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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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Tech & Science

Samsung generates hefty profits from BYD, ASML investments

Samsung Electronics' office in Seoul / YonhapBy Baek Byung-yeulSamsung Electronics is generating hefty profits through its strategic investments in global partner firms.According to an audit report submitted by the electronics giant to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), shares Samsung Electronics acquired in partner companies including Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD, Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML and Japanese tech company Wacom increased by more than 3 trillion won ($2.6 billion) in total last year.Among Samsung's financial assets, the capital value of the listed companies in which it invested stood at 7.34 trillion won as of Dec. 31, 2020. That marks a 72 percent increase from 2019 when the figure was 4.27 trillion won. Samsung spent 2.30 trillion won to acquire shares in those companies, translating into a return on investment of around 220 percent.Samsung's stake purchase in BYD was especially lucrative. The Korean electronics giant acquired a 1.9 percent stake in the Chinese company for 528 billion won in July 2016, and the equity value of its stake in B

Mar 10, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung generates hefty profits from BYD, ASML investments
Tech & Science

SK hynix mass produces new smartphone DRAM

SK hynix's 18-gigabyte LPDDR5 mobile DRAM / Courtesy of SK hynixBy Baek Byung-yeulSK hynix is making inroads into memory chips for the premium smartphone market after starting mass production of a new smartphone DRAM that has the largest capacity in the industry.In a statement released on Monday, SK said it began mass producing the LPDDR5 mobile DRAM with a capacity of 18 gigabytes (GB).As its latest product has faster data-processing speed, more temporary data storage capacity and better power efficiency, SK hynix said the 18GB product will be equipped in high-priced smartphones to support an optimal environment for games with high-resolution images and high-quality videos.Also, SK was expecting its LPDDR5 DRAM will be increasingly used for premium phones as applications will continue expanding to include the latest technologies, such as ultra-high-performance cameras and artificial intelligence (AI).“This product will improve the processing speed and image quality by expanding the temporary data storage space as the capacity increases compared to the previous 16GB product,&rd

Mar 8, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
SK hynix mass produces new smartphone DRAM
Tech & Science

LG Innotek joins hands with Microsoft for 3D sensing biz

An LG Innotek employee poses with the company's 3D sensing ToF module, Monday. Courtesy of LG InnotekBy Baek Byung-yeulLG Innotek CEO Jeong Cheol-dong / Courtesy of LG InnotekLG Innotek is entering into a partnership with U.S. computer software giant Microsoft to expand into the fast-growing 3D sensing module business, the LG Group affiliate said Monday.The company said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Microsoft for cooperation in developing and supplying time-of-flight (ToF) modules, which will be used for the latter's Azure cloud computing service. LG Innotek aims to mass produce the modules in the second half of 2021.The ToF module is a core component in 3D sensing cameras that can be used for measuring distance and capturing 3D images. Smartphones and wearable devices using this module can have functions such as biometric authentication, motion recognition, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the company said.“With the MOU, LG Innotek will develop a ToF module for the Microsoft Azure platform, using its leading-edge 3D sensing module technolog

Mar 8, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
LG Innotek joins hands with Microsoft for 3D sensing biz
Companies

LG Energy Solution, GM eye construction of new battery plant in Tennessee

LG Energy Solution's battery plant in Michigan / Courtesy of LG Energy SolutionBy Baek Byung-yeulLG Energy Solution and General Motors (GM) are eyeing the construction of a new battery-manufacturing plant in the U.S. state of Tennessee to meet growing demand for battery cells for electric vehicles (EVs).LG Group's battery-making affiliate and GM are considering building a second battery factory in the U.S. as representatives from the two companies are in advanced talks with Tennessee state government officials, Reuters quoted sources as saying Thursday (local time).GM confirmed it was “exploring the feasibility of constructing a second, state-of-the-art battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States” with LG Energy Solution. The LG affiliate already operates a plant in Michigan, and the two companies have been in a partnership to build a battery-production plant in Ohio, which will be up and running in 2022.The sources said the new factory could be located near GM's plant in Spring Hill, a city located south of Nashville. And the scale of investment would be simila

Mar 5, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
LG Energy Solution, GM eye construction of new battery plant in Tennessee
Companies

US International Trade Commission reaffirms ruling in favor of LG over SK in battery feud

USITC headquarters in Washington D.C. / Korea Times fileBy Baek Byung-yeulThe United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has reiterated that SK Innovation (SKI) has sold and imported electric vehicle (EV) batteries in the U.S. that were manufactured using industrial secrets misappropriated from LG Energy Solution (LGES). In a 96-page document made public Thursday (local time), the USITC agreed with LGES's assertion that stated “it is clear that SKI, without the stolen LG Chem Trade Secrets, would not have been able to develop the information in the stolen trade secrets in anything less than ten years.”On Feb. 10, the USITC gave a final ruling in favor of LGES which had accused SKI of intellectual property theft related to electric vehicle (EV) battery technology. The commission also issued a 10-year exclusion order prohibiting SKI from importing some batteries into the U.S. However, the commission also permitted SKI to import components needed to produce EV batteries for Volkswagen for two years and for Ford for four years.LG Energy Solution researchers pose wit

