The Korea Herald

Are Samsung, Hyundai at odds?

Apr 15, 2014

Latest deal between Hyundai affiliate and Samsung SDI’s rival rekindles questions on their relations
Samsung SDI develops longer-life curved battery

Apr 15, 2014

Samsung SDI, Korea’s second largest lithium-ion battery maker, said Tuesday it has developed a longer-lasting curved battery for smart watches.The company’s rechargeable battery with a capacity of 210 milliamp-hours has five times the battery life offered by existing wearable batteries.Samsung SDI’s curved battery has been embedded in Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Gear Fit smart watches, which was introduced last week with the Galaxy S5 smartphone.Samsung SDI said it was able to produce improved,
KT to raise $1b via debt sales

Apr 15, 2014

South Korea's top fixed-line operator, KT Corp., said Tuesday it will raise $1 billion by selling bonds to overseas investors as it aims to raise cash for debt payments in the coming months.Of the amount, $650 million will mature in three years and the remaining $350 million in five years.The three-year bonds will carry an interest rate 100 basis points above the yield on three-year U.S. Treasurys. The rate of the five-year bonds will be 110 basis points higher than the government bonds of the s
Samsung to announce stance on deaths of employees from leukemia

Apr 14, 2014

Samsung Electronics said Monday it will soon announce its official position on the sufferings and deaths of its semiconductor workers from leukemia that family members and activist groups blame on the exposure to lethal chemicals at its plants.Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition Justice Party had said on Wednesday she will propose a bill urging Samsung to apologize and compensate the families of the victims who died from leukemia after working at the firms’ chip-making facilities.Advocacy
FTC slaps KT with 2.08b won fine for forcing unfair business contract

Apr 14, 2014

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said Monday it had fined KT Corp., the country’s top fixed-line operator, 2.08 billion won ($2 million) for forcing an unjust contract on a local electronics manufacturer.According to the FTC, KT placed orders for 200,000 units with an initial production of 30,000 units of a low-end tablet PC, named the K-PAD, in 2010 from Enspert. KT was hurrying to release the product in the market before SK Telecom, its industry rival in the mobile carrier business, released S
Galaxy S5 sales on track at home

Apr 13, 2014

Samsung Electronics had sold nearly 120,000 units of its newest smartphone, the Galaxy S5, in Korea as of last week, matching the performance of the previous model, the S4, market watchers said Sunday.The sales translate to roughly 10,000 units daily during the 12 business days from the March 27 launch date to Friday, they said.The S5 accounted for approximately 28 percent of the domestic smartphone market, they added.The smartphone, the latest version in the company’s flagship Galaxy series, wa
Steve Jobs rejected deal with CrucialTec

Apr 13, 2014

Many behind-the-scenes stories about Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs have received attention since he died in 2011.His meeting with Softbank CEO Son Masayoshi, who brought a rough concept image of a phone-capable iPod for a business partnership before the first iPhone was developed, was one of the latest episodes divulged. Another episode related to Steve Jobs and the evolution of the iPhone recently emerged from a local firm.In a recent interview with The Korea Herald, CrucialTec CEO Charles Ahn
Samsung calls Google to its defense in Apple trial

Apr 13, 2014

Samsung Electronics called the first of as many as seven witnesses to begin making its case in a $2 billion patent trial that Apple’s true target in the lawsuit is the Android operating system. Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s vice president of Android engineering, testified yesterday in federal court in San Jose, California, about the development of the Android operating system used in Samsung phones. Apple contends, and Samsung denies, that several Android features in Galaxy devices infringe the i
Galaxy S5 sales on track at home

Apr 13, 2014

Samsung Electronics has sold nearly 120,000 units of its newest smartphone Galaxy S5 in South Korea as of last week, matching the performance of the predecessor model, the S4, market watchers said Sunday.The sales translate to roughly 10,000 units daily during the 12 business days from the March 27 launch date to Friday, they said. The S5 accounts for approximately 28 percent of the domestic smartphone market, they added.The smartphone, the latest version in the company's flagship Galaxy series,
Galaxy S5 released worldwide

Apr 11, 2014

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S5 has hit the global market along with its new wearable devices ― Samsung Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit.The Korea tech giant said Friday that its products with new fitness and health features have hit the shelves in 125 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. This marked the biggest worldwide release of a Samsung smartphone. Its predecessor, the Galaxy S4, was introduced in 60 countries. “The refined design and technological inn
Seoul shares fall 0.56%, won extends rise

Apr 11, 2014

South Korean shares closed lower Friday as an overnight drop in U.S. stocks prodded investors here to turn away from risky assets, with the Korean won extending its gain versus the U.S. dollar, analysts said. The local currency closed at a near six-year high.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 11.17 points, or 0.56 percent, to 1,997.44. Trading volume was light at 205 million shares worth 3.42 trillion won ($3.3 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 447 to 342.The index ope
Chinese premier says FTA talks with Korea at ‘critical’ stage

Apr 11, 2014

BEIJING (Yonhap) ― Negotiations between South Korea and China aimed at forging a bilateral free trade pact have entered a “critical” stage, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said, calling for the two nations to speed up the process of talks to reach a “high-level” agreement. Li made the remarks during a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on Thursday evening on the sidelines of a regional economic forum on China’s southern island of Hainan, according to a statement released by China
Samsung, LG required to adopt kill switch

Apr 10, 2014

The government said Thursday that all new smartphones produced by local handset makers should adopt a “kill switch” security function to enable users to remotely shut off their devices, rendering them useless, to prevent theft. “This will help users (to safeguard their data) if (the phone is) lost or stolen,” said a government official at the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. Samsung Electronics will feature the kill switch on its new flagship model Galaxy S5, which will hit the glob
Korea’s ICT exports jump 8.9% on-year in March

Apr 10, 2014

Backed by the country’s initiative to bolster the information and communication technology sector, related exports jumped 8.9 percent in March compared to a year earlier, according to government figures on Thursday.Outbound shipments of ICT products came to $14.98 billion in March, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Imports surged 10.3 percent on-year to $7.43 billion, but the sector’s trade surplus widened to $7.55 billion from $7.02 billion in March 2013.“The country’s exp
KT faces challenge to increase earnings despite restructuring: analysts

Apr 10, 2014

South Korea’s No. 2 mobile carrier KT Corp. is still faced with the challenge of improving its earnings despite latest efforts to reduce labor costs, analysts said Thursday, due to the dull performance of its fixed-line sector and the ever-intensifying battle with the rivals.“While cutting expenditures may have a positive effect for the short term, it will not be a fundamental solution to the slowed growth,” said Kim Jang-won, an analyst at IBK Investment & Securities.Hwang Chang-kyu, who took t