LG Electronics is accelerating expansion of its vehicle component business with the decision to construct a plant for electric vehicle components in the United States, the company announced Wednesday. Eyeing the rapidly growing US EV market at around 65 percent annual rates by 2020, LG inked about $25 million investment contract with the state of Michigan, which will turn a 215,000-square-meter area in Hazel Park into an electric vehicle plant complex by the first quarter of 2018. “The latest co

Samsung Electronics reportedly invested 5 billion won ($4.4 million) in South Korea’s first-generation social networking service Cyworld as part of efforts to enhance its artificial intelligence business, according to the company on Tuesday.The company confirmed Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, an affiliate on startup investment, recently made an investment in Cyworld, although it declined to reveal the exact amount of the investment.   Screenshot of Cyworld twitter pageAccording to media

South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom said Tuesday it is partnering with Starbucks to launch a voice-activated coffee order service using the company’s artificial intelligence speaker Nugu. Under an agreement, SKT plans to connect Nugu with Starbuck’s Siren order service on its application, allowing consumers to order drinks through voice commands. The two are working together to launch the service by the end of the year.  A model demonstrates how to order a drink with the artificial intelligen

Ramping up efforts to establish a complete smart home environment, Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it would add connectivity to all of its home appliance products by 2020 and provide a control platform. The announcement was made about a week before the South Korean electronics maker is to unveil its major smart home services at the IFA 2017 in Berlin. To increase connectivity, the company has decided to add smart functions based on Internet of Things technologies to all household appliances mad

Samsung Electronics will provide its ultra-high definition technology as an open source for various industry players by the end of the year, hoping the tech to be used not only for premium televisions, but also online video content players and gaming, the company said Monday. The South Korean tech titan has solely developed the High Dynamic Range 10 Plus tech and applied to all lineups of quantum-dot light emitting diode TVs and ultra-high definition TVs launched this year. Known as the HDR 10+,

Accumulated payments made with Samsung Pay surpassed 10 trillion won ($8.77 billion) in two years since the mobile payment service was launched, Samsung Electronics said Sunday. Use of the mobile pay service nearly quadrupled in a year after reaching 2 trillion won in the first year, the company said. A rapid increase in online payments via Samsung Pay contributed to the growth, which accounted for more than 30 percent of the total payments. (Samsung Electronics)Samsung Pay is currently availabl

South Korea’s mobile carriers are considering legal action in response to the government’s forceful measures to cut consumers’ mobile costs, according to the industry on Sunday. The country’s three major telecom companies -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- on Saturday received an official document from the Ministry of Science and ICT to implement the government-led 25 percent selective discount rate for new subscribers starting Sept. 15. Since announced in June as part of the Moon Jae-in administ

LG Electronics opened its largest overseas brand shop in Iraq as an investment in the emerging market of the Middle East, the company announced Wednesday. The South Korean electronics maker is eyeing the rising Iraqi market, where large reconstruction projects are underway, with an aim to establish its premium image in the home appliances market. The company opened the two-floor shop that spans 870 square meters in the main commercial district of Erbil, the fourth-largest city in Iraq.  LG Elect

Implementation of the Moon Jae-in administration’s measures to help reduce the burden of mobile costs is likely to be postponed to mid-September due to differences between the government and telecom industry. The Ministry of Science and ICT on Wednesday issued an executive notice that the ministry will start working on making an executive order for an additional 11,000 won ($9.60) cut in the base rates of mobile plans for low-income households. But it unexpectedly put off expanding the discount

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun rose to become the top earner among chief executive officers and owners of South Korea’s major conglomerates in the first half of this year, regulatory filings to the Financial Supervisory Service showed. Kwon, who is currently leading Samsung’s most lucrative device solutions division in charge of the world’s biggest chipmaking business, received a total of 13.98 billion won ($12.3 million) including massive incentives for the first six months of t

The sudden resignation of the chief of the newly created science and technology control tower Friday has not only put the government’s appointment system in question but has also put its drive to innovate the sector on hold.Facing strong opposition from academia and political parties, Park Ky-young, chief of the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stepped down from the post four days after taking the job.The office was launched as part of President Mo

