The world’s semiconductor market is projected to attain greater growth than initially forecast this year, mainly led by the memory sector amid rising demand for chips across various industries under the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. According to a forecast released by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics on Wednesday, the worldwide semiconductor market is expected to increase by 19.7 percent to $527 billion in 2021 from a year earlier, and continue to grow by 8.8 percent in 2022.

Cordless stick vacuum cleaners have made hoovering a lot more convenient, but they have a drawback: the need to empty dustbins frequently due to their small capacity. A team of engineers at LG Electronics worked to solve this problem for years and recently came up with an answer -- a new charging system integrated with automatic dustbin removal technology. Every time a user docks the vacuum cleaner in its stand to charge, the dustbin is automatically emptied. “Regardless of nationali

LG CNS, an IT solution affiliate of LG Group, said Tuesday the company will provide artificial intelligence tutor services to support public English education at elementary through high schools in Seoul. The LG affiliate said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Monday to cooperate on an English teaching service dubbed “AI Tutor,” which will run based on the firm’s artificial intelligence program. The memorandum will

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic part manufacturing affiliate of Samsung Electronics, said Friday the company’s Busan plant has received international certification for its efforts to minimize industrial waste. Underwriters Laboratory, a global safety certification institution, has validated the Samsung affiliate’s Busan plant that manufactures key components including multilayer ceramic capacitors with a gold grade for its efforts to reduce landfill waste. Underwriters

Samsung Electronics said Friday that it has sent out official invitations to global media and business partners across the world for the upcoming online event to present its network business to a global audience. Entitled “Unleashing the Full Power of 5G,” the show slated for June 22 is the first public event to showcase Samsung’s network solutions. President Jeon Kyung-hoon, Samsung’s network business head, is expected to appear on the stage to introduce a lineup o

Is 5G, the next-generation of wireless technology, worth the hype? This is a question frequently thrown out by multiple groups of 5G users here since the fifth generation mobile networks went into commercial service at 11:00 p.m. on April 3, 2019 in South Korea, in a loudly-trumpeted world first. Over the past two years, the number of 5G users in Korea has steadily grown to account for about 20 percent, or 14.48 million, of total mobile subscriptions in the country as of end March, governm

Naver, the largest portal operator in South Korea, said Friday that it had a plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040. The internet company came up with the plan, “2040 Carbon Negative,” because greenhouse gas emissions are forecast to surge for the next 10 years in line with the growing data traffic at internet data centers. The company’s plan aims to reach the same carbon neutrality goal that the government is pursuing, but 10 years earlier. As an examp

Apple Korea has launched a trade-in program to attract current users of smartphones made by LG Electronics, industry sources said Friday. The move is seen as part of the US phone vendor’s efforts to expand its presence in the South Korean market. According to sources in the telecom industry, Apple is running a smartphone exchange program with three Korean mobile carriers, which pay 150,000 won ($135) to those who replace their LG phones with iPhones. People who have used LG’s 4G

South Korea has become the 10th member of an international program for peaceful exploration of the space led by the United States, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday. Science and ICT Minister Lim Hye-sook signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the Korean government as a follow-up measure of the Korea-US presidential summit last week, the ministry said. The Artemis Accords is an international agreement among governments participating in the Artemis Program, a US-led effort to

Samsung Electronics is rolling out a new mid-power LED package, the LM301B EVO, which boasts the highest light efficacy and innovative color quality for indoor and industrial applications, the company said Thursday. The latest Samsung LED package, built on the tech giant’s proprietary flip-chip design, features the industry’s highest efficacy of 235 lumens per watt, by applying a new reflective material inside the packaging mold and improving phosphor conversion efficiency. The p

South Korean chemicals maker SKC is considering a plan to expand its production of copper foil to 250,000 metric tons with a goal of becoming the world’s largest provider by 2025, the SK Group affiliate said Wednesday. SK nexilis, the copper making unit under SKC, will build a new copper foil factory with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons in Europe later this year to meet growing demand for the material, a key component of rechargeable batteries. Copper foil is as thin as one-fifteent

South Korea will introduce real-time search and notification alerts for COVID-19 vaccination no-shows, in a bid to not waste a single dose. The services will launch on the country’s largest web portal Naver and No. 1 messenger app KakaoTalk at 1 p.m. Thursday, allowing all Koreans to check on the real-time availability of leftover vaccines nearby. Due to limited supply of jabs, only priority groups are eligible for vaccination right now in Korea and no-show appointments are the only way

A civic group in South Korea said Monday it has filed a criminal complaint against Samsung’s de-facto chief Lee Jae-yong for breaking an employment ban imposed on him following a conviction of bribery. The Seoul-based Solidarity for Economic Reform, in its complaint lodged with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, accused the Samsung Electronics vice chairman for violating a local law that bans economic figures convicted of breach of trust, embezzlement or bribery from working for rele

LG Electronics has officially given up smartphones, but its very last project -- the first rollable smartphone -- will see the light of day, even though it will not be for sale. The South Korean firm confirmed Monday that it is considering producing a limited volume of Rollable phones for internal use. “Development of the Rollable was completed before the management’s decision to end the phone business,” said a company official. “The exact timing or volume of the

  South Korea and the United States have agreed to elevate the level of cooperation in major industries, including semiconductors and lithium-ion batteries, to reestablish global supply chains amid growing challenges from China and looming shortages of key components under the COVID-19 pandemic. The strengthened economic partnership is viewed as a major feat by President Moon Jae-in from his visit to the US for summit talks last week, paving a way to stabilize rocky global supply chain

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Wednesday departed for the United States, raising expectations about his visit to SK Innovation’s battery plant in Georgia, and a possible pledge for additional investments. Chey boarded a plane bound for a US city, with a handful of group officials. SK Group declined to reveal the destination of Chey’s flight. He is among the several Korean business leaders who are visiting the US in time for the first summit meeting between Presidents Moon

SK hynix is considering a complete takeover of domestic foundry company Key Foundry, of which it holds a 49.8 percent stake in, industry sources said Tuesday. Key Foundry was separated from Magnachip last year, and become an independent 8-inch wafer foundry firm operating in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. SK hynix currently controls 49.8 percent of the company via a private equity fund set up by Magnus PEF. The rest – a 50 percent stake plus one share-- is held by the fund&rsquo

The race to outpace competitors with massive capacity expansions is intensifying among global chip manufacturers and the time for Samsung Electronics to announce its own investment plans is approaching. While South Korea is pinning its hopes on Samsung, the world’s No. 1 memory player, to announce massive investments as early as this week, the market is paying close attention to the size of its spending commitment and whether it will be enough for the Korean chipmaker to maintain its p

South Korea on Thursday announced a sweeping set of new government policies aimed at safeguarding and further expanding the country’s prowess in chips, which include the most generous tax credits ever given to chipmakers -- up to 50 percent. The chip manufacturers, led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, responded to the support package by committing investments of over 510 trillion won ($458.1 billion) in total over the next 10 years. Samsung unveiled plans to spend 171 trillion won on

Samsung Electronics will start rolling out Bespoke home appliances in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asian countries, aiming to duplicate the success of the colorful and customizable brand overseas. The South Korean tech giant unveiled flagship packages of its Bespoke refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, clothes care systems and wireless vacuum cleaners, differently created for each market, considering specific needs of customers in each region. Bespoke comes in over 20 orig