[Photo News] SK founder's legacy lives on

SK Group said Monday that it was opening the birthplace of its founder Choi Jong-gun and the second-generation Chairman Chey Jong-hyun to the public in celebration of its 71st anniversary. The "Ancient Residence of SK," located on a 1,111 square-meter site in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, has been refurbished as a memorial hall exploring the history of South Korea’s economic growth and entrepreneurship. The current Chairman Chey Tae-won is the third-generation leader of the nation&rs

April 8, 2024

Taiwan quake may push up memory chip prices in Q2: analysts

The powerful earthquake that hit semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan last week may push up memory chip prices temporarily, as chipmakers there face operational disruptions, according to market watchers on Sunday. The earthquake, which struck off the east coast of island with a magnitude of 7.4 on Wednesday, put the tech industry on edge, as Taiwan is home to 18 percent of global chip manufacturing capacity and approximately 92 percent of the world's advanced semiconductors are produced there. M

April 7, 2024

Children, teens using smartphones more: study

South Korean children and teens used smartphones for longer periods of time in 2023 than the year before, a report by a state-run think-tank showed Thursday. Children under the age of 10 used smartphones for an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes a day last year, marking an increase of 17.2 percent or 11 minutes, according to the report by the Korea Information Society Development Institute. The report surveyed 9,757 individuals from 4,077 households across the country. While not as prominent as in

April 6, 2024

LG Electronics expects Q1 profit to drop 11% despite robust sales

LG Electronics said Friday it expected its first-quarter operating earnings to decline more than 10 percent on-year despite the company strong overall sales of its home appliances. LG estimated that its operating profit for the January-March period came in at 1.33 trillion won ($983.2 million), down 11 percent from a year ago, according to the company’s earnings guidance. But this was still above the consensus of 1.28 trillion won predicted by local analysts, as provided by the market inte

April 5, 2024

Samsung Electronics anticipates tenfold profit surge in Q1 amid chip market rebound

Samsung Electronics predicted a more than tenfold increase in its operating profit for the the January-March period, signaling a dramatic resurgence in its semiconductor business on rebounding demand for memory chips. Samsung’s first-quarter operating profit is estimated to hit 6.6 trillion won ($4.89 billion), up 931.3 percent from a year ago, according to its earnings guidance. The amount surpassed the consensus of 5.26 trillion won predicted by local analysts, as provided by the market

April 5, 2024

[Exclusive] Spelling errors call space agency's foreign talent search into question

Multiple spelling errors have been found in the Korea AeroSpace Administration’s English-language job application, raising questions about the country’s professionalism and sincerity in recruiting professionals from overseas to its soon-to-be-established space body. KASA’s English job application, which can be downloaded from the new space body’s official website, on Wednesday showed that all four documents contained the same spelling mistake in the name of the agency. Th

April 4, 2024

SK hynix to build $3.87b chip packaging plant in Indiana

South Korean semiconductor powerhouse SK hynix said Thursday it will invest about $3.87 billion to build an advanced chip packing fabrication and research and development facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, amid intensifying global competition in the burgeoning artificial intelligence memory semiconductor industry. The announcement was made at an investment agreement ceremony attended by officials from SK hynix, the state government of Indiana and Purdue University at the school on Wednesday. S

April 4, 2024

S. Korea to spend W710.2b to expand AI in everyday life

South Korea will funnel 710.2 billion won ($526.9 million) into the government's projects to integrate artificial intelligence into everyday life, the science ministry said Thursday. The AI Strategy High-Level Consultative Council, a government-civilian panel for shaping AI policies, convened its inaugural meeting and approved the investment plan to proceed with 69 AI projects aimed at helping the people feel the benefits of AI across all sectors, according to the Ministry of Science and IC

April 4, 2024

[Photo News] LG Awards for innovation

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo (center) claps at the LG Awards ceremony, held at the LG Academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. The awards, launched in 2019, aim to recognize innovative technologies, products and services across LG affiliates. This year, 98 teams and 724 individuals received awards, including the life science business team at LG Chem that played a role in supplying essential infertility treatments during a supply shortage. "Customers recognize unique value when th

April 3, 2024

Korea urged to step up incentives for chipmakers

As governments around the world fiercely compete to boost their semiconductor industries by distributing large subsidies, South Korea is pointed out as falling behind other chip powerhouses, raising concerns about the gap widening in the future. On Tuesday, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry approved subsidies of up to 590 billion yen ($3.9 billion) for chip foundry venture Rapidus, adding to its promise earlier to provide funds worth some 330 billion yen into the chip project.

