The Korea Herald

Olympus names new Korean chief

Apr 29, 2015

Olympus Korea said Wednesday it has named Naoki Okada, former senior vice president of Olympus China, as its new regional chief. The new Korean head joined Olympus in 1984 and served diverse positions in the company’s endoscope and new growth engine business divisions for 31 years. In 2004, he also led the company’s new medical business unit TmediX for three years before joining the Chinese operation. Naoki Okada“Korea is one of the fastest-growing medical markets,” he said in a statement. “Base
LG Electronics Q1 net halves

Apr 29, 2015

LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 tech giant, said Wednesday its first-quarter net profit fell 58.5 percent on-year as its home entertainment business offset relatively robust smartphone sales. Net profit came to 38.4 billion won ($35.9 million) in the January-March period, plunging from a profit of 92.5 billion won posted a year earlier, LG Electronics said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit came to 305.2 billion won, also down 36.2 percent from the 478.7 billion won posted a ye
Samsung regains top spot in Q1 smartphone sales

Apr 29, 2015

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. regained its title as the top seller in the global smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, beating its archrival Apple Inc., data showed Wednesday. Samsung sold 83.2 million smartphones worldwide in the January-March period, accounting for 24 percent of total global shipments, according to the data by industry tracker Strategy Analytics. Apple posted 61.2 million units in global sales in the three-month period, or 18 percent of the w
LG unveils new flagship smartphone G4

Apr 29, 2015

LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 tech giant, on Wednesday showcased its new flagship G4 smartphone that aims to take on Samsung's Galaxy S6 series and Apple's iPhone lineup amid increased competition in the high-end smartphone segment. The slightly curved G4 comes with the same 5.5-inch in-plane switching QHD display as that of its older sister, the G3, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Processor with X10 LTE, and runs on Google Inc.'s Android 5.1 Lollipop. LG held the showcase event in s
SK Telecom vows to offer differentiated 5G services

Apr 28, 2015

South Korea’s No. 1 mobile network operator SK Telecom discussed how to create an ecosystem for 5G technology with global firms and ventures at a forum in Seoul on Tuesday.“SKT is currently working on developing differentiated services with advanced technology to greatly improve user experience,” said Jang Dong-hyun, chief executive of the Korean mobile carrier, in an opening speech at the global ICT developer forum.“The company also plans to boost support for small-and medium-sized firms in res
LG Group chairman urges executives to lead innovation

Apr 28, 2015

LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo on Tuesday urged executives to lead innovative experiments across business divisions as part of the strategy to strengthen competitiveness during economic uncertainties.“Global companies are competing fiercely amid slowing sales and economic uncertainties,” Koo said during a meeting with some 300 executives at the group’s Seoul headquarters. “Customer value-oriented innovation is the key to survive the competition.”He also stressed that innovation should lead to con
Fitbit releases new fitness band in Korea

Apr 28, 2015

U.S. wearable activity tracker-maker Fitbit released its new fitness wristband Fitbit Charge HR in Korea on Tuesday, aiming to increase its footing in the market where the smartphone penetration rate reaches around 80 percent.“(The exponential growth of the fitness wearable market in recent years) is driven by real consumer trends ― we all live increasingly busy and hectic lifestyles, and obesity, diabetes and chronic diseases are growing across most countries in the world,” Steve Morley, head o
Oracle faces Korean fair trade probe

Apr 28, 2015

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said Tuesday it is investigating multinational software giant Oracle Corp. about its possible unfair trading practices related to its database management system. The investigation into the local unit of California-based Oracle, which has been under way for months, is focused on two areas of business that may be market restrictive, the Fair Trade Commission said. DBMS is used in conjunction with a standard operating system and is a collection of programs that allo
Fighting home allergens

Apr 28, 2015

Fighting home allegensMatt Steel, Dyson’s chief engineer, collects dirt with the company’s new vacuum cleaner at a launching event in Seoul Tuesday. Dyson unveiled three v6 Motorhead vacuum cleaners and the Pure Cool fan. Photo credit: Yonhap
[Newsmaker] Samsung, LG wage new smartphone battle

Apr 27, 2015

South Korea’s leading tech giants are set for fierce competition in the global smartphone sector, as LG Electronics is set to unveil its new flagship smartphone the G4 in six global markets on Wednesday, just weeks after Samsung released the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.Both Samsung and LG have been pinning high hopes on their latest smartphone models, each equipped with unique cutting-edge features and all-new designs.The upcoming LG G4 is expected to be equipped with the industry’s most advanced tech
[Graphic News] Sex crimes on subways spike

Apr 27, 2015

Sex crimes on subways and trains have increased by 84 percent compared to three years ago, data showed Monday.Out of a total of 3,568 railway crimes committed from 2012 to 2014, the number of sex crimes totaled 749 cases, or 21 percent.The most frequent types of sex crimes on the railway were sexual harassment by touching (491 cases), followed by illicitly taking pictures without permission (235 cases).In the case of illicit photos, perpetrators took photos with smartphones as well as hidden cam
[Photo News] Wireless charging at shops

Apr 27, 2015

Samsung Electronics said Monday it would work with companies including Lotte Department Store, coffee chain TOM N TOMS and restaurant chain Seoga & Cook to conduct a joint marketing campaign for wireless charging technology for Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Wireless chargers will be installed at around 200 partner stores. (Samsung Electronics)
Intel eyes educational tablet PC market

Apr 27, 2015

Chipmaker partners with Korean firms
LG G4 boasts high technology, leather back

Apr 27, 2015

“If Steve Jobs were alive today, even he would have liked the G4.”An industry official close to the South Korean tech giant LG Electronics made the remark ahead of the official unveiling event of the firm’s flagship smartphone, the G4, showing confidence in the new marquee device.After the debuts of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge and Apple’s smart watch this month, many eyes are now on the LG G4, which will be unveiled this Wednesday in six global markets including South Korea, the U
Samsung launches SUHD TV in Russia

Apr 27, 2015

South Korea's leading tech giant, Samsung Electronics Co., said Monday it has begun selling its latest SUHD TV lineup in Russia in an effort to expand into the Commonwealth of Independent States market. Samsung's SUHD TVs were first showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, boasting the quantum dot technology that uses a semiconductor nanostructure to improve brightness and power efficiency. A quantum dot TV is made with a film of semiconductor nanocrystals, known as quantu