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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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Companies

Hyundai Motor Group slammed for inconsistent environmental standards

By Kim Bo-eunThe Financial Times' July 23 edition carried an ad by environmental group Market Forces, which denounced Hyundai Motor Group for allowing its affiliate to build a coal-fired power station in Vietnam. Korea Times photo by Lim Mee-youngHyundai Motor Group has come under fire for inconsistent environmental standards in its lines of business, with its crown jewel carmaker transitioning to electric vehicles on one hand, while its construction affiliate is building a coal-fired power plant in Vietnam.Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C) landed a contract in June to build Quang Trach 1, a 1,200-megawatt coal power station in Vietnam, in a consortium with Japan's Mitsubishi and a Vietnamese state-run builder. In an ad published in the Financial Times on Friday, environmental group Market Forces slammed Hyundai Motor and Hyundai E&C for their inconsistent environmental standards, demanding that the coal power plant project be scrapped. "Hyundai is promoting climate-conscious electric cars while still building dirty coal," the Market Forces ad said. "Hyundai can't

Jul 23, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Hyundai Motor Group slammed for inconsistent environmental standards
Tech & Science

Apple's shift to OLED to benefit LG, Samsung

Apple's logo is seen at a store in New York. AP-YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunApple's shift to using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels into its smart devices is expected to boost earnings for local display makers. The iPhone manufacturer plans to incorporate OLED displays into its new iPad model to be released next year, according to reports and sources familiar with the issue, Thursday. This will be Apple's first iPad to feature an OLED display ― it already uses such panels in some of its iPhone models.Both Samsung Display and LG Display, Apple's South Korean display suppliers, are reviewing investments in the necessary equipment, such as deposition machines, required to produce OLED display panels for the U.S. firm's products. Reports said they are in discussions with their respective equipment suppliers. The companies declined to comment on the deal, citing they were not in a position to discuss matters concerning their clients.Industry observers project a gradual shift from LCD to OLED thanks to Apple's wider adaptation of such panels for its devices. The company's use of OLED pane

Jul 22, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Apple's shift to OLED to benefit LG, Samsung
Companies

Olympics to see little of Korea's conglomerate chiefs

Souring bilateral ties cited as primary reasonKim Bo-eunHyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, left, and HDC Hyundai Development Company Chairman Chung Mong-gyuThere will not be much involvement of Korea's conglomerate chiefs at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics kick-off on Friday, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and lingering diplomatic tension between the neighboring countries.Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun and HDC Hyundai Development Company Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, will head to the Japanese capital as the respective heads of the Korea Archery Association (KAA) and the Korea Football Association (KFA).Among conglomerate leaders, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won heads the Korea Handball Federation, LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-yeol the Korea Cycling Federation and SK Networks Chairman Choi Shin-won the Korean Fencing Federation.The conglomerate chiefs heading major associations have attended past Olympics events, but the pandemic has led the organizing committee to scale down slots for visitors to the Games. "Under current COVID-19 circumstances, the organizing committee has drastically reduce

Jul 21, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Olympics to see little of Korea's conglomerate chiefs
  • EXCLUSIVE Despite Toyota exit, Samsung to run Olympics TV ads in Japan
Tech & Science

Korean chipmakers on toes over US's continued pressure on China

U.S. President Joe Biden holds up a silicon wafer in a meeting with CEOs of the world's leading tech companies held at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 12. AP-YonhapExport restriction of ASML's equipment to China has little impact on Samsung, SK By Kim Bo-eunSamsung Electronics and SK hynix are on the alert over possible effects of further steps by the U.S. to contain the growth of China's chip technology.The Joe Biden administration is known to be seeking to maintain an export restriction on Dutch firm ASML's key equipment used in producing advanced chips to China. China has been focusing resources on making its chip-manufacturing technology more competitive, and has sought to import ASML's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment as part of such efforts.Lobbied by the Donald Trump administration, the Netherlands imposed export restrictions on ASML's EUV equipment to China in 2019. ASML is the dominant player in the field of EUV lithography, which enables more precise and efficient production of semiconductors at small transistor scales of around the 5-nanometer nod

Jul 20, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Korean chipmakers on toes over US's continued pressure on China
Companies

LNG power generation poses dilemma for Korea's energy policy

gettyimagesbankBy Kim Bo-eunThe Moon Jae-in administration has been moving toward phasing out coal-fired power generation and nuclear power plants.As the transition takes place to renewable energy, the government has made liquefied natural gas (LNG) an important source of power generation.The government is backing LNG because it is more environmentally friendly, with lower levels of carbon emission compared to other energy sources. LNG is known to emit around half of the greenhouse gases that coal does when burnt to generate electricity. LNG became the largest source of power generation for the country in April this year. The government has unveiled plans to expand the scale of LNG power generation to 59,096 megawatts by 2034. This is up from 39,655 megawatts in 2019. If the planned transition takes place, LNG will become the second-largest source of power generation in that year, accounting for 30.6 percent, after renewable energy which will take up 40.3 percent. The plan is to bring down the proportion of coal-fired plants' power-generating capacity among that of all power plants t

