[THE INVESTOR] The much-publicized initial public offering of Line Corp. -- the world‘s seventh-most used messaging app -- has finally happened.Owned by South Korean Internet giant Naver and based in Japan, Line went public on the New York Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange on July 14 and July 15, raising $1.3 billion in the biggest IPO of the year in the local tech sector.But the IPO marks only one of the steps Line has been taking to maximize profit and strengthen its identity as a global

[THE INVESTOR] Following its failed attempt to take over cable firm CJ HelloVision earlier this week, network carrier SK Telecom said that it would instead put more focus on the connected car solutions business. The company made its car navigation app T-map available to all mobile subscribers of its rivals KT and LG Uplus on July 19.KT and LG Uplus subscribers can now use the app for free. T-map boasts 18 million subscribers, among which around 8 million use it on a monthly basis.“The decision t

[THE INVESTOR] The Korea Communications Commission, the state media regulator, said that a preparation committee for starting ultra-high definition broadcasting in Korea was launched on July 19.The committee consists of 14 members from the government agencies, TV makers, research institutes, and academia, including the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics.Lee Ki-joo, a standing committee member of the KCC, and Second ICT Vice Minister Choi Jae-yoo

[THE INVESTOR] SK Telecom will join hands with Thailand’s CAT Telecom and enter the Southeastern country’s electronic payment market, Thai daily The Nation reported on July 19. Surapant Meknavin, acting president of the public enterprise, acknowledged that the two telecom operators will set up a joint venture to provide an e-payment gateway service. SK Telecom will own 51 percent of the JV, reportedly named Tree Pay, with registered capital of 200 million baht (US$5.72 million). Scheduled to be

[THE INVESTOR] Nexon will release its new mobile role-playing game “Chaos Chronicle” in 136 countries, it announced on July 16. China was not included in the list. Developed by Wing Studio, this horizontal scroll game collects and nurtures 103 heroes into the strongest team, and is available in eight languages including Korean, English, Japanese, and Thai.NexonIn advance to the official release, pre-registration is available at the game’s website https://ccc.nexon.com until Aug. 3. All the regis

[THE INVESTOR] Grafolio, Naver’s online platform for creative contents, will host a Global Storypic Challenge to discover illustrators from around the world, it announced on July 19. Applicants are required to choose a theme on their own and upload an illustrated story, with more than 20 episodes, on Grafolio by Sept. 18. A total of 10 creators will be selected to post their works on the official pages and receive US$10,000 each to support their creative activities. Grafolio offers services in e

[THE INVESTOR] Mobile messenger operator Kakao and K Cube Venture, an early-stage venture capital, will jointly invest 30 billion won ($26.4 million) in Shiftup, a game company.Shiftup was established by art director Kim Hyeong-tae, who participated as an art director in the development of mobile game “Blade & Soul.” The game start-up has recently received the limelight with a hit trailer for mobile game “Destiny Child” which it is currently developing with game firm Nextfloor. Well-known illust

[THE INVESTOR] Mobile messenger operator Kakao said July 19 that it has acquired 20 percent of start-up CNT Tech, which develops systems that receive orders from customers and transfer them to POS systems at the nearby stores.The start-up has also developed its own POS system which is compatible with any network environment and can be utilized for any business in an easy manner, the mobile messenger firm said.The 10-year old start-up which has built up its expertise in e-commerce and POS sector

[THE INVESTOR] Korean mobile users spend more time on Facebook than any other social network services here, including the most popular Kakao Story. According to a recent survey by local market research firm WiseApp, Facebook users here spend a combined 5 billion minutes per month, which compares to 1.2 billion minutes of Kakao Story and 1.7 billion minutes of Band that is owned by Naver. The firm conducted the survey on 14,439 Android smartphone users in June. The number of Facebook users in Kor

[THE INVESTOR] The South Korean government on July 18 decided to ease regulations on the gaming industry, such as revising the online game “shutdown law,” by leaving in to the choice of the gamers’ parents. According to the plans drawn up as part of the government’s strategy for boosting the game industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to lift the curfew imposed on underage users from accessing online games late at night. PororoEnacted in 2011 to curb video game addiction a

 [THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said on July 18 that it has decided to officially oppose the planned merger between SK Broadband, an IPTV unit of SK Telecom, and CJ HelloVision, the nation’s No. cable TV operator, citing monopoly concerns in the media and telecom markets.After holding a meeting early in the day, the Fair Trade Commission announced its final decision, wrapping up a reviewing session that lasted more than seven months.CJ Hellovision headquarter“The FTC has decided