The Korea Herald

Busan to grant honorary citizenship to new ITU chief

Nov 3, 2014

The Busan Metropolitan Government said Monday it would grant honorary citizenship to secretary-general-elect Zhao Houlin of the International Telecommunications Union.“Zhao has contributed to narrowing the digital divide in developing countries and has promoted international cooperation in the ICT sector,” a city official said. Busan is currently hosting the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, which continues until Friday. Zhao HoulinThe 64-year-old was named as the new head of the ITU, becoming the
[Graphic News] Mobile subscribers drop

Nov 2, 2014

The number of South Korean subscribers to mobile communication services provided by three telecom companies stood at 50,700 on average per day last month, according to the ICT Ministry and the Korea Communications Commission.It dropped more than 24 percent from the previous month’s daily average of 66,900 following a new law governing the distribution of mobile devices and their subsidies, which took effect in October.The two agencies, however, said the mobile communication market was showing si
Foreigners' Samsung ownership hits 8-year high

Nov 2, 2014

Foreign ownership of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has reached an eight-year high as overseas investors snap up its shares despite their overall selling mode on the local stock market, data showed Sunday.As of Friday, foreign investors held 52.33 percent of the top-cap company on the local bourse, the highest proportion since June 13, 2006, according to data from the Korea Exchange and financial sources.Last month, offshore investors bought a net 881.2 billion (US$825 million)
Global ICT firms eye energy industry

Oct 31, 2014

Smart solutions by tech giants are changing energy industry landscape
KT’s Q3 net profit plunges 45.7%

Oct 31, 2014

KT Corp., South Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier, said Friday its net profit sank 45.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, mainly dented by restructuring costs. The company, however, turned around from three consecutive quarters of net losses, paving the way for future upturns.Net profit came to 73.9 billion won ($70 million) in the July-September period, compared with 136.2 billion won the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. The result marks a turnaround f
Apple CEO Cook comes out publicly as gay

Oct 31, 2014

Apple CEO Tim Cook came out publicly as gay Thursday, saying he is proud of his sexual orientation and considers it "among the greatest gifts God has given me." Cook made the announcement in an essay written for Bloomberg Businessweek. He is considered one of the highest-profile CEOs to come out as gay."For years, I've been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me," Cook said i
Samsung Q3 net hits 3-year low

Oct 30, 2014

Samsung Electronics Co., the world‘s top smartphone maker, said Thursday its third-quarter profit fell to the lowest in three years on waning sales of flagship smartphones, as it faces challenges ahead in competing with smaller Chinese startups and long-time rival Apple Inc. Net profit reached 4.22 trillion won ($4.01 billion) in the July-September period, down 48.7 percent from 8.24 trillion won the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit plunged 60 percent on-y
Google shows Jeju’s natural wonders

Oct 30, 2014

Search giant’s cultural platform seeks to give historic archive access to all
Naver Q3 net almost doubles on chat app LINE

Oct 30, 2014

Naver Corp., South Korea’s top Internet portal operator, said Thursday its third-quarter net profit almost doubled from a year earlier as overseas sales, aided by its mobile messenger service LINE, sharply increased.Net profit reached 143 billion won ($136 million) in the July-September period, compared with 74.4 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.Operating income came to 189 billion won during the third quarter, rising from 101 billion won the previous year.Sale
LG Electronics creates new consumer values

Oct 30, 2014

Principal Awards/Gold PrizeLG ElectronicsI would like to express my deepest gratitude to The Korea Herald and consumers for having selected the advertisement for the LG DIOS Refrigerator featuring a water-and-ice dispenser as one of the winners of the paper’s 2014 Advertising Awards. Since the release of the refrigerator models that were equipped with the dispenser in 2013, LG Electronics has been rolling out a variety of models, including the bottom-freezer refrigerator, which was exceptionally
[Newsmaker] New iPhones set to hit Korean shelves

Oct 29, 2014

The worldwide craze over the new iPhones will hit the South Korean market on Friday when the iPhone 6 and its variant the 6 Plus go on sale here. This time, the so-called iPhone effect will have a more significant impact on the Korean smartphone market than ever, according to industry watchers. The first round of preorders was filled last Friday by the mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus in less than 30 minutes.It is estimated that the total number of preorders will reach at least 80,000
SK Telecom Q3 net up 5.7%

Oct 29, 2014

South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Wednesday its net profit rose 5.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier on the back of a rise in long-term evolution subscribers and good performance by its key affiliate chipmaker.Net profit came to 531 billion won ($507.4 million) in the July-September period, compared with 502.2 billion won the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. The figure slightly surpasses the 522.8 billion won consensus polled by 12 lo
LG Electronics’ Q3 profit up 86.7% on-year

Oct 29, 2014

South Korean tech firm LG Electronics continued its steady growth path with net profit rising 86.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier on brisk sales of its flagship G3 smartphones, the company said Wednesday. Net profit was at 202.6 billion won ($193.5 million) in the July-September period, compared with 108.5 billion won in the same period last year. Operating profit soared 111.8 percent on-year to 461.2 billion won, with sales reaching 14.9 trillion won in the same period, up 7.4
Samsung bets on B2B market as next growth engine

Oct 29, 2014

Samsung Electronics Co. is making aggressive moves in the business-to-business (B2B) market as a new driver for growth, as it faces challenges in the faltering smartphone sector, industry sources said Wednesday.The world's top smartphone and memory chip maker is pushing for a deal with premium carmakers in North America and Europe to supply digital signage platforms.Digital signage refers to large-sized commercial displays including outdoor advertising and hologram panels that use technologies s
ITU offers awards for bringing more women into ICT sector

Oct 28, 2014

The International Telecommunications Union on Tuesday gave recognition to individuals and agencies that have promoted women’s presence in information, communication and technology industries.The ITU had picked 37 finalists from around 360 candidates recommended by 74 countries for the awards ― the first of their kind ― given in seven categories. The Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Tech Award “seeks to create a platform for advancing women’s meaningful engagement with ICTs and their role as dec