With the Trump administration banning Huawei from selling technology to the US market, and its suppliers cutting ties with the Chinese firm, South Korean companies are scrambling to figure out how the confrontation will impact their business outlook. Following an executive order that allows the US government to block purchases of what it deems to be security-threatening technology, Google has pulled Huawei’s license to access the Android operation system. The Department of Commerce so

Technology May 22, 2019

　Since returning to office in 2015, SK Group’s chief Chey Tae-won has come up with what appears to be an unorthodox business philosophy: Boosting social contribution is the best way to maximize corporate profits. 　While this has been raised at public events, including a meeting with global business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, doubts have persisted over whether it is possible to quantitatively assess the company’s contribution to society. 　For the first time since it began to cr

Industry May 21, 2019

　On March 7, South Korean ride-sharing company Kakao Mobility struck a deal with taxi unions that was expected to bring an end to protests by cab drivers. Two cab drivers had killed themselves by self-immolation to protest Kakao’s services, which they said would destroy their livelihoods. 　Although taxi unions accepted the agreement, which limits car-sharing services to four hours of operation daily on weekdays, some cab drivers remained unsettled, as other car-sharing services continued operati

Technology May 20, 2019

　Major South Korean mobile carrier KT said Sunday it has discussed business cooperation with Russia’s biggest telecom firm, Mobile TeleSystems, to boost their partnership in the fifth-generation cellular network. 　KT’s chief Hwang Chang-gyu met with MTS Group CEO Alexey Kornya on Friday at KT’s headquarters in downtown Seoul. MTS is the largest mobile operator in Russia, with more than 100 million subscribers in Russia and neighboring countries.  KT’s chief Hwang Chang-gyu(left) shakes hands wit

Technology May 19, 2019

　With LG Electronics’ first 5G-powered smartphone attracting more subscribers than its predecessors since its launch earlier this month, speculation is rife about the reasons behind the better-than-expected performance of the struggling smartphone manufacturer. 　According to Korean mobile carriers, they have sold up to 100,000 LG V50 ThinQ handsets since it hit the market on May 10. This is estimated to be four times more than sales of its predecessor V40 ThinQ that was rolled out last year.　The

Technology May 19, 2019

　Along the overpass-turned-park Seoullo 7017 are large pots of flowers that have unfamiliar foreign names but are commonly spotted on the streets of South Korea. 　Among them are pink flowers with the Russian nomenclature Schlippenbach, also known as chuljjuk in Korean, one of the most widespread spring flowers here. Abies Koreana Wilson, better known in Korea as the Christmas tree, also stand on the bridge. 　According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, all the flowers being displayed at Seoul

Travel May 16, 2019

　With increasing numbers of South Koreans relying on mobile devices to address health concerns about fine dust, app developers are competing for popularity with creative marketing schemes. 　During a meeting hosted by Google Korea on Thursday, the country’s three major fine dust app makers discussed their efforts to improve air quality assessment and warning systems for the general public. 　Among the ideas that came up was the use of funny characters to help users understand fine dust levels more

Technology May 16, 2019

　South Korean battery maker LG Chem said Wednesday it had signed a long-term supply deal with Volvo Cars for electric vehicle batteries, as the Swedish carmaker is aggressively pushing electrification initiatives. 　The Korean firm was selected to supply car batteries along with Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology. 　While the two companies did not elaborate on the details of the financial deal and supply amount, LG Chem said the agreement will allow it to deliver lithium-

Technology May 15, 2019

　South Korea’s SK Innovation announced Wednesday that it would invest 579.9 billion won ($488.3 million) to build a second electric vehicle battery factory in China, an effort to enhance its presence in the world’s biggest auto and EV market. 　According to SK Innovation, the investment decision was made Tuesday during a board meeting. The company did not specify its Chinese partner, the location of the new plant or its production capacity. 　SK Innovation said the goal of the investment was to en

Technology May 15, 2019

　Regional telecom giants gathered in South Korea on Tuesday to discuss their business plans related to the 5G cellular network, as they seek to figure out ways to leverage it in various industries. 　The companies -- including AT&T, China Telecom and KDDI, and various telcos from the US, China, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region -- gathered in South Korea’s resort island of Jeju to attend the Pacific Partner Meeting, hosted by Korea’s KT. 　The participants are expected to discuss viable business m

Technology May 14, 2019

Subscribers in their 50s and older are the most active users of YouTube in South Korea, data showed Tuesday.According to Seoul-based app analytics firm Wiseapp, people aged 50 and older spent the most time watching YouTube of all age bracket last month. They spent a combined 10.1 billion minutes, about 26 percent of total watching time across all generations. WiseApp said teenagers were the second largest age group with a combined 8.9 billion minutes of watching time on Youtube. It was followed

Technology May 14, 2019

　With telecom companies here accelerating efforts to process massive data at faster speeds since the launch of the fifth-generation cellular network, competition in the cloud edge computing market has intensified. 　The country’s major mobile carrier KT said Sunday it had installed cloud computing systems at mobile communication centers in Seoul and Busan, where it has been operating edge computing technology since March to improve 5G network quality. 　Combining cloud services with edge computing

Technology May 13, 2019

LG Electronics’ first 5G-powered smartphones have been fueling competition in a new network market where the nation’s three mobile carriers are in a fierce battle for subscribers since the commercial rollout of 5G network services last month. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus have been scrambling to woo subscribers since LG’s V50 ThinQ hit the market Saturday, offering substantial subsidies and trying out other marketing gimmicks. Mobile carriers appear to be taking the launch of the V50 thinQ as an o

Industry May 12, 2019

　South Korea’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it will join hands with Instagram for digital advertising and online marketing by employing platforms for the 5G cellular network. 　During an event held at SKT’s headquarters in Seoul, the company’s Chief Strategy Officer Ha Hyung-il met with Instagram Vice President Jim Squires to boost their partnership. 　To spread more contents using 5G network, SKT said it will rely on a variety of distinctive features in Instagram. They include Sto

Industry May 8, 2019

　South Korea’s telecom firms have flagged better-than-expected business outcome during the first quarter of this year, as the companies have witnessed growth in revenue from Internet television services. 　In a statement released Tuesday, SK Telecom said its operating profit came to 323 billion won ($275 million) in the January-March period. It was down 0.9 percent from a year ago, but the decline was much smaller than last year, when profit shrank about 20 percent compared to a year earlier. 　Th

Industry May 8, 2019