[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics' upcoming new smartphone V20 will get a big boost as Bang & Olufsen is coming on board to add premium audio capabilities to the phone. The V20, succeeding the V10, will be the first smartphone to employ 32-bit Quad DAC, or Digital to Analogue Converter, audio chips that the company said delivers “a crisp and clear sound that comes closest to a live performance,” with 50 percent reduction in ambient noise. This is the second collaboration between LG and B&O Play, the

[THE INVESTOR] LG Hausys and Hanwha Chemical may have failed to acquire Continental Structural Plastics, the US vehicle lightweight technology developer, in their separate bids, according to news reports Aug. 24. 　LG Hausys, the materials unit of LG Group, and Hanwha Chemical’s affiliate Hanwha Advanced Materials joined the heated bidding war that was estimated at US$700 million early this month. 　News reports said their bidding prices were much lower than rivals such as Germany’s BASF, Japan’s

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDI, the battery-making unit of Samsung Group, said on Aug. 24 it has not yet made a final decision on the location of its planned European plant, denying a news report that it was narrowing options between Hungary and other European countries. 　“We are continuing talks with local governments, but the final destination has not yet been decided,” said a Samsung SDI spokesperson. 　 Samsung SDI’s battery plant in Xian, ChinaThe company, a sole battery supplier to BMW’s hybrid

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Display, the display-making unit of  Samsung Electronics, is gearing up to supply organic light-emitting diode displays to its archrival Apple, installing production equipment at its Korea plant recently. According to Chosun Biz, a local news daily, the firm has recently started installing new equipment at its A3 OLED plant in South Chungcheong Provgince, intent to beef up its OLED production capacity. Samsung plans to supply display panels to Apple’s first OLED iPhone, wh

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics on Aug. 24 apologized to Korean customers for the delayed shipment of its hot-selling new smartphone Galaxy Note 7. 　About 400,000 preorders have been made for the Note large-size smartphone in Korea before the official launch on Aug. 19. The figure is more than double that of the company’s flagship Galaxy S7 in March. 　 Customers stand in line outside a retail store in Seoul to purchase a Galaxy Note 7 phone on the launch day Aug. 19.The unprecedented demand o

[THE INVESTOR] For years, Google has asked the Korean government for permission to store and use the nation’s detailed map information, which would allow it to roll out full-fledged Google Maps services here. It has made requests via official and unofficial channels. But the Korean government has rejected the requests so far, citing that access to map information might impact national security, as South Korea is technically still at war with North Korea. Google is awaiting the final government d

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Group’s start-up accelerator Samsung Venture Investment has recently raised its stakes in Silicon Valley-based self-driving sensor start-up Quanergy. The start-up recently attracted a combined US$90 million funding from a consortium led by auto parts manufacturer Delphi Automotive. Samsung was one of the key investors together with Motus Ventures and GP Capital. The firm didn't specify the funding from Samsung alone. The fresh investment comes after Samsung had invested US

[THE INVESTOR] Shares of Samsung Electronics on Aug. 23 renewed record highs for three consecutive sessions. The stock closed at an all-time high of 1,687,000 won (US$1,510), up 22,000 won from the previous session.Buoyed by the market behemoth’s upbeat performance, the benchmark KOSPI also gained 7.77 points to close at 2,049.93. While foreign investors remained net sellers, Samsung affiliates purchased their shares alongside individuals. Analysts predict the Samsung stock rally could continue

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance on Aug. 23 confirmed that Booyoung Group, the Korean construction giant, has been named a preferred bidder to acquire its former head office building in central Seoul. Shinhan Card, Tongyang Asset Management of China’s Anbang Insurance Group and IGIS Asset Management had also participated in the bidding that was held Aug. 5If the deal is confirmed, Booyoung will become an owner of another Samsung headquarters building following its acquisition of th

[THE INVESTOR] SK Group(Chairman Chey Tae-won), the nation’s third-largest conglomerate, is withdrawing from its money-losing solar power business conducted by its semiconductor and display material unit SKC Solmics. SKC Solmics, which produces wafers for solar batteries, said Aug. 23 it will sell off related production equipment to Wongjin Energy, Woongjin Group’s solar power unit, for 35.5 billion won (US$31.7 million), about 16.95 percent of its total asset. The deal will take effect from Oct