Smartphones that run on the fifth-generation network are predicted to emerge starting from 2019, while current 4G network smartphones are likely to remain mainstream until 2022, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics on Sunday. “We predict 5G enabled smartphones will emerge from 2019, but it will start to ramp up volumes from 2021 onwards,” said Yiwen Wu, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, in a report, adding “4G has replaced 3G as the world’s dominating smartphone air-interface in 201

A Seoul court ruled in favor of the former head of Korea Gas Corp. in an administrative litigation that demanded the withdrawal of his dismissal on Thursday. The Seoul Administrative Court made a ruling for Jang Seok-hyo, the former CEO of Kogas, who sued former President Park Geun-hye, the Kogas CEO that replaced him, Lee Seung-hoon, and the state.  Lee handed in his resignation in July. Jang Seok-hyo (Yonhap)The court judged Jang’s dismissal was unfair considering that he was acquitted of brib

OTTAWA (AFP) - A Canadian pastor was on his way home Thursday after being released from a North Korean prison where he spent the last two years, according to his family and the prime minister.North Korea's official KCNA news agency announced Hyeon Soo Lim's release Wednesday, saying he was freed on "sick bail." Hyeon Soo Lim (Yonhap)The announcement came after a Canadian government delegation led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security advisor Daniel Jean traveled to Pyongyang to di

VIENNA (AP) -- Production of crude oil across all OPEC countries rose again in July, to above the level the cartel has agreed would be the upper limit _ and above the estimated level of global demand.The cartel said Thursday in a market report that its countries' production rose for a third month in July, by 173,000 daily barrels, to an average of 32.9 million barrels a day.That puts it above the 32.5 million barrels a day that the group had agreed in November would be their limit. The cartel ag

South Korean Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung on Thursday sent out a message for peace as tensions have been ratcheted up by North Korea's threats to conduct further provocations.Earlier in the day, the North threatened to fire four intermediate-range ballistic missiles to waters near Guam, apparently in protest of U.S. President Trump's warning that North Korea would be met with "fire and fury" should it stick to ambitions to hit the U.S. with ballistic missiles."I can't help but worry about North Korea'

BERLIN (AP) -- At least 547 members of a prestigious Catholic boys' choir in Germany were physically or sexually abused between 1945 and 1992, according to a report released Tuesday.Allegations involving the Domspatzen choir in Regensburg were among a spate of revelations of abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Germany that emerged in 2010. In 2015, lawyer Ulrich Weber was tasked with producing a report on what happened.The report said that 547 boys at the Domspatzen's school ``with a high degree o

US (AP) --  Jessica Alba is expecting baby No. 3. The actress made the announcement in a picture on Instagram of herself and her two daughters. Her eldest daughter is holding up a balloon in the shape of a 1, her second has a 2 balloon and Alba is holding a 3 balloon with her hand on her stomach.In the caption, she writes that she and her husband, producer Cash Warren, "and I are officially going to be outnumbered.'' She added the hashtag (hash)babyonboard.  A screenshot of Jessica Alba's Instag

Hyundai Motor Co. Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun will attend a plant opening event in China this week amid declining sales in the world's biggest automobile market, the company said Tuesday.Chung is set to be present at the Chongqing assembly line in southwest China on Wednesday, the carmaker said. The company's fifth Chinese plant is scheduled to start operations in the second half, a company spokesman said.  Chung Eui-sun (Yonhap)He didn't provide the plant's capacity or other details as the comp

Rival parties on Tuesday failed to narrow their differences over bills on an 11.2 trillion won (US$9.9 billion) extra budget and government reorganization amid a drawn-out partisan standoff.The ruling Democratic Party hoped to set up votes on the bills at the National Assembly's plenary session in the afternoon. But the efforts floundered, as opposition parties did not budge from their demand for modifications to the bills.The legislature is expected to hold another plenary session Wednesday to