2011, around the same level as last year.The investment plan is subject to change depending on market conditions, the company said in a regulatory filing.Hynix, which trails its bigger industry rival Samsung Electronics

Chung Mong-koo, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday his company plans to invest about 12 trillion won ($ 10.64 billion) this year, up 15 percent from last year.The nation‘s second-largest conglomerate also plans to employ “a large number of staff” this year when its steel-making unit, Hyundai Steel, is set to complete its third blast furnace, Chung said in a New Year meeting of financi