LG Display Co., a major display panel maker in South Korea, said Tuesday it has developed a large-size oxide-based thin film transistor (TFT) for a digital X-ray detector (DXD) as the company aims to foster its diagnostic imaging business for future growth. LG Display said its oxide TFT -- which comes in sizes of 43 centimeter× 43 centimeter and 35cm×43cm -- is the industry's first large-size oxide TFT for DXD use. A TFT acts as a switch to individually turn each pixel on or off

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it will provide security updates for Galaxy mobile devices at least four years after their initial release. The world's largest smartphone maker said more than 130 models released after 2019 are subject to its regular security updates. They include Galaxy S10, S20 and S21 series, as well as Samsung's foldable, smartphones. "Samsung worked closely with its operating system and chipset partners, as well as over 200 carriers around the world to ensure t

South Korean travel agencies said Monday they saw their annual sales plummet more than 80 percent last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are in urgent need of relief measures from the government. "(Travel agencies) can no longer shoulder their fixed costs due to mounting debts and their employees have been driven out of their workplaces after massive layoffs," a task force formed to tackle the crisis facing the businesses said in a press conference held in front of Cheong Wa Dae i

‘In budding world of software as medical device, more players are needed for the market to grow’

A bill from South Korea’s antitrust regulator aimed to govern dominant e-commerce platforms is still pending in the National Assembly due to a tug of war between two government bodies -- the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Communications Commission. In the meantime, platform operators and local customers have been raising their concerns, viewing the regulatory move as excessive market intervention. A survey conducted by Korea Startup Forum showed Monday that around 61 percent of res

Precision life science company Macrogen will collaborate with US-based Lifex Biolabs on Parkinson’s disease treatment research, Macrogen announced Monday. This is a follow-up to Macrogen’s strategic investment in Lifex in 2020. Under the joint research partnership, Macrogen will sift out biomarkers for Parkinson’s, using its DNA sequence analysis technology. Lifex will use the biomarkers identified by Macrogen to develop Parkinson’s treatments. Biomarkers are tracki

South Korea's two biggest carriers -- Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. -- said Monday they will ground all Boeing 777 passenger jets following a recent engine failure incident in the United States. A B777-200 plane suffered an engine failure after taking off for Honolulu on Saturday (local time), with an engine cowling and other parts from the plane found to be scattered on the ground in Denver, according to foreign media reports. The United Airlines, Inc. flight reportedly landed

P&G Korea, the local subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, has reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality, in line with its global headquarters’ continued move to propel the gender initiative, officials said. P&G last week held its third annual #WeSeeEqual summit for the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and African regions, jointly with UN Women. This year’s event, held under the slogan “#Unsaid and #Undone,” especially sought to address women’s equality w

South Korea’s top-tier cosmetic manufacturer AmorePacific is making efforts to reduce excessive plastic consumption, addressing the impact that the beauty industry has on the natural environment, officials said Monday. The company’s eco-friendly initiative is built on the “4R strategy” -- recycle packaging material, reduce petroleum-based plastic, reuse plastic containers, and reserve empty containers. Such moves also come in line with the Korea Cosmetics Association

When governments interfere in markets, the result is often questionable. This happened in Korea in the late 1990s when a decision in favor of “Korea Inc.” was driven, instead of allowing foreign original equipment manufacturers to come to Korea. The industry is still suffering from this decision, now culminating in the third insolvency of SsangYong Motor since 1997. The suppliers again will have to pay the bill. Even though the Korean government is offering generous loan propos

Steelmaker chief faces criticism after earlier attempt to shun hearing

Asiana Airlines said on Monday it has converted two of its Airbus A350-900 passenger aircrafts to cargo planes as it seeks to expand its freight business. The move will give the airline an additional 23 tons of space to carry cargo per plane, bringing its air cargo fleet to a total of four. Two other passenger planes were converted last year. In a statement, the airline boasted last year’s record breaking sales from its cargo business reached 2.14 trillion won ($1.9 billion), up 64 perce

LG Electronics Inc., a South Korean tech firm, may scrap a plan to develop a smartphone with a rollable display, industry observers here said Monday, amid growing speculation that the South Korean tech giant will ditch its money-losing mobile business. LG reportedly told its parts suppliers, including Chinese display maker BOE, to put the rollable smartphone development project on hold, according to industry sources. The parts makers may request compensation from LG in the future for their deve

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. said Monday that it has bagged orders worth a combined 540 billion won ($489 million) from Asia, Europe and Africa. The orders include nine ships -- three oil tankers, two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, three petrochemical carriers and a container carrier, Korea Shipbuilding said. The three very large crude-oil carriers to be built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. will be delivered to an Asian company from the second half of 2022.

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday its honorary chairman will step down from all management positions at affiliates next month after 20 years of efforts to improve the carmaker's brand awareness and product quality. Hyundai Motor Group Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo will step down from his executive director position on the board of Hyundai Mobis Co., the group's auto parts affiliate, at a shareholders meeting on March 24, a company spokesman said. The honorary chairman's director term was orig