삼성전자에 이어 LG전자의 자율주행차도 도로를 주행한다.　LG전자는 19일 국토부로부터 이달 7일 자율주행차의 임시운행을 허가받았다고 밝혔다. 앞서 LG는 개발중인 자율주행차 임시운행을 허가해 달라며 5월에 국토부에 신청한 바 있다.　LG전자의 자율주행차는 기존 현대자동차 제네시스 차량 1대에 각종 센서와 자율주행 시스템을 탑재한 형태이다. 　LG전자가 자율주행차 개발에 나선 것은 자율주행 기술과 관련된 시스템 개발을 위해서다. LG전자는 전장 사업을 신성장동력으로 삼고 2013년 4월 자동차부품(VC) 사업본부를 설립해 연구·개발을 해왔다　지금까지 현대차·기아차 등 완성차 업체와 현대모비스·만도 등 자동차 부품기업, 서울대·카이스트·네이버, 삼성전자와 SK 텔레콤 등이 자율주행차 도로 주행 허가를 받고 주행 테스트를 진행 중이다. 코리아헤럴드 신지혜 기자 (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)<관련 영문 기사>LG scores approval to test self-drivin

LG Electronics is ready to compete against its rival Samsung Electronics in developing self-driving cars. The tech giant told The Korea Herald on Wednesday it was recently granted permission to test autonomous cars on public roads in the nation. “We received the approval to test self-driving from the government on July 7 after applying for permission in May,” a LG official said. LG plans to develop its autonomous automobiles with Hyundai Motor‘s luxury vehicle Genesis by applying its own sensors

SK Telecom said Wednesday it was granted permission by the government to test autonomous cars on public roads using Hyundai vehicles. SKT, which is the first local mobile carrier to gain the approval, said it plans to develop a self-driving car with Hyundai’s luxury vehicle Genesis G80 in partnership with Seoul National University and the US chipmaker Nvidia. The latest announcement is part of the firm’s self-driving efforts, which include unveiling the 5G connected car solution T5 in partnershi

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it had launched the long-awaited English version of Bixby in the US and Korea. The English version was originally planned to be unveiled in May but was delayed due to an issue related to data, which is key to deep learning technology. Samsung said the issue has mainly been addressed after launching the beta test for some US consumers last month. (Yonhap)Bixby is Samsung’s artificial intelligence service available on the firm’s latest flagship smartphones, the G

Samsung Electronics may not launch an artificial intelligence speaker anytime soon due to marketable issues, said a source familiar with the matter. There has been growing speculation over whether Samsung will soon roll out an AI speaker, following reports of its development of one powered by voice assistant Bixby. The project codenamed Vega has reportedly progressed for more than a year.“Samsung currently does not view Al speakers as marketable, as the global market is already dominated by unbe

Samsung Electronics said Monday it signed a partnership agreement with the US payment service provider PayPal to collaborate for the mobile payment service Samsung Pay. Through the partnership, more than 200 million users of Samsung Pay will be able to pay through their accounts with PayPal, one of the world’s largest internet payment companies. “Samsung Pay in partnership with PayPal will provide more abundant mobile wallet experiences to users,” said Rhee In-jong, Samsung Mobile’s chief techno

Fair Trade Commission chief Kim Sang-jo on Monday said the government’s financial aid to small firms to help them pay for the minimum wage hike will be temporary, in light of growing debate over the government’s surprise decision and its sustainability.“It will not be possible for the government to give financial aid to the private sector for long,” Kim said during a breakfast meeting held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry.Kim’s remark came after the government made an impromptu announ

Harman International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, acquired British hi-fi company Arcam this month, Samsung confirmed on Monday. “It is true that Harman acquired Arcam in July to deliver the best sound quality to consumers,” said a Samsung official. Arcam is one of the best known brands in hi-fi technology, which refers to high-quality reproduction of sound for home cinema, TVs, tablets, smartphones, streaming systems and speakers. Through the acquisition, Arcam will now sit

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor on Friday voted to stage a walkout as they press for more wages and benefits, the union said Friday.Hyundai's 50,274-member union cast their votes as wage negotiations with the management are underway.In a vote held from Thursday through Friday, 33,145 members, or 65.93 percent, of the union agreed to go on strike if the wage talks break down, a union spokesman said over the phone. "Union leaders will meet on Tuesday to decide on the guidelines for union member

Marriott International will open 16 more hotels in South Korea over the next five years, its vice president said Friday, amid increasing demand from local residents as well as the steady growth of foreign visitors. Vice President Ramesh Daryanani in charge of global sales in the Asia-Pacific region said the hotel chain operator will expand its establishments in the country's popular tourist areas, including the resort island of Jeju and the southeastern port city of Busan.Marriott International

President Moon Jae-in will host a luncheon with the leaders of South Korea's five major political parties next week to discuss key pending issues including national security, his aides said Friday.The meeting, to be held at the presidential compound Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday, is intended to brief them on the outcome of Moon's recent summit diplomacy, according to Jun Byung-hun, chief presidential secretary for political affairs."It's expected to serve as an opportunity to have in-depth consulta

Google Assistant has launched its beta test in Korea ahead of its debut here, according to local tech communities on Friday. Google will have to compete with several local rivals, Samsung, Naver, Kakao and local telecom carriers all working on similar services. Google Assistant is a virtual personal assistant, providing diverse services such as answering questions, playing music, making reservations, checking schedules and sending text messages. Available only in English, the service is speculat

Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is upbeat on growing demand for energy storage, driven by an increasing number of countries pushing for energy self-sufficiency, along with a drop in battery prices making it economically feasible.The global energy storage system, or the ESS market, is predicted to see the fast growth in the coming years. According to the US market research firm Navigant Research, it is forecast to grow to 4.3 gigawatt hours this year, around a 50 percent jump from the previous y

Korea Electric Power Corporation has joined the Open Connectivity Foundation, making it the first energy company to join the group developing standards for connected devices, OCF Korea said Tuesday. The Open Connectivity Foundation is an industry group developing specification standards to connect devices made by different brands. Set up in February last year, the OCF currently has around 300 member firms, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Electrolux.“