South Korea’s telecom giants are making a foray into the global market with fifth-generation wireless network technology in a push to discover business opportunities beyond the domestic market. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are accelerating their efforts to enhance 5G partnerships with mobile vendors around the world -- for example, by exporting network equipment and developing 5G-based content. Since launching 5G services in April, achieving a world first, the mobile carriers are taking adv

　South Korea’s telecom giant KT has kicked off the process for choosing a new chief. 　The company’s governance structure committee on Wednesday started accepting applications for the successor of current KT CEO Hwang Chang-kyu. The process is expected to be completed early next month.  　The new KT chief will be appointed in December by the company’s 11-member board of directors, the committee said. The appointment will be ratified at the shareholders meeting in March next

　South Korea’s two internet titans Naver and Kakao began their regular news quality assessment Tuesday for media outlets wishing to gain exposure via their online search platforms.　A news partnership evaluation committee of the two firms said that media groups wishing to use Naver and Kakao’s news platforms can send in their applications from Tuesday. The review process takes up to three months. The “qualified partners” will be announced next year.　Basic qualifications in

　About 6 out of 10 South Koreans wish to make a living -- or at least supplement their income -- by creating content and uploading it on YouTube, a survey showed Monday.　According to the survey of about 3,500 job seekers by job search agency Saramin HR, more than 60 percent of the respondents said they wanted to become professional or amateur YouTube content creators.　Respondents in their 20s coveted the job the most, with 71 percent of people in this age group consisting of YouTube hopefuls. Am

 　Samsung Electronics began selling its first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, to Korean consumers Monday, aiming to boost its popularity ahead of the expected release of the iPhone 11 later this week. 　With a 2,398,000 won ($2,042) price tag, the Galaxy Fold can be purchased at retail centers from Samsung and local mobile carriers. Consumers can also order the smartphone online through the Samsung website.　While the coveted foldable smartphones hit the local market last month, they we

 　South Korean mobile carriers, smartphone makers and financial firms have joined hands to simplify and decentralize the cumbersome online identity verification process.　The decentralized ID service -- to be launched on a trial basis this year -- named Initial, will essentially verify an individual’s identity without tangible documents like graduation or employment certificates, and enable taking out loans or applying for jobs, through a single mobile app. 　This is the second endeavor

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said Thursday it has decided to delay its judgment on the proposed merger of LG Uplus and CJ Hello, putting the brakes on the country’s third-biggest mobile carrier’s attempt to acquire the largest cable TV operator here. According to the Fair Trade Commission, its decision-making body failed to reach an agreement on the issue during the meeting held a day earlier. The FTC officials said they would revisit the agenda “after reviewing a sim

Seonyudo is one of several natural islands on the Han River in Seoul. Located west of Yeouido -- the biggest of those islands -- it is a popular destination for those seeking peace and tranquility inside the concrete jungle of Seoul. The 110,400-square-meter island was the site of a water treatment plant for more than two decades, until the facility closed in 2000. City officials decided to turn it into an urban park, and Seonyudo Park opened to the public in 2002. Its current look is the w

With cloud computing technology advancing at a rapid pace, South Korean companies are also transforming the way they handle their data and operations.SK Group’s IT service affiliate SK C&C said Monday it plans to convert 80 percent of its parent company’s business operations to a cloud-based system. For this, it has acquired about 20 percent stake in local cloud service provider Glucose. The decision is designed to integrate Glucose’s Microsoft Azure cloud computing service

　Viva Republica has been picked as the preferred bidder for LG Uplus’ mobile payment business unit, according to industry sources Monday.　The operator of mobile payment app Toss is expected to sign a deal worth more than 300 billion won ($253.6 million) within this month. The two companies have not yet confirmed the agreement. 　“The bottom line is whether Viva Repblica can secure that much amount of money to fund the acquisition,” said an industry source. “We ha

　The fourth-generation Long Term Evolution internet speeds are not consistent and vary across the Seoul metropolitan area, a lawmaker said Monday. 　Citing a 2018 survey conducted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Rep. Park Gwang-on of the ruling Democratic Party said the LTE speed gap between the fastest and slowest neighborhood was as much as three times.　Of the 85 areas in Seoul and surrounding metropolitan areas, residents of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, experienced the fastest speed of 201

South Korea’s leading internet firms are seeking to boost their presence in the entertainment industry by capitalizing on online content popular here and overseas.Using their internet cartoons, K-pop streaming services and other web-based items, Naver and Kakao have been accelerating their efforts to monetize lucrative content by adapting them into movies and dramas. In addition to establishing drama studios and streaming platforms, the internet giants have acquired stakes in local enterta

　South Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 said Thursday that it will attend an international defense exhibition in Seoul to showcase the company’s weapon systems and technological prowess for battlefields of the future.　Weapons to be displayed at Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2019 include long-distance, air-to-ground guided missiles. Home-built fighter components, electronic warfare weapon systems, unmanned choppers and microdrones are also part of the show.  　For t

South Korean internet giants Naver and Kakao are seeking to attract more subscribers with service upgrades reflecting the rapid changes in online behavior. The country’s biggest search engine Naver said Tuesday it will overhaul the company’s platform to provide relevant information via social influencers. The “influence search service” is scheduled to be released by December with a trial service for beauty and travel searches. Kakao, operator of the country’s t

South Korean builder GS Engineering & Construction said Tuesday it will invest in a massive petrochemical plant construction project in Turkey by purchasing a nearly 50 percent stake in a construction firm.According to GS E&C, it signed a contract with Ceyhan Petrokimya Endustriyel Yatrim on Sept. 26 to acquire a 49 percent stake in the latter. The value of the deal will be determined after the Turkish firm finalizes its future project plans. This will allow GS E&C to participat

　Cyberattacks targeting South Korea’s nuclear plant operators have occurred constantly over the past decade, with the number of hacking attempts during the period reaching more than 1,300, a lawmaker said Monday. 　According to Rep. Shin Yong-hyeon from the minor Bareunmirae Party, there have been 1,366 hacking attempts against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power since 2012. KHNP is the country’s largest electric power company, managing nuclear and hydro plants across the country. 　By cat

　　South Korea’s blockchain fund Hashed said Wednesday it has invested in a project to boost the Ethereum blockchain system’s scalability to accelerate the development of decentralized applications across industries. 　Called Skale Network, the project has raised $17.1 million so far to launch its mainnet by the fourth quarter of this year. Various accelerators worldwide have participated in the project, including ConsenSys Labs, Multicoin Capital, Recruit Holdings and Winklevoss Capit

Instead of carrying a driver’s license, residents of South Korea will be able to prove their driving qualification via a smartphone app next year. Korean National Policy Agency said Wednesday it had agreed with the country’s three major mobile carriers to develop a driver license verification system. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus will introduce the platform as early the first quarter of next year.  People will be able to store their driver license on the app after registering it t

　The Democratic Party said Tuesday it is moving to curb “misinformation” on online streaming websites, including YouTube, the most popular content-sharing platform here.　The ruling party’s special committee announced its plans to stem the spread of fake news and other misinformation on online platforms during a press conference at the National Assembly. 　According to its proposal, online platforms can be fined up to 10 percent of their revenue if they fail to remove “fake

　DAESEONG-DONG, Demilitarized Zone -- Tucked in the middle of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, Daeseong-dong is perhaps the most isolated town in South Korea since the end of the Korean War. 　There are no supermarkets, shops or hospitals for medical treatment. There are also no restaurants or hair salons. The village does not even show up on navigation systems. 　While Daeseong-dong residents are far removed from the rest of South Korea, 197 people living there ha