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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

IT firms cautious about ending work-from-home under 'Living with COVID-19'

Seen above is a night scene of Pangyo Techno Valley at around 9 pm, July 12. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rinBy Kim Bo-eunWith the government preparing to ease social distancing measures starting next month, companies are mulling over how they will adapt to the impending “Living with COVID-19” policy. The government is aiming to ease most distancing regulations as the percentage of vaccinated people is projected to reach 70 percent by the end of October.Companies are in the process of devising how they will deal with the return to normal. This is a complicated matter, given that firms have been able to function with employees telecommuting, and therefore they may not see the need to spend unnecessarily on renting office space.Conglomerates such as Samsung Electronics have already gone back to in-person meetings and overseas business trips.But IT companies such as game developers have not yet decided how they will deal with the eased distancing measures. The three major game developers here ― NCSOFT, Nexon and Netmarble ― plan on maintaining their telecommuting policy for

Oct 19, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
IT firms cautious about ending work-from-home under 'Living with COVID-19'
  • 'Living with COVID-19' policy raises expectation for liquor businesses
Tech & Science

LGES on aggressive U.S. expansion with Stellantis tie-up

LG's battery affiliate to accelerate IPO driveBy Kim Bo-eunLG Energy Solution (LGES) is aggressively expanding its presence in the fast-growing U.S. market for electric vehicles (EVs), unveiling plans for its second joint venture with a global carmaker, Monday. LGES has moved quickly to recover from the fallout over GM EV battery fires, accelerating the process to debut on the local stock market.LG's battery-making affiliate stated it has signed a partnership with Stellantis, the world's sixth-largest automotive group, to jointly produce EV batteries. Stellantis launched in January as a merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, and its brands include Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Fiat.The battery plant's production capacity will be 40 gigawatt-hours on an annual basis, and construction is set to be completed by the first quarter of 2024. The plant's location in the U.S. has yet to be decided.This is LGES's second tie-up with a global carmaker, after Ultium Cells, its joint venture with GM. Two battery plants are being constructed under Ultium Cells, one in Lordstown, Ohio, and the ot

Oct 18, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LGES on aggressive U.S. expansion with Stellantis tie-up
Companies

POSCO Chemical honored at S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards

The photo shows the “Rising Star” plaque POSCO Chemical received from S&P Global Platts 2021 Global Metals Awards / Courtesy of POSCO ChemicalBy Kim Bo-eunPOSCO Chemical said Friday that it was recognized as a "rising star" for its growth model as a materials company at the "Global Metals Awards" ceremony hosted by Standard & Poors Global Platts. This is POSCO Chemical's first global award.S&P Global Platts is the world's leading provider of benchmark prices and analytics for the energy and commodities markets. The Global Metals Awards recognizes the best individuals and companies in the metals industry across 15 categories. The rising star award honors the achievements of a startup or an existing business that has moved into a new field, on the basis of financial growth, innovation, job growth and operational excellence.POSCO Chemical said it was recognized for its expansion into the secondary battery materials and advanced chemical materials business, from its former focus on basic industrial materials. “In the last five years, POSCO Chemical has built

Oct 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
POSCO Chemical honored at S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards
Tech & Science

'Demand for green, sustainable networks to grow'

Huawei Board Executive Director and ICT Infrastructure Managing Board Chairman David Wang speaks at the Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2021 held in Dubai, Thursday, local time. Courtesy of HuaweiHuawei executive outlines key wireless industry trendsBy Kim Bo-eunA Huawei executive on Thursday stated the demand will grow for green and sustainable networks, as solutions for reducing energy consumption are sought. This was one of the key wireless industry trends Huawei's Board Executive Director and ICT Infrastructure Managing Board Chairman David Wang outlined at the Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2021 held in Dubai.“As network traffic grows 100 times over the next few years, there will be an equal spike in demand for solutions that reduce energy consumption,” he said."Energy efficiency must be considered in every aspect of network design, including radio interfaces, devices and sites. This will enable the construction of these full-link and full-lifecycle green and sustainable networks.”Second, Wang said mobile networks will need to support 10 gigabits per second (Gbps)

Oct 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
'Demand for green, sustainable networks to grow'
Banking & Finance

Woori employees donate blood for children with cancer

Woori Financial Group Vice President Choi Dong-soo, left, poses with Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation Secretary General Seo Sun-won after presenting blood donation cards from the group's employees, at the foundation's headquarters in northern Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Woori Financial GroupBy Kim Bo-eunWoori Financial Group said Thursday that it donated 500 blood donation cards to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation. Woori group's vice president Choi Dong-soo delivered the donation cards to the foundation's chief, Seo Sun-won, at a ceremony at the foundation's headquarters in northern Seoul, Wednesday.Donation cards can be used at medical institutions to receive blood transfusions free of charge. The donation cards will be used for children battling cancer and rare incurable diseases.Woori group said that the cards were provided by employees on a voluntary basis. The financial group has been campaigning to encourage employees to donate blood amid a dire lack of blood at hospitals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Blood banks at hospitals are virtually empty because of the lack o

Oct 14, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Woori employees donate blood for children with cancer
Tech & Science

