[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics’ European sales proportion of its entire revenue has been on a downward trend in recent years, according to the tech giant’s sustainability report on July 3. Samsung earned 38.6 trillion won (US$33.6 billion) in 2015, which takes up 19 percent of the firm’s overall revenue, at 200.7 trillion won, in the European region, including countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States.Participants in the Samsung Europe Forum, a showcase event held in Mona

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics will reportedly cease its auto engineering business this year.The tech giant has been running the business for the past 10 years, designing and manufacturing car frames for carmakers.Car companies in emerging nations including Indonesia and India are major customers of the Korean firm. LG Electronics’ lightweight vehicle frame / LG Electronics　The move is said to be aimed at quelling rumors that the company would jump into the automobile business in earnest. Having

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics’ sales in China continued its downward spiral for the third consecutive year in 2015, according to a report released by the tech giant on July 3.The annual revenue in the Chinese market continued to decrease from 40.1 trillion won (US$34.9 billion) in 2013, 33 trillion won in 2014 and 31 trillion won in 2015, according to its sustainability report 2016, an annual report that provides information on the firm’s performance on economic, environmental, and social f

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics will release its earnings for the April-June quarter on July 7.All eyes are now on whether its operating profit crosses the 8-trillion-won (US$6.9 billion) threshold for the first time in two years. The firm earned 8.5 trillion won in the first quarter of 2014.Samsung posted more than 8 trillion won of operating income for the seventh consecutive quarter since the third quarter of 2012. Its operating profit reached its peak in the third quarter of 20

 [THE INVESTOR] Mobile messenger operator Kakao has opened its flagship store for character products based on its mobile stickers, called Kakao Friends, in the posh Gangnam district, Seoul, aiming to expand its clout in the mobile world into the retail realm.Despite the heavy rain in Seoul on Saturday, more than a thousand people formed a snaking line in front of the store on the opening day of the Kakao Friends Flagship Store.Kakao`s flagship store in Gangnam. KakaoAs Kakao ran a series of prom

[THE INVESTOR] Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin returned to Korea Sunday afternoon after nearly a month out of the country, sparking questions about how he will handle the current investigation into the group.Shin, who landed at Gimpo International Airport at approximately 2:38 p.m., was largely silent when questioned by reporters on his stance on the ongoing prosecutors‘ embezzlement investigation. Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin enters his Seoul office on July 4. / The Investor (Lee Sang-

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics business is forecast to see its operating profit for the April-June period surpass 1 trillion won ($870 million). Market analysts also expect Samsung to show a strong business performance in the latter half this year, enjoying the weak Korean won due to Britain’s vote to exit the EU. The CE business will likely see its operating income for the second quarter cross 1 trillion won for the first time since 2009, according to invest

 [THE INVESTOR] Samsung Group’s electronic components businesses, including Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung SDI, are forecast to show disappointing earnings results for the April-June period, according to market analysts.Samsung Electro-Mechanics will post 21.7 billion won ($18.9 million) in operating income, down 49.4 percent from the previous quarter, with its revenue coming in at 1.6 trillion won, up 2.6 percent from the first quarter, according to a recent investment report released b

[THE INVESTOR] Game developer Nexon said on June 30 that its mobile role-playing game “HIT” will be released in global markets on July 7.The mobile game, which will support 10 languages including English, Chinese, German, French, and Thai, is to hit 140 global markets.But two neighboring countries Japan and China were excluded for the launch.“Japan is different from other markets as animation-inspired games featuring cute characters mostly top the mobile game chart, so we are planning to enter t

[THE INVESTOR] Korean network operator SK Telecom has signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson to develop core technologies for the next-generation network, or 5G.Through the partnership, the three will conduct trial tests of key 5G technologies including network functions virtualization, software-defined telecommunications infrastructure, and distributed cloud, all of which will provide optimized end-user experiences, SKT said on Thursday.  SK Telecom‘s booth for

