A joint research team from South Korea, the US and Poland has discovered a new phenomenon called “photon avalanche,” which is expected to open up new ways of research on fields that use optical technology. According to the research team from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, it has found that absorption of a single photon in some materials could trigger a chain reaction that produces a large burst of light. This special type of upconversion called photon avalan

At the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show, South Korean companies have presented more robots and artificial intelligence-based products and solutions that promise to make our daily lives easier in the near future. LG Electronics brought its AI-based virtual human character Reah Keem to the fore, who unveiled the company’s latest line of LG CLoi UV-C robots. The robot, designed to use ultraviolet radiation to reduce harmful germs in public and personal areas, was presented for the first ti

A social media-based artificial intelligence chatbot has been suspended in South Korea after stirring a series of controversies with discriminatory and vulgar language, leaving lessons for all parties involved in the related sectors dealing with AI. The chatbot Lee Luda, developed by local startup firm Scatter Lab, was introduced last December to run on Facebook Messenger. Designed to mimic a 20-year-old woman, it has attracted more than 400,000 users via Facebook so far. It, however, became

LS Electric, a South Korean producer of power solutions, aims to grow 10 percent annually and generate 70 percent of its earnings from overseas, the company said Monday. Unveiling a corporate vision for the next decade, the company’s Chairman Koo Ja-kyun urged executives and employees to act proactively to go beyond its traditional businesses of electricity and automation and transform into a global digital leader. “The company must continue to evolve to find new business oppor

Samsung Electronics is expected to rack up strong earnings in 2021 on the back of the “semiconductor supercycle,” according to local analysts Monday. Demand for 5G communication chips, mobile applications processors and image sensors will be strong for the next two to three years, aiding the South Korean chipmaker, they said. Foundry Samsung Electronics is expected to continue its strong performance in the foundry sector, backed by increasing demand from the makers of high-pe

LG Electronics logged a record-high operating profit in 2020, surpassing 3 trillion won ($2.75 billion) for the first time in its history, the company said in its regulatory filing Friday. Its operating profit for the whole of last year has been estimated at 3.19 trillion won, breaking the previous record of 2.7 trillion won in 2018. Compared with a year earlier, the 2020 figure was an increase of 31 percent, the regulatory filing showed. The South Korean electronics maker’s gross an

Samsung Electronics continued its strong performance in the fourth quarter last year, the company said in its regulatory filing Friday. Samsung Electronics estimated its Q4 operating profit at 9 trillion won ($8.2 billion), up 26.7 percent on-year. The company’s operating profit for the whole of last year is estimated at 35.9 trillion won accordingly, an increase of 29.4 percent from 27.7 trillion won in 2019. Compared with a quarter earlier, when the firm delivered an earnings surpris

The combined market cap of the top 100 South Korean companies reached a record high of 1,745 trillion won ($1.6 trillion) this year, up 77.5 percent from 983 trillion won in 2016, data showed Thursday. According to a report by local corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute, the combined market cap of local firms as of Jan. 1 jumped 43.1 percent on-year, or 526 trillion won. The corresponding figures were those observed on the first day of each year at the bourse operator Korea Exchange. Samsun

SK Telecom has relocated its artificial intelligence service division under the company’s main business that operates mobile networks and information technology solutions, in a gesture to add full momentum to digital innovation, the company said Thursday. “The latest corporate reshuffle has reflected SKT CEO Park Jung-ho’s will to marry AI technology with the company‘s all mobile network services and solutions,” SKT explained. The AI service division -- AI&CO

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute will begin a space project to develop a space telescope with the US space agency NASA and the California Institute of Technology, the ICT Ministry here announced Wednesday. The space project, titled the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explore, or SPHEREx, is a two-year mission designed to launch a space telescope that would collect data that could help understand the history of the universe, the

Artificial intelligence technology restores the voices of deceased musicians to sing contemporary songs. A game company airs a song competition show for the soundtrack of its title game. The local music scene continues to evolve, with the convergence of media, technology and industries. South Korean game company Nexon adopted a TV competition show format to best fit Dungeon and Fighter, an arcade-style action game. The five-episode series, available on YouTube channel Dingo Music, has garn

South Korea’s chip exports are expected to grow 10.2 percent and surpass $100 billion this year, which would be the nation’s second-best performance since 2018, according to the Trade Ministry on Tuesday. Korea will again become the world’s second-largest semiconductor provider this year, following the US, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s first-ever market report focusing solely on semiconductors. The report said Korea’s shipments of chip

Samsung Electronics will introduce its new flagship smartphone Galaxy S21 on Jan. 15, the company announced Monday. The first launch from the global smartphone giant this year, the Galaxy S21 series comprises a 6.2-inch S21, 6.7-inch S21 Plus and 6.8-inch S21 Ultra, which have been drawing expectations for their upgraded specs and designs. The models to be launched in North America are expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor, while those for Europe and South Korea will

The number of fifth-generation network users in South Korea surpassed 10 million as of the end-November, according to data released Sunday by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The number of 5G subscribers in November reached 10.9 million, up 930,000 from the previous month. By companies, SK Telecom secured 5.05 million users, accounting for 46 percent of the market. KT and LG U+ followed with 3.33 million and 2.54 million users. The ICT Ministry explained the increase was largely due to the

Samsung Electronics has begun offering digital certificates via its biometric authentication program Samsung Pass, heating up the local market for online ID certification. The service, launched by Samsung Pass on Dec. 30, enables users of Samsung Galaxy models to obtain certificates on their mobile devices after updating the application. Samsung Pass users can use the digital certificates for the annual tax return process, which starts in January. Samsung Electronics is one of the five priva

New Year’s events are no exception to social distancing rules against COVID-19. People in South Korea will have to “e-connect” for the upcoming New Year’s celebrations, as the government maintains strict antivirus measures that include a ban on large gatherings. The annual bell-ringing ceremony on New Year‘s eve at the Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno in central Seoul will go virtual, as the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially canceled the in-person event for t

South Korea‘s 5G quality and coverage have slightly improved in the second half of the year, said the Ministry of Science and ICT on Wednesday. The overall quality of Long-Term Evolution networks here, however, have degraded, it said in a report. SK Telecom’s 5G network showed the fastest average download speed at 795.57 megabits per second. KT followed at 667.48 Mbps, with LG U+ at 608.49 Mbps. SKT is the country‘s largest mobile carrier in terms of subscribers, followed by

In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, indoor air quality has become an important issue for many. Coway, moving quickly to respond to consumer need, has introduced Dual Clean, an air purifier and humidifier combo model for those who want clean, fresh and pleasant air. Dual Clean uses ultrafine water vapor to add moisture to the air, instead of water droplets. The company explained that its fine vapor sprayer helps keep the air crisp but prevents it from feeling damp. This combo model also

The South Korean government announced Tuesday it has decided to postpone the launch of its first home-built space launch vehicle Nuri by eight months due to complications in the assembly process. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the launch of the three-stage rocket with a mock payload will take place in October next year, during an online press conference held Tuesday. The launch with an actual satellite will also be postponed to May 2022 accordingly. The ICT Ministry explained the delay

The government has finalized its energy mix for 2020-2034, aiming to increase the use of renewables while reducing the dependence on nuclear and coal-fired power plants. According to the Ninth Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand approved by a review committee affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, renewable energy will account for 40.3 percent of South Korea’s nameplate capacity in 2034, reaching 77.8 gigawatts, from 20.2 gigawatts in 2020. Renewables&rsqu