my timesThe Korea Times
namhw

Nam Hyun-woo

Korea Times Business Reporter

Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.

Go to Email

Read more

Tech & Science

Samsung adopts silicon-carbon battery to improve capacity for new foldables

LONDON — Samsung Electronics has adopted silicon-carbon anode batteries for the Galaxy Z8 foldable smartphone series unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event here and is considering expanding the technology to the Galaxy S27 series. During a press briefing on Thursday, Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President at Mobile R&D Office Moon Sung-hoon said the Galaxy Z8 series for the first time used silicon-carbon battery to improve energy density within the same amount of space. Silicon-carbon anodes significantly increase energy density compared to conventional batteries using graphite anodes. By adopting silicon-carbon anode, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is equipped with a 5,000 milliampere-hour pack, 14 percent larger than that of its predecessor, while maintaining a record-thin profile of 4.1 millimeters. Chinese smartphone makers have been using silicon-carbon for their smartphone batteries, but Moon said Samsung decided to adopt the technology only after it met the company's stringent safety standards, given the material's structural drawbacks. "Silicon batteries have the advantage

Jul 27, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung adopts silicon-carbon battery to improve capacity for new foldables
Companies

LG CNS joins global AI alliance for new materials discovery

LG CNS has joined the founding members of a global alliance using artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the discovery of new materials, becoming the only Korean IT company in the initiative. The company said Monday it will partner with British AI startup CuspAI, which launched the alliance, to help Korean manufacturers use AI to develop next-generation materials. The alliance, called the AI Materials Foundry, combines AI, data, computing resources and scientific expertise to accelerate the discovery and development of new materials. According to LG CNS, its 48 members include Nvidia, Meta, AMD, 3M and Merck, along with leading research institutions. LG CNS will use CuspAI's AI platform to help companies in industries such as semiconductors, chemicals and energy develop materials with desired properties, such as greater heat resistance and improved carbon capture, while significantly shortening development time. One customer, Finnish chemicals company Kemira, shortened a materials development project from several years to six months using the platform, identifying 20 promising candid

Jul 27, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
LG CNS joins global AI alliance for new materials discovery
Tech & Science

Reporter's Notebook Why you need smartwatch to build running habit

LONDON — We all make the same promise to ourselves. I should exercise more. I should lose weight. Then comes the excuse. It's too hot outside. Work has been exhausting. Tomorrow seems to be a better day to work out. This one missed workout becomes two, a week and then a month. This reporter does that all the time. During nearly 15 years at The Korea Times, my weight steadily crept up. Every now and then, guilt pushed me out the door for a short run only to stop with gasping breath. That was usually enough to convince myself I had "worked out," often followed by an oversized meal. Things changed almost after buying a smartwatch almost by accident — a product I write about but never seriously considered buying. Since the beginning of this year, I have run at least 5 kilometers almost every day and have steadily lost weight. I can now proudly call myself a beginner runner, and I owe much of that change not to stronger willpower, but to the device. On the occasion of the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event here, this reporter joined a running event on Thursday (local time) hosted by Samsung Elec

Jul 27, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
[Reporter's Notebook] Why you need smartwatch to build running habit
Companies

Samsung, SK, Hyundai expand AI partnerships with Big Tech firms to $950 bil.

Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and other Korean tech conglomerates expanded their artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor partnerships with U.S. Big Tech companies to $950 billion during President Lee Jae Myung's visit to San Francisco over the weekend. According to presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom, Korean companies and Big Tech firms agreed to pursue a combined $950 billion worth of semiconductor and AI partnerships, on the occasion of the San Francisco AI Summit on Friday (local time). Among them, Samsung Electronics signed a $200 billion memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Broadcom, under which Samsung's memory and foundry businesses will supply AI-specific high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips and logic semiconductor manufacturing services for Broadcom's AI accelerators through 2030. Broadcom is one of the world's leading fabless companies specializing in application-specific integrated circuit chips, designing custom processors tailored to the needs of individual hyperscalers and cloud service providers. As such customers increasingly seek AI accele

Jul 26, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo and Lee Gyu-lee
Samsung, SK, Hyundai expand AI partnerships with Big Tech firms to $950 bil.
Tech & Science

Samsung seeks smart glasses edge over Meta with smartphone expertise

LONDON — Samsung Electronics is distinguishing its upcoming smart glasses from rival products in the market, defining them as a “wearable device made by a smartphone specialist.” During a press briefing after Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London on Thursday, Samsung Electronics Head of Extended Reality Research & Development Team Choi Jae-in said the company's smart glasses are not intended to replace smartphones but to extend the mobile experience through a new wearable device. “Smart glasses are an extension of the experience centered on the smartphone, rather than being a post-smartphone device,” Choi said. “Running artificial intelligence (AI) effectively requires significant computing power, but packing all the necessary chips into a pair of glasses makes it difficult to deliver a lightweight and comfortable experience that smart glasses should provide. … That's where our technological strength lies. As the first major smartphone brand to enter the smart glasses market, we have a lot of things to offer (to the market).” At Galaxy Unpacked 2026, Samsung showcased four smart

Jul 26, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung seeks smart glasses edge over Meta with smartphone expertise
Tech & Science

