Samsung Display Co., a major display panel maker in South Korea, is on track to produce its next-generation displays in the second half of the year, industry insiders said Tuesday. Samsung Display is set to release pilot products of the quantum-dot (QD) display for TVs and monitors this month and send them to its clients for further testing, according to the sources. The affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co. earlier revealed that it aims to launch its QD displays in the second half of the year

South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. said Tuesday it has struck a deal to buy a 7.5 percent stake in an Australian chemical company for 12 billion won ($10.8 million) for a stable supply of critical metals used in electric vehicle batteries. LG Energy Solution, the wholly owned subsidiary of LG Chem Ltd., said it agreed to buy new shares issued by Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM), which produces nickel and cobalt, key materials for lithium-ion batteries. QPM is the 100 percent own

Duty-free sales in South Korea jumped more than 50 percent in April to nearly a three-year high, signaling the industry's steady recovery toward the pre-pandemic level, government data showed Tuesday. Combined sales at duty-free shops in Asia's fourth-largest economy increased 51.6 percent in April from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS). The figures mark the steepest monthly growth since 54.6 percent in May 2018. Sales surged 108 per

SK Telecom Co., a major South Korean wireless carrier, said Tuesday it will launch a virtual reality (VR) game for Facebook Inc.'s Oculus Quest devices in a move to bolster its presence in the VR sector. "Crazy World VR," playable on Oculus' Quest 1 and 2 devices, features a range of sports games from archery and tennis to bowling in VR and allows users to compete with other players around the world in real time. The game, slated to launch Wednesday, also incorporates characters from

Jeju Air Co., South Korea's biggest budget carrier by sales, said Tuesday it has resumed flights to Saipan in a preemptive measure to absorb post-coronavirus travel demand. Jeju Air started to provide one flight a week on the Incheon-Saipan route on the day following permission from the transport ministry, a company spokesman said over the phone. "We expect most of the initial passengers to be businessmen, Koreans residing overseas and their family members. But pent-up demand for travel (

US pharmaceutical company Moderna may produce the drug substance for its messenger RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea, a local media outlet reported Monday. The company is reviewing options for the vaccine substance production here, including building its own production facility in Korea and partnering with a local firm, the report said, quoting Corrine Le Goff, Moderna’s chief commercial officer. The executive did not provide further details. The US-based pioneer in mRNA techno

Automaker will likely cut production of one-time bestseller to maximize electric vehicle capacity

Booking sites enjoy surge in travel demand while airlines resume flights to Saipan, Guam

Hanwha Techwin will deploy a cutting-edge surveilling camera system on South Korea’s easternmost Dokdo islets, the company announced Monday. Two cameras with 8K superhigh resolution from the firm will be installed at the residential accommodation and heliport. Offering a live feed of images, they will help authorities to monitor and prevent any disaster or accident near the islets, the firm explained. Hanwha Techwin, a unit of Hanwha Group specializing in video security solutions, deve

South Korean retail giants Shinsegae and Lotte Shopping submitted their bids to take over South Korea's third largest e-commerce retailer, eBay Korea, a deal that will shake up the country's e-commerce retail segment, retail industry sources said Monday. According to the sources, the two retail behemoths submitted their letters of intent (LOIs) for the Korean unit of eBay. SK Telecom, South Korea's No. 1 mobile carrier, and MBK Partners, private equity firm and largest shareholder of discount s

After being selected as the sole preferred bidder for an Australian artillery gun procurement project last year, Hanwha Defense aims for its first export to the UK, as the British Army is looking for new self-propelled artillery. The British Army, which is using AS90 guns that are more than 30 years old, plans to procure 116 units of new self-propelled artillery guns within seven years, as part of the Mobile Fires Platform program worth approximately $1.08 billion. The authority will begin s

Audi Korea to strengthen EV product lineup with high performing variants such as RS e-tron GT this year

　South Korea’s personal computer market expanded to its largest in 10 years in the first quarter of 2021, industry data showed, due to robust demand for online education and remote working amid the pandemic. 　Domestic PC shipments stood at 1.89 million units in the January-March period, up 30.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from market researcher IDC Korea. 　This was the largest PC shipment volume in Korea since the first quarter of 2012, when it recorded 1.94

SK Telecom Co., a major mobile carrier, denied a news report Monday that it is planning to sell a stake in its e-commerce unit 11Street to US retail giant Amazon.com Inc. in a bid to bolster its online retail business. Local media had earlier reported that Amazon will exercise its right to acquire a 30 percent stake in 11Street, and that the US retailer could acquire up to a 50 percent stake in the South Korean e-commerce company. SK Telecom and Amazon strengthened ties in November last year t

CEO Yod Chinsupakul says company is ready for fast growth