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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

LG Display announces world's 1st commercial phosphorescent blue OLED

LG Display has successfully verified the production performance of blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for a mass production line for the first time in the world, the company said Thursday. This success comes about eight months after the company developed an OLED panel based on a blue phosphorescence emitter with Universal Display Corporation (UDC), an important step towards the display makers' long-time goal of an OLED panel that implements all primary colors of light — red, green, and blue — using phosphorescence. OLED panel emission methods are largely divided into fluorescence and phosphorescence. Fluorescence, which is technically simpler, emits light through immediately reacting to electricity, but has only 25 percent luminous efficiency. On the other hand, phosphorescence briefly stores energy from electricity before emitting light, allowing for 100 percent efficiency. This technically more challenging method reduces power consumption by one-fourth compared to fluorescence. Red and green phosphorescence were commercialized 20 years ago, but the displ

May 1, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
LG Display announces world's 1st commercial phosphorescent blue OLED
Tech & Science

SK Telecom initiates damage control with free USIM replacement offer

SK Telecom has pledged to strengthen measures to protect customer data and will offer free replacement of subscriber identity modules (USIMs) to its users starting Monday in an effort to contain consumer backlash over a recent data breach. “As the nation's leading telecom service provider having its duty to protect customers' valuable information, everyone at SK Telecom, including myself, feels deeply regretful and responsible for this incident,” the company’s CEO Ryu Young-sang said Friday during a press conference at its headquarters in central Seoul. He said the company is doing its best to cooperate with the relevant authorities and the police to determine the cause and extent of the damage. The company will be providing a USIM card for free to all SK Telecom users who wish to replace it, along with a free protection service that prevents unauthorized duplication and usage of one’s USIM information. Starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, customers can receive free replacement USIM cards at T World stores and airports nationwide. For those who replaced their cards at their own expense

Apr 25, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
SK Telecom initiates damage control with free USIM replacement offer
Others

Korea, US agree to seek 'July package' on tariffs

Korea has requested exemptions from U.S. "reciprocal" and item-specific tariff measures and suggested a package deal to be made by July, Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy said Friday. The proposals came during trade talks between the two nations' finance and trade authorities in Washington, D.C., Thursday (local time). Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok; Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun; U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer took part in the trade consultations following the Donald Trump administration’s "reciprocal" tariffs imposition. In a press conference following the talks, Choi explained that he expressed willingness to cooperate on the areas that are of major interest to the U.S., such as trade, investment, shipbuilding and energy. He also addressed concerns that the U.S. tariffs could negatively impact economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the automotive sector. "We explained that we need calm and orderly negotiations," Choi said, referr

Apr 25, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Korea, US agree to seek 'July package' on tariffs
Tech & Science

Naver Cloud aims to boost Korea’s AI ecosystem with open-source models

Naver Cloud has introduced its first open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model, HyperCLOVA X SEED, for commercial use. Emphasizing the importance of sovereign AI, company CEO Kim Yu-won said Wednesday that the new model is part of Naver's efforts to contribute to the expansion of Korea’s AI ecosystem. Sovereign AI refers to a country's ability to control, create and deploy its own AI models within its infrastructure, data, workforce and networks. “In my opinion, sovereign AI is not just a marketing term but inevitable in our time. As global conflicts intensify, its importance is increasing,” the CEO said during a press conference at Naver Square in Gangnam District, Seoul. “Releasing the open-source AI model will strengthen Korea's sovereign AI ecosystem. It will be beneficial if companies and the country can prepare themselves and turn it into business opportunities.” The open-source AI is offered in three lightweight models in different sizes: HyperCLOVA X SEED 3B, HyperCLOVA X SEED 1.5B and HyperCLOVA X SEED 0.5B. SEED 3B is a vision language model that can process not o

Apr 23, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver Cloud aims to boost Korea’s AI ecosystem with open-source models
Tech & Science

LG Uplus launches AI Contact Center for smart hospital

LG Uplus has officially launched an artificial intelligence (AI) medical consultation concierge service, the AI Contact Center (AICC), taking a step closer to creating a smart hospital. The company said Tuesday that it has implemented the service at Barunsesang Hospital, a clinic specializing in joints and the spine, in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The service allows an AI bot to respond to patient inquiries in real time. It automatically handles simple repetitive consultations such as confirming, changing and canceling appointments, providing directions and issuing certification documents. This will allow the staff to focus their expertise on complex consultations. The service also handles automatic responses after business hours. "Through the hospital-specialized AICC that leads the market and technology, we can implement a digital contact center that satisfies stability, security, cost reduction, operational convenience and scalability," LG Uplus said in a press release. "We will continue to expand AI consultation services that enhance the customer experience in various industries such

Apr 22, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
LG Uplus launches AI Contact Center for smart hospital
Tech & Science

