Naver on Thursday said that it plans to make its US-based unit Webtoon Entertainment the head office for online cartoon businesses. The latest restructuring plan comes amid the South Korean internet giant’s efforts to expand its online cartoon business abroad. As part of the plan, California-based Webtoon Entertainment will purchase all stocks of Line Digital Frontier, the company’s Japanese internet cartoon unit. It will cost the US unit some 232 billion won ($187 million). The t

Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Thursday it is starting sales of units in the third Hillstate Lake Songdo apartment complex in Songdo, Incheon. The new residential complex will comprise of eight 49-story buildings with 1,100 housing units. When the construction is completed, all three Hillstate Lake Songdo apartment complexes in the Songdo area will form a residential cluster of around 5,000 households. The area has easy access to public transport, according to the firm, as Inche

South Korea’s three major telecommunications firms have submitted nonbinding indicative offers to acquire Hyundai HCN, the nation’s fifth-largest cable TV operator owned by Hyundai Department Store Group, according to industry sources Wednesday. The three local firms -- KT, SK Telecom and LG Uplus -- are expected to compete for acquiring the cable TV operator, which has a 4 percent market share with 1.3 million subscribers. The cable TV unit’s total revenue last year was 292

LG CNS said Tuesday it is teaming up with US-based Evernym to develop blockchain-based digital identification solution. Based in Salt Lake City, the US firm specializes in developing decentralized identifier (DID) solutions. DID technology can be used to verify identities of individuals, vehicles and other entities through an online network. DID solutions, which utilize blockchain technology, are also considered more secure than existing identification systems based on centralized registrati

China’s race to enter mainstream tech is intensifying against not only the US but also its neighbor South Korea. With China aggressively pushing advancements of key technologies, Korea has been forced to take up the gauntlet before it is too late. The Korea Herald’s Tech Team has looked into four key areas to measure the technological gap between Korea and China and to offers forecasts about how the competition would develop. This is the fourth installment. By IT Team (4) 5G: Is

To help search for missing children, the Korea Post said Sunday that some of the parcel tape it provides for mail packages will bear information about missing children and QR codes linked to the National Police Agency. The agency will start with tapes printed with photos and descriptions of 28 children. QR codes printed alongside the information will be useful if anyone wishes to make a report. It also links to a service where one can register fingerprints of their children in case of emergenc

South Korean telecom firm KT said Sunday it has rolled out a warehouse automation solution that utilizes 5G networks and self-driving vehicles. The company has been running the solution at its warehouse located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. It comprises of two types of self-driving warehouse carts, designed to carry large amounts of materials on their own, or to follow staff who maintain the inventory, and also comes with a computerized system that collects real-time data, through which worke

KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo on Wednesday met with representatives of venture capital firms, urging them to look into new opportunities to prepare for the post-coronavirus era, the firm said Thursday. Speaking during a seminar hosted by the telecommunications firm, Koo discussed some new business areas -- online education solutions, telecommuting platforms, telemedicine and others -- where the new coronavirus had strengthened demand. Some 40 executives from up-and-coming venture capital companies were

SK Telecom said Wednesday its artificial intelligence-based senior care service has helped the 119 emergency system to rescue around 23 seniors living alone since its launch last year. The company held an online press conference to promote its service dedicated to strengthen social security net for the elderly. SKT’s senior care service uses its AI speaker Nugu which allows the elderly and those with mobility difficulties to access information with voice commands and contact others wh

With South Korea continuing to see the number of new COVID-19 infections per day back in the double digits after signs that the crisis was winding down, telecommunication services are gaining fewer new subscribers, industry sources said Tuesday. The number of customers who moved from one service provider to another posted 16,082 during the third weekend of May, down by 25 percent from the two previous weekends. The timing coincides with the revelation that nightclubs in the Itaewon area of Se

ICT Minister Choi Ki-young visited South Korea’s 5G equipment manufacturer OE Solutions’ facility on Monday as part of the government’s efforts to encourage small and medium-sized firms here. OE Solutions is a local supplier of optical transceiver solutions for both wired and wireless network equipment. It provides parts to major players in the market, including Samsung, Ericsson and Huawei. “The nation’s efforts to become the first in the world to provide 5G net

South Korean over-the-top service provider Watcha said Thursday it plans to jump into the music market. The company established a subsidiary Wpeer last year to launch Watcha Music Publishing, which will become a digital music distribution platform that will connect artists with investors, production firms and other associates to help them to publish their titles. Watcha Music Publishing is expected to officially launch in the second half this year after securing a reasonable number of artists

South Korea’s outbound shipments of information and communications technology products in April reached $12.88 billion, down 15 percent on-year, according to latest government data Thursday. The Ministry of Science and ICT noted that the import value of ICT products in April was $8.87 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4 billion. The daily average exports in the same month came down by 7.6 percent on-year at $0.59 billion, compared to $0.63 billion in April last year. Exports o

Han Sung Motor, the official dealer of Mercedes-Benz in South Korea, said on Wednesday that it has recently completed a campaign aimed at supporting the struggling local flower industry, amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the company purchased flowers from nearby shops located in Seoul in an attempt to help troubled small businesses hit by the viral outbreak. It gave the flowers away to visitors at their branches. The company also promoted a two-week campaig

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Monday revealed photographs and videos sent from the nation’s environment-monitoring satellite Chollian 2B. Chollian 2B is South Korea’s geostationary satellite. Launched on Feb. 19, it reached its designated orbit in March and currently sits in an orbital band above the Korean Peninsula. The latest images and videos sent from the satellite showed land and water in the Northeast Asian region, taken during camera tests between April 21 and 22. &

Following news report that Incheon International Airport Corp. plans to initiate building a fifth runway and third terminal, the Transport Ministry said Sunday the plan was yet to be decided. It was reported that the airport would need an additional runway to meet the increasing number of passengers anticipated in the future, though the airport is currently suffering from the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, however, said that the plan

The Korea International Trade Association on Sunday released a report on the growing international education technology market, encouraging the government to help local firms enter overseas markets. The education technology market is an area that offers new educational products and systems -- such as virtual classroom solutions -- by utilizing cutting-edge internet of things technologies to enhance the classroom experience. The international smart education market is expected to grow from $

Oracle Korea on Thursday announced its second cloud infrastructure will launch by the end of May in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. With access to two cloud infrastructures here, the company will be able to better handle demanding workloads from customers. The company said its dual-region strategy would enhance disaster recovery capabilities. It considers South Korea as a market with great potential, explained Oracle Korea CEO Tom Song during a press conference held on Thursday at its headquart

  Korean internet giant Kakao posted record high sales and operating profit for the first quarter this year, despite the novel coronavirus pandemic fallout that has affected most industries. According to Kakao’s announcement on Thursday, Kakao‘s sales in the first quarter increased by 22.9 percent on-year to reach 868.4 billion won ($708.4 million). The company‘s operating profit during the same period marked 88.2 billion won, up by 218.9 percent. Kakao‘s record-br