[THE INVESTOR] Korea leading network operator SK Telecom has signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson to develop core technologies for the next-generation network, or 5G.Through the partnership, the three will conduct trial tests of key 5G technologies including network functions virtualization(NFV), software-defined telecommunications infrastructure(SDTI), and distributed cloud, all of which will provide optimized end-user experiences, SKT said on June 30.The Kore

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Google Maps will be allowed to offer full services in the nation only if it censors core security facilities on its digital map.Earlier this month, the US Internet giant requested permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to get access to South Korea’s geographical data in a bid to make its flagship online maps’ services, such as the zoomed-in view of the satellite images, fully available in Korea.It was Google’s l

[THE INVESTOR] Network operator KT said June 30 that mobile on-demand music app genie, operated by its subsidiary KT Music, received an award at the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, an annual mobile trade show.GSMA, the organizer of the mobile trade show, evaluated mobile music apps in Asia, and KT Music’s app received top scores in a range of categories including user experience, quality of content, and technology advancement. KT Music’s virtual reality music streaming platform genie VR. KT M

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics said June 30 that it would join a project to build a tourist complex on Jeju Island. The tech giant said it has joined hands with land developer JCC to develop a smart energy grid fitted with environmentally friendly energy management systems in the Jeju Ora Tourist Complex, which is scheduled to be built by 2021. The resort to be built on 3.6 million square meters of land by 2021 will feature 7,650-seat convention center, hotels, condos, shopping ma

[THE INVESTOR] Display maker Samsung Display is reportedly planning to sell its liquid-crystal display equipment at its L7 manufacturing line in Asan, South Chuncheong Province.“Samsung Display is currently negotiating with India-based Twinstar Display to hand over the LCD manufacturing equipment at the L7 line to Twinstar Display,” reported online news outlet iNews 24 citing an anonymous source. “The potential deal will likely involve Samsung’s technical support for the Indian company as the la

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics said June 29 that it has developed a small-sized antenna and a power amplifier that will accelerate the research and development and commercialization of 5G network devices.The new network technologies can be applied to both 5G base stations and end-user devices which utilize 28 gigahertz millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. The mmWave frequencies are expected to be one of the primary enablers of next-generation networks, according to Samsung.“This ach

[THE INVESTOR] Network operator SK Telecom said June 29 that a leading Chinese telecommunications firm has decided to invest in two Korean start-ups, which had participated in a start-up program run by the Korean telecom firm.SKT said the two start-ups -- Wisejet and Ezbelle -- have secured 900 million won ($769,500) of funding, respectively, from China Unicom, the second largest telecom firm in China. Jang Dong-hyun(second from left), the chief executive of SK Telecom, looks at products made by

[THE INVESTOR] IT solutions firm Samsung SDS said on June 29 that it would join forces with German software firm SAP to develop cloud systems for businesses.The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding for the partnership at its head office in Seoul on June 29.“We are proud to announce our partnership with Samsung SDS in enterprise cloud, one of SAP’s core services,” said Bernd Leukert, member of SAP’s products & innovations unit.Chung Yoo-sung (left), president and CEO of Samsung SDS,

[THE INVESTOR ] Dayou Winia, a Korean electronics firm, has joined hands with Haier, one of China’s leading electronics makers, to jump into the Chinese market,The Korean firm, well known for its electric rice cooker and kimchi refrigerator brand Dimchae, said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Qingdao-headquartered electronics firm for a partnership to sell its electronic cookers in China. Executives of Dayou Winia and Haier participate in an event to sign a sales partnership

[THE INVESTOR] Is the hallyu fever over? Some naysayers claim the cultural phenomenon that hit the world in early 2000s is losing its gloss as it runs out of contents to showcase. Boy bands, girl groups and food like kimchi and bulgogi -- the centerpieces of the cultural wave -- are getting old for global fans.K-pop fans attend an outdoor event during the KCON convention held in Newark, New Jersey, from June 24 to June 25. CJ E&MA recent government report also showed the growth of Korean culture