The Korea Herald

SK hynix invests W2.2tr in NAND flash memory

Dec 22, 2016

SK hynix said Thursday it would invest a total of 2.2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) in its new chip plant in response to the growing demand for NAND flash memory in the global market. The nation’s second-largest chipmaker will make the investment in its chip plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province from August next year to June 2019. “The new chip plant in Cheongju will be a key base for SK hynix, which is preparing for the future, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said SK hynix’s CE
[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Foldable devices to be popularized by 2019’

Dec 22, 2016

Foldable devices could become popular by 2019, grabbing around 20 percent share of the Korean smartphone market, said an executive of Kolon Industries, a chemical arm of Kolon Group. Kolon Industries is currently the only company in the world that can mass produce colorless polyimide, a key technology for foldable devices as the flexible film can replace rigid glass sheets. It is reportedly supplying the materials to global tech firms including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and BOE, althou
SK hynix to spend 3.15 tln won to expand output of memory chips

Dec 22, 2016

South Korean memory semiconductor manufacturer SK hynix said Thursday it will invest 3.15 trillion won ($2.63 billion) to build a new plant at home and expand production of memory chips in China.Prices of NAND flash memory chips for smartphones and other mobile devices have shown signs of a rebound.SK hynix, the world's No. 2 memory chipmaker, plans to spend 2.2 trillion won to build a new NAND chip plant in Cheongju, central South Korea.The remaining 950 billion won will be used to boost the pr
Interactive bulletin board GoTouch to enter global market via Indiegogo

Dec 21, 2016

Anyractive has been crowdfunding for its independently developed interactive bulletin board GoTouch via Indiegogo since Dec 13, the company announced.GoTouch already conducted a successful campaign on Kickstarter in October, through which it earned $110,000, far exceeding its goal of $30,000. Screen capture of the GoTouch Indiegogo campaignSung Hyun Lim, CEO of the company, said, “This product, which we have promoted on the top two US crowdfunding platforms, is the 2.0 version, which can be used
BrilliantTS to release all-in-one smart card in first quarter of 2017

Dec 21, 2016

BrilliantTS, whose CEO is Bae Jaehun, announced Wednesday that it will be releasing its independently developed B PAY smart card in the first quarter of 2017. B PAY is an all-in-one, smart payment card service that integrates offline payment and loyalty cards -- including credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, transportation cards and various membership cards -- into a single card.It is equipped with a magnetic strip, integrated circuit chip, Bluetooth, a small e-paper display and a battery,
Lotte to build shopping assistance chatbot using IBM’s AI solution Watson

Dec 21, 2016

South Korean retail giant Lotte Group said Wednesday that it will build a new shopping assistance chatbot using IBM’s artificial intelligence system Watson with an aim to provide customized shopping support to customers.Lotte signed a partnership with IBM Korea in Seoul on Wednesday, agreeing to adopt the US tech giant’s cognitive computing software for use by Lotte’s various retail and consumer goods units, including the Lotte Department Store.“Faced with a rapidly changing business environment
Motel-booking app Yanolja to introduce overseas Korean guesthouses

Dec 21, 2016

South Korea’s leading motel-booking app operator Yanolja said Wednesday that it has signed a strategic partnership with Minda, another homegrown startup which facilitates bookings for Korean guesthouses overseas.Under the new partnership, which will involve unspecified investments, Yanolja will add some 1,600 Minda-registered lodging options around the world to its app, widening user options.With the addition, Yanolja will now operate a network of more than 30,000 motels and guesthouses in and o
Note 7 unlikely to be killed off this year in Korea

Dec 20, 2016

Samsung Electronics’ fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 is unlikely to be killed off this year in South Korea, as there are still around 140,000 users who have not yet returned the recalled devices. According to local news reports Tuesday, Samsung may lower the battery charging limit from the current 60 percent rather than complete disable the phones like the company would do in the US.Since Samsung began recalling the phones in October, 85 percent of the total 950,000 units sold here have been returned.“
Ericsson eyes 550m 5G subscribers worldwide by 2022

Dec 20, 2016

Ultra-fast 5G wireless network systems are set to gain a solid global presence alongside the rise of revolutionary technologies in the coming years, according to Swedish telecom equipment and services company Ericsson.Short for fifth-generation, 5G is an ultra-fast wireless network system offering around 20 times faster transmission speeds than the existing 4G or Long-Term Evolution networks. This super-fast network boasts extremely low latency -- delays caused when transmitting large amounts of
Netmarble acquires US game developer Kabam’s Vancouver studio

Dec 20, 2016

South Korean mobile game giant Netmarble Games said Tuesday that it has acquired US-based game developer Kabam’s Vancouver studio, the creator of the hit mobile game “Marvel Contest of Champions.”　The deal, which will be handled by Ropes & Gray LLP, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2017, according to Netmarble. The financial terms of the asset sale were undisclosed.Kabam’s studio in Vancouver is best known for developing “Marvel Contest of Champions.” Since its launch in December
About 140,000 Galaxy Note 7s still in use in Korea

Dec 20, 2016

About 140,000 owners of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea have not returned their devices, an industry source said Tuesday, complicating efforts by Samsung Electronics Co. to end the recall program for the phablet by the end of this year. More than three months after conducting a global recall of the Note 7 over a safety risk, the retrieval rate in South Korea stood at 85 percent. Given that some 950,000 Note 7s were actually sold in South Korea, the remaining 15 percent still pose a
Electronic payment hits record high in Q3

Dec 19, 2016

The amount of payments made electronically hit a record quarterly high in the third quarter, central bank data showed Monday, in the latest sign that a growing number of South Koreans are using electronic means for financial transactions.The daily average amount of electronic financial transactions came to 363.1 billion won ($306 million) in the July-September period, up 12.8 percent from the previous quarter, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).The Q3 reading marks an increase fr
All of iPhone 8’s OLED version will be curved: sources

Dec 18, 2016

All of Apple’s iPhone 8 OLED versions will be curved, sources said Sunday, amid growing speculations over the design of the US tech giant’s upcoming flagship smartphones. “The OLED versions of the new iPhone will all have curved screens as Apple ordered only plastic OLED -- not glass -- from Samsung Display. Samsung is capable of supplying a little less than 100 million units of curved OLED displays to Apple,” a source familiar with the matter told The Korea Herald. Plastic OLED has been used fo
Beauty startup Memebox secures additional $60m investment

Dec 16, 2016

South Korea’s beauty startup Memebox announced Friday that it has secured another $60 million in funding from nine investors including Goodwater Capital, Altos Ventures and Formation Group.The online beauty retailer said that the new round of investments came as an extension of the funding the firm had raised back in August, which had stood at $66 million.With the new funding, Memebox has secured a total of $160 million from global investors since its foundation in Seoul four years ago.The beaut
Korea boasts world's fastest Internet speed for 11th quarter

Dec 16, 2016

South Korea has the world's fastest Internet connection speed for the 11th consecutive quarter, a private survey showed Friday. South Korea's average Internet connection speed stood at 26.3 Mbps during the third quarter, marking the only country with a speed of over 25 Mbps, according to the survey by online content delivery network firm Akamai Korea. Hong Kong came in second with a speed of 20.1 Mbps, followed by Norway with 20 Mbps. The world's average Internet connection speed stood at 6.3 Mb