LG PORTABLE SPEAKERS BOAST UNIQUE DESIGN -- Models pose with tech giant LG Electronics’ tumbler-shaped portable speaker, dubbed the Portable Speaker 360 (left), and a speaker with a wooden body, named the Portable Speaker Classic (right), in Seoul on Monday. (LGE)

While expectations are high for the Galaxy S7 and G5, the new flagship smartphones of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, respectively, an announcement by mobile carrier SK Telecom on Monday offers hints to a new feature on the handsets. SK Telecom employees work at a laboratory of the firm in Seoul. (SKT)Korea’s leading mobile carrier said that it would deploy an advanced uplink carrier aggregation technology, which will increase the upload speed of the long-term evolution network, up to fo

IT solutions developer SK Planet said Monday it has supported around 250 small and medium enterprises to tap into global markets through its e-commerce platform 11st in the second half of last year. The logo of SK Planet, the operator of e-commerce platform 11st. (SK Planet)The SK Group affiliate has been running its e-commerce platform 11st with different names in global markets -- n11 in Turkey, Elevenia in Indonesia, and 11Street in Malaysia.The company ran a Korean zone on the e-commerce web

Fake batteries are becoming a headache for Korean battery-makers Samsung SDI and LG Chem, after recent hoverboard fire and explosion cases in the U.S. reportedly involved counterfeit batteries bearing Samsung and LG logos. More than 300 counterfeit hoverboards worth around $94,000 were seized in Miami by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection last week, according to a news report by Sun-Sentinel.  A person rides a hoverboard on the street. (Yonhap)The counterfeit hoverboards, which were shipped

Tech giant LG Electronics said Friday that it topped the U.S. front-loading washing machine market for the ninth consecutive year in 2015.Citing a report compiled by market research firm Stevenson Company, the Seoul-headquartered electronics giant said it took the top spot in the U.S. market last year with its market share exceeding 25 percent for three straight years, last year at 25.1 percent.  A staffer at a Fry‘s Electronics store in Nevada explains the features of LG Electronics’ Twin Wash

BUDGET HANDSET GAINS STEAM -- Mobile carrier SK Telecom said Friday that its 5.5-inch budget smartphone Sol, which comes with a price tag of 399,300 won ($332), has attracted around 10,000 preorders for just three days since Tuesday this week. (SKT)

Semiconductor-maker SK hynix said Friday it has launched a committee to support and compensate its workers who developed life-threatening diseases, including various cancers and leukemia, while working at the firm’s chip factories.The establishment of the support and compensation group is in line with the firm’s efforts to comply with proposals made last November by an inspection committee for workplace safety and health at the chipmaker, consisting of 11 medical specialists, scholars, industry

 A sense of frustration seems to be pervading the halls of Samsung Electronics as incentives for the year 2015, dubbed the overall performance incentive, are anticipated to plunge due largely to its below-par business performance last year.The OPI reward program pays up to 50 percent of the annual salaries of workers within the range of 20 percent of the firm’s excess profits. The Samsung logo at Samsung Electronics’ head office in Seoul. (Yonhap)Samsung also runs their target achievement incent

SK Planet, owned by South Korea’s largest telecom carrier SK Telecom, said Thursday that it will sell off its 15 percent stake in Loen Entertainment, the operator of MelOn, Korea’s top music-streaming, to the new owner Kakao. The shares were valued at 368 billion won ($302 million). The SK Planet logo. (SK Planet)The company said that the decision was made during a directors’ meeting in the day as part of its business restructuring that has continued since last year to pour more resources into p

Although many people talk about big data these days only a few truly understand its potential and actively make use of the related technologies in their businesses, due largely to expensive costs to build and manage infrastructure.Businesses that have swiftly adopted the emerging technology often pose a formidable challenge to leading market players.Video-streaming platform Netflix is a great exemplar as it has successfully integrated big data systems in its streaming services to meticulously an

This is the first article in a series that explores the driving forces behind hallyu and the global rise of Korean pop culture. -- Ed.　　The global success of Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video was both boon and bane to the 42-year-old singer, born Park Jae-sang. 　With the strong support of K-pop stronghold YG Entertainment, Psy was able to reach an unprecedented audience for Korean music. The video rapidly went viral, going on to reach over 2.5 billion views on YouTube. With an additional push fr

China's economic growth slowed to a six-year low in the latest quarter as trade and consumer spending weakened, deepening a downturn that has fueled anxiety abroad over its impact on an uncertain global outlook. The world's second-largest economy grew by 6.8 percent in the October-December quarter, down from the previous quarter's 6.9 percent, data showed Tuesday. That dragged full-year growth to a 25-year low of 6.9 percent.    A port in Chungqing, China. (Yonhap)Growth has fallen steadily over