[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Group affiliates are enjoying the halo effect of its crown jewel Samsung Electronics’ recent stock rally. Some saw their stock prices soar more than 30 percent in less than two months.Among them are Samsung C&T, a construction and trading business and the group’s de facto holding firm; Samsung SDS, the information and communications technology solutions company; Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the parts unit, and Samsung SDI, the battery-maker. Samsung C&T’s shares jumped 33.2

[THE INVESTOR] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Aug. 18 that the ministry and concerned government ministries and agencies would make the final decision on Aug. 24 on whether to allow internet giant Google to export Korean geographical data abroad.Officials from the ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense, will participate in a joint meeting in which they will decide whether to al

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics unveiled its plan to roll out next-generation mobile memory storage systems at a semiconductor forum in Seoul on Aug. 17.The tech giant said that it would roll out an external universal flash storage card, dubbed UFS Card V2.0, and UFS 3.0, an internal memory chip. Both memory products, which can respectively transfer 1.2 gigabytes and 2.4 gigabytes of data per second, are two times faster than their preceding products, the UFS V1.0 and UFS 2.0.  Samsung Electr

[THE INVESTOR] For LG Electronics, designing and producing its own chips for mobile devices has long been a dream, so much so the tech firm has even been rumored to be acquiring a chip company, though those rumors failed to materialize.LG has recently decided to collaborate with Intel of the US, a rival to Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm in the semiconductors sector, in producing its own chips.At the Intel Developer Forum 2016, an annual semiconductor conference, in San Francisco, Intel and the

[THE INVESTOR] SK hynix unveiled new memory storage systems, the universal flash storage 2.1 and nonvolatile DIMM, at the Intel Developer Forum 2016, an annual conference of the chip industry in San Francisco, the company said on Aug. 17. The UFS 2.1 memory chip, based on 3-D NAND flash memory and controller technologies, comes in 32, 64 and 128 gigabytes and is used for mobile devices, including smartphones. The NVDIMM is used for data servers.The Pangyo-headquartered chipmaker said it recently

[THE INVESTOR] Biometric sensor developer CrucialTec said Aug. 17 that it has completed the development of iris scanning modules and plans to mass produce the products next year.Having cooperated with optical technology firm Micro Actuator to develop the iris scanning module late last year, CrucialTec has recently approached its prospective corporate customers in recent months, the company said.A smartphone camera fitted with CrucialTec’s biometric module could alternate between being a camera f

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics saw its market share in the global large-size display panel market decrease to a record low since 2014 in the first half this year, according to its regulatory filing released Aug. 16.Citing a report from market research firm IHS, the tech firm said it had 16.7 percent market share in the six-month period, compared to the 21.1 percent and 20.9 percent of market share the firm posted in 2015 and 2014, respectively.  A Samsung Electronics worker checks

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics has reportedly been running an investment firm in the semiconductor sector in San Jose, California.The investment firm, Samsung Oak Holdings, was incorporated on June 6 in the area, but its business purpose had not publicly been disclosed. Samsung Electronics workers pose with a NAND flash memory chip wafer at the firm’s factory complex in Xian, China.A Samsung official was quoted by a Korean news outlet as saying “Samsung Oak Holdings is a holding firm that ma

[THE INVESTOR] SK Holdings C&C, an IT solutions provider, said Aug. 16 that it would cooperate with Japanese factory automation system developer Daifuku to infiltrate the Chinese market.The two partners recently signed a memorandum of understanding to develop smart factory solutions, the Korean firm said. The head office of SK Holdings C&CFounded in 1937, the Japanese company raked in more than 33.6 million yen (US$335,000) in sales in 2015 and currently runs 40 global branches and factories aro

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics is pushing itself to the limit to take the lead in the global mobile payment solutions market.It recently beefed up the security of its mobile payment solution with the iris scanner fitted in the Galaxy Note 7 and had the Samsung Pay software of the Galaxy Gear S2 smartwatch updated to be compatible with both near-field communication and traditional magnetic terminals.As has been reported since last year, Samsung is also said to be planning to add a

