my timesThe Korea Times
bkim

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Companies

Samsung gearing up for organizational overhaul

A Samsung flag is seen at the company's building in southern Seoul / Korea Times fileLee Jae-yong expected to visit US in coming weeks to close foundry investment dealBy Kim Bo-eunSamsung Electronics is set to unveil a new personnel system intended to make the company more flexible and less hierarchical.In an internal notice posted this week about the planned change, Samsung implied there would be changes to the employee evaluation and promotion system, while it did not specify the details.The company is set to introduce the system once a draft is finalized, after reflecting the views of Samsung's unions and employees in managerial positions."The specifics will be unveiled when the system is finalized," a Samsung official said, Friday. "The changes would be made to make improvements to the organization."Five years ago, Samsung removed conventional titles of employees to foster a more horizontal atmosphere at the conservative organization. The company said the most recent changes were made with input from outside experts and references to local and global firms.This appears to be part

Nov 12, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung gearing up for organizational overhaul
  • Samsung nears selection of site for new US chip factory
Companies

Reporter's Notebook Korea urged to diversify material imports

Dozens of cargo trucks are lined up on a road leading to a gas station nearby Gwangyang Port in South Jeolla Province, on the first day of the 200,000 liters of supply of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), also known as 'urea water,' urgently secured by the government, Thursday. The government has restricted daily sales of DEF, needed by diesel-powered vehicles, 10 liters for sedans and 30 liters for cargo trucks, as emergency measures to cope with urea water shortage. YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunThe government has managed to address a shortage of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), also called "urea water," by securing several months' supply of its raw material constituent from China, but the case is ringing alarm bells for possible scenarios related to other imported items for which Korea has a high dependency on the neighboring country.Korea grappled with the shortage in recent weeks, as China cut exports of urea ― the main DEF “ingredient” ― last month, amid a power crisis triggered by a shortage in coal supplies there. Local industries depending on the solution faced a dire situation, given

Nov 11, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
[Reporter's Notebook] Korea urged to diversify material imports
  • ED Lesson from supply crunch
Companies

SK chief's US, Europe trips to boost battery, hydrogen biz

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, right, speaks with U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., Oct. 27. Courtesy of Senator Mitch McConnell's officeBy Kim Bo-eunSK Group is going all out to boost new businesses in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and hydrogen fuel. The group's chairman Chey Tae-won recently traveled to the U.S. and Europe to speak with key figures to request their support for SK's businesses there.Chey met with U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Congressman James Clyburn in Washington D.C. Oct. 27 through Oct. 28, to expedite SK's strategies to tackle climate change and introduce its ideas for environmentally-friendly businesses in the U.S."SK has set a goal to cut 200 million tons of carbon, which is 1 percent of the world's carbon reduction target for 2030," Chey told the lawmakers."The group will contribute to reducing carbon emissions in the U.S. by concentrating half of the $52 billion to be invested in the country into environmentally-friendly businesses such as EV batteries and hydrogen fuel."S

Nov 7, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
SK chief's US, Europe trips to boost battery, hydrogen biz
Tech & Science

Apple, Disney's choices contradict Netflix in network fee controversy

Logos of Apple TV Plus, Netflix and Disney Plus / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunNetflix finds itself in an increasingly difficult position after its global competitors opted to pay network fees in the Korean market through content delivery networks (CDN). A CDN is a geographically distributed network of proxy servers and associated data centers. Content providers such as media companies pay CDN operators to deliver their content to end users.The controversy over network fees snowballed in recent weeks, following the overwhelming popularity of Netflix shows such as “Squid Game.” Increased views have resulted in a spike in data traffic, which internet service providers claim is posing a burden to them.SK Broadband is currently engaged in a lawsuit with Netflix over network fees. Netflix has maintained its stance that it will not pay for using local networks. Netflix Vice President of Public Policy Dean Garfield last week reiterated at a press conference in Seoul that the company will use its open connect appliances (OCA) as a means to help alleviate the traffic.According to

Nov 7, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Apple, Disney's choices contradict Netflix in network fee controversy
Companies

Netflix not willing to pay networks

Netflix Vice President of Public Policy Dean Garfield speaks at a press conference held at the JW Marriott Hotel Dongdaemun Square Seoul, Thursday. YonhapUS platform insists that OCA is the answer for network operatorsBy Kim Bo-eunA senior Netflix executive made clear his company's stance on the network fee controversy ― that it will not pay internet service providers (ISPs) for the heavy data traffic generated by its services.Korean lawmakers have pledged to set up regulations that will require content providers such as Netflix to pay for using local networks. Currently, local content providers such as Naver and Kakao pay network fees to ISPs, as do global firms such as Facebook. Garfield came here for a series of meetings with government officials and lawmakers earlier this week, to address the snowballing controversy over network fees, after President Moon Jae-in referenced the issue, calling for the company to "take greater responsibility."Given the negative sentiment here, Netflix instead pledged to share profits reaped from the success of the locally produced show “Squid

