Camera-maker Olympus Korea unveiled the PEN-F, a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, in Seoul on Monday.The new camera was made in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the firm’s camera business. Olympus, which started as a microscope manufacturer in Japan in 1919, released its first camera in 1936. Models pose at the unveiling event of Olympus Korea’s PEN-F mirrorless camera. (Olympus)The Tokyo-headquartered firm started rolling out the PEN camera lineup in 1959, garnering popularity than

Semiconductor manufacturer SK hynix said Monday it would launch a men’s handball team in a bid to contribute to the growth of the sport in the country.Since signing a sponsorship deal with the Korea Handball Federation, an umbrella association for handball, in 2007, SK Group, the parent firm of the chip company, has been supporting the sport in Korea. SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won　(Yonhap)SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won has served as the chief of the handball organization since 2009.The conglome

Less than one-fifth of Koreans were using feature phones in 2015, according to government data on Monday.The number of feature phone users came to 9.99 million as of the end of December 2015, compared to the 12.1 million posted a year earlier, said the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. That was less than one-fifth of Korea’s 50 million-plus population. (Yonhap)At the same time, the number of smartphone users jumped 3 million over the cited period to reach 43.6 million A feature phone

SAMSUNG’S NEW GALAXY -- Samsung Electronics sent out an invitation to the media Wednesday for the unveiling event of its new flagship smartphone Galaxy S7 to be held in Barcelona, Spain on Feb. 21. (Samsung Electronics)

GOHEUNG, South Jeolla Province ― Exactly three years ago on Sunday, Korea launched a rocket dubbed the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-I, or Naro, to put a satellite into orbit and become the 13th country to do so from its own soil.Since then, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea’s own version of the U.S.’ NASA, which led the Naro project, has been trying to move on to the next phase ― the development of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II.Engineers from the state-run Korea Aerospace Research

After another failed attempt last week, doubts are growing over the Korean government’s search for a fourth telecom carrier in Korea. Aiming to spur competition and lower service fees, the government has sought to pick a fourth player in the telecom market that has long been dominated by three big companies -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- since 2010.  But the latest seventh attempt ended in vain again Friday as the three bidders -- Sejong Telecom, K Mobile and Quantum Mobile -- failed to come

Global sales of tablet PCs tumbled more than 12 percent in 2015 from a year earlier as a slumping world economy crimped demand for information technology products, industry data showed Sunday.A total of 168.5 million tablet PCs were sold across the world last year, down 12.2 percent from the previous year, according to data by market tracker TrendForce.It is the first time that global shipments of tablet PCs have fallen at a double-digit rate.Apple led the world‘s tablet PC market last year, but

Virtual reality is a technology that creates the illusion of being fully immerged in the simulated worlds. But the profit potential from the burgeoning industry is becoming less and less of an illusion. Goldman Sachs recently predicted virtual reality, coupled with augmented reality, would become an $80 billion industry by 2025, possibly overtaking the TV market by 2026.“As the technology advances, price points decline, and an entire new marketplace of applications hit the market, we believe vir

Games, entertainment lead VR growth

When I first tried Google Cardboard, a virtual reality pair of goggles made out of a few pieces of cardboard and two lenses, at The Korea Herald office in Seoul one afternoon, my coworkers giggled, watching me holding the small brown box up to my eyes and struggling to turn around properly in my chair. But their attention was divided between me and the trendy cardboard goggles, making me feel both embarrassed and flattered. Google CardboardTo be honest, I could have done a review on the Cardboar

LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo has urged the chief executives of the conglomerate’s affiliates to push the envelope for change and innovation in order to overcome difficulties in the coming years.  Participating in the Global CEO Strategy Meeting, an annual meeting of the group’s chief executives, held for two days from Wednesday in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Koo told the top management to “renovate the existing profit structures and improve the business models, reflecting the changing market tre

Years-long efforts by the Korean government to license the nation’s fourth mobile carrier went down to the drain again on Friday as the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning failed to find an eligible candidate.　“All the three bidders did not meet the criteria for the license,” said the ministry, adding that the companies overall were incapable of raising funds and presented no detailed plans to run the business. (From left) Logos of mobile carriers KT, SK Telecom, and LG Uplus. (Yonhap)　

Hologram concert of G-Dragon in Play K-pop (D'strict)Korea’s record label giants SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are betting big on hologram technologies to better satisfy their global fans’ needs and create new cash cows. They are hoping virtual reality technology can be a substitute for K-pop stars, who are not able to cater to all the needs of fans globally. The nation’s largest record label, SM Entertainment, took the lead in going virtual. The firm launched a hologram concert of its h

Mobile network firm’s operating income crosses W1tr mark

NEW DS5 DEBUTS -- Hanbul Motors, the Korean importer of Peugeot Citroen brands, started selling its premium brand DS’ crossover sedan, the New DS5, in Korea on Jan. 29. Equipped with a 2.0L BlueHDi 180 horsepower engine, the vehicle boasts a glass roof and a rear camera, as well as a luxurious interior inspired by an airplane cockpit. Prices start from 45.9 million won ($38,000). (Hanbul Motors)