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Lee Gyu-lee

Korea Times Business Reporter

Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.

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Tech & Science

KT to invest $724 mil. in cybersecurity, anti-phishing measures over 5 years

KT unveiled a major plan to invest more than 1 trillion won ($724.5 million) in data and information security over the next five years on Tuesday, pledging to bolster its security infrastructure and provide safer telecommunications services for its users. As part of the investment, KT will allocate approximately 340 billion won to enhance a zero-trust, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered monitoring system, and around 20 billion won to form security partnerships with global tech giants such as Microsoft and Google. The company also plans to nearly double its in-house security personnel from 162 to 300, with about 50 billion won earmarked for talent expansion. The remaining 660 billion won will be used to maintain and upgrade its existing security infrastructure. “Security is not just a matter of technical concern, but a core value in building corporate trust,” KT Chief Information Security Officer Hwang Tae-sun said during the company’s briefing in central Seoul. “We plan to elevate our information security system, which already is the best in the local industry, to a world-clas

Jul 15, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
KT to invest $724 mil. in cybersecurity, anti-phishing measures over 5 years
Tech & Science

LG unveils Korea’s 1st hybrid AI model EXAONE 4.0

LG AI Research, the artificial intelligence (AI) lab under LG Group, introduced Korea’s first hybrid AI model, EXAONE 4.0, Tuesday. The hybrid model combines a large language model (LLM), which excels at understanding and generating human language and providing fast, knowledge-based answers, with a reasoning AI model that can form and test hypotheses independently to solve problems. Currently, only a few companies have released hybrid AI models, such as Anthropic in the United States and Alibaba in China. The lab released EXAONE 4.0 as an open-weight model on a global open-source AI platform, Hugging Face, for research and educational purposes. Open-weight refers to models that have publicly accessible internal variables learned during training, allowing others to modify or redistribute the model. According to the lab, its latest model showed successful performance in various benchmark tests, scoring 92.3 on MMLU-Redux and 81.8 on MMLU-Pro, which measure knowledge and problem-solving. It scored 75.4 in the science-focused GPQA-Diamond test, and 85.3 in the math problem-solving AIME 202

Jul 15, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
LG unveils Korea’s 1st hybrid AI model EXAONE 4.0
Tech & Science

LG CNS codevelops own inference-optimized large language model with Cohere

LG CNS, in collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI) startup Cohere, has developed an inference-optimized large language model (LLM) boasting over 111 billion parameters. The new LLM model comes just about two months after the two companies introduced a Korean-specialized lightweight model with 7 billion parameters in May. The latest model supports 23 languages, including Korean, English and Chinese, as well as Hebrew and Persian. It has demonstrated superior performance in key areas, such as inferencing, outperforming several leading global models. “LG CNS collaborated with globally-recognized Cohere to develop this inference-type LLM to drive business innovation for local clients handling sensitive data in sectors such as finance and the public sector,” the company said in a press statement. An inference-optimized LLM is a model that uses multiple variables and patterns to infer logical predictions on complex problems. It is considered an essential technology for implementing AI agent services, where AI generates its own responses and executes tasks. The company plans to allo

Jul 10, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
LG CNS codevelops own inference-optimized large language model with Cohere
Companies

KOMIPO pioneers direct LNG import to boost price competitiveness

SINGAPORE — KOMIPO Global, the overseas subsidiary of Korea Midland Power (KOMIPO), has become a trailblazer in Korea’s power generation sector by breaking away from the traditional Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) supply model and pioneering direct liquefied natural gas (LNG) procurement since 2015. Established in 2007 to oversee the company’s global business, KOMIPO Global jumped into the LNG procurement business in 2015 by leveraging its corporate base in Singapore, an LNG trading hub of the Asia-Pacific region. “KOMIPO Global’s role is to shield our headquarters from direct exposure to overseas business risks while ensuring efficient management and control of our international operations,” Cho Hang-sung, managing director of the company, told The Korea Times at its office in Singapore on July 3. “This strategic positioning (in Singapore) enables us to maximize operational efficiency and capitalize on the benefits offered by the country as a financial and energy hub.” Singapore has over 50 global LNG suppliers and trading houses operating in the city-state, offering unparallele

Jul 10, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
KOMIPO pioneers direct LNG import to boost price competitiveness
Tech & Science

US tariff threat fuels uncertainty in Korean chip industry

Korea’s semiconductor sector is facing mounting uncertainty following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. “We’re going to be announcing pharmaceuticals, chips and various couple of other things — you know, big ones,” Trump told reporters Tuesday (local time). Although he had yet to specify tariff rates or timelines, Trump’s remarks — coupled with recent policy developments — heightened concern across Korea’s chip industry. On the same day, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that Washington will complete its ongoing investigations into semiconductor and pharmaceutical imports by the end of this month. Next, Trump is expected to determine whether to impose additional trade restrictions. The Trump administration’s ongoing investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act have made it clear that semiconductors are among the items being considered for tariffs on national security grounds. The section allows the president to impose tariffs or restrict the importation of goods that threaten na

