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Baek Byung-yeul

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

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.

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Companies

Korean game developers shift focus to India from China

A scene in an advertisement for Krafton's mobile version of online shooting game, “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,” for the Indian market / Screenshot from Battlegrounds Mobile IndiaBy Baek Byung-yeulNCSOFT, Krafton and other Korean game companies are turning their eyes to India as the South Asian country is emerging as an alternative market to China, which has been prohibiting Korean games from entering, according to industry officials Monday.They said India is now considered a new market for Korean companies that put more focus on mobile games rather than console games, as the former have been gaining huge popularity with the improvement of the internet environment and rapidly increasing smartphone usage.“In recent years, few companies have received necessary licenses before launching new games in the Chinese market. The companies need to reduce their shares in the Chinese market ― which is blocked from launching new games ― as much as possible, and explore new markets. To that end, the Indian market, which has a large population and an increasing number of mobile

Apr 5, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
Korean game developers shift focus to India from China
Tech & Science

Galaxy S22 plunges in value after GOS controversy

Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S22 smartphones are displayed at the company's store in Seoul, March 8. YonhapBy Baek Byung-yeulMobile carriers have sharply raised their subsidies for Samsung Electronics' high-priced Galaxy S22 smartphone to bolster sagging sales amid a controversy over the game optimizing service (GOS) installed on the device, which adjusts the handset's performance when playing games, according to company officials Monday.Samsung was criticized for the GOS application installed in its Galaxy devices. The GOS is designed to optimize the performance of Galaxy devices when playing games, but users found that the service cannot be turned off manually, which has resulted in lower quality while playing. In response to the consumer backlash, the company provided software updates that do not limit device performance until the phones become hot.KT and LG Uplus said they have raised their subsidies to mobile service subscribers who purchase the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22 Plus by up to 500,000 won ($410). The mobile carriers already raised the amount of subsidies for the Galax

Apr 4, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
Galaxy S22 plunges in value after GOS controversy
Companies

LG Chem to team up with Siheung City on recycling

Noh Kug-lae, center, head of LG Chem's petrochemical business, poses with Siheung Mayor Lim Byeong-taek, right, and Siheung Urban Corporation CEO Jeong Dong-seon after signing a memorandum of understanding on recycling the city's waste at Siheung's City Hall in Gyeonggi Province, March 31. Courtesy of LG Chem By Baek Byung-yeulLG Chem has forged a partnership with Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, to recycle plastic waste generated in the city, the chemical arm of LG Group said, Friday.The company said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Siheung City Government and Siheung Urban Corporation at the city's headquarters on March 31. “The three sides agreed on the need to establish a virtuous cycle for plastic resources and decided to promote the recycling of waste generated in Siheung city as clean resources,” the company said.Under the agreement, the city will conduct promotional activities for its citizens and introduce related policies to establish a virtuous

Apr 1, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
LG Chem to team up with Siheung City on recycling
Companies

Ssangbangwool moves to buy SsangYong Motor

Ssangbangwool Group headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of NewsisBy Baek Byung-yeulSsangbangwool Group has joined the acquisition race for SsangYong Motor, which is up for sale again after a takeover deal with Edison Motors fell through, according to company officials, Friday.The group said it recently conveyed its intention to acquire SsangYong Motor to accounting company, EY Hanyoung, the lead manager of the deal. The group plans to submit a letter of intent to the accounting firm next week.“It is true that we have officially entered the bid to acquire SsangYong Motor. We are actively considering it,” a Ssangbangwool Group spokeswoman said.“We already expressed our intention to EY Hanyoung. We plan to submit a letter of intent sometime next week,” the spokeswoman added.The group said it has enough funds for the acquisition. “After we submit an official letter of intent next week, we will be able to elaborate on the amount involved in the acquisition of SsangYong Motor,” the official said.Ssangbangwool Group set up a taskforce to take over SsangYong

Apr 1, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
Ssangbangwool moves to buy SsangYong Motor
Companies

KT co-CEO quits right before shareholders' meeting amid NPS opposition

KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo bangs the gavel to start the company's shareholders' meeting at its R&D center in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KTBy Baek Byung-yeulPark Jong-ook, co-CEO and chief safety officer of KT, resigned abruptly from his inside director position right before the start of the company's annual shareholders' meeting on Thursday.Given that reappointing Park as the company's board member was scheduled for a vote at the meeting, Park's resignation can be interpreted as resulting from opposition by the National Pension Service (NPS), which holds a 12.49 percent stake in the telecom firm.The NPS and civic organizations here have been expressing their opposition over his reappointment as a director, as he is undergoing a trial on charges of illegal fundraising for politicians. As for the reason for his resignation, a company spokesman said it was for “personal reasons.”With Park's resignation, CEO Ku Hyeon-mo has become the sole leader of the country's leading mobile carrier. The company plans to find a new in-house director and chief safety officer, while Park will

Mar 31, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
KT co-CEO quits right before shareholders' meeting amid NPS opposition
Companies

