South Korean telecom firm LG U+ announced last week that it has commercialized the world’s first 5G-based augmented reality glasses. Although the glasses use its local 5G network, they rely on equipment developed by China-based Nreal. Smart glasses were initially adopted by company facilities, mainly due to the high price tag, which still keeps them unaffordable for average consumers. They are now being widely used to check facilities and provide remote support on industrial sites. Be

S-Oil said Tuesday it will utilize idle spaces at gas stations to establish an electric bike-sharing hub to provide parking, charging and maintenance services. According to the South Korean refiner, it will collaborate with electric bike-sharing app Elecle and open an “Elecle Zone” at gas stations where users can return electric bikes after use. S-Oil will expand the partnership with Elecle by adding charging and maintenance services. It is also planning similar services to ele

Kumho Tire has retained its No. 1 spot in domestic sales by supplying tires for new small sport utility vehicles, the tire maker said Tuesday. Currently, small SUVs have been steadily gaining popularity in South Korea’s auto market with their reasonable price and good performance. Kumho Tire said it has recently supplied new tires to the majority of the popular compact SUVs, including Renault Samsung XM3 and Kia Motors Seltos. Kia Seltos’ 16- and 17-inch wheels and Renault Sam

Top-selling EV maker corrects sales terms that negates damage responsibility to consumers

Research in laboratory stage, likely to take years to discern commercial potential

Baemin, or Baedal Minjok, the country’s No. 1 delivery app by market share, said Tuesday that it has started operating the country’s first outdoor delivery robot, which delivers food from a restaurant to an apartment building. According to Woowa Brothers, the delivery app operator, it is now using five Dilly Drives, its outdoor autonomous delivery robot, at Alleyway Gwanggyo, a residential and commercial complex located in Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province. Residents of the 1,100 hous

South Korean tobacco maker KT&G said Tuesday it has launched lil Solid, its heat-not-burn e-cigarette, and three Fiit tobacco sticks, in Russia together with Philip Morris International. It is the first time for the Korean company to enter an overseas market with its e-cigarette product. KT&G and PMI established a strategic alliance in January, in which KT&G distributes its HNB e-cigarettes to overseas markets using PMI’s distribution networks for the first three years. The

Hanmi Pharmaceutical said Tuesday that it will present its LAPSTriple Agonist as a treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease at the International Liver Congress hosted by the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s EASL ILC is to be held online Aug. 27-29. According to Hanmi, a 12-week repetitive administration of LAPSTriple Agonist in 66 obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also known as NASH, has shown tha

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it will support three generations of Android operating system upgrades on millions of its Galaxy devices, which includes a plan to start offering Android 11 on some Galaxy phones within the year. Samsung is planning to make a range of its mobile offerings, from Galaxy S, Note, Z, A to the Tab series, eligible for the Android upgrades. The Galaxy S20 lineup that is currently powered by Android 10 will get support for three OS upgrades starting with Android 11

SK Group reaped the largest net profit in the first half of this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, beating Samsung Group on equity gains from its affiliates, data from Yonhap Infomax showed Sunday. The consolidated net profit of SK rose 32 percent to 6.19 trillion won ($5.2 billion) during the first six months compared to a year ago, driven by strong performances of its key affiliates such as SK hynix, SK Telecom and SK Innovation. Samsung came second with its net profit declining 30 percent

A Seoul court revoked the antitrust watchdog’s requests to suspend the business of Hanwha Systems and limit its rights to participate in public biddings, according to industry sources on Monday. In a lawsuit Hanwha Systems filed against the Fair Trade Commission, the Seoul High Court decided to revoke the FTC’s business restrictions on Hanwha Systems, saying the FTC cannot punish the firm for the misconduct previously committed by a company it had acquired. Hanwha Systems bought

Leading technology firms in Korea are returning to remote working systems, as the country saw triple-digit increases of new virus cases for a fourth straight day Monday. SK Telecom, Korea’s No. 1 mobile carrier by market share, said Monday that it notified all staff and executives to work from home until Aug. 23 and provided specific guidelines on how to prevent infections. “Reschedule every face-to-face activity including meetings and gatherings. During telecommuting, refrain fr

The Galaxy Note 20 series unveiled about two weeks ago is definitely the easiest option for those approaching the end of their two-year mobile contracts with existing phones. But despite initial market expectations, the hype appears to have died down quickly for the latest models, partly due to reduced subsidies for new phone purchases. More significantly, potential consumers have pointed to “less-than-expected” innovations for the pricey device, which is to cost at least $999.

One of the nation’s leading low-cost carriers, Jeju Air said Monday that new stocks worth 135 billion won ($114 million) have been allocated to the company’s existing shareholders and employees. The stocks were offered at 12,400 won, a 20 percent discount from the company’s stock price as of the end of last week. The company’s shares fell by 0.32 percent to close at 15,500 won. In Jeju Air’s recapitalization scheme, the Jeju municipal government subscribed for ar

SK Telecom, a leading mobile carrier in South Korea, said Monday that usage of company‘s home care service by senior citizens using through its artificial intelligence speaker Nugu is continuing to increase this year. According to the telecommunications firm’s latest report, the number of seniors using the home care service has increased to 4,700 as of July from 3,200 in April last year. The monthly average uses of the AI-based home care service have also jumped by 127 percent,