Diageo Korea, the local unit of the U.K.-based drinks group, said it will hold the regional final of its international bartending competition in Seoul on June 21. Since January, about 200 Koreans have been vying for a ticket to the annual World Class 2011 slated for July 11-14 in New Delhi, India, the host said. The final will bring together 10 qualifiers from four heats. The local contestants wil

Korea Electric Power Corp. said on Thursday it plans to award a prize to two Seoul National University scholars for their achievement in the local energy industry. Kim Tai-yoo and Park Jong-keun became the first winners for the KEPCO Research Grand Prix, which the state-run utility launched this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its foundation. Kim was selected for “his outstanding resea

SK Telecom said Thursday it signed an agreement with Nautilus Hyosung Inc. to work together on the mobile carrier’s smart finance business project.The country’s leading mobile carrier said that it formed a partnership with Korea’ top automatic teller machine company to build smart branches.Smart branch is a mini branch service that uses SKT’s information and communication technology to offer vario

Mobile carriers are moving into the mobile messenger field after wrestling with the surging popularity of existing mobile messengers which they claim have jammed networks and snatched away data fees.KT Corp., the country’s largest fixed-line service operator, released its own communication tool called “olleh talk” on Thursday.SK Telecom is also looking into introducing a mobile chat service as ear

Hankook Tire Co., Korea's largest tire maker, said Thursday it began construction of a new plant in Indonesia to increase its presence in the Southeast Asian country and other growing markets in the region.The plant in the Jakarta suburb of Bekasi will be the company's seventh and will cost $350 million for the first phase of its construction, the company said.The construction will be completed by

    WASHINGTON, June 8, 2011 (AFP) - Facebook is coming under fire for a feature that uses facial recognition software to allow members to tag pictures of their friends on the social network.The "Tag Suggestions" feature made its debut on Facebook in the United States six months ago but has drawn renewed attention this week after the social network began rolling it out to other countries.Justin Mi

Koreans are the most eager among global consumers to purchase a smartphone, Nielsen, a global information research firm, said on Wednesday.Half of South Korean consumers without the smart device responded in a survey by Nielsen that they would purchase a smartphone in the future.The figure was the highest among global consumers also surveyed by Nielsen, the company said.About one-fifth of the 50 m

Samsung Electronics is featuring high-quality solar cell technology at the Intersolar Europe 2011 held in Munich, Germany, from June 8-10.Under the catchphrase of “Samsung Delivers High Efficiency,” the company presented solar modules, which were made through screen-printed solar cells, according to Samsung officials.It will show 260-watt crystalline white commercial module and 250-watt premium bl

POSCO announced Wednesday it has acquired control of U.S. graphene nanoplate manufacturer XG Sciences, boosting the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker’s bid to transform into an all-round materials developer. Graphene is a transparent nano-carbon material that has electric conductivity and flexibility. It is widely used as an electrode in various industrial materials, energy and electronic devices.

LG Electronics said Wednesday that it will hire up to 800 disabled people by next year, double its existing number of disabled staff.The hiring will be part of the company’s plan to employ workers in the fields of research and development, production, marketing and business support until June 15. Applications will be accepted at the firm’s website (www.lge.co.kr).“LG Electronics expects to meet th