Kakao Group, the largest mobile technology business in South Korea, pledged on Tuesday to spend 300 billion won ($255.4 million) to support small businesses and the self-employed, looking to soothe growing public criticism over its rapid business expansion. Top executives of Kakao Corp. and affiliates met Monday and Tuesday to devise a package of measures for its “co-existence” with small enterprises whom critics said the mammoth platform is driving out of market, which included th

Technology Sept. 14, 2021

It took two decades for Naver to grow from an internet portal site to a giant in e-commerce, content and mobile payment, and just one decade for Kakao to build a sprawling business empire encompassing commerce, mobility and entertainment, off its mobile messaging app. Both were praised for innovative internet and mobile technologies that changed the way Koreans work, buy and communicate, making life without their services almost impossible to imagine. But just as their dominance is further

Technology Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea’s KT on Thursday announced the 170 billion-won ($145 million) acquisition of London-based data company Epsilon. A senior executive who led the deal told The Korea Herald that it is only the start of the telecom firm’s quest to transform into a major global “digico,” and that it is already on the prowl for another acquisition, with the target likely to be an IT solutions provider based here or elsewhere. “Epsilon is neither too large nor too small,

Technology Sept. 9, 2021

  After years of courtship by mobile carriers, Disney+, another US-based content giant, is to arrive in South Korea in November, raising expectations of a new phase of growth for the local streaming market after Netflix’s entry years ago.  The Walt Disney Co. Korea announced Wednesday its mobile content streaming app would be available here from Nov. 12, promising a wide-ranging library of content.  Content available for streaming will include that produced by Disney, Pix

Business Sept. 8, 2021

After months of contemplation over the location for a new foundry plant in the United States, Samsung Electronics appears to have one or two final candidates in mind, raising expectations about an imminent decision. According to news reports and industry sources on Monday, Samsung will soon make its decision on the location of a $17 billion chip plant in the US. Along with Austin, the state capital of Texas, Taylor in Williamson County, Texas, has recently risen as a possible candidate accor

Technology Sept. 6, 2021

CJ OliveNetworks, the ICT solutions provider of CJ Group, said Friday it is joining hands with Germany’s largest electric and electronic business Siemens on smart factories. On Thursday, CJ OliveNetworks CEO Cha In-hyok and Siemens Korea’s Digital Industry President Thomas Schmid signed an agreement at Siemens’ head office in central Seoul. Under the agreement, CJ will be responsible for developing solutions for the establishment of smart factories and operation and mainten

Technology Sept. 3, 2021

Naver, the largest internet business in South Korea, will present seven research papers on natural language processing in artificial intelligence at a globally renowned academic conference, the company said Friday. Set to be held in the Dominican Republic from Nov. 7 to 11, the Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing 2021 is a global conference with 25 years of history. At the upcoming conference, Naver will unveil its hyperscale Korean-language model Hyper Clova and introduce dat

Technology Sept. 3, 2021

Alongside the highest-end foldable smartphone series Galaxy Z, Samsung Electronics is making a stronger push in the midrange phone market, launching an upgraded version of the Galaxy A52 model. The South Korean smartphone vendor on Thursday announced the release of the Galaxy A52s 5G in the domestic market at 599,500 won ($513) on Friday. The newest A series model hit stores in India, the biggest midrange phone market for Samsung, on Wednesday, two days before the Korea launch. The Galax

Technology Sept. 2, 2021

DuPont Korea said Thursday the company has appointed Shin Dong-man as its new chief executive officer. Shin, 50, has served as the sales director of DuPont’s mobility and materials group in the Asia Pacific region. He will maintain the position, while heading the overall Korean operation, the firm said. Shin has built his career in the field of industrial materials, mainly silicon, for the past 25 years, the company said. The CEO is recognized for developing DuPont’s flagship e

Technology Sept. 2, 2021

Hit by an unprecedented law aimed at curbing their app market duopoly in South Korea, the world’s most powerful tech giants Google and Apple are seeking ways to readjust their profit models within the bounds of the new regulation. Immediately after the bill passed Parliament late Tuesday, Google released a statement through its Korea office, saying it will comply with the new rule. “The commissions are used to provide Android for free, while enabling developers to reach customers

Technology Sept. 1, 2021

CJ OliveNetworks, an ICT solutions provider of CJ Group, has established a research center on artificial intelligence in the southeastern city of Gwangju, the company said Wednesday. Named as “CJ Lucidus AI Lab,” it is the second research body of the CJ affiliate, and is located within the premises of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology. The company has partnered with the institute to establish the lab for a shared goal of contributing to the advancement of the local AI

Technology Sept. 1, 2021

The South Korean parliament passed a controversial bill on Tuesday that could break the app store duopoly of Google and Apple, in a move watched closely by the world for its potentially radical implications. The so-called anti-Google bill, endorsed by the National Assembly with 180 votes in its favor, amends the Telecommunications Business Act to stop the US-based IT titan from requiring local app developers to use its payment system for in-app sales. It is set to take effect immediately afte

Technology Aug. 31, 2021

One of Samsung Electronics’ goals this year was to see foldable smartphones proliferate. So far, so good, with its latest Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 phones shattering sales records of their predecessors. In South Korea alone, preorders for the two newest foldable devices stood at 920,000 units during the week of Aug. 17-23. Then, on Friday, the first day of mobile subscriptions, around 270,000 units of the two models were booked, according to carriers. This marked the largest number f

Technology Aug. 31, 2021

LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture between South Korea’s LG Electronics and Canada’s Magna International, has kick-started its operation in Korea. The company revealed the inside of its plant located in Incheon on Friday, showing that its operation is going as planned. At its Incheon plant, the new firm will be dedicated to producing electric motors, inverters, onboard chargers and electric drive systems. The joint venture officially kicked off on July 1 under leadership of

Technology Aug. 27, 2021

Samsung Electronics will invest a total of 240 trillion won ($206 billion) in the fields of semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals, next-generation telecommunications and other new technologies for the next three years, the South Korean tech giant announced Tuesday. Of the total, some 180 trillion won will be spent on expanding facilities and employment here, not overseas, the company stressed. It did not unveil a breakdown of the investment plan. The announcement came 11 days after the conglome

Technology Aug. 24, 2021