Popularity of 'Squid Game' reignites net neutrality debate

A still from Squid Game, a series on Netflix that was written, directed and produced in Korea Courtesy of NetflixNetflix faces deteriorating consumer sentiment by refusing to pay for network usageBy Kim Bo-eunThe huge success of the Netflix series “Squid Game” has led to a surge in network traffic, raising calls for the global content producer to pay for the usage of telecommunications infrastructure. At the crux of the issue is who will take on the bigger burden of surging data costs ignited by the popularity of streaming content during the COVID-19 pandemic.Officials said Korean telecom firms have no choice but to pass on some of the costs of upgrading their networks to the top contributors of the capacity growth, going against the so-called “net neutrality” principle which demonstrates that all internet traffic should be treated equally.Some say this rule has become outdated in the era of streaming content. Also, in Korea, Netflix is being increasingly viewed by the public as forcing local content producers to serve merely as subcontractors for platform gia

Oct 11, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Popularity of 'Squid Game' reignites net neutrality debate
  • Hotel and outdoor activity vendor plan real-life 'Squid Game' event
Tech & Science

Samsung Electronics stock on course toward rebound

Memory chip down-cycle projection limiting tech giant's stockBy Kim Bo-eunSamsung Electronics' stock price is expected to pick up momentum in the coming months on the back of the company's improvements in non-memory chip earnings and strong demand for its foldable smartphones, analysts said Sunday. The forecast came as the tech giant's stock has remained sluggish, due to an expected slowdown in the memory chip market, despite record quarterly earnings in the third quarter. Samsung on Friday unveiled its earnings estimates for the third quarter, a revenue of 73 trillion won ($61 billion) and an operating profit of 15.8 trillion won, each up 9 percent and 27.9 percent year-on-year, respectively. The revenue figure represents Samsung's largest revenue on a quarterly basis yet, and its operating profit is the second-largest since the third quarter of 2018, when the chip market was in a super cycle.But these strong earnings estimates were not reflected in Samsung's stock price, which closed at 71,500 won on the same day, down 0.14 percent from the previous day's close.Samsung's share pric

Oct 10, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung Electronics stock on course toward rebound
Tech & Science

Global institutions call for Samsung to embrace environmental vision

Samsung Electronics Vice President Lee Jae-yong enters the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Sept. 2. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-hoTop conglomerate yet to join RE100 initiativeBy Kim Bo-eunSamsung is facing growing calls from global institutional investors to make a greater environmental commitment through its businesses. Samsung is the only one out of the country's four major groups that has not joined Renewable Energy 100 (RE100), a global initiative seeking to source 100 percent of electricity consumption from renewable sources. Samsung stated at the National Assembly audit last year that it intends on making this commitment, but still has yet to.Samsung's affiliates have individually been taking steps to phase out environmentally harmful businesses and investments, but their efforts are falling largely short of what is expected of Korea's largest conglomerate.The group had been saying up until recently that coming up with a long-term environmental vision had been impossible given that its chief had been in prison.But with the release of Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong

Oct 6, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Global institutions call for Samsung to embrace environmental vision
Tech & Science

Apple called on to pay W55 bil. in corporate taxes

Apple's logo is seen on an Apple Store in New York / AP-YonhapRegulator chief vows to supervise platform firmsBy Kim Bo-eunA lawmaker is claiming that U.S. tech giant Apple's local subsidiary should pay up to 55 billion won in corporate taxes from iPhone advertising costs it forced on local mobile carriers. According to Rep. Jang Hye-young of the social democratic minor opposition Justice Party, Tuesday, Apple is estimated to be required to pay 36.6 to 55 billion won in corporate taxes for advertising costs it made telecom service providers pay for. The figures were calculated by accounting experts based on data from the Korea Fair Trade Commission.The industry estimates that the costs Apple Korea made local mobile carriers pay amount to 20 to 30 billion won, for which Apple needs to pay 28.8 billion to 43.2 billion won in corporate taxes. But the total amount of corporate taxes the company should pay comes to 36.6 billion to 55 billion won when including additional taxes that have been imposed for failing to report the corporate taxes that it is required to pay.According to local re

Oct 5, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Apple called on to pay W55 bil. in corporate taxes
Tech & Science

SK Innovation launches new battery entity 'SK On'

Company carves out oil exploration biz into 'SK earthon'By Kim Bo-eunSK Innovation (SKI) officially split off its battery business into a wholly owned subsidiary named “SK On,” in a bid to maximize growth and turn it into a global leading player, the company said Friday. SKI's Battery Division President Ji Dong-seop has been appointed as SK On's CEO.SK seeks to rank among the world's top 3 electric vehicle (EV) battery makers by 2030. SK currently ranks around fifth. The split-off is also intended to raise funds via a stock market listing, which will take place once the company starts generating stable profit, which is estimated to take a few years.SK On CEO Ji Dong-seop / Courtesy of SKIJi joined SK in 1990 and served in strategic positions, such as management and planning at SK Telecom and CEO of SK Lubricants before becoming the head of SKI's battery business. Ji's experience as SK Lubricants CEO is expected to help him work with global carmakers."SK On will make the safest, fastest and longest-lasting products and services," Ji was quoted as saying in a press release.

Oct 1, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
SK Innovation launches new battery entity 'SK On'
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