[THE INVESTOR] The top executives of Viv Labs, a US artificial intelligence startup which was acquired by Samsung Electronics last month, paid a visit to the head office of the Korean tech giant in Seoul on Nov. 4. Viv Labs CEO Dag Kittlaus and CTO Adam Cheyer had meetings with the top management of Samsung, including Rhee In-jong, who heads Samsung’s mobile R&D division. The visit comes amid rumors that Samsung would incorporate the US startup’s AI platform, called Viv, into its Gala

Nov. 6, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] German home appliance giant Miele on Oct. 28 denied the allegations that its steam washing machine breached its Korean peer LG Electronics' related patents. “Miele has not violated any patent owned by a third party,” Miele Korea said in a statement. “Miele owns patents related to front-load steam washing machines, with some of them under application process.” LG Electronics’ steam washing machineThe Korean unit added the headquarters is open to talks on the issue with LG, saying t

Oct. 28, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean network operator KT said in a preliminary regulatory filing that its operating profit in the third quarter was 401.6 billion won ($350.66 million), up 17 percent from a year earlier. Its revenue came in at 5.53 trillion won, up 0.7 percent compared to the July-September period last year.By breakdown, the firm’s wireless network business saw its revenue increase 2.2 percent during the third quarter to 1.88 trillion won while its landline network segment, which embraces

Oct. 28, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] IT solutions developer Samsung SDS said in a preliminary regulatory filing that it posted 170.6 billion won (US$149.28 million) operating profit in the July-September period, up 41.9 percent from the previous quarter. Its second-quarter revenue came in at 2 trillion won, up 6.8 percent last year. “Although difficulties were expected in the third quarter due to the tumbling IT business sector, the company was able to meet market expectations by making forays into global markets and

Oct. 27, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI said in its preliminary regulatory filing on Oct. 27 that it posted 110.4 billion won (US$96.60 million) operating loss in the July-September period due to costs for the Galaxy Note 7 crisis. Its revenue came in at 1.29 trillion won, down 2.1 percent from 27.2 billion won in the previous quarter.Samsung SDI, one of the main battery suppliers of Samsung Electronics‘ Galaxy Note 7, said it would buy back its own shares worth 300 billion won to

Oct. 27, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics plans to roll out a set of new corporate policies next month that are more friendly to shareholders in an apparent move to appease mounting demands from investors calling to modernize its governance structure and share more profits with them. “We are reviewing the demands from shareholders, including the latest one by Elliott Associates, to offer them more benefits,” said a Samsung executive in a conference call after the company’s third-quarter earnings report

Oct. 27, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] LG Display said in a preliminary filing on Oct. 26 that it earned 323.2 billion won (US$286 million) in operating profit, down 3 percent on-year, in the July-September period.  Its revenue stood at 6.7 trillion won, down 6 percent from a year earlier.The display firm said it has suffered from a weak demand and fierce competition in the display sector during the second quarter.Compared to the previous quarter, the second-quarter operating profit improved 628 percent while its reven

Oct. 26, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The chief executive of South Korea’s No. 1 cable TV network operator CJ HelloVision said on Oct. 25 that the company would try to seek business growth via new mergers and acquisitions.The company’s stock price has tumbled in recent months after its failed merger attempt with SK Broadband, a subsidiary of mobile network operator SK Telecom. On July 4, the nation’s antitrust watchdog disapproved the deal citing monopoly concerns of the merged entity. Since then, its shares have suff

Oct. 25, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean chipmaker SK hynix on Oct. 25 predicted that the recent Samsung Galaxy Note 7 crisis would help boost the memory chip demand among Chinese smartphone makers. "With the absence of a popular model (Samsung Galaxy Note 7), the high-end smartphone market is likely to suffer supply constraints," a company executive said during a conference call in line with its third-quarter earnings report. "Chinese smartphone makers, among others, would ramp up efforts to fill the void,

Oct. 25, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said in a preliminary filing on Oct. 25 that it posted 726 billion won (US$639.60 million) operating profit in the July-September period, down 47. 5 percent from a year earlier. Its revenue stood at 4.23 trillion won, down 13.8 percent on-year.The drop in profits from the same period last year is mainly due to the declining price of DRAM and fierce competition in the memory chip sector.However, the third-quarter operating profit, which beats a previ

Oct. 25, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said in a conference call on Oct. 25 that it would increase the monthly output of 3-D NAND flash memory chips to around 20,000 to 30,000 sheets as previously planned in a bid to meet the fast-growing demand for it in the mobile sector. The company said it would commercialize the third-generation 3-D NAND flash memory chip, which stacks 48 layers of cells inside, by the end of this year, while a fourth-generation NAND chip with 64 cell layers would b

Oct. 25, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean chipmaker SK hynix  said in a preliminary filing on Oct. 25 that it posted 726 billion won (US$639.6 million) in operating profit in the July-September period, down 47. 5 percent from a year earlier with its revenue standing at 4.23 trillion won, down 13.8 percent during the same period. (theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)

Oct. 25, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Amid Samsung Electronics’ ongoing efforts to recover from the ongoing Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, the Korean smartphone maker has signaled that it is would not ditch the Note brand next year. Announcing a new compensation program for the Note 7 users on Oct. 24, the company said it would offer a 50-percent indirect discount for current Note 7 users on their purchase of the firm’s new flagship phones, including “the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.”Samsung said participants in the new progra

Oct. 24, 2016