South Korea and Israel said Monday they plan to speed up joint research and development projects to cope with the changing business environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came after the two countries announced earlier this year that they will increase contributions to the Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation. The foundation kicked off in 2001 to promote bilateral technology exchanges. In May, South Korea and Israel vowed to each disburse $4 million annually for the foun

Kia’s Predictive Gear-shift System comes as fresh drive assistance feature, offering comfortable riding experience

Samsung Electronics said Monday it had joined hands with South Korea’s leading solar cell and module maker Hanwha Q Cells to tap the home energy solution market. According to the companies, the partnership seeks to create “zero energy homes,” that are self-sufficient for energy. While Hanwha Q Cells’ solar power modules and energy storage system would allow homeowners to produce and store electricity, Samsung Electronics’ SmartThings Energy service, an open Inte

Apple’s move puts pressure on Korean providers offering paid-for lossless music plans; Spotify also set to launch CD-quality streaming later this year

South Korea’s top wireless carrier SK Telecom said Monday that the company has started a test run of its 5G network running on the 28-gigahertz bandwidth at Coex, in Samseong-dong, Seoul. For the test run of super-fast wireless connection, the company has set up an exhibition at a 36,000-square-meter area at Coex, offering a glimpse into SKT’s future technology businesses, such as the metaverse. During the event, which runs through Sunday, anyone who visits can use the “mi

Samsung Electronics will unveil a lineup of new mobile devices, including foldable phones, next month, according to industry sources on Monday. Industry watchers say that Samsung will be holding a Galaxy Unpacked event at 11 p.m. on Aug. 11, Korea time, which will be livestreamed from Seoul. Samsung, however, hasn’t yet sent out an official invitation to its partners and media worldwide. Regarding the schedule, Samsung said it is not yet fixed. The upcoming show will be the first th

Food catering firm is at center of new allegation of systematic rule-breaking at Samsung for the benefit of Lee Jae-yong

BAT Korea unveiled a new study on Monday that showed its tobacco heating product Glo was able to “significantly” reduce harmful exposure to toxic substances. The recent study published in the Journal of Internal and Emergency Medicine offers the “first real-world evidence” that switching from cigarettes to exclusive use of Glo, the company’s flagship product, has a similar impact on indicators of potential harm as quitting smoking, BAT said. The findings, which we

Growing interest in pets and houseplants as people spend more time at home

Social network that swept Korea pre-Facebook reopens

Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it will begin the sale of the Staria minivan in Thailand this week as it strives to increase its presence in Southeast Asian markets. Hyundai also plans to begin introducing the Staria minivan in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia in the third quarter, a company spokesman said. Last year, Hyundai sold about 4,000 vehicles in Thailand and most of the vehicles were the Starex minivan. The Starex minivan is no longer in production. The maker of the Sonata sedan and t

South Korea's oceans ministry said Monday it will revamp safety measures at local seaports in line with efforts to improve the working environment and prevent accidents. The move came as the number of accidents at local ports has been rising recently in sync with economic growth and rising trade volumes, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Over the past decade, around 2,800 workers were involved in accidents at local seaports, with the number of fatalities reaching 53 over the p

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. said Monday it has signed a 654.5 billion-won ($579 million) deal to build three LNG carriers. Under the deal with an unnamed Oceanian company, the 180,000-cubic meter LNG carriers will be delivered by February 2024, Samsung Heavy Industries said. With the latest order, Samsung Heavy Industries has bagged orders for a total of 51 ships valued at $6.5 billion so far this year, achieving 71 percent of its annual order target of $9.1 billion, the company said. The

Kia Corp. is expected to post better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter on brisk sales at home and abroad, local brokerages said Monday. Kiwoom Securities Co. forecast the operating income of South Korea's No. 2 automaker to stand at 1.58 trillion won ($1.4 billion) for the April-June period, upgrading the carmaker's target stock price to 140,000 won from 120,000 won. "Kia is likely to register marked growth in sales in the domestic and North American markets, where its average

South Korea's industry ministry said Monday it plans to soon unveil a detailed blueprint to nurture the rechargeable battery sector, with the goal of the country taking the lead in the segment. "We plan to spare no efforts to develop technologies for rechargeable batteries and foster businesses in the field of materials, parts and equipment," Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook said during his visit to a production line of Samsung SDI Co. in the southeastern city of Ulsan. Over the firs