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Kim Bo-eun

Korea Times Digital Content Reporter

Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.

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Tech & Science

LG Display to feature flexible panels at CES 2022

An LG Display employee tries out the display maker's "virtual ride" product, which integrates a large, flexible, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel and an exercise machine. The product, incorporating three 55-inch OLED panels, provides users with an immersive experience, the company said. LG Display is set to present the product, among others, next month at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 in Las Vegas. Courtesy of LG Display

Dec 23, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LG Display to feature flexible panels at CES 2022
Companies

Carbon neutrality, electricity bill freeze exacerbating KEPCO's snowballing debt

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) headquarters in Naju, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of KEPCOBy Kim Bo-eunThe price freeze on electricity announced earlier this week is set to add to the snowballing debt of the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), at a time electricity generation has become increasingly expensive as the government has accelerated the shift to eco-friendly power.KEPCO announced its decision on Monday to freeze electricity rates for the first quarter of next year, due to inflation rates and the COVID-19 pandemic that have increasingly placed a burden upon the public. But the government came under fire as the latest price freeze is seen as a measure to cling to support ahead of the presidential election to be held in March next year.The government decision will weigh on KEPCO, which is seeing its operating losses and debt accumulating. KEPCO's outstanding debt stood at 138.2 trillion won ($115.7 billion) in September, up from 132.5 trillion won at the end of 2020, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.As a means to achieve carbon neutrality

Dec 21, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Carbon neutrality, electricity bill freeze exacerbating KEPCO's snowballing debt
Companies

LG's Koo Kwang-mo to focus on offering mind-blowing experiences for customers

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, center, is seen with employees in a video New Year's message to employees released Monday. Courtesy of LG GroupBy Kim Bo-eunLG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo has kept a low profile since he took helm of the group in 2018. But in rare messages to employees that have been made public, he has continued to emphasize the need to cater to customers' needs.In his New Year's message for 2022 unveiled Monday, Koo urged employees to "focus on creating valued customer experiences.""LG has focused on making quality products, but what customers want goes beyond this. The reason customers are touched is because of valuable moments they have experienced, and this is where we should be headed," Koo was cited as saying."We need to convey those experiences to customers ― those that make it difficult for them to return to what they previously had after encountering these experiences."In the latest video message to employees, LG employees introduced successful examples of such customer experience.One was LG Electronics' StanbyMe, a battery-powered TV that can be moved around

Dec 20, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LG's Koo Kwang-mo to focus on offering mind-blowing experiences for customers
Companies

Soaring battery raw material costs to drive up EV prices

Hyundai Motor's IONIQ 5 / Courtesy of Hyundai MotorBy Kim Bo-eunSpiking costs of raw materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries are leading to a hike in battery prices, which is placing pressure on carmakers to raise EV prices. Bloomberg NEF recently stated battery prices might reverse the year-on-year price declines for the first time, since it began surveying these in 2012.Battery prices had consistently fallen over the past decade, from almost $1,200 per kilowatt-hour to $137 per kilowatt-hour last year.But battery makers are set to raise their prices, due to the surging costs of key metals used in production. Reports stated earlier that China's BYD is raising the price of its EV batteries by 20 percent.The raw materials in the battery cathode account for about 30 percent of the battery's cost. Battery makers have sought a mix of battery parts to hedge risks related to raw material costs, such as substituting the most expensive ingredient, cobalt, for lower-costing nickel. But the price of nickel has soared in recent months.Carmakers have pledged to increase the portion of low-

Dec 20, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Soaring battery raw material costs to drive up EV prices
Companies

Shipbuilders accelerate drive to make eco-friendly vessels

LNG carriers are currently the focus for Korean shipbuilders in their efforts to build eco-friendly vessels. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunA growing number of shipbuilders are turning to eco-friendly vessels as the shipping industry will face strengthened requirements on carbon emissions in the coming years. Shipping accounts for about 3 percent of the world's annual carbon emissions. The International Maritime Organization has ordered shipping companies to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent by 2025 compared to 2008. Emission levels need to be cut by 70 percent by 2050.Currently, the most widespread alternative fuel is liquefied natural gas (LNG). Korea's three major shipbuilders ― Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Samsung Heavy Industries ― have focused on LNG carriers.Out of total orders received by the three this year, 60 percent were for vessels fueled by LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). LNG emits 15 percent to 21 percent less CO2 than existing fuel for vessels. But when engi

