Tech firm to work with global broadcasters and content maker for next-gen TV tech

Merck seeks close ties with Korean partners

South Korea’s leading telecom firm KT signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Football Association on Tuesday to sponsor the national soccer team until 2019.  (From left) Ky Seung-yong, the captain of the South Korean football team, KT vice president Oh Young-ho, head coach of the national soccer squad Uli Stielike, vice chairman of the KAF Kim Ho-gon, and forward Son Heung-min. (KT)At an MOU signing ceremony at Hwaseong Sports Complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, KT and Korean so

Mobile messenger and Web-portal operator Daum Kakao said Tuesday that it has decided to change its name to Kakao in a bid to highlight its corporate identity as a leader in the mobile era.The company came to the limelight when it was established last October as the result of the merger between Web-portal Daum and mobile messenger firm Kakao.Some market analysts had previously predicted that the company would make efforts to beef up its mobile business platforms rather than the Web services.Daum

　South Korea’s No. 1 wireless carrier SK Telecom announced a partnership deal with Finland-headquartered network equipment-maker Nokia on Tuesday to work on developing Internet of Small Things technology, which connects small sensors and devices. 　The two counterparts will collaborate on developing network technology, such as machine type communication, which is required to support large-scale transmission of kilobytes of data, and applications leveraging the MTC technology, according to the Seo

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled its new smartwatch with a rotating bezel -- the first of its kind within the industry -- before its official debut at the upcoming IFA electronics trade show in Berlin on Sept. 3. The Korean tech giant was the first to open up the global smartwatch market back in 2013. But during a yearlong hiatus, its archrival Apple has gobbled up the market over the past year.  In a renewed push for its smartwatches, Samsung has come up with the Gear S2, the company’s f

　Samsung Electronics on Monday released a new front-load washing machine with an extra door that allows users to put in additional laundry in the middle of a wash cycle.　The new model, dubbed the Bubble Shot Add Wash, comes as Samsung has been enjoying a sales momentum with its new top-load washer, the Active Wash, that is fitted with a built-in sink for soaking or prewashing.  Models pose with Samsung Electronics’ front-loading washing machine, called the Bubble Shot Add Wash, at the firm’s hea

Conglomerates to participate in government-led plan to automate factories of SMEs

The “new” Samsung C&T kicked off on Sept. 1 as the de facto holding company of Samsung Group, the nation’s largest conglomerate. The group’s construction, trading, fashion, food and bio businesses are now reorganized under the new umbrella company, while Samsung Electronics and Samsung Life Insurance are responsible for tech and finance pillars, respectively. Head office buildings of Samsung C&T (left) and Samsung Electronics (right)          YonhapThe merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Indust

Michael Grund, the head of chemical firm Merck Korea, said that maintaining strong partnerships with Korean firms was key to running a successful business here. “We need reliable partners and we strongly believe in the power of partnership,” said the Merck Korea chief in a speech at the Half-Year Economy Outlook Conference 2015 hosted by the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Daegu on Thursday.The meeting, attended by top executives of German firms operating in Korea and German go

Huawei’s Honor 7 smartphone featuring CrucialTec’s fingerprint module. (Huawei)South Korea’s biometric technology firm CrucialTec said Friday it has supplied its fingerprint modules for Chinese smartphone powerhouse Huawei’s Honor 7i.Unlike other fingerprint modules fitted in the home button of smartphones, the Korean firm’s products are installed on the left side of the Honor 7i, aimed at enhancing the user experience.“The side fingerprint scanner allow users to easily scan their fingerprint wh

Few may have anticipated the tremendous impacts of smartphones and mobile applications on conventional businesses from taxi operators to brick-and-mortar retailers when the market began adopting smartphones in earnest less than a decade ago.Now few can dismiss the striking tech development under which previously dominant business sectors, including financial services, are going through disruptive changes caused mainly by the versatile telecommunications devices.The mobile payment market, in part

U.S. software giant Oracle on Thursday pinned high hopes on Korea for the growth of its human capital management software Oracle HCM, which is widely being adopted by global companies. “Companies share similar human resources planning systems globally these days. But two countries -- Korea and Japan -- are still slow to adopt the standardized systems possibly due to their rigid corporate cultures,” said Pyun Chong-hwan, vice president of applications business at Oracle Korea during a media event