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

Tech & Science

Will Samsung sign deal with LG over OLED purchases?

By Kim Bo-eun, Kim Yoo-chulSamsung Electronics' flag is seen at its headquarters in southern Seoul / Korea Times fileSamsung Electronics is very close to ordering between three million and four million organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV panels from LG Display, as the world's top TV manufacturer plans to hedge its possible investment risk in OLED panels by outsourcing them, according to multiple industry sources, Monday. “Samsung Electronics is seriously considering purchasing LG Display-manufactured OLED panels for use in its second-tier TV brands. The number of TV OLED panels that Samsung Electronics will procure could be up to 4 million,” one senior industry executive said by telephone.If the deal materializes, it would be the first time Samsung has bought OLED panels from its chief cross-town rival LG Display. TVs with LG Display's OLED panels rate consistently amongst the best in terms of professional reviews.Regarding the possibility, a Samsung Electronics official said nothing has been decided yet at this moment. Samsung Electronics abandoned the OLED TV bu

Jun 21, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Will Samsung sign deal with LG over OLED purchases?
Tech & Science

LG seeking patent lawsuits as source of cash

By Kim Bo-eunLG Electronics' headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul / YonhapLG Electronics is seeking new sources of revenue by tapping into its trove of telecom-related patents after shutting down its loss-making handset unit."We are continuing to look into ways wireless patents can be utilized, and patent suits can be a way for the assets to continue to contribute to LG in the form of revenue and future innovation,” an LG Electronics official said. LG's handset business will be officially retired from July.That doesn't necessarily mean LG Electronics intends to transform itself into a patent troll. However, the company does plan to apply measures such as court filings to protect its telecom patents. More specifically, LG plans to look into a list of companies it believes are using its patents without a license. LG has so far received damage compensation from infringers or secured additional licensing contracts, which boost its bottom line.Earlier this month, a regional court in Germany ruled that Chinese consumer electronics maker TLC infringed on one of LG's LTE patents ― the ruling

Jun 18, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LG seeking patent lawsuits as source of cash
Tech & Science

Local OTTs gaining ground as Netflix falters

By Kim Bo-eunLocal over-the-top (OTT) media service providers are stepping up their game with a greater choice of content as they seek to compete with global giants such as Netflix, and their focus on this appears to have started paying off, given their recent growth in monthly active users (MAU).The leading local OTT player Wavve had a 3.73 million MAU base last month, the highest figure for this year and close to its record-high of 3.88 million for September 2020. Tving with the second-largest share among local players saw its MAU hit a record-high of 3.34 million last month, since its launch as an independent entity from CJ ENM in October last year. The numbers are seen as being due to the abundant new content the platforms are offering.Local entities have also unveiled ambitious investment plants for the coming years, as they brace for competition with global players ― Disney Plus is set to launch services here in the latter half of the year. Disney is considered the strongest competitor, given the extensive array of content of its affiliates including Pixar, National Geographic

Jun 18, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Local OTTs gaining ground as Netflix falters
Tech & Science

Samsung faces walkout at display affiliate

Samsung Display's campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province / Courtesy of Samsung Display By Kim Bo-eunSamsung is facing its first possible workers' walkout after group head Lee Jae-yong made a key pledge to better protect workers' rights last year. The union of Samsung's display manufacturing affiliate decided Wednesday to take collective action over its differences with management in wage negotiations. Samsung Display is fretting over the union's move since how it will handle the issue will set the tone for the nation's largest conglomerate's relationships with its other subsidiaries' unions.Market observers are paying keen attention to the publicized labor-management conflict as this is taking place after Lee stated in May last year that the conglomerate would comply with laws guaranteeing workers' rights. Samsung Display's union plans to stage a partial strike June 21, after talks with management were suspended last week. Managers gave union representatives a l

Jun 16, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung faces walkout at display affiliate
Tech & Science

LG's OLED TV theater in Mexico

Mexican citizens watch a movie at LG Electronics' OLED TV theater "SALA OLED" at the Cineteca Nacional in Mexico City. LG is seeking to promote the screen quality of its latest OLED TVs. Courtesy of LG Electronics

Jun 16, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
LG's OLED TV theater in Mexico
Tech & Science

