With the launch date of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S7 nearing, market speculation is rampant about the looks and specifications of the latest smartphone model.A local media outlet reported Monday that Samsung’s new Galaxy smartphone will come in two variants -- one equipped with a 5.2-inch display and the other with a 5.5.-inch curved display.Samsung’s move for the next flagship handset is aimed at beating its archrival Apple, which has also deployed a two-track strategy by releasing two produc

In a bid to brace for cutthroat competition with global media content platform companies including Netflix, mobile carrier SK Telecom has been trying to beef up its capabilities in the media segment through mergers and acquisitions.SKT, which wholly owns Internet Protocol TV operator SK Broadband, announced earlier this year that it would take over CJ Hellovision, the No. 1 cable TV firm in Korea.Following the planned acquisition of the CJ Group affiliate, the mobile carrier will merge the two e

Kakao, operator of Korea’s most-used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, said Thursday two of its game subsidiaries ― Daum Games and Nzin ― will be merged next year, in a bid to beef up its sluggish game businesses.The board members of Nzin and Daum Games agreed Wednesday to merge the two companies. The process will be completed after an extraordinary shareholders meeting in February next year, according to Kakao. Nzin CEO Namkoong Whon (Kakao)“Kakao expects that the merger will create synergy for growt

Often touted as a game changer in the music industry, growing streaming music services are a bone of contention in Korea as in many other global markets.Concerned over the idea of “free music” services on the streaming platforms, the nation’s major music copyright groups are not shy in expressing their displeasure, arguing that streaming music negatively impacts the music industry.The head of Korea’s first and largest ad-supported music streaming services firm said the opposite: The streaming mu

Naksan Park, a low-height mountain with trekking trails that overlook the Daehangno area in northern Seoul, topped the list of the best dating spots. The park, which earned its name from its resemblance to the hump of a camel, or “nakta,” offers great night views of the northern part of the city. Between Date (VCNC)Following Naksan Park were Common Ground, a shopping mall built out of shipping containers in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, an exhibition center in Dongdaemun-gu, S

  NEW LG TABLET HITS SHELVES -- LG Electronics said Tuesday that it would release the G Pad II 8.3 LTE with Long-Term Evolution support through mobile carrier LG Uplus from Wednesday in Korea. The new tablet PC sports an 8.3-inch full HD display, a micro SD slot and a stylus. (LGE) NEW LG TABLET HITS SHELVES -- LG Electronics said Tuesday that it would release the G Pad II 8.3 LTE with Long-Term Evolution support through mobile carrier LG Uplus from Wednesday in Korea. The new tablet PC sports a

Hoverboards, battery-powered self-balanced scooters which are now the hottest holiday gift in the U.S., are literally too hot. Some of them catch fire or even explode, injuring riders, which prompted an investigation by the U.S. regulators to find the exact cause.Amid increasing concerns over possibly defective lithium-ion batteries deployed in the devices, battery-maker Samsung SDI said most of the batteries involved in the fire and explosion cases were made by counterfeiters. Counterfeit lithi

SK hynix employees participated in a two-month voluntary program in Cambodia by paying visits to local schools and welfare facilities to give away educational kits and donations, and participate in cultural exchange events, according to the chipmaker Monday. The outreach program held in Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia from Oct. 18 to Dec. 19 was aimed at helping SK hynix employees get global mindsets and supporting local children in need. SK hynix employees take part in a two-month voluntary

  MOBILE CARRIERS PREP FOR HOLIDAYS — Korea’s three major mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus said Monday in their respective statements that they would closely monitor and manage communication infrastructure, including base stations, across the nation during the year-end holiday season when telecom and data traffic are expected to surge much more than usual.(SKT) MOBILE CARRIERS PREP FOR HOLIDAYS — Korea’s three major mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus said Monday in their resp

  ROBOTIC VACUUM WITH AR TECH -- LG Electronics said Monday it would unveil the Roboking Turbo Plus, a robot vacuum cleaner equipped with augmented reality technology, at the International CES, the world’s largest electronics trade show to be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 5-8. (LGE) ROBOTIC VACUUM WITH AR TECH -- LG Electronics said Monday it would unveil the Roboking Turbo Plus, a robot vacuum cleaner equipped with augmented reality technology, at the International CES, the world’s largest electr