Jul 19, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LNG power generation poses dilemma for Korea's energy policy
Companies

POSCO, Doosan to develop ammonia power-generation technology

A POSCO flag stands alongside a Korean flag at the main gate of the steelmaker's headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in this undated photo. Courtesy of POSCOBy Kim Bo-eunPOSCO is seeking to develop power generation technology using ammonia synthesized from green and blue hydrogen.The steelmaker is partnering with Doosan Heavy Industries and the Pohang-based Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST) to develop technology utilizing ammonia gas turbines. Representatives held discussions on Monday and agreed to work together to develop the necessary technology.The power generation technology they are seeking to develop operates a turbine by burning hydrogen produced by decomposing ammonia.Ammonia is a compound of one nitrogen atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms. As a result, ammonia is considered as an optimal transportation mode for hydrogen.However, there are limitations to using ammonia as fuel for power, due to its low combustion rate of only 20 percent compared to that of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is the fuel being used now for gas turbines.For the fir

Jul 19, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
POSCO, Doosan to develop ammonia power-generation technology
Tech & Science

LG Electronics to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050

Electronics giant to start transition at overseas subsidiariesBy Kim Bo-eunLG Electronics' headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of LG ElectronicsLG Electronics said Sunday that it is aiming to make a complete transition to renewable energy by 2050, in addition to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. This decision is in accordance with policies of governments around the world to regulate carbon emissions and prompt corporations to make the shift to eco-friendly energy, the company said.The transition will be made on a gradual basis, starting with the energy consumed by its U.S. subsidiary in production, logistics and in its offices, being switched to 100-percent renewable energy by the end of this year.LG will have its overseas plants make a complete transition to renewable energy by 2025. This transition in the firm's overseas plants will account for 50 percent of the total amount of energy that needs to undergo an eco-friendly transition. LG Electronics is aiming to achieve a 60-percent transition to reusable energy at its local operations by 2030 and a 90-percent transition by 2040.The

Jul 18, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LG Electronics to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050
Tech & Science

KT commercializes stand-alone 5G service

A KT employee uses Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S20 smartphone employing KT's standalone 5G service commercialized Thursday. Courtesy of KTNew service to offer faster speed, longer battery lifeBy Kim Bo-eunKT said Thursday it has commercialized a stand-alone 5G service, a more advanced version of the non-stand-alone service currently in use, which is built on top of the country's existing 4G network. Stand-alone allows independent operation of the 5G service without being supported by the established network.KT's commercialization of the technology comes more than two years since it first commercialized 5G services in Korea in April 2019. KT is the first among Korea's three major telecom operators to commercialize the stand-alone 5G service.The new 5G service enables the smartphone battery “to last longer,” as well as offers faster network speeds. According to Korea's Telecommunications Technology Association, the stand-alone 5G service extended battery use by 8.8 percent or up to 66 minutes, compared to non- stand-alone 5G, when conducting a test with a Samsung Electronic

Jul 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
KT commercializes stand-alone 5G service
Companies

Conglomerate chiefs spend more time on social media

By Kim Bo-eunSK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's Instagram account / Screenshot from InstagramThe heads of the major conglomerates here are increasingly spending more time on social media in what appears to be a way to build a more personal, familiar image and also to better understand the thoughts of millennials and Generation Z.The latest tycoon to join Instagram is SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who has an account under "papatonybear." His first post appeared June 24, and multiple photos have been posted since. Chey, 60, had over 9,000 followers as of Wednesday.He is the first of the chiefs of Korea's four major conglomerates ― Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG ― to start a personal social media account. Many of his posts are work-related, but some also show personal aspects, such as Chey's cat, a gift he received, and the chairman playing a game on his smartphone. Also on his account is an old photo of him and his siblings taken when they were young.Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin / Captured from InstagramShinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin is known for his social m

Jul 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Conglomerate chiefs spend more time on social media
Tech & Science

LG, Samsung devising measures to deal with South Africa riot damage

Protesters leave after looting a store in South Africa's eastern city of Durban, Monday (local time). AP-YonhapLG Durban plant burnt down; Samsung warehouse pillagedBy Kim Bo-eunSamsung Electronics and LG Electronics seek to take corresponding measures to recover from damage to their respective operations in South Africa, following riots and looting in the country's largest city, Johannesburg, and adjacent areas.The imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma last week prompted his supporters to protest, which developed into political unrest that resulted in at least 72 deaths as of Wednesday. LG Electronics saw the greatest damage among Korean firms there, as its TV manufacturing plant in the eastern port city of Durban was burned down and its warehouse looted. LG said it could not provide an estimate of the scale of damage, but confirmed no casualties have been reported among employees. The damage is estimated to amount to several billions to tens of billions of won.LG said the plant operated one production line manufacturing TVs and monitors, which employed about 100 workers. The

Jul 14, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LG, Samsung devising measures to deal with South Africa riot damage
  • South African looters raid warehouses as riots intensify
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