Nov 4, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Netflix not willing to pay networks
Tech & Science

Women still struggling to shatter glass ceilings in Korean firms

Top four business groups need more female board representationBy Kim Bo-eunKorea's four major conglomerates are increasingly focusing on environment, social and governance (ESG) factors in operating their businesses, but they are lagging behind in making improvements in the last of these. Sound governance is evaluated based on issues including the role and makeup of boards of directors and ensuring the rights of shareholders.Among these factors, leading global corporations have been seeking to ensure diversity at the board level, to reflect a wider spectrum of thoughts. They have primarily been seeking to improve gender representation, a move that gained traction after the global financial crisis in 2008. Figures such as European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde have put forth the idea that had it been the “Lehman Sisters,” the financial crisis may not have been as deep, given the tendency of women to avoid risks compared to men.The largest corporations in Korea have lagged behind in this aspect, but have recently moved to include female board members after

Nov 3, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Women still struggling to shatter glass ceilings in Korean firms
  • 'Meaningful representation of women' needed in decision-making roles: BlackRock senior official
Tech & Science

Samsung SDI's stock on recovery track

Auto chip shortages to have limited impact on battery makers By Kim Bo-eunSamsung SDI's stock is expected to take a stable upward trajectory in the coming months, based on expectations of its electric vehicle (EV) battery business achieving solid profits this year. A limited impact from the auto chip shortage on the battery maker's profits as well as plans to aggressively expand its battery product lineup are set to have a positive effect on Samsung SDI's stock.The battery company's stock closed at 731,000 won, Tuesday, up 1.11 percent from the previous day's close, after a conference call on the company's third quarter earnings outlining this positive outlook. Samsung SDI posted a record 3.44 trillion won ($2.93 billion) in sales and 373.5 billion won in operating profit in the third quarter, up 11.4 percent and 39.7 percent, year-on-year. The battery company's stock fell in recent months as the idea of separating its battery business was floated as a means to secure funds to invest in new production plants. LG Chem and SK Innovation spun off their battery businesses to be listed on

Nov 2, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung SDI's stock on recovery track
Tech & Science

KT to pay W40 bil. in compensation for network outage

KT executives bow in a gesture of apology for damage caused by a network failure that caused disruptions in wired and wireless services for subscribers, Oct. 25, at a briefing outlining compensation and measures to prevent such an event from recurring, at the company's office in central Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunKT will pay out up to 40 billion won ($33.97 million) in compensation to customers of its wired and wireless services, which underwent nationwide disruptions Oct. 25, the company said. The telecom company outlined its compensation policy for the network failure during a briefing, Monday. A routing error disabled wired and wireless services from around 11:20 a.m. to noon a week earlier ― most services were back by noon, but some disruptions lasted longer.KT said it will pay compensation for 10 times the disruption time of 89 minutes, which works out at 15 hours, for individual service customers. Small business owners will be eligible to receive compensation for 10 days' worth of damage, given they use a number of devices that need to be connected to the internet, such

Nov 1, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
KT to pay W40 bil. in compensation for network outage
Tech & Science

'Subcontracted employee's mistake caused network outage'

Second Vice Science Minister Cho Kyeong-sik speaks during a briefing at the Seoul Government Complex, Friday, on the results of an investigation into the cause of KT's network failure that occurred Monday. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunA mistake by an employee of a firm KT outsourced for its routing work was to blame for the nationwide network disruption earlier this week, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Friday. KT's internet network error disabled both wired and wireless services around 11:20 a.m. on Monday. Most services were back by noon, but some disruptions lasted longer.The telecom company stated in the days following the network failure that a routing error was the cause and that the large-scale disruption was the result of work that was performed during the day instead of when it was supposed to have been carried out ― at night when there is less network traffic."We found that an employee entered the wrong command while changing a network router at a location in Busan," Second Vice Minister Cho Kyeong-sik said in a briefing on the results of the inspection into the cause of the n

Oct 29, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
'Subcontracted employee's mistake caused network outage'
Tech & Science

SK On confirms plans for LFP batteries

SK On's battery plant in Georgia / Courtesy of SK OnBy Kim Bo-eunSK's battery affiliate is currently developing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for electric vehicles (EV), and the company said its battery business will turn profitable next year. Its confirmation for the development of LFP batteries came as global carmakers such as Tesla and Mercedes-Benz are planning to use cheaper but less-powerful batteries for EV models in the lower price segment. The LFP battery market is currently being led by Chinese battery makers such as CATL. SK On is the name of the new battery affiliate that separated from SK Innovation (SKI) earlier this month."We are developing diverse chemistries other than nickel, cobalt and manganese (NCM), according to technological trends and client requests," SK On's head of planning Yoon Hyung-jo told investors during a conference after the release of its parent company SKI's third-quarter earnings results. "We are developing high-performance LFP batteries which have high energy density and fast charging speed, based on our technological capabilities that h

Oct 29, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
SK On confirms plans for LFP batteries
previous page
1617181920
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.