　Mobile carrier KT has ratcheted up criticism of its local rival SK Telecom’s plan to acquire CJ Hellovision, a cable TV and mobile virtual network operator. 　Lim Heon-moon, president of KT’s mass general business division in charge of the business-to-customer segment, said Friday that SKT’s acquisition of CJHV is something that would “wreak havoc to both telecommunications and broadcasting industries.”　He went as far as saying that SKT, the No. 1 wireless carrier with its market share reaching

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 5 SPECIAL EDITION -- Samsung Electronics rolls out the Galaxy Note 5 Winter Special Edition, equipped with 128 gigabytes of built-in memory, a much larger capacity in comparison with previous 32-gb and 64-gb models, in Korea on Friday. The limited Note 5 winter edition comes in two colors -- gold platinum and silver titanium. (Samsung)

MARKETING BLITZ FOR PREMIUM KITCHEN APPLIANCES IN U.S.-- Designer David Bromstad (first from left), Cho Ju-wan (second from left), the head of LG Electronics’ U.S. division, designer Emily Henderson (third from left) and David VanderWall, vice president of marketing at LG, pose at a promotional event for Black Stainless Steel, LG’ premium kitchen appliance lineup, in New York on Thursday. (LGE)

Tech behemoth LG Electronics said Thursday it would run its first TV marketing campaign during the 2016 Super Bowl to be held in Santa Clara, California, in February next year.The Seoul-based tech giant has joined hands with movie director Ridley Scott’s production company RSA Films to produce the TV commercial to promote the firm’s organic light-emitting diode TV technology. Film directors Ridley Scott and Jake Scott pose at a production studio for LG Electronics` Super Bowl commercial. (LGE)So

Targeting the growing number of foreign residents in Korea, wireless carrier SK Telecom launched a new mobile plan for foreigners Thursday.SKT’s new mobile scheme, dubbed the Band Data Global Pack, allows foreign subscribers to make unlimited domestic calls to both mobile and landline phones as well as free international calls -- for either 150 minutes or 400 minutes -- with mobile apps for international calling, including SK Freecall, OTO and NINHAO.  An SK Telecom employee and a foreign custom

SAMSUNG RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN -- Samsung Electronics said Wednesday its high-end SUHD TV 82S9W lineup has won the highest presidential award at the Good Design Selection 2015, a design award in Korea. The tech firm’s eight other products got awards, including the Chef Collection fridge RV8000, and the smart UX apps and widgets for the Galaxy S6 Edge Avengers Special Edition. (Samsung) SAMSUNG RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN -- Samsung Electronics said Wednesday its high-end SUH

Tony Seba, a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Stanford University, paid a visit to the battery manufacturing campus of Samsung SDI in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province on Tuesday.The Stanford University lecturer who teaches entrepreneurship, disruption and clean energy is also the author of “Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation,” in which he claims that electric cars coupled with the advancement of energy technology will cause a paradigm shift in the automotive sector. Tony Seba, a lec

Battery-maker LG Chem said Wednesday that it has inked a deal with the world’s largest energy storage system company AES Energy to supply its lithium-ion battery modules. The ESS is considered a lucrative business and the battery units of Samsung and LG groups are fiercely seeking to gain an upper hand in the global market. LG Chem’s battery module for the energy storage system. (LG Chem)LG’s latest supply deal is the biggest of its kind in terms of its scale. The maximum battery capacity, accor

COLLABORATION FOR SMART HOME -- Cho Young-hoon (left), head of SK Telecom‘s smart home TF, and Kim Hyeog-pyo, vice president of Dongbu Daewoo Electronics, pose at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding in Seoul on Tuesday. The mobile carrier and the electronics maker will work together to launch home appliances which can be remotely controlled by SKT’s smartphone apps. (SKT)

  cap-SKT Samsung GearSAMSUNG SMARTWATCH HITS SHELVES -- Korea’s No. 1 mobile carrier SK Telecom said Monday it has exclusively launched Samsung Electronics’ Gear S2 Band Classic, a standalone smartwatch that enables users to send text messages and make calls without being paired to a handset. (SKT)