KT has recently changed its database management system operator from Oracle to a third-party business, according to industry sources Monday. The mobile carrier has reportedly chosen Rimini Street as its database management system provider. A deal was signed considering costs and more efficient services, the sources explained. The partnership indicates KT’s attempts to opt out of overall reliance on Oracle products for its database system. It has not renewed Oracle’s DB license i

Semi Korea, the local organizer of Semicon Korea, on Friday canceled the nation’s semiconductor show due to mounting concerns over the new coronavirus. Semi Korea’s decision came in line with World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ announcement, in which he declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” Semi Korea added that it is currently looking into contingency plans for Semicon Korea 2020 and will post updates

Samsung on Friday announced a donation of 10,000 articles of anti-contamination clothing, as well as 30 million yuan ($4.3 million) to support China’s response to the novel coronavirus, the company announced Friday. The donations will be sent to the Red Cross Society of China, via Samsung’s Chinese headquarters, it added.  By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)

South Korean chipmaker SK hynix’s operating profit in 2019 plummeted 87 percent to 2.7 trillion won ($2.2 billion), amid the continued fall in memory chip prices and lower demand, according to its earnings report released Friday. The world’s second-biggest memory provider raised 26.9 trillion won in annual sales last year, a 33.3 percent plunge from 2018. The net profit nosedived 87 percent to 2.02 trillion won for the whole year. The company’s operating margin also droppe

LG Display announced Friday it has posted an operating loss of 1.35 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in 2019 -- largest in eight years -- going into the red amid ongoing business restructuring efforts.  Overall, the world’s biggest provider of organic light-emitting diode panels posted 23.5 trillion won in sales and 1.36 trillion won in operating loss last year, according to its earnings report for the final quarter of 2019. Compared to 2018, the annual sales dropped 8 percent, while th

Naver’s annual sales surpassed the 6 trillion won ($5.06 billion) mark for the first time in 2019, but its operating profit decreased due to the sluggish performance of Line and related platforms, according to a regulatory filing on Thursday. The South Korean internet giant’s annual sales totaled 6.59 trillion won, marking an 18 percent increase. The figure is four times greater than that of 2015, 3.25 trillion won. However, Naver’s operating profit fell to 710 billion won

The Mobile World Congress 2020 will proceed as planned, according to a statement released by London-based GSMA on Tuesday local time. The event will kick off in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 24-27. The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with almost 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem. It organizes MWC events annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai. The announcement comes amid mounting concerns over the novel coronavirus

SK Group is fast catching up with South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group, even as Samsung Group continued to maintain the top spot last year with a sizable lead over them, according to a report on Wednesday. Samsung Group has remained the largest conglomerate in terms of fair value, revenue, operating profit and operating margin for the past five years, local corporate research center Korea CXO Institute said. Fair value represents the estimated worth of various

The Korea Communications Commission is stepping up its efforts to monitor online posts concerning the new Wuhan coronavirus, to counter rapidly spreading falsehoods that could mislead the public.  The agency said late Monday that it was focusing on preventing false information about the virus from spreading online. The existence of a fourth coronavirus patient has been confirmed in South Korea, with 15 suspected cases under investigation. KCC Chairman Han Sang-hyuk visited local broadca

South Korea’s 5G equipment providers could grow in the near future, as the demand for network infrastructure is anticipated to increase worldwide at a steady pace, according to local financial reports. The earnings of 5G equipment companies here could regain momentum down the road as global telecom firms seek to raise their capital expenditure on 5G infrastructure.  The improved prospects of Samsung Electronics, the major provider of telecom equipment here, will also lead to earnin

The webcomic unit of Korea’s largest internet portal operator Naver is ramping up efforts to attract more foreign users, launching services in French and Spanish recently. Naver Webtoon, also known as Line Webtoon in the United States, is a Korean web comic platform.  The online cartoon service is increasing efforts to increase its foothold in the global market. The company added Spanish on Nov. 22 and French on Dec. 19, while continuing its existing service in Engl

LG Hausys is increasing its presence in North America by operating its third engineered stone production line at a plant there. The South Korean construction and interior materials company is also introducing its new product lineup at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show 2020 in Las Vegas, which runs through Thursday. At the show, the company has introduced 20 artificial marble products, it said in a statement released Tuesday. “The company this year will try to attend exhibits and events,

South Korea’s ICT Ministry on Tuesday gave its thumbs up to the merger of SK Broadband and T-broad, the second-largest cable TV operator here. The ministry has also listed conditions aimed at minimizing side effects from new service providers that could drive out relatively small-sized media businesses across the country. The government has been cautious over the merger as it is the first case between nationwide IPTV operator and a local cable system operator.The conditions include sp

SK Telecom said Tuesday it has reached a deal with Microsoft to expand the service of 5G-based cloud gaming platform Project xCloud here. The two firms hope to increase the number of games available on the platform. An alpha test is planned before the official launch -- the beta test was only opened to a select few.In September, SKT became an exclusive operating partner of Microsoft’s cloud gaming service in Korea. Since the company started the test run in October, the mobile carrier

The Korea Communications Commission on Monday conditionally approved a merger between SK Telecom’s pay TV unit, SK Broadband, and T-broad, the country’s No. 2 cable TV operator. After its meeting on Monday, the KCC announced that it had approved the merger under 14 conditions and three suggestions, which will require the company to protect users’ rights and serve the public interest. The KCC will deliver the results of its review to the ICT Ministry, which is expected to issue