[THE INVESTOR] Shares of Samsung Electronics are rallying to a new high on the local bourse on Aug. 23. As of 11 a.m., the stock is traded at 1,687,000 won (US$1,510), up 22,000 won from a day before.The previous record is 1,665,000 won set last week. 　By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)

[THE INVESTOR] General Motors CEO Mary Barra is set to visit South Korea next week for the first time since she took the top job in 2014, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea said on Aug. 22. Barra, the first female CEO of the US auto giant, is invited to speak at an event hosted by AmCham Korea at Conrad Hotel in Seoul on Aug. 30. 　GM CEO Mary BarraDuring her trip, Barra also plans to visit GM Korea's production plant and to meet local partners such as LG Electronics, the parts supplier fo

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics will set up a separate booth for its parts business -- the first of its kind -- during the upcoming IFA electronics trade show held in Berlin next month. LG, which is better known for its home appliances and smartphones, has been pouring resources into its parts business, seeking supply deals with corporate clients. The Korean tech giant plans to showcase some 30 motors and compressors that are used for its top-selling refrigerators, washing machines and air conditi

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Securities on Aug. 22 said that Samsung Electronics’ operating profit could reach 8.5 trillion won (US$7.54 billion) in the third quarter, adjusting the stock target price to 1.88 million won from the previous 1.7 million won. The securities firm predicted the Korean tech giant’s third-quarter operating profit to increase 15 percent to 8.5 trillion won from a year ago. Sales were estimated at 52 trillion won, up 1 percent on-year. Kim Dong-won, an analyst at the firm, said

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics topped India’s smartphone sales in the second quarter, while its archrival Apple failed to break into the top five vendors in the world’s third-largest smartphone market. According to market research firm IDC, the Korean tech giant controlled 25.1 percent market share in India in the April-June period, up over 14 percent from its 10.9 percent market share a year ago. During the cited period, the market saw 27.5 million smartphone shipments, a modest 3.7 percent

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is shutting down its streaming radio service Milk Music in the US on Sept. 22, as the service has failed to gain traction in the crucial market. The Korean tech giant plans to direct its Galaxy and Note smartphone users to switch to Slacker Radio, the local partner for Samsung Electronics America that powered the Milk system. “We will invest in a partner model focused on seamlessly integrating the best music services available today into our family of Galaxy de

[THE INVESTOR] LG Display confirmed Friday that it will supply liquid-crystal displays to China’s hot-selling budget phone-maker Vivo for the first time.“We have recently inked a deal with Vivo to supply LCDs,” said a LG Display spokesperson. The LCDs will be installed in Vivo’s new premium 5-inch range smartphone model that will be released in the first quarter of next year.According to industry sources, the display manufacturer is also in talks with another Chinese budget phone-maker Oppo to s

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is diversifying parts suppliers for the Galaxy Note 7 amid upbeat preorders for the new large-scale smartphone. According to industry sources on Aug. 18, the Korean tech giant has recently added MCNEX as the secondary supplier of iris-recognition camera modules, joining Patron. Both are Korea-based firms. A Galaxy Note 7 experience zone is packed with customers.MCNEX has started shipments from this month to Samsung’s smartphone plants in Vietnam and China. Sour

[THE INVESTOR] Tesla Motors on Aug. 19 started receiving preorders for its fully electric sports sedans Model X and Model S in Korea via its official Korean website. The carmaker is taking preorder deposits of 2 million won (US$1,800) for the Model X and 5 million won for the Model S. It didn’t reveal the retail prices of the cars. Tesla also started receiving reservations for test drives. But the company didn’t elaborate on the availability of its own charging network “Superchargers” in Korea,

[THE INVESTOR] Shares of Samsung Electronics started higher on Aug. 19 after the price closed at an all-time high the day before.  　As of 9:16 a.m., one Samsung share was worth 1,642,000 won (US$1,478), up 2,000 won from 1,640,000 won, the record price set on Aug. 18. 　By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)