Growth of SKT, KT shares hinges on foreign investor quota

By Kim Bo-eunSK Telecom's corporate logoThe prices of telecom shares have risen in the past several months due to a renewed interest in value stocks amid a looming rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve. But a further rise in the prices of such shares will depend on foreign investors, who wield considerable influence on the prices of local stocks due to their buying power.Leading telecom firms have a quota limiting the percentage of stocks foreign investors can own. The ceiling is capped at 49 percent. The regulation is intended to prevent foreign investors from gaining management control over businesses in key industries and companies offering public services.Foreign investors net purchased SK Telecom (SKT) and KT stocks in bulk this year, which pushed up their share prices and the percentage of stocks held by foreign investors in each company.Foreign investors bought 4.45 trillion won worth of SKT stocks this year. SKT's stock closed at 330,000 won, Tuesday, up by about 40 percent compared to the end of 2020.This has brought foreign stock ownership near the 49 percent limit. The amo

Jun 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Growth of SKT, KT shares hinges on foreign investor quota
Tech & Science

Samsung mass produces new multi-chip package

By Kim Bo-eunSamsung Electronics' latest smartphone memory solutionSamsung Electronics said Tuesday that it has begun mass producing the industry's best-performing multi-chip package, which will be used in mid- to high-end smartphones scheduled to hit major markets later this month.This is the industry's first Low-Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR) Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Multi-Chip Package to be mass produced, the chip maker said. The multi-chip package combines LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 NAND storage, which has the capacity and efficiency to make 5G functionality accessible to a wider range of smartphone users.Based on the latest mobile DRAM and NAND interfaces, Samsung's new multi-chip package is able to deliver fast speed and high storage capacity with low power. This combination enables more smartphone users to enjoy 5G applications that were previously only available on premium flagship models, such as advanced photography, graphics-intensive gaming and augmented reality.These flagship-level capabilities are made possible with an improvement in DRAM performance that reaches 50

Jun 15, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung mass produces new multi-chip package
Tech & Science

Samsung gearing up to popularize foldable phones

By Kim Bo-eun Sammobile's rendering of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 / Captured from Sammobile website Samsung Electronics is set to release a series of new foldable phones in the coming months, at a time when the tech giant is seeking to popularize these premium models, as part of its strategy to maintain competitiveness in the market while facing challenges by Chinese rivals.The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 are set to be introduced at Galaxy Unpacked, with an online event planned for Aug. 3. The devices are set to hit the shelves just over three weeks later on Aug. 27, according to reports. The August release comes a month earlier than Samsung's usual introduction of foldable models in September. The Z Fold was launched in September 2019 and the Z Fold 2 was released in the same month of the following year.The planned early release comes in the absence of a new Galaxy Note model this year. Samsung has traditionally launched its Note models in August, but said in March that a

Jun 14, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung gearing up to popularize foldable phones
Tech & Science

Micron challenges rivals in memory chip market

Samsung Electronics' chip plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Samsung ElectronicsBy Kim Bo-eunThree major players continue to maintain an oligopoly over the global memory chip market, but Micron Technology's latest claims are challenging Samsung Electronics and SK hynix which have reigned supreme so far.Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of the U.S. chip manufacturer, said recently his company would be volume shipping new products based on its leading 176-layer NAND and 1-alpha DRAM technology this month, at the Computex 2021 event held in Taipei on June 2. Earlier, Micron said it would make volume shipments of 1-alpha node DRAM products using the industry's most advanced DRAM process technology. Micron is the first to mass-produce 1-alpha node DRAM products.Micron's 1-alpha node DRAM is equivalent to Samsung's DRAM with a circuit line width of 14 nanometers. Samsung is currently mass-producing 15-nanometer DRAM, and a senior executive told investors in a first-quarter earnings conference call in April that the company would begin volume shipments of 14-nanometer DRAM chips in the

Jun 13, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
Micron challenges rivals in memory chip market
Tech & Science

SKT decides to split stock 5-for-1

SK Telecom (SKT) CEO Park Jung-ho speaks at the company's general shareholders' meeting held in March at SKT's headquarters in central Seoul. / Courtesy of SKTBy Kim Bo-eunSK Telecom (SKT) announced Thursday it would split its shares five-for-one, as well as conduct a horizontal spinoff. The decision by the country's top mobile carrier is interpreted as a means to address possible complaints from investors as well as to boost its stock price over the long term.The stock split comes while the telecommunications company is splitting into two entities ― plans have been approved by the company's board. The spinoff would create two entities ― one tentatively named SKT Investment. The spinoff will be effective from Nov. 1 this year, it said.The spinoff ratio has been set as six for the surviving entity and four for the new entity based on net asset value. This would split SKT investors' shares proportionately into stocks in both companies, which could possibly give rise to complaints from investors as they see their number of SKT shares reduced, under the scenario a stock split does not ta

Jun 10, 2021By Kim Bo-eun
SKT decides to split stock 5-for-1
previous page
2829303132
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.