LG Uplus unveils ixi-O AI call assistant powered by Google

LG Uplus, one of Korea’s three major telecommunications companies, introduced on Thursday its upgraded real-time AI call assistant, ixi-O, powered by Google Cloud’s latest large language model. The launch marks a new phase in the evolution of personalized voice-based AI services. “The ixi-O AI assistant integrates Google's cutting-edge LLM, Gemini 2.5 Flash Live,” said Lee Jae-won, executive vice president of consumer company at LG Uplus, during a press briefing held in Seoul. “It is the first t

Nov. 13, 2025

Samsung to release trifold smartphone next month

Samsung Electronics Co. will release its new trifold smartphone next month, industry sources said Wednesday, with its price tag expected to be around 4 million won ($2,720). According to the sources, the Korean tech giant will hold a launch ceremony for the trifold smartphone on Dec. 5 and begin domestic sales. The new model is designed to fold twice in three sections, offering a tablet-sized 10-inch display when fully unfolded while maintaining the portability of a standard smartphone when clos

Nov. 12, 2025

ASML opens major Korea base to deepen ties with Samsung, SK hynix

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML on Wednesday opened a major new manufacturing base in South Korea, expanding its manufacturing and training operations in the country as it seeks closer cooperation with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in advanced chipmaking. Traveling to Korea on an official business trip for the first time since taking office in April 2024, ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet attended the opening ceremony of the company's new Hwaseong campus in Gyeonggi Province and met Samsung Electro

Nov. 12, 2025

LG Energy Solution to develop space-bound battery

LG Energy Solution is expanding its battery product portfolio into outer space in partnership with South 8 Technologies, an American startup, the Korean battery-maker said Wednesday. According to LG Energy Solution, the two sides signed a strategic partnership for the research and development of aerospace-bound battery cells. South 8 Technologies is the world’s first company to have developed a liquefied gas electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries, which was named one of the world's top 200 invent

Nov. 12, 2025

KT rolls out secure public cloud with Microsoft

KT Corp. on Wednesday announced the launch of its public cloud service, developed in partnership with Microsoft, in a strategic bid to bolster its foothold in Korea’s fast-growing multi-cloud and managed service provider markets. Built on Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure, KT’s new sovereign cloud platform promises high-performance computing while addressing growing concerns over data sovereignty — a critical issue for Korean enterprises handling sensitive information. The service will initially

Nov. 12, 2025

Korea delays Google mapping decision again

South Korea has again delayed a decision on whether to approve Google's request to export high-precision map data outside the country, saying the company failed to submit key documents required for review. The National Geographic Information Institute under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday that a government review committee deferred the deliberation until Feb. 5, giving Google an additional 60 days to supplement its application. Google applied in February to export

Nov. 11, 2025

Samsung Epis launches new biotech subsidiary Epis NexLab

Samsung Epis Holdings announced Tuesday that it has established a new subsidiary, Epis NexLab, to seek new growth engines by developing biotechnology platforms. The launch of Epis NexLab, whose name combines the words "Next" and "Laboratory," came with the completion of the recent spinoff of Samsung Epis Holdings from contract manufacturing and development organization giant Samsung Biologics. Samsung Epis Holdings said the new entity will focus on developing biotech platforms in various sectors

Nov. 11, 2025

Gen Z picks Zeta: Korean chatbot overtakes ChatGPT

Zeta, a locally developed artificial intelligence chatbot app, has overtaken ChatGPT to become the most-used AI chatbot in South Korea, according to new industry data released Tuesday. Wiseapp Retail, a market analytics firm that monitors app and payment trends based on 51.2 million Android and iOS users nationwide, reported that Zeta recorded 73.62 million cumulative hours of user engagement in October. This figure significantly surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which came in second with 48.28 millio

Nov. 11, 2025

Why big tech is betting billions on South Korea’s AI future

South Korea has emerged as a magnet for major US technology companies in recent months, with Nvidia, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services pouring billions into investments and clinching strategic partnerships to expand the country’s AI infrastructure. Observers say the country offers a rare combination of advantages as Washington and Beijing battle for tech supremacy. Home to top-tier chipmakers and automakers, South Korea — a key US ally and Asia's fourth largest economy — provides manufacturing prow

Nov. 10, 2025

Samsung keeps highest export control rating

Samsung Electronics said Monday it has retained the highest rating in South Korea’s Internal Compliance Program for export control, highlighting its efforts to apply strong compliance standards to its handling of strategic products such as semiconductors and network equipment. The rating, granted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, recognizes companies that voluntarily meet export control requirements for items subject to national security regulations. It rates companies according to

Nov. 10, 2025

[Photo News] Coupang hosts AI hackathon

COUPANG HACKS REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS WITH AI -- Participants work through the night at “Hackseoul 2025,” a 24-hour hackathon held at Coupang’s headquarters in southern Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. Co-hosted by the e-commerce giant Coupang, the event was themed “Artificial Intelligence to Solve Real-World Problems and Future Innovation,” bringing together global firms across AI, blockchain and cloud computing, including Nvidia, Korea’s Lambda256 and Coupang’s IT arm Elev8. More than 120 developers,

Nov. 10, 2025

Smart cities can aid aging Korea, if built for people

BARCELONA, Spain — As South Korea continues its ascent as a global leader in smart city innovation, the integration of AI and advanced technology into urban infrastructure is becoming indispensable. In an exclusive interview at the Smart City Expo World Congress held at Fira Barcelona Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain, Kate O'Neill, an AI strategist and tech humanist at KO Insights, shared her thoughts on how Korea’s smart cities can empower citizens while upholding ethical standards. O'Neill’s visio

Nov. 8, 2025

'No AI bubble': Industry veterans see chip supercycle intact

Despite the steep selloff in global chip and AI stocks that rattled markets this week, industry veterans Colley Hwang and Kim Sung-soo laid out a rosy outlook, downplaying concerns of an "AI bubble" and predicting that the semiconductor "supercycle" will continue. "I think the concerns about an AI bubble come from not really understanding how much the technology is evolving right now," Kim, CEO of Datacrunch Global, said during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Friday. "The current

Nov. 7, 2025

Samsung chief's 'right-hand man' steps down

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Chung Hyun-ho, a longtime confidant and “right-hand man” to Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, is stepping back from frontline management as the company reorganizes its de facto management coordination unit. Samsung said Friday that Chung, who has led the Business Support Taskforce, will relinquish his role and remain at the company as a senior advisor to Lee. The taskforce — created in late 2017 after Samsung disbanded its powerful Future Strategy Office in the w

Nov. 7, 2025

'Samsung must rethink everything to survive AI era'

Samsung Electronics needs a bold new strategy to navigate the next industrial shift driven by artificial intelligence — one on par with the late Chair Lee Kun-hee’s “New Management” initiative that reshaped the company more than two decades ago, according to Colley Hwang, founder and chair of Taiwan-based tech research firm Digitimes. Hwang, a four-decade industry veteran, said such reinvention is vital for the future survival of South Korea’s largest industrial powerhouse. He spoke in an interv

Nov. 7, 2025