Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest maker of computer memory chips and the second-biggest semiconductor company, reduced its gap with industry leader Intel Corp. in 2010, according to an industry report Sunday, fueled by its memory business.Samsung accounted for 9.2 percent of the global chip revenue in 2010, up from a 7.6 percent share in 2009, according to the latest report from IHS iSu

SK Innovation Co., one of the nation’s leading energy companies, has launched a TV commercial highlighting the risks global warming poses.Emphasizing the plight polar bears face due to global warming, the commercials tell viewers that the company is committed to fighting greenhouse emissions, SK Innovation said. Images from SK Innovation’s TV commercials on global warming. (SK Innovation Co.)In mo

Hynix Semiconductor, the world’s No.2 memory-chip maker, won a patent infringement appeal against Rambus Inc., a U.S.-based technology licensing firm, the South Korean company said Saturday. If the ruling stands, Hynix will not have to pay the hefty compensation it was slapped with in 2009.“We welcome this ruling as it has helped us establish the basis for pursuing future negotiations with Rambus,

Shinsegae Co., South Korea’s second-largest retailer by sales, said Friday that it has finalized a deal to acquire Kim’s Club Mart Co., the supermarket chain operator of leading local fashion retailer E-Land Group.Kim’s Club Mart will be purchased by Shinsegae’s discount unit E-Mart Co., Shinsegae said. The purchase price is reported to be less than 200 billion won (US$184.5 million). 　On May 2, S

South Korea logged a trade surplus in April for the 15th straight month, fueled by exports of petroleum products, ships and vehicles, the nation’s customs office said Sunday.The trade surplus reached $5.14 billion last month, according to data released by the Korea Customs Service. The figure marks the 15th consecutive month of surplus since February 2010.Exports stood at $49.15 billion in April,

Korea Investment & Securities is successfully operating its one-stop asset management solution designed to help clients make investment choices that best reflects stock market trends, the company said. As of April, the portfolios operated by the company’s “I’M YOU” services showed an average return rate of 17 percent.  Park Ji-yoon, a TV personality and former anchor, holds up a placard for KIS’ “

Samsung Electronics, despite its current legal squabble with Apple Inc., will out roll out so-called “Retina Displays” to secure demand from the California-based company and win a bigger share in the rapidly-growing tablet PC market. Samsung is expected to start mass-producing the displays by the end of this year, industry sources said. The new displays, based on the PenTile RGBW technology, will

Group’s semiconductor chief skeptical of Elpida’s DRAM chip claimsSamsung Electronics appeared to be keeping its cool despite concerns about intensifying competition posed by global IT companies such as Apple, Elpida and Intel, with officials saying there was no cause for real alarm.In addition to the latest move from Apple Inc., which in April sued Samsung for copyright infringement ahead of the

LG Chem plans to have half of its business in batteries and information materials by 2015, based on the belief the sectors will lead the firm to join the ranks of global top-tier companies. “Our business focus on batteries and information materials will be increased to become on par with our petrochemical division,” Kim Bahn-suk, vice chairman and CEO of the nation’s leading chemical company, told

Samsung Group on Wednesday denied news reports that its owner Lee Kun-hee instructed his company to reconsider the plans for developing solar batteries, saying Samsung has already earmarked the business as one of its future engines of growth.“We will continue to push forward in the (solar battery) business,” said Rhee In-yong, vice executive president of Samsung’s communications team, in a press b

CEO Kim says company is developing ‘second generation’ electric car batteriesLG Chem CEO Kim Bahn-suk had much to say regarding the future of the car battery market and how the company plans to carve out a leading share of global markets. He also talked about LG Chem’s vision for its people, and how that vision helped turn the company around since he came to office in 2006, a time when LG Chem was

Consumers are attracted by efficiency, but don’t want them to control their livesA refrigerator that’s so smart it automatically updates you on what food should go in the trash. A washing machine that can diagnose its’ own malfunctions and suggest the right fix. These are not home appliances from the next century; they are the gadgets available to the smarter users of today.LG Electronics in April

The wireless Internet connection through WiFi networks in public places is set to improve following joint efforts from the nation’s three telecommunication companies to set up more networks. Industry sources on Monday said the trio ― SK Telecom, KT Corp. and LG Uplus ― has already reached a consensus on the need to jointly establish networks at city halls, airports, train stations and government a

The buzz about the May 19 meeting of the Federation of Korean Industries’ executives has begun to fizzle as industry sources said chiefs of the nation’s top conglomerates are unlikely to attend. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo have all tentatively notified the FKI that they will not be

Prices of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels bounced back for the first time in 20 months earlier this month, industry data showed Sunday, signaling that the flat-screen panel industry is set to buck a downturn.   The price of 40- to 42-inch LCD panels for TVs stood at US$235 in early May, up $3 from late last month, according to market research firm DisplaySearch. Since peaking at $360 in Septem

Prosecutors plan to call in around 30 employees of the country's financial watchdog this week to determine whether they intentionally relaxed their inspections of savings banks in return for bribes, sources said Sunday.   South Korea's top prosecutor has been widening its probe after the chief and other major shareholders at a suspended savings bank were found to have taken out illegal loans to lo

A global smartphone boom is proving to be a significant boon for business for CrucialTec, a Korean maker of optical trackpads widely used in handsets for navigating menus. Optical trackpads detect the movement of the finger, helping mobile users more easily scroll through the information they need on their phones. CrucialTec is known as the pioneer in the technology, as its feats include developin

Redrover, a Korean brand of optical three-dimensional monitors, is carving out a big chunk of the global 3-D content market, armed with savvy technology and the right ideas. “Our 3-D content is hands-down the best solution out there thanks to a wide selection and sophisticated picture quality that’s bound to make 3-D vision a most pleasurable experience,” said Ha Hoe-jin, CEO of Redrover in an int

Yet another industrial giant has decided to join the growing number of companies to create a smoke-free working environment.On Wednesday, SK Group, a local energy and telecom giant, said it informed workers that it is to completely ban smoking from its headquarters starting next week. The ban will be effective from Monday in all 35 stories of the SK building in downtown Seoul, which serves as home

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee on Tuesday met executives of Samsung financial affiliates to discuss management issues at the company’s headquarters in southern Seoul as a part of his regular visits to the Seocho head offices. Lee, who had previous not frequented the Seocho headquarters, recently began meeting executives at Samsung affiliates, starting with key aides such as Kim Soon-taek