April 2, 2024

HBM leadership is coming to us: Samsung CEO

Samsung Electronics has established a special team dedicated to High Bandwidth Memory, going all-out to get an edge in the advanced memory chip, which is currently in the spotlight as a key component in raising the processing speed for artificial intelligence applications. Highlighting the importance of HBM in the wake of the AI boom, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kyung Kye-hyun vowed to keep up efforts to secure leadership in the burgeoning market and revealed the company has formed a team

April 1, 2024

Family, business leaders mourn Hyosung honorary chairman

Business leaders joined relatives to mourn the death of Cho Suck-rai, the honorary chairman of Hyosung Group, a textile giant, on Sunday. Cho died of a chronic illness Friday at the age of 89. Cho led the textile giant from 1982 until 2017, when he stepped down from the top management position due to health issues. His eldest son, Cho Hyun-joon took the baton to lead the conglomerate. On Saturday, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and his mother Hong Ra-hee paid respect for Cho at the fu

March 31, 2024

First female CEO takes helm at Kakao

Korean IT giant Kakao on Thursday appointed Chung Shin-a as its first female, chief while it is facing urgent challenges in revamping its corporate culture and management. The announcement was made as she gained a nod from shareholders during the annual meeting and a separate approval from the board of directors earlier in the day at the company’s headquarters in Jeju Island. After being named as the CEO nominee in December, Chung has served as the head of the company’s innovation ta

March 28, 2024

SKT marks 40th anniversary with new emblem

Marking the 40th anniversary of its founding, SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier by the number of accounts, promised to transform into a global artificial intelligence company, Thursday. The mobile carrier, first established in March 1984 under the name, Korea Mobile Telecommunication Services Corp., celebrates its 40th anniversary on Friday. "SKT's 40 years of achievements were made possible by its unique DNA of overcoming challenging situations and creating a his

March 28, 2024

LG CNS, Indonesia’s Sinar Mas to form joint venture for DX push

South Korean IT solutions provider LG CNS said Thursday it has agreed to establish a joint venture with one of the largest conglomerates in Indonesia to strengthen digital transformation innovation in the 16th largest economy in the world. Under the agreement, LG CNS and Sinar Mas Group will set up a 50-50 joint venture in the latter half of this year to promote consulting, construction and operation for data center services and cloud conversion services, targeting Indonesian companies and publi

March 28, 2024

[Photo News] LG Twin Towers refurbished

LG Group said Thursday it has completed the renovation of its Twin Towers headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul -- the first refurbishment since the building was completed in 1987. The lobby, arcade and floor space of the lower part of the buildings have been revamped to reflect employee opinions under the theme of “Connection.” LG said the most popular new feature is the upgraded fitness center. (LG Group)

March 28, 2024

LG vows W100tr investment in Korea with R&D focus

LG Group unveiled a plan Wednesday to invest 100 trillion won ($74.3 billion) in South Korea by 2028 as it seeks to secure technological competitiveness and expand new growth engines. The announcement was made during the regular shareholders meeting of its holding company LG Corp., held at the Seoul headquarters earlier in the day. The company said the planned investment accounts for 65 percent of LG’s overall global investment by 2028, which reflects its commitment to driving innovation a

March 27, 2024

[Hello India] Corporate Korea sees new growth drivers in India

Amid the escalating US-China rivalry, global supply chains are being reshaped and India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, is getting fresh attention from South Korean tech giants. India boasts the world’s largest population, at over 1.4 billion people, and a robust economy that has experienced substantial growth over the last three decades. Korea’s major conglomerates, which have already secured a sizeable footing in the burgeoning market, are more recently pouring resources

March 27, 2024

SK hynix aims to boost profits with advanced HBM chips

In the latest artificial intelligence boom, SK hynix will boost sales of its high bandwidth memory, or HBM, a critical chip to generative AI tools, to improve profitability, SK hynix Chief Executive Officer Kwak Noh-jung said at a general shareholders meeting Wednesday. Concerning the Wall Street Journal's report on SK hynix' plan to invest $4 billion to build an advanced chip packaging facility in Indiana, Kwan said nothing has been decided yet. "Even if (the market) experiences

March 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] Indonesia, Korea can bridge global AI divide, says vice-minister

Nezar Patria, the Indonesian vice minister of communications and informatics, called for a bilateral partnership with South Korea to bridge the global artificial intelligence gap. The influence of Western values perpetuates an AI divide and leads to the concentration of economic and social benefits in specific regions of the Global North, he said, citing the 2023 World Economic Forum report. The report underscores the potential of AI to boost economic growth while noting the geographical concent

March 26, 2024