Stage X, a consortium comprising Kakao affiliate Stage Five and other unidentified companies, selected as the new operator of the 28 gigahertz band of the fifth-generation network in South Korea, said on Wednesday it would launch a nationwide telecommunications service in the first half of 2025. “We aim to become a new deep-tech telecom company that innovates technology and services,” Seo Sang-won, representative of Stage X, said in a press briefing in Seoul, after the consortium b

SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip maker, on Tuesday announced that it would increase its proportion of materials accounted for by recycled materials to over 30 percent by 2030. The target, as part of the company’s carbon neutrality goal, is the first of its kind set by a semiconductor maker. Under the plans, the company aims to first increase recycled material usage to 25 percent by 2025. The company said the target is a part of its plans to implement its carbon neutral

Broadcasting watchdog chief said Monday that scrapping the controversial handset subsidy ban can provide "greater benefits" to consumers as the removal would boost competition among mobile carriers to lower smartphone prices to sell more. "The Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act was legislated in 2014 to resolve excessive competition. As time passed, however, the act limited the local telecom carriers' competition and caused the cost of smartphones to become even more

Merck, the science and technology juggernaut based in Germany, will continue to put capital into Korea in line with the growth of the country's semiconductors industry while expanding cooperation with key clients and the world's two largest memory chip producers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The German firm is seeking to leverage its capabilities to supply materials and equipment needed for chip manufacturing as its Korean clients increase their investments into artificial intelli

After logging all-time high earnings last year, Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon expressed her determination to strengthen the tech giant's core search platform and commerce services using generative artificial intelligence technology this year. "Based on AI and data, Naver will focus on enhancing competitiveness in key businesses, including search engines and commerce platforms," Choi said during the company’s earnings conference held on Friday. Choi expected that Cue, a generative

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it narrowed the size of the semiconductor deficit in the October-December period, as a result of its ongoing chip production cut efforts. “As we revised down (the chip output), the chip inventories decreased rapidly in the fourth quarter, especially for DRAM memory chips,” Kim Jae-june, executive vice president in charge of memory marketing strategy, said in the fourth-quarter earnings call. He also said the tech giant will continue cutting its m

The US Chamber of Commerce has openly opposed a proposed act aimed at preventing unfair market activities by major online platform players, voicing concerns over the country’s apparent rush to pass the law. Charles Freeman, senior vice president for Asia at the US Chamber, issued a statement warning Seoul on the push for the rules on Monday and called for transparency and open dialogue with Korea’s antitrust regulator that “an action of this magnitude requires.” "It

US tech giant Dell Technologies has jumped on the generative artificial intelligence bandwagon with a range of new AI offerings combining its hardware and software prowess. The firm is also setting its sights on Korea, a tech powerhouse aspiring to become a potent player in the burgeoning AI era. “Korean firms, from manufacturing giants to internet and cloud service providers, have embraced AI faster than their Asian rivals. We are confident in saying that Dell was at the center of the jou

LG Group said Monday it supported an art program showcasing three artificial intelligence-integrated artworks of Brooklyn-based artist Stephanie Dinkins at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York on Thursday. “Late Shift x Stephanie Dinkins” shed light on how AI tends to have the mindset of the majority, easily overlooking and further ostracizing those living in the gray areas of society. Dinkins is an artist who uses cutting-edge technologies such as AI, augmented reality and v

Customers line up to activate their preordered Galaxy S24 smartphones at Samsung Electronics’ flagship store in southern Seoul on Friday. The latest smartphone scored record preorders in Korea, selling more than 1.21 million units during the preorder period from Jan. 19-25. On Sunday, Samsung said it is extending the preactivation period to Feb. 8, due to an influx of customers. (Samsung Electronics)

LG Electronics reported another year of record sales in 2023, driven by upbeat sales of home appliances and automotive parts and solutions, the Korean tech giant said in its earnings conference Thursday. The company posted all-time high annual sales of 84.2 trillion won ($62.9 billion) last year, up 0.9 percent from the year before. This is the third consecutive year the company has achieved record-breaking sales figures. Despite the global economic downturn and decreased demand, LG Electronics&

LG Display said Wednesday it would focus investment on OLED displays this year, seeking to continue growth momentum after it posted the first profit in seven quarters in the October-December period last year. “The panel demand, which has been volatile over the past three years due to COVID-19, is expected to stabilize this year. … We have raised our internal OLED panel shipment goal for this year by 20 percent on-year,” an LG Display official said during the company’s

SK Group has reclaimed its title as the nation’s second-largest conglomerate in terms of market capitalization, largely buoyed by its chipmaking unit SK hynix’s strong performance in recent months. According to market tracker Korea CXO Institute on Tuesday, SK Group’s market cap surged to 171.87 trillion won ($128.8 billion) as of Friday’s close, surpassing LG Group’s 167.77 trillion won on the nation’s main bourse Kospi. The figures included the value of pref

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is reportedly arranging a meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on his trip to Korea this week, as he seeks to meet a growing need for semiconductors while reducing reliance on the US artificial intelligence chip leader, Nvidia. Altman’s upcoming visit will mark his first in seven months since he was in Seoul at the invitation of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in June 2023. The OpenAI chief previously showed a strong willingness to explore joint chip

LG Innotek, the electronic component manufacturing unit of LG Group, will suspend the production of its vehicle motor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, later this year to relocate facilities to other sites at home and abroad, according to industry sources Friday. With the planned relocation, the company is expected to streamline operations and improve profitability. The facilities are likely to be transferred to the company’s other motor plants in Gwangju, China, Mexico and Poland. T