Jul 9, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
US tariff threat fuels uncertainty in Korean chip industry
Tech & Science

Google Cloud showcases AI successes in Seoul

Since launching a regional office in Seoul in 2020, Google Cloud has continually expanded its computing capabilities to meet the evolving needs of businesses in Korea. Celebrating its fifth year, the company held Cloud Day Seoul on Monday and Tuesday at COEX in southern Seoul, bringing together people in tech to explore its latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technology, and sharing success stories from its client enterprises. “Google Cloud is the only company in the industry that provides a full-stack service from hardware to software as a service. Our distinguishing feature is that all intellectual property is proprietary,” Google Cloud Korea director Chi Ki-sung said during a media briefing at the event’s venue on Tuesday. “We provide companies with not only models and hardware, but also open and interoperable software tools and platforms to support the development of multi-agent systems.” The Seoul office boasts large-scale interconnected infrastructure, equipped with servers, custom silicon chips, storage devices and advanced networking equipment.

Jul 8, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Google Cloud showcases AI successes in Seoul
Others

Inside KOMIPO’s remote Tanggamus Hydropower Plant in Indonesia

TANGGAMUS, Indonesia — The journey to Korea Midland Power’s (KOMIPO) Tanggamus Hydropower Plant begins at an airport in Lampung Province, Indonesia, a region just an hour’s flight from the country’s capital Jakarta. The final 150 kilometers from there is a two-hour ride over turbulent off-road tracks, traversing remote backcountry where villagers remain largely untouched by urban civilization. The plant sits deep in a mountainous forest accessible only by narrow, dusty roads, and operates two 27.7 megawatt units around the clock for a total of 55.4 megawatts — enough to run 56,000 wall air conditioners for an hour — drawing water from the Semangka River. Operating since 2018 after two and a half years of construction, Tanggamus marks the company’s second hydropower plant following Wampu Hydropower Plant located in the northern part of Sumatra, which opened in 2016 as the first overseas hydropower plant commercially operated by a Korean power company. Unlike traditional dams that rely on dramatic drops to generate power, Tanggamus uses a diversion method, channeling water f

Jul 8, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Inside KOMIPO’s remote Tanggamus Hydropower Plant in Indonesia
Tech & Science

Alibaba.com launches Trade Assurance service for local entities

Alibaba.com, China’s leading global business-to-business commerce platform, said Monday it will officially launch its Trade Assurance service in Korea to support local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), aiming to expand its network of Korean sellers by offering a more secure and reliable online business platform to reach the global market. “As K-culture’s global popularity continues to rise, ‘made-in-Korea’ products are gaining increasing traction on Alibaba.com … From skincare and cosmetics to snacks, fashion and even medical products,” Shawn Yang, general manager of global business development at Alibaba.com, said during a press conference held in Seoul. “Alibaba.com is committed to deepening its roots in the Korean market by increasing localization efforts and investments. We will continue to actively support more Korean SMEs in using our digital tools to go global.” Trade Assurance is an order protection service designed to reduce uncertainties through an escrow-based secure payment system while providing a trustworthy environment for both sellers and buye

Jul 7, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Alibaba.com launches Trade Assurance service for local entities
Others

Dwight Seoul sets benchmark for inclusive, student-driven education

Dwight School Seoul was recently awarded with the Responsible Business of the Year Award at the inaugural British Business Awards, hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea. The accolade highlights the school’s comprehensive approach to inclusion, social responsibility and student empowerment, setting a new benchmark for international education in the country. “This recognition reflects a truly whole-school effort,” Tom Ferguson, head of school at Dwight Seoul, said in a written interview with The Korea Times, referring to the award as a meaningful milestone. “Our students have led the way through service initiatives, direct action and the ‘Living BJEDI (Belonging, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Out Loud’ program, making social responsibility a visible and vibrant part of school life.” The school’s BJEDI initiative, woven throughout daily learning, leadership and community, sets an environment for students to draw from diverse backgrounds and perspectives and reach their full potential academically and personally. The school’s Student Life Coordinator

Jul 3, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Dwight Seoul sets benchmark for inclusive, student-driven education
Tech & Science

SK Telecom’s retail partner compensation plan stirs controversy

SK Telecom is facing growing controversy over its proposed compensation plan to offset retail store losses following a recent data breach, as the amount it set falls short of retail partners’ expectations. According to retail stores on Sunday, the telecom operator sent notification of its plan to compensate sales partners for the almost two month period when they were not allowed to enroll new users. Following the massive data breach of its users’ universal subscriber identity modules (USIM) in April, the company followed government instructions to suspend accepting new subscriptions until completing USIM card replacements for its existing users. During the suspension, the retail stores have been unable to carry out operations other than USIM replacements and related inquiries. Under the plan, SK Telecom will provide compensation of 150,000 won ($110) per new subscriber case. The company will calculate the number of affected cases for each store based on the store’s average number of new sign-ups between April last year and March this year. In addition to new subscriptions, SK Telec

Jun 29, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
SK Telecom’s retail partner compensation plan stirs controversy
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