Global ad spending to top $6b this yearKorea is expected to become the world’s fourth-largest mobile advertising market this year.In a report by eMarketer, a U.S. IT research firm, spending for mobile advertisements in Korea is estimated to reach over $450 million this year, up about 40 percent from $320 million in 2011.Korea will follow the U.S., Japan and the U.K. in terms of ad spending. The U.S., the world’s largest ad market, will maintain the top position with ad spending to reach some $2.

NHN, the operator of Korea’s largest search engine Naver, has developed a proprietary voice-recognition application that enables users to search for foreign language expressions.Android-based smartphone consumers can access and download the app, named “Link,” which will introduce a list of foreign expressions after they speak into their phone in Korean.When users say, for instance, “hello” or “could you check in my luggage, please” in Korean, the Link app will translate and show how to say the p

Display maker posts record sales in second quarterLG Display, Korea’s display panel giant, is gearing up to boost the production of high-end, premium liquid crystal displays for small- and mid-size mobile products.The company said Thursday that its board of directors reached a decision to invest over 1.2 trillion won ($1 billion) to transform part of its sixth generation manufacturing line to produce low temperature poly-silicon displays.LTPS is more energy efficient and offers higher pixel dens

KT, Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier, and Yonsei University Health System have launched a joint venture in healthcare IT business named H∞H Healthcare.H∞H, or “Hooh,” refers to the infinite value of human and health, KT said.The two sides invested 1 billion won ($869,000) in the joint venture with a 49 percent stake owned by KT, while Yonsei holds a majority 51 percent in the new entity.The board members will consist of two executives from KT and three from Yonsei University Health System.T

Network, copyright differences remain for online content platformPooq, a media platform formed by Contents Alliance Platform, was officially launched on Monday in Korea, with over 5,000 users already subscribing to its inexpensive service.But company officials said that more work needs to be done before it can become a global platform where overseas users can access and watch a variety of TV content provided by Korea’s four terrestrial broadcasters ― KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS.Contents Alliance Platf

KT, Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier, said Monday that it has launched a pilot service of Voice over Long Term Evolution for the first time in the world.Some 300 workers and college students will be given the chance to test KT’s high-definition VoLTE in Korea.The concept of HD VoLTE is similar to Voice over Internet Protocol telephone service, which uses Internet broadband lines to transmit voice data, whereas VoLTE transmit data via LTE networks, an industry source said.Also, VoLTE allows

LG Display, Korea’s second-biggest display panel maker, has formed a partnership with Seoul National University for the research and development of next-generation display technology.The company said that the two sides will establish the LGD-SNU Cooperation Center within the university’s Research Institute of Advanced Materials to push forward in making Korea the “Mecca” of the world’s leading R&D in display.The corporate-academic center will house top engineers, researchers and professors from

KT plans to sell its old copper cables that used to be the main telecommunication lines for telephones and the Internet in the 1990s.With the emergence of smarter devices and demand for faster data, copper cables have gradually been replaced by fiber-optic cables, which are lighter and transmit data faster with greater bandwidth.KT said Thursday that it will sell over 26,000 tons of copper cables via a public auction to waste and recycling companies by the end of August.With the proceeds from th

The Korea Communications Commission said Thursday that it has set up a center aimed at supporting developers to create applications for smart TVs.The country’s communications watchdog established the support center in southern Seoul with leading tech and content companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and CJ HelloVision.The KCC said the center aims to support and encourage college students, venture tech start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to develop world-class apps fo

SK Telecom, Korea’s biggest mobile carrier, said Wednesday that it has launched an application where users can receive their bills and pay them through smartphones.The application named “Smartphone Billing & Payment Platform” can be downloaded by any smartphone users at SK Telecom’s T Store, Google’s Android or Apple’s App Store.With the app, users can not only pay their telephone bills, but also property and other taxes to regional government offices.The development of the app was part of effor

DTS, the U.S.-based audio technology company, has introduced a new solution that can enhance viewing and help consumers become more emotionally affected by the content they see on smart electronic products.In a press conference on Tuesday, the company’s senior vice president Geir Skaaden unveiled the “Neo2:5,” an audio solution embedded in Samsung Electronics’ premium smart TVs that can convert any two-channel audio to 5.1 surround sound, equivalent to what movie theaters offer.This system is in