The Korea Herald

Samsung's management intact amid Lee's hospitalization: official

May 12, 2014

Samsung Group said Monday its daily management activities were on schedule despite the hospitalization of its de facto head, Lee Kun-hee, who received emergency treatment for a heart attack."We are not arranging any special meetings concerning management problems, as the chairman has not been directly involved in management affairs," said Lee June, Samsung's chief communications official. "We are continuing our usual daily tasks."Lee, the chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., was treated for myoc
Government to inject W50b into IoT industry

May 12, 2014

South Korea's telecom and industry authorities said Monday they plan to invest 50 billion won ($48.7 million) by 2019 into the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, seeking to tap deeper into a new source of profit in the country's technology realm.Under the plan, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will allocate 37 billion won over five years from next year to develop core technologies related to the IoT.The IoT refers to a computing conc
[Weekender] Everything is connected

May 9, 2014

After electricity was discovered, it took about 200 years for light bulbs and lamps, and other electrical products, to hit the market.The Web was created in the 1990s following the invention of the ARPANET system in the 1970s through a collaboration between the Pentagon, scientists and businesses that aimed to reduce inefficiency by sharing resources via network connections.A new market in which all sorts of physical objects ― ranging from home appliances and streetlights to roads and cars ― can
[Weekender] Bitfinder, SinglePet seek to develop game-changing gadgets

May 9, 2014

As was seen in the dot-com industry, venture entrepreneurship has been the key to creating not only new technologies but also new industries and values that can forever reshape conventional markets.Start-ups will be called upon again to develop an entirely new market where every physical object can connect to the Internet.With the Internet of Things gaining momentum, ventures such as Bitfinder and SinglePet are seeking to come out with their own connected innovative products and services that ho
[Weekender] IoT to bring winds of change

May 9, 2014

An Oracle yacht that uses IoT technology (Oracle)A man walks into a clothing store and sees customized advertisements based on his shopping data as soon as he gets his eyes scanned.This scene is from Hollywood blockbuster “Minority Report” but a similar situation could soon become reality thanks to the Internet of Things.Cisco Systems, the U.S. networking equipment giant, said people can already get a similar experience.“If you use, for example, Cisco’s Connected Mobile Experience, what happens
[Weekender] Rapid growth forecast for IoT

May 9, 2014

As an example of the potential for the Internet of Things, take for instance the mousetrap. It has been a very long time since anyone has built a genuinely better mousetrap.But with the ubiquity of device connectivity these days, it is now possible for the janitorial staff in a commercial warehouse to be notified via smartphone when a mouse has been caught in some dark corner of the building ― and subsequently inform the end-user that it is time to set another trap. In short, IoT can improve eff
[Weekender] All roads lead to in-car technology

May 9, 2014

Not so long ago, automakers were all about competing to produce and market vehicles with better horsepower and fuel-efficiency.With the Internet of Things coming around the corner, automakers’ focus has shifted from not only introducing cars with powerful engines that consume less gas, but also to dashboards with in-car networks.Automakers are revving up to form an alliance either with Apple, Google or both, following the introductions of their in-car platforms that can be linked with drivers’ i
Samsung SDS’ IPO seen to aid Lee’s inheritance

May 9, 2014

Samsung SDS’ announcement to launch an initial public offering this year has not only put Samsung family owners and the company’s affiliates, including Samsung C&T and Samsung Everland, under the spotlight, but also a non-Samsung company KCC.The company’s IPO, in what seemed like a move aligned with Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee’s inheritance plan for his three children, has further boosted the value of Samsung C&T, the group’s construction and trading arm that is the second biggest shareholder o
Samsung named world’s 3rd most attractive workplace

May 9, 2014

A Samsung Electronics worker inspects a photomask engraved with chip patterns at the firm’s new chip plant in Xian, China, which started operations Friday. (Samsung Electronics)Samsung Electronics was named the third most preferred employer in the world, according to a Dutch research firm Friday. In an announcement for the Randstad Award 2014 report, which ranks the most attractive companies among job seekers, Randstad said Samsung came third among the eligible 50 firms, following German carmake
Samsung says ‘open to’ more chip lines in China

May 9, 2014

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest chipmaker, signaled Friday that it could invest an additional $3 billion to boost chip production lines at its new plant here, saying it is “open to more investment” in China. Kim Ki-nam, head of Samsung’s memory chip business division, made the remarks at a meeting with a group of South Korean correspondents as Samsung began mass producing a faster and higher-capacity version of flash memory chips at its $7 billion plant in Xian.Asked about market sp
Samsung SDS to go public this year

May 8, 2014

Samsung SDS, an information technology services affiliate of Samsung Group, announced Thursday that it would push for an initial public offering this year in a bid to raise more capital to finance its global expansion.The move is also likely to speed up the succession of power to Samsung heir apparent Lee Jay-yong, who holds a significant stake in the company, industry watchers said. “In order for Samsung SDS to become a global ICT services firm, we decided to file for the IPO. We will make utmo
Naver’s Q1 earnings fall on spin-off

May 8, 2014

Naver Corp., South Korea’s top Internet portal operator, said Thursday its first-quarter net decreased 17.9 percent from a year earlier despite its improved sales and operating profit, due to the spin-off of its game business.Net profit came to 128.9 billion won ($126 million) in the January-March period, compared with 156.9 billion won posted a year earlier, Naver said in a regulatory filing. Revenue gained 23.9 percent to 638 billion won while its operating profit advanced 50.5 percent to 189.
The good, the bad and the IoT

May 7, 2014

Security remains biggest risk of widespread connectivity
[Herald Interview] IoT boom in the offing

May 7, 2014

Cisco sees potential in Korean infrastructure
Xiaomi catches up with Apple, aims for Samsung

May 7, 2014

Xiaomi Tech, a Chinese smartphone maker, outpaced U.S. giant Apple Inc. in China’s market share during the first quarter, data showed Wednesday, emerging as another threat to Samsung Electronics.Xiaomi became the No. 3 player in the region with a market share of 11 percent, outdoing Apple for the first time, according to the data by Counterpoint Technology Market Research. The U.S. firm’s market share measured 10 percent.South Korea’s Samsung maintained its top spot at 18 percent, followed by Le