Mar 5, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
US International Trade Commission reaffirms ruling in favor of LG over SK in battery feud
Tech & Science

ANALYSIS Why Japan is closely watching how Samsung fares against Chinese rivals

By Baek Byung-yeulJapan had been a great benchmark for Korea as firms in the neighboring country have held competitive edges in every industrial sector ranging from consumer goods to high-tech businesses.Samsung Electronics, a leading player in the semiconductor and IT device sectors, also used to benchmark Japanese firms such as Sony.Japanese rivals remain highly competitive in the high-tech industry, securing source technologies in materials and components for displays, networks and semiconductors, while Samsung has surpassed its pioneering rivals in Japan by accurately assessing changing market trends and developing state-of-the-art production technologies.Samsung has continued to show its dominance in the high-tech business, while Chinese rivals, capable of manufacturing cheap but increasingly competitive products, are catching up quickly.Perceiving the 2020 Summer Olympics as a chance to leap forward again, Japan aimed to showcase its superb fifth-generation (5G) network and future car technologies to regain its fame. But it remains uncertain if the delayed Olympics can be held

Mar 4, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
[ANALYSIS] Why Japan is closely watching how Samsung fares against Chinese rivals
Tech & Science

US begins probe over claims against Samsung

Samsung Electronics' office in Seoul / YonhapBy Baek Byung-yeulSamsung Electronics and Motorola are being investigated by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) over allegations that mobile devices manufactured by the two companies infringed on network patents held by Texas-based Evolved Wireless.In a statement released March 1 (local time), the USITC said it “has voted to institute an investigation of certain LTE-compliant cellular communication devices. The products at issue in the investigation are described in the commission's notice of investigation.”The USITC said Evolved Wireless filed a complaint Feb. 1 that “alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain LTE-compliant cellular communication devices that infringe on patents asserted by the complainant.”An industry official said Evolved Wireless previously filed a patent infringement suit against Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and other firms for unlawful use of its LTE technology years ago, and this year's case would also ap

Mar 3, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
US begins probe over claims against Samsung
Tech & Science

KT, LG Uplus invest in homegrown app store

ONE store CEO Lee Jae-hwan speaks during a press conference in Seoul in this July 2018 file photo. Courtesy of ONE storeBy Baek Byung-yeulSeen is a front page of ONE store app market. Captured from ONE storeKT and LG Uplus have acquired small stakes in SK Telecom's smartphone app market platform ONE store, paving the way for the local app store to file for an initial public offering, the three telecommunications companies said Wednesday.The two firms bought an aggregate 3.8 percent stake in the platform with KT investing 21 billion won ($18.7 million) for 3.1 percent, and LG buying the remaining 0.7 percent for 5 billion won.In a joint press statement, the two mobile carriers said the decision was a bid to improve the competence of ONE store so that it can work as a support platform for the local information and communications technology ecosystem.Following the investment, SK Telecom now has a 50.1 percent stake and local tech giant Naver has a 26.3 percent. ONE store is expected to go public sometime in 2021.Established in 2016, ONE store had run at a deficit for four years, but tur

Mar 3, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
KT, LG Uplus invest in homegrown app store
Tech & Science

LG CNS opens software development tool DevOn to public

Employees promote LG CNS' DevOn NCD software, Tuesday. Courtesy of LG CNSBy Baek Byung-yeulLG CNS has made its software development tool DevOn NCD freely available to the public as part of its efforts to foster an ecosystem for open-source software development, the information technology affiliate of LG Group said Tuesday.The company said people can download DevOn NCD online at lgcns.co.kr/Solution/DevOn-NCD. NCD stands for “no coding development.”DevOn NCD provides various software and automation tools for developing user interface designs and business logic. Developers using the program don't need to learn complex programming languages such as Java or C.The software tool also makes it easy for developers to update functions of their programs, as DevOn NCD uses flowcharts instead of source code, helping reduce project communication costs.The company said its software is a proven development platform for both productivity enhancement in development work and operational reliability, through more than 1,000 cases of various project applications across LG Group affiliates an

Mar 2, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
LG CNS opens software development tool DevOn to public
Tech & Science

LG Innotek develops fastest automotive Wi-Fi module

An LG Innotek employee holds the company's automotive Wi-Fi 6E module, Tuesday. Courtesy of LG InnotekBy Baek Byung-yeulLG Innotek has developed a next-generation automotive Wi-Fi module that uses a larger channel bandwidth ― an industry first ― raising hope that the LG Group affiliate can improve its presence in the in-vehicle communication module market, which has been dominated by Japanese companies.The company said Tuesday that it had succeeded in developing the Wi-Fi 6E module that uses the 6-gigahertz bandwidth to provide data transmission speeds about three times faster than the existing Wi-Fi 5 module.With cars using highly advanced in-vehicle infotainment systems, providing seamless networking speed has become important. LG Innotek said vehicles with its Wi-Fi 6E module will allow passengers to enjoy high-definition movies and games running on augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR).“LG Innotek has successfully developed the world's first Wi-Fi 6E module with advanced radio frequency (RF) and antenna technology. The company has accumulated development capabiliti

Mar 2, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
LG Innotek develops fastest automotive Wi-Fi module
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