Dec 19, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Shipbuilders accelerate drive to make eco-friendly vessels
Companies

Key M&As face growing risks amid global chip war

SK hynix' headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of SK hynixBy Kim Bo-eunKorean chipmakers are facing greater uncertainty, as key mergers and acquisitions (M&As) fall through amid the escalating power struggle between the world's two largest economies. Magnachip Semiconductor, a U.S. integrated device manufacturer focusing on non-memory chips, last week stated it was terminating its merger agreement with China's private equity firm Wise Road Capital, after the U.S. authorities disapproved of the deal.Magnachip stated in March that it would sell the entirety of its stock to Wise Road Capital for 1.58 trillion won ($1.4 billion). But following the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.'s (CIFUS) refusal to approve the deal, Magnachip stated it would remain an independent firm.The company was launched in 2004 after Hynix Semiconductor spun off its non-memory business. It specializes in mixed-signal and digital multimedia semiconductors used in consumer electronics and telecommunication equipment. Counting those still pending, Magnachip holds nearly 1,200 patents.M

Dec 19, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Key M&As face growing risks amid global chip war
Companies

SK invests in leading US bioenergy firm Fulcrum

Fulcrum's municipal solid-waste-based biofuels refinery in Nevada / Courtesy of SK Inc.By Kim Bo-eunSK Inc., SK Group's investment arm, stated Thursday that it had invested with private equity partners a total of $50 million in the U.S. firm, Fulcrum BioEnergy. Fulcrum is the first company in the U.S. to produce biofuel commercially by chemically converting municipal solid waste into transportation fuel. The latest investment is part of SK's moves to expand investments in green businesses and technologies to achieve its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.Leveraging Fulcrum's proprietary process, SK aims to make inroads into the Korean bioenergy market with its affiliate, SK Ecoplant, as a potential partner. SK Ecoplant is SK Group's engineering and construction arm that is now focused on environmentally-friendly energy and infrastructure projects.Fulcrum, founded in 2007 in Pleasanton, California, developed a proprietary process to convert organic materials found in municipal solid waste to low-carbon drop-in fuels, which can be distributed in the same pipelines as traditional

Dec 16, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
SK invests in leading US bioenergy firm Fulcrum
Companies

Integration, keyword for Samsung's new vision

By Kim Bo-eunSamsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee / Courtesy of Samsung ElectronicsIntegration of key businesses and divisions is a central part of Samsung's new strategy, its vice chairman told employees Wednesday."We need to make efforts to make One Samsung,” Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee, who handles the company's smartphone and consumer electronics divisions conveyed online to employees. "We need to remove the wall between the divisions developing businesses and products, and think and explore from the perspective of customers. This will become the starting point for a new scope of imagination and possibility."In an organizational overhaul carried out Dec. 7, Samsung reintegrated its smartphone and home appliances divisions, nine years after they were separated.Han said the organizational change was intended as "an opportunity to boost efforts to take the device business to new heights." Samsung remains the world's No. 1 smartphone vendor and No. 1 TV brand, but its competitors are quickly catching up with similar products such as foldable smartphones

Dec 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Integration, keyword for Samsung's new vision
Companies

KT introduces latest digital biz at global conference

Huh Suk-zoon, senior vice president of the KT Institute of Economics & Business Research, introduces the company's B2B businesses in digital transition services at an international conference co-hosted with the Korea Information Society Development Institute at Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of KTBy Kim Bo-eunTelecom operator KT, which seeks to transform itself into a digital platform company, pledged Tuesday to become a leading firm helping the private and public sector make the digital transition as the trend accelerates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The company announced plans to strengthen its capabilities in AI, Big Data and Cloud as well as its B2B business in digital transition services, at an international conference co-hosted with the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI). The conference, titled “Digital transformation & AI ecosystem for future industries,” was hosted both online and offline in Seoul, Tuesday."Digital transition requires technology and infrastructure such as AI, Big Data and Cloud. KT is focusing on the B2

Dec 14, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
KT introduces latest digital biz at global conference
Companies

SK Group, Vietnam to cooperate on cutting carbon emissions

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai, second from left, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh hue, third from left, pose with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, third from right, and SK Inc. CEO Jang Dong-hyun, second from right, during a ceremony at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, Dec. 13. Courtesy of SK Inc.

Dec 14, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
SK Group, Vietnam to cooperate on cutting carbon emissions
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