Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
BOE raises eyebrows over abruptly canceling speech at display conference
Gavin Gao, president of Chinese display maker BOE, speaks during BOE Innovation Partner Conference in Beijing in this July 11 video. Captured from BOE's YouTube channel
By Baek Byung-yeul
By Baek Byung-yeul
Chinese display maker BOE was scheduled to make technical presentations at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) conference in Busan, last week, but the company abruptly canceled scheduled presentations without notice, leaving attendees frustrated, according to industry officials, Monday.
Co-organized by the Korean Information Display Society (KIDS) and the Society for Information Display (SID), this year's IMID conference was held at BEXCO convention center in Busan from Aug. 22 to 25.
Featuring prominent display companies and researchers, the global event is known as a place to glimpse the latest technology trends in the display industry.
The event also featured technical presentations by display industry officials and researchers on industry trends and their research results.
BOE officials were scheduled to present at the OLED Manufacturing II session from 2:50 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. and the Emerging Materials and Devices for Display session from 4:30 p.m. to 5:55 p.m. They were expected to make technical presentations on manufacturing processes and materials for OLED displays, which are considered the next generation of displays after LCDs.
However, without prior notice, BOE officials did not show up for the two sessions, according to a participant at the event.
"We were not told before the start of the session that BOE officials would not be attending,” the participant said. Due to their sudden absence, speakers who were scheduled to speak after the BOE officials had to make their presentations earlier than scheduled.
An official in the display industry here said it was disrespectful for BOE to not show up at an international event that brought together prominent figures of the display industry. The IMID was an important venue to share the latest trends in the industry, as various devices that use displays, including mobile devices and automotive displays, are increasingly adopting OLED displays from LCDs. The official added BOE's absence at such a crucial event was inexplicable.
“It is disrespectful for BOE to not take part in this event without any notice. This is an international event that brings together the best minds in display and industry to present and share their research and latest trends,” the official said. “It is disrespectful to the organizers and attendees of the event to not show up for such a high-profile presentation of their latest technology.”
At the K-Display exhibition held in Seoul from August 16 to 18, BOE described itself as the world's largest display panel manufacturer and stated that it operates 17 display factories and development lines and R&D centers across China.
BOE is also fiercely competing with Korean display makers that have been focusing on high-value OLED displays to avoid being overtaken by Chinese makers, which are still more focused on LCD.
Among the Korean makers, BOE, which is regarded as a last mover in OLED, is at odds with Samsung Display as Samsung recently sued BOE in the U.S. for infringement of its OLED patented technologies, including its Diamond Pixel technology. Regarding the alleged patent infringement, BOE has not yet made an official statement.