SK Telecom users' USIM data leaked in cyberattack

SK Telecom, one of Korea’s major mobile carriers, announced Tuesday that it was hit by a hacking attack that exposed user data. According to the company, some customer information related to subscriber identity modules (USIM) was leaked around 11 p.m. Saturday due to malicious code. “We are still trying to identify the exact cause, scale and categories of the leak,” the company said in a press statement. “To comply with related laws, we immediately reported the security breach to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) on Sunday.” SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang expressed deep regret and a strong sense of responsibility in a message to employees, saying, "As CEO, I feel deep regret and responsibility." He also called on staff to make every effort to strengthen the company's security system and implement robust measures to protect customer information. As for the potential leak of personal information other than USIM code data, the company said the matter is still under investigation. The company added that it reported the circumstances of the personal information leak to the Per

Apr 22, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
SK Telecom users' USIM data leaked in cyberattack
Companies

Local music streaming services struggle against dominant YouTube Music

With YouTube Music continuing to dominate the music streaming market in Korea, local music streaming platforms like Melon and Genie Music are scrambling to close the gap, making efforts to shift strategies to offer experiences beyond simple playlists. According to industry tracker Wiseapp’s retail analysis, YouTube Music saw the most monthly active users (MAU) last month, reaching about 9.53 million users. This is about a third higher than the second-highest platform Melon, which saw about 6.44 million users in the same month. Global music platform Spotify came in third with 3.28 million, while Genie Music was fourth with 2.59 million MAU. With YouTube Music firmly holding the lead, local streaming platforms are seeking ways to differentiate themselves to expand their share of the pie. Melon has carved out a niche by targeting K-pop fans, providing users with exclusive, artist-focused experiences. The platform offers original content, such as interview videos and behind-the-scenes photos of artists. Key features include Fan Meetup events, where artists personally introduce new releases

Apr 22, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Local music streaming services struggle against dominant YouTube Music
Tech & Science

Naver acquires Yanolja F&B Solutions

Tech giant Naver has acquired Yanolja F&B Solutions, a digital solutions company, to enter Japan's food service industry. Naver’s Japanese subsidiary, Naver J.Hub Corp., bought out the food service provider at around 10 billion won ($7.04 million), obtaining full control over the company. The acquisition reflects the company's effort to secure its competitiveness in the food service tech market. The subsidiary has been involved in various equity investments and technical collaborations over the past several years, supporting Naver’s global business operations. Naver's acquisition negotiations with Yanolja F&B Solutions gained momentum this year. The food service company owns numerous business-to-business services, including queue management service Nowwaiting, food ordering platform yaOrder and customer marketing service Dodo Point. The company, which was originally founded as Nowbusking, adopted its current name after Yanolja acquired its management in 2020. Before Yanolja's acquisition, Kakao was its major shareholder. The company built its reputation as a digital solutions provider

Apr 21, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver acquires Yanolja F&B Solutions
Tech & Science

AI-based English learning app Speak makes Forbes' 2025 AI 50 list

Speakeasy Labs Korea's AI-based English learning app, Speak, has been named to Forbes' 2025 AI 50, becoming the only language education company to make the list this year. “Being selected for the Forbes AI 50, which only nominates the most innovative companies in the global AI technology field, is a meaningful moment that recognizes the value of our technology and vision," Connor Zwick, CEO of Speak, said in a press release. "Language is more than just a means of communication, but the key to global careers and cross-cultural communication. Speak will continue to break down language barriers with AI technology and create a world where people can communicate confidently." Launched in 2018, the global publishing company’s AI 50 list annually selects private companies that have contributed to solving real-life problems with AI. This year, 1,860 companies registered as candidates, from which the finalists were selected by Silicon Valley's venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and investment firm Meritech Capital. The finalists were selected based on their technological capabilities, AI ut

Apr 19, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
AI-based English learning app Speak makes Forbes' 2025 AI 50 list
Tech & Science

Local maps gain popularity, but leave foreigners unsatisfied

Local map apps like Naver Map and KakaoMap have seen a surge in user numbers, but many non-Korean users remain dissatisfied with the services, citing issues with language support and search functionality — despite the platforms’ ongoing efforts to improve accessibility for foreign travelers. Posts complaining about the navigation apps were common on foreign online forums and communities, with users struggling to find the correct names of the places on the map. Other issues include being unable to search using the English version of the address or by keywords like "night markets in Dongdaemun" and "Myeong-dong." “I have been checking out places I want to visit (in Seoul) on the Naver map. It works when the name of the store is pasted in Korean but struggles to identify the English name when typed in,” a user wrote. “Struggling to locate the hotel I’m staying in using Naver. I also tried a copy-paste of just the address on the maps and no luck.” Another user wrote: “(I never) try anything with an English address. They’re a mess, and the maps never pick them up because yo

Apr 18, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Local maps gain popularity, but leave foreigners unsatisfied
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