[THE INVESTOR] Leading global DRAM-makers -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix -- may face tough competition from 2018 as the mass production of Chinese chipmakers is predicted to raise oversupply concerns, according to industry reports. According to the latest report from market research firm IC Insights, the average selling price of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, chips is expected to rise through the end of this year and into 2017 due to growing demand for enterprise systems -- for the

[THE INVESTOR] Renault Samsung’s mini electric car Twizy may be rolled out in South Korea as early as October, according to a local news report. The compact electric car has a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour and is able to cover a maximum of 100 kilometers on a single charge. Twizy (Renault Samsung)Twizy was previously not able to be released in the nation because of regulations on compact electric cars. In May, the Transport Ministry lifted these barriers amid rising demand for such cars an

[THE INVESTOR] Big Bang, Psy, 2NE1, iKON, Akdong Musician -- these are just a few of the performing artists under YG Entertainment run by Yang Hyun-seok, an influential producer of K-pop and a former member of Korea’s first hip-hop group Seo Taeji and the Boys. Established in 1998, YG Entertainment went public on the KOSDAQ in 2011. In the same year, the company created the joint venture YGEX with AVEX, one of the biggest entertainment businesses in Japan.YG EntertainmentThe company’s market val

[THE INVESTOR] The main opposition party fueled debate on changing the taxation system early this month by proposing to raise taxes for big corporations and high income earners.The proposal by the Minjoo Party of Korea was met with an immediate objection from Finance Ministry officials, who had left tax rates unchanged in a draft tax code revision disclosed days earlier.The party’s chief policymaker said he was ready to engage in a heated debate with the government on the direction of taxation o

[THE INVESTOR] Cash reserves held by South Korean companies posted a record high in June as rising economic uncertainties led businesses to increase their cash piles, central bank data showed Monday. Out of 2,337.38 trillion won (US$2.11 trillion) of South Korea's M2 money supply, 614.39 trillion won was held by the local corporate sector as of end-June, according to the data by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The M2 refers to currency in circulation, including bank debentures and deposits with a matur

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDS’ share price has been steadily recovering from its lowest point in June. After the company’s share reached a record low of 132,000 won (US$119) on June 27, the price surged 33.3 percent to close at 176,000 won on Aug. 12, on increased buying by foreign investors. The stock plunged in early June after the company was rumored to sell its logistics business unit to Samsung C&T, the de facto holding company of Samsung Group. Later the company confirmed the split-off plan b

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDS’ share price has been steadily recovering from its lowest point in June. Since June 27 when the company’s share reached a record low of 132,000 won (US$119.60), the stock price increased 33.3 percent to close at 176,000 won on Aug. 12.The increase was partly thanks to the influx of foreign investment and the improved sentiment of investors, many of whom were disgruntled about the firm’s split-off plan of its businesses, according to market watchers.After the Samsung Gr

[THE INVESTOR] Kakao, operator of South Korea’s top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, is preparing to launch a new mobile news messaging service called News Talk by the end of this year, local reports said Aug. 12.News Talk is slated to be offered as one of KakaoTalk’s so-called Plus Friends -- a newsletter service for companies and brands from various industries that are partnered with Kakao.KakaoTalk users will reportedly be able to receive diverse news stories and informational content curated by K

[THE INVESTOR] Online music streaming firm Bugs said Aug. 12 that it has acquired majority stake in Groovers, a lossless high-resolution audio file provider, in a bid to get competitive edge in the streaming music industry.Groovers offers high-definition audio files, such as FLAC, MQS and DSD.Bugs did not disclose the amount of the investment, only noting that it will hold 53.9 percent stake while its subsidiary iriver will hold 44.2 percent of Groovers.“Teaming up with Bugs, Groovers will compe

[THE INVESTOR] Leading global DRAM makers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix saw their DRAM sales increase in the April-June period despite prolonging downward pressure on prices, according to market research firm DRAMeXchange.Samsung’s DRAM business earned $4.32 billion in the second quarter this year, up 8.7 percent from a year earlier.SK hynix earned $2.41 billion in the same period, up 4 percent compared to last year while Micron of the US saw its DRAM revenue jump 8.8 percent to $1.73 billion