Samsung drops Exynos for Galaxy Watch, turns to Qualcomm

LONDON — Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 will be powered by Qualcomm application processors (APs) for the first time, marking another step away from the company’s in-house Exynos APs. The move highlights Samsung's continued reliance on Qualcomm’s logic chips, eroding one of the Korean tech giant's key competitive strengths as a company that develops both devices and the semiconductors that power them. During Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London, Wednesday, Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9, the company's first smartwatches powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite APs. So far, Samsung has used Exynos W application processors designed by its Device Solutions Division for the Galaxy Watch lineup. This year, however, the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the mainstream Galaxy Watch 9 are both powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite, with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon taking the stage at the launch event to highlight the companies' deepening partnership. “The Qualcomm and Samsung partnership is also expanding into sm

Jul 23, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung drops Exynos for Galaxy Watch, turns to Qualcomm
Tech & Science

Samsung CEO explains why new Galaxy foldable phones are cheaper in Korea

LONDON — Samsung Electronics has unveiled the global prices for its new Galaxy Z8 foldable smartphone lineup, which are up to 48 percent higher than the launch prices in Korea. With soaring memory prices making the pricing of new smartphones more challenging than ever, Samsung has adopted a more aggressive pricing strategy in its home market, a move that can prompt complaints from overseas consumers who are being asked to pay significantly more for the same products. However, Samsung Electronics co-CEO Roh Tae-moon said offering Galaxy devices at lower prices in Korea will remain the company's direction and goal, describing the Korean market as the foundation for strengthening the Galaxy brand's global competitiveness. During Wednesday's Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event here, Samsung announced that the flagship Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra with 256 gigabytes (GB) of storage will be priced at $2,099 in the United States and 2,199 euros ($2,509.5) in Europe. The prices are 20.4 percent and 44 percent higher, respectively, than the model's launch price in Korea of 2.58 million won ($1,743). The price ga

Jul 23, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung CEO explains why new Galaxy foldable phones are cheaper in Korea
Tech & Science

Samsung revamps foldable branding amid rising memory costs

LONDON — Samsung Electronics has reorganized its foldable smartphone lineup, assigning its highest “Ultra” branding to the traditional bar-type foldable form factor while giving the newly introduced wider model the standard Galaxy Z Fold8 name without any additional modifier. Samsung said the branding reflects its strategy of applying the "Ultra" designation to its highest-specification model and offering foldable devices tailored to different user needs. However, it is also seen as part of Samsung's pricing strategy to cope with soaring memory costs by securing greater flexibility to sustain premium pricing. The company said the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra starts at 2.58 million won ($1,740) for the 256-gigabyte (GB) model, rising to 2.83 million won for the 512 GB version and 3.45 million won for the 1-terabyte model. The prices represent increases of 8.3 percent, 11.5 percent and 17.7 percent, respectively, from the launch prices of corresponding Fold7 models. After memory prices began rising sharply this year, Samsung raised prices for higher-storage Fold7 models in April, and the Fo

Jul 22, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung revamps foldable branding amid rising memory costs
  • Galaxy Z Fold8 unfolds wider viewing experience
Tech & Science

Galaxy Z Fold8 unfolds wider viewing experience

LONDON — Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy Z8 series on Wednesday, introducing a wider addition to the lineup that delivers a more optimized viewing experience enabled by a redesigned display and aspect ratio. During the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event here, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8 series, expanding its lineup previously comprised of the horizontally folding Galaxy Z Fold and vertically folding Galaxy Z Flip series. "As AI (artificial intelligence) continues to evolve, mobile devices will become the primary touchpoint that best understands users and seamlessly integrates into their daily lives," Samsung Electronics Co-CEO and Head of Device Experience Division Roh Tae-moon said. "The new Galaxy Z series represents Samsung's most refined foldable devices yet, elevating the mobile experience while delivering personalized services to usher in the next era of intelligence." With the launch of the Galaxy Z8 series, Samsung has reorganized its foldable lineup. The traditional Galaxy Z Fold form factor — which becomes a bar-type phone

Jul 22, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Galaxy Z Fold8 unfolds wider viewing experience
Companies

Samsung launches 1st co-branded credit card ahead of Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung Electronics unveiled its first co-branded credit card in the United States on Monday (local time), expanding its digital wallet ecosystem ahead of its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, where the company is expected to introduce its latest Galaxy devices. The Samsung Galaxy Card, issued by Barclays U.S. Consumer Bank on the Visa network, offers cash rewards on everyday purchases, with higher rewards for Samsung-related purchases. Eligible customers can apply for the card beginning Tuesday, while general public applications will open on Wednesday, the same day Samsung is scheduled to hold its Galaxy Unpacked event. The company said cardholders who spend $2,000 within the first 90 days of opening an account will receive $200 in bonus cash rewards. The card offers 5 percent cash rewards on eligible Samsung purchases, 3 percent on purchases made through Samsung Wallet, 2 percent on select streaming services including Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify, and 1 percent on all other purchases. Cardholders also receive a 20 percent discount on Samsung VIP Advantage memberships and can earn add

Jul 21, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung launches 1st co-branded credit card ahead of Galaxy Unpacked
previous page
1617181920
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.