About six in 10 South Koreans use two or more mobile messaging apps, with KakaoTalk standing as the most-used chat service, a survey showed Friday.According to the survey of 279 people aged between 19 and 59, conducted by market researcher DMC Media, 64.1 percent of respondents said they use two or more mobile messaging apps. The survey found that 35.8 percent use one messaging app, 38.8 percent use two, 16.8 percent use three and 8.6 percent use more than four. Asked why they use multiple messa

Fuel cell vehicles might just be a solution to various environmental issues, including climate change, as they can help reduce fine dust without even trying, a study by a local automaker showed Friday.According to local industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., a fuel cell electric vehicle can collect up to 20 milligrams of fine dust for every kilometer it travels.An FCEV is a type of hybrid vehicle that uses a fuel cell and a battery to power an electric motor instead of an engine. Because its fuel ce

Major South Korean tech firms have recently rolled out a number of automated translation applications for Korean and major foreign languages, industry officials and analysts said Thursday.Co-developed by local software firm Hancom Interfree Inc., and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, "Genie Talk" is capable of translating Korean, Japanese, English, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Arabic.The app will be available to athletes during the 2018 PyeongChang Winte

Within eight years, Korea will have autonomous vehicles manufactured wholly by homegrown technology. According to a 2.2 trillion won ($2 billion) blueprint rolled out by the Korean government Wednesday, the country will produce eight major components required for self-driving vehicles including visual sensors and radar by 2019. By 2021, carmakers will secure technology that enables a driverless vehicle to keep distance from cars ahead and change lanes without human input. And by 2024, automated

The dawn of Internet of Things technology has sparked a fierce war between Korea’s three major telecom carriers as they seek to become the dominant network provider for IoT-based services.While improvements in information and communications technology have advanced communication between people through objects, the Internet of Things seeks to facilitate communication between objects themselves.According to a July report by the Hyundai Research Institute, the Korean IoT market is expected to grow

South Korea is looking to make its mark in biotechnology as it eyes leadership in new industries geared for sharp growth in the years ahead.Biotechnology refers to technology that harnesses the science of genetics and molecular biology to develop new medical treatments and services. In the coming era of aging populations, the global biotech market is set for significant growth.The Ministry of Strategy and Finance forecasts the global biotechnology market will reach $2.61 trillion by 2024, surpas

The head of SK Networks has vowed to expand its business partnership and seek new opportunities in Brazil during his business trip to the nation this week, according to the company on Thursday. Chairman Choi Shin-won paid a courtesy call to Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer in his office in Brasilia.  SK Networks chairman Choi Shin-won (right) poses with Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer. (SK Networks)“As an honorary consul to Brazil and chairman of Korea-Brazil Society, I will make ef

South Korea’s leading mobile game developer Netmarble Games on Thursday announced that it will launch “Lineage II: Revolution” for mobile devices in Korea in October.Netmarble’s upcoming mobile game -- categorized as a “massively multiplayer online role playing game,” or MMORPG -- is based on NCSoft’s original online role-playing game “Lineage II.”“Lineage II: Revolution” has sought to optimize the original online game to fit mobile devices while offering the same high-quality graphics, characte

The growth of South Korea’s big data industry is being hampered by strict regulations on personal data and lack of understanding of the technology, industry analysts say. The global big data market, which is expected to stand at around $27.3 billion this year, will more than triple by 2026, according to market research firm Statista.  (Bloomberg)However, tech-savvy Korea is still far behind in this industry. The local big data market was worth around 262 billion won ($239 million) last year and

Historic human vs. AI match sparked interest in AI and robots, questions Korea’s competitiveness in future technology

Samsung Electronics’ mobile chief said Thursday that the iris technology used for its new smartphone Galaxy Note 7 is the safest security technology. “Iris-scanning is the safest security technology at the current level. Iris, which is fixed within 18 months to 20 months (since a baby is born), cannot be reproduced,” said Koh Dong-jin, the head of the tech giant’s mobile business, at a launch event for the Galaxy Note 7 in Seoul. Koh downplayed a recent hacking demonstration of Samsung Pay by se

Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, on Thursday said its operating profit in the second quarter rose 132.8 percent on-year to 26.6 billion won ($24.25 million).　　The company’s revenue during the April-June period jumped 66.2 percent on-year to 376.5 billion won, led by the strong performance of its content business division which includes music, games and webtoons, it said.　Kakao’s content division received a major boost from its new subsidiary Loen Entertainment

South Koreans take free Wi-Fi access available in public places for granted, but it was the most impressive experience for foreigners visiting Asia's tech powerhouse, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Cosmo Jin Travel R&D Institute on 706 foreign travelers between June and July, 55 percent were most surprised by being able to use the free Internet connection in such places as airports, subway lines, restaurants and ancient palaces during their stay here.Over 130 respon

South Korean online beauty retailer Memebox on Wednesday said it secured some $66 million in new funding from global venture capital funds Formation 8, Goodwater Capital and Pejman Mar Ventures.　The latest round of funding drives up the total investment raised by Memebox to about $100 million, the biggest ever for a Korean beauty start-up, the company said. It plans to use the new capital to finance its service upgrades and global expansion.A person opens the Memebox mobile app on a smartphone (

China’s tech giant Huawei said Wednesday that it will launch a new computer product in South Korea, jumping into the fierce market race that has been led by home players as Samsung and LG.Huawei will launch its new device MateBook that combines the features of a laptop and a tablet on Thursday. This is the first digital device the Chinese firm rolled out here other than smartphones it has offered since 2014 in partnership with mobile carrier LG Uplus. Wu Bo, Japan and Korea regional head of Huaw