[THE INVESTOR] General Motors CEO Mary Barra is set to visit South Korea next week for the first time since she took the top job in 2014, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea said on Aug. 22. Barra, the first female CEO of the US auto giant, is invited to speak at an event hosted by AmCham Korea at Conrad Hotel in Seoul on Aug. 30. 　GM CEO Mary BarraDuring her trip, Barra also plans to visit GM Korea's production plant and to meet local partners such as LG Electronics, the parts supplier fo

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics topped India’s smartphone sales in the second quarter, while its archrival Apple failed to break into the top five vendors in the world’s third-largest smartphone market. According to market research firm IDC, the Korean tech giant controlled 25.1 percent market share in India in the April-June period, up over 14 percent from its 10.9 percent market share a year ago. During the cited period, the market saw 27.5 million smartphone shipments, a modest 3.7 percent

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is shutting down its streaming radio service Milk Music in the US on Sept. 22, as the service has failed to gain traction in the crucial market. The Korean tech giant plans to direct its Galaxy and Note smartphone users to switch to Slacker Radio, the local partner for Samsung Electronics America that powered the Milk system. “We will invest in a partner model focused on seamlessly integrating the best music services available today into our family of Galaxy de

[THE INVESTOR] LG Display confirmed Friday that it will supply liquid-crystal displays to China’s hot-selling budget phone-maker Vivo for the first time.“We have recently inked a deal with Vivo to supply LCDs,” said a LG Display spokesperson. The LCDs will be installed in Vivo’s new premium 5-inch range smartphone model that will be released in the first quarter of next year.According to industry sources, the display manufacturer is also in talks with another Chinese budget phone-maker Oppo to s

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is diversifying parts suppliers for the Galaxy Note 7 amid upbeat preorders for the new large-scale smartphone. According to industry sources on Aug. 18, the Korean tech giant has recently added MCNEX as the secondary supplier of iris-recognition camera modules, joining Patron. Both are Korea-based firms. A Galaxy Note 7 experience zone is packed with customers.MCNEX has started shipments from this month to Samsung’s smartphone plants in Vietnam and China. Sour

[THE INVESTOR] Analysts raised Samsung Electronics’ stock price target to a maximum 2 million won (US$1,800) per share after the shares closed at an all-time high Aug. 18. On the day, the price soared to a record 1.64 million won, up 4.73 percent from the day before. The previous record was 1.57 million won, set Jan. 2, 2013. Analysts said the company’s upbeat outlook on smartphone and chip sales will continue to elevate the shares. Expectations are growing for the latest smartphone Galaxy Note

[THE INVESTOR] Naver, the Korean internet giant that owns immensely popular mobile messenger LINE, said on Aug. 18 it will make a fresh investment into stylus start-up Widevantage. The company said Naver D2 Startup Factory, its start-up accelerator, will carry out the investment, though it didn’t specify an amount. Together with the funding, it plans to offer residential office space, infrastructure and business consultations. Widevantage’s flagship product MotionPenEstablished in 2013, Widevant

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Rotem, the train-making unit of Hyundai Motor Group, has won a 1.1 trillion won (US$994 million) train supply deal in Australia, the company said on Aug. 18. The contract marks the company’s largest ever. Hyundai Rotem’s double-decker train will be supplied to the Australian state of New South Wales. Hyundai RotemUnder the deal, the company will supply 512 double-decker trains to the Australian state of New South Wales, along with an optional 136 trains. The shipments will

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Group’s five affiliates have cut 5,700 employees in the first half of this year, the companies said in their semiannual reports. The companies include Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Engineering and Samsung C&T, five of the group’s 15 listed companies. Samsung SDI, the battery-making unit, shed the largest 15 percent, or 1,662 people, since the sell-off of its chemicals business to Lotte Group. The total employee number was 9,422. 

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor President Chung Jin-haeng on Aug. 17 hinted the Korean carmaker was in talks with US internet giant Google on a possible partnership for self-driving technology. “It is true that we are communicating with Google,” he told reporters after an industrial meeting with the trade minister in Seoul. “We are seeking ways to collaborate.”Google is one of the leading players in terms of self-driving technology. Its test-drive course with global carmakers such as Toyota and For