SK hynix appoints chief safety officer Kwak as co-CEO

Kwak Noh-jung, co-CEO of SK hynix / Courtesy of SK hynixBy Baek Byung-yeulKwak Noh-jung, president and chief safety, product & production officer of SK hynix, has been appointed as the memory chip giant's co-CEO. Kwak will lead the chip company together with its Vice Chairman and CEO Park Jung-ho.The memory chip affiliate of SK Group appointed Kwak as co-CEO in a board meeting on March 30. Kwak earned his Ph.D. in materials engineering from Korea University and joined SK hynix in 1994. “President Kwak is an expert who has built a solid career in a variety of semiconductor manufacturing and technology-related businesses since joining the company as an engineer in 1994,” SK hynix said.His appointment can be interpreted as the company's move to improve its response capability against the government's strengthened safety regulations. In January, the government implemented a workplace disaster law to improve prevention of industrial accidents.“The board of directors agreed to appoint Kwak as its co-CEO as he is the right person to lead all technology fields such as c

Mar 31, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
SK hynix appoints chief safety officer Kwak as co-CEO
Tech & Science

Samsung to develop next-generation storage technology with Western Digital

From left are Samsung Electronics' zoned storage technology-based solid state drive (SSD) and Western Digital's zoned storage SSD. Courtesy of Samsung ElectronicsBy Baek Byung-yeulSamsung Electronics joined hands with U.S.-based data storage company Western Digital to develop a next-generation storage technology called zoned storage targeting the data center and enterprise markets that need to process large amount of data, the company said Wednesday.The Korean tech giant said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. company to promote the standardization of zoned storage technology. The two companies also plan to collaborate to develop and promote software for products featuring zoned storage technology.Samsung said the new technology enables a more efficient operation of storage at data centers and enterprises by enabling users to save data in several different zones.“Using zoned storage technology, storage space is divided into zones. By storing data having the same use and same use cycle in the same area, data can be stored more efficiently than existing solid s

Mar 30, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung to develop next-generation storage technology with Western Digital
Tech & Science

KT launches AI quarantine robot

Lee Sang-ho, second from left, vice president and head of KT's AI Robot Business Unit, introduces the company's quarantine robot during an online press conference, Wednesday. Courtesy of KTBy Baek Byung-yeulKT has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) quarantine robot intended for use at hospitals and other large facilities receiving many visitors. With quarantine robots being just the start of things to come, the telecommunications giant plans to expand its presence in the fast-growing service robot market, the company said, Wednesday. The company said it rolled out two kinds of quarantine robots ― a medium-sized one and a larger version. Although the two robots differ in their quarantine capacity and size, they both feature plasma, ultraviolet wavelength and air cleaning so that they can sterilize over 99.9 percent of viruses, while at the same time being harmless to humans.“KT's AI quarantine robots are not harmful to the human body while providing quality quarantine care. Also, the robots are intelligent products that monitor air condition in real time to find places to

Mar 30, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
KT launches AI quarantine robot
Companies

Huawei strengthens R&D to seek breakthrough amid US sanctions

Karl Song, vice president of Huawei's Corporate Communications, is seen on the screen as he speaks online at a press conference held by its Korean unit at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeulBy Baek Byung-yeulHuawei will keep increasing its expenditures in research and development activities despite the external business environment, as the Chinese IT company is still impeded by U.S. sanctions, the firm's communication director said Tuesday.“The harder things get, the more we are investing in the future. In 2021, we increased our R&D investment to $22.4 billion, representing 22.4 percent of our total revenue. Both our R&D expenses and R&D expense ratio reached a 10-year high in 2021 and Huawei ranked second in the 2021 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard,” Karl Song, vice president of Huawei's Corporate Communications, said at a press conference held by its Korean unit in Seoul.“Moving forward, we will continue investing heavily in R&D to strengthen our innovation in systems engineering and drive fundame

Mar 30, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
Huawei strengthens R&D to seek breakthrough amid US sanctions
Companies

Future of SsangYong Motor up in air

SsangYong Motor's headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of SsangYong MotorEdison's takeover deal falls throughBy Baek Byung-yeulEdison Motors' acquisition of SsangYong Motor has been scrapped, as SsangYong announced Monday that it has canceled the deal to sell its controlling stake to a consortium led by Edison.SsangYong said that Edison, a local electric bus maker, was supposed to pay 274.3 billion won ($223.8 million) to acquire the debt-ridden SUV maker by March 25, but it has failed to do so.Now, SsangYong is once again on the brink of liquidation and is expected to continue its ownerless management for the time being.A company spokesman said that SsangYong will look for a new buyer, push for a quick resale and submit a new rehabilitation plan to the court.“We believe that the conditions for the resale of the company have improved significantly compared to when the M&A process began in June 2021,” the spokesman said. “We completed the development of our new model, the J100, and plan to release it in June. We also forged a strategic allianc

Mar 28, 2022By Baek Byung-yeul
Future of SsangYong Motor up in air
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