SAMSUNG-U.N. PARTNERSHIP FOR CHARITY -- Kim Jung-hwan (left), manager of Samsung Electronics’ South America headquarters, poses with Amanda Mukwashi, U.N. volunteers’ knowledge and innovation team leader, after signing an agreement to run support programs together for the underprivileged in South America.　(Samsung Electronics)

LG UPLUS SUPPORTS DISABLED -- LG Uplus, Korea’s third-largest mobile carrier, said Monday it would provide its Home Internet of Things services for free to 3,000 households with physically challenged individuals. The services allow users to monitor and control home appliances through smartphones. (LG Uplus)

SAMSUNG AD RIDES POPULARITY – Samsung Electronics said Monday that its TV ad for air conditioner Q9500, featuring former figure skating champion Kim Yu-na, has hit 10 million views online in 19 days. (Samsung Electronics)

KOREAN TELECOM WATCHDOG BEEFS UP TIES WITH U.S. COUNTERPART -- Tom Wheeler (left), chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, and Choi Sung-joon, chairman of South Korea’s telecommunications regulator Korea Communications Commission pose at a meeting held at the FCC last week. They discussed a range of issues including mergers between telecom companies and broadcasting firms, privacy laws, net neutrality and spectrum auctions. (KCC)

STARBUCKS SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION -- A barista from Starbucks Coffee Korea (left) offers career consulting and training to students from Songgok Tourism High School in Seoul on Friday as part of a career development program led by Starbucks in partnership with Junior Achievement, a U.S.-based nonprofit youth organization. Starbucks plans to hold similar programs in high schools within and outside of Seoul until November as part of joint social contribution efforts. (Starbucks Coffee Korea)

COFFEE RECYCLING - Vice Environment Minister Jeong Yeon-man (second from left) and Starbucks Coffee Korea CEO Lee Seock-koo (third from left) water a plant Thursday after signing an agreement to turn used coffee grounds collected across Starbucks outlets nationwide into eco-friendly compost, animal feed and other repurposed substances for local usage. This year, the two plan to collect roughly 3,500 tons of used coffee grounds for recycling purposes. (Starbucks Coffee Korea)

SAMSUNG QUANTUM-DOT TV DEBUTS IN U.S. -- Visitors look at Samsung Electronics’ second-generation SUHD TVs at the launch event held Tuesday at the company’s Marketing Center of Excellence in New York. Based on Samsung’s quantum-dot technology, the new models offer more accurate and vibrant picture quality compared to traditional liquid crystal display TVs. (Samsung Electronics)

LG SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE ZONE – LG Electronics said Wednesday it plans to increase the number of experience zones for its new premium appliance brand LG Signature to some 160 nationwide by the end of this year. LG Electronics

SAMSUNG ROTATING LAPTOP -- Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled its Samsung Notebook 9 Spin, a laptop with a rotating touch screen display that also works like a tablet PC. (Samsung Electronics)

CJ MEETS WITH HEILONGJIANG -- CJ Group chairman Sohn Kyung-shik (left) and Wang Xiankui, secretary of China’s Heilongjiang province, meet at the CJ E&M headquarters in northwestern Seoul on Monday to discuss ways to expand their collaborative partnership in the realms of business and culture. CJ currently operates an animal feed factory boasting annual output of 70,000 tons and three CGV movie theaters in Heilongjiang province. (CJ Group)

SWEET DESSERTS -- President Park Geun-hye (right) and actor Song Joong-ki -- Korea‘s tourism ambassador -- make a traditional Korean dessert during the opening ceremony of the K-Style Hub, located at Korea Tourism Organization’s headquarters in central Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

SAMSUNG’S NEW ROBOT VACUUM – Samsung Electronics on Monday unveiled its new robot vacuum cleaner Powerbot. The vacuum, priced at 1.59 million won, has double the suction power compared to its previous model, according to the company. (Samsung Electronics)

LG OLED LURES CHINA -- LG Display, one of Korea’s leading display-makers, won a top prize for innovative technology at the China Information Technology Expo 2016, an annual electronics fair, held in Shenzhen, China, last week. (LGD)

TEMPLESTAY FOR KEB HANA CLIENTS -- A group of expats who joined KEB Hana Bank’s Templestay Tour pose in traditional temple attire at Woljeongsa Temple, Gangwon Province, on Saturday. The bank said Monday that nearly 30 customers from 14 countries have participated in the two-day program held in partnership with the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. (KEB Hana Bank)

BMW’S NEW X1 MODEL -- BMW Korea launched its new X1 xDrive 18d model this month. It has a higher fuel efficiency compared to the previous model xDrive 20d launched in February. The new BMW X1 xDrive 18d is priced from 51.4 million won ($44,606). (BMW KOREA)