The Korea Times

Samsung warns of Euro turmoil

By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee isn’t ruling out the possibilities that the macro-economic troubles in Europe may negatively impact on the company’s European business, though he believes the intensity of the impact should be limited. ``Economic troubles in Europe look more serious than anticipated. We expect some impact; but nothing direct,’’ Lee told reporters upon his arrival to Gimpo International Airport from a three-week trip to Europe, late Thursday. This is the first time that the chairman has made comments about the troubles in Europe. Lee inspected the company’s operations in Spain, Italy and France, where the tech giant is leading over rivals. With the North America and China, Europe is one of its strategically-important markets. Last year, Samsung reaped 36.13 trillion won in revenue from Europe, accounting for 23.3 percent out of its total of 154.53 trillion won, a spokesman said. Japan was also another cause for concern for the chairman. ``I’ve met several businessmen in Japan. Unlike in the past, it’s true that Japan is strugg

May 24, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

LG chief drives design initiatives

By Kim Yoo-chul LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo asked his top lieutenants Thursday to invest more in design because he believes this is the key to future market success. ``I urge you to closely cooperate with LG’s design and technical staff members to boost product competitiveness to produce high-value products. The most important concern for LG is decided by the interaction of engineering activity with the market environment,’’ said Koo. Koo held a meeting with LG’s top decision makers that included LG Electronics CEO and his younger brother Koo Bon-joon to discuss pending issues on the sidelines of the opening of the company’s molding technology center. LG Chem Vice Chairman Kim Bahn-suk, LG Uplus Vice Chairman Lee Sang-chul and LG Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jo Joon-ho also attended the meeting, said spokesman Jeong Jung-wook. Molding is the key factor to decide products’ surface design. LG has invested over 110 billion won in the construction of the new center. The two-story building will house 200 experts. The chairman’s new initiatives come after LG upgrade

May 24, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Samsung enters corporate printer market

By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it will boost investment in printer development in order to become a leader in the corporate printer market that has been dominated by U.S. and Japanese companies. Samsung, currently second-tier in printers, stressed it will seek to get on par with industry leaders Hewlett-Packard, Canon and Epson by 2012. Unlike its smartphones, tablets, components and TVs, Samsung has little competitive edge over its rivals. ``Samsung’s brand awareness in printers is still weak. Because our primary focus is to produce printers for offices rather than individual consumers, we are positive we can become a top global producer in A3 printers from 2015,’’ said Nam Seong-woo, head of the company’s information technology solutions division. A3 printers, often used by corporate clients, are generally slower than A4 models. But Nam said its A3 printers are equipped with increased speed, high resolution and wireless technology as they use Samsung’s advanced chip-making technology. ``PCs have a shorter life cycle than printers, so no sudden

May 24, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

LG to build biggest LCD plant in China

LG Display to build world’s biggest LCD plant in China By Kim Yoo-chul It’s been a dismal time for LG Display as sluggish demand and business uncertainties have combined to see the Korean company suffer losses for more than a year. But LG Group’s display panel-making affiliate believes that the worst has passed and it will see a turnaround this year on the back of increased demand for high-end consumer electronics. With the upbeat outlook, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday to start construction of the world’s largest LCD plant in Guangzhou, southern China, where it will use cutting-edge eighth-generation technology. In a statement, the company said it is aiming to operate the plant from the latter half of 2014. Officials said there was a possibility that the company’s first Chinese plant will produce credit card-thin organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays for use in televisions, however, spokesman Gary Sohn declined to confirm this. Building comes more than a year after LG obtained final approval from both the Korean and Chinese governments i

May 22, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

MS may seek tie-ups in cloud computing

By Kim Yoo-chul Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer arrived in Seoul on Monday night for the first time in two years. During his one-day visit, the chief executive is expected to inspect operations here and meet with key clients, including LG Electronics. Unlike his previous visit in 2009 when Ballmer met with counterparts from Samsung Electronics, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and state-run broadcasting company EBS for business tie-ups, Ballmer will make a brief stopover and is likely to beef-up partnerships, seeking opportunities in the cloud computing sector. ``Ballmer’s visit is part of a regular trip to Asia. He will fly to China today after delivering a keynote speech to a local technology forum, visiting the American Chamber of Commerce and meeting senior executives of Microsoft’s local clients,’’ an MS official said Monday. ``Ballmer’s visit will be brief. Because he didn’t come here with specific purposes, there’s nothing for him to comment on.’’ Industry officials here said the Microsoft CEO wants to reap benefits from partnerships with major Korean technology fi

May 21, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Murky strategy

Samsung, LG in shift to OLED screens in China By Kim Yoo-chul The landscape of the global TV industry is changing. Sets with liquid crystal displays (LCD) and even plasma technology are being phased out, as ultra-thin and brighter organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology is gaining popularity. Still, there are many technological hurdles and price-related problems before use of this highly-advanced technology is fully adopted. Despite such challenges, major TV producing firms are desperate to shift their focus to OLED TVs. ``The formula is simple. The LCD TV market is already overcrowded and that means they will be phased out because they are no longer generating profits. The market needs a new engine and OLED TVs are emerging as the best option,’’ said Samsung Electronics Consumer Electronics Division Chief Yoon Boo-keun. ``Whoever can mass produce affordable OLEDs will have a head-start and gain a strong competitive edge over rivals,’’ said Yoon, who is the right-hand man of Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung. Samsung and LG, the world’s top two producers of flat-scre

May 18, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Samsung may innovate chip-making process

By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung Electronics said Friday that it has developed and patented methods to use graphene in field-effect transistors (FETs) that may revolutionize computers. The breakthrough has been published in the online edition of Science Magazine and nine patents have been secured. Samsung said in a statement that devices with FETs could be used to give computers 100 times the computing power of conventional silicon chips. The company named the device a ``barristor.’’ ``The development means Samsung is speeding up efforts to develop future chip-making technology. We are positively able to leapfrog to next-generation technology ahead of any other firm,’’ said Park Seung-joon, a senior researcher at the company’s advanced institute of technology in a media briefing at its headquarters in downtown Seoul. Graphene is considered one of the strongest materials ever-measured, an improvement upon and a replacement for silicon, and is a highly conductive material, experts said. Much has already been made of graphene’s potential. It can be used for anything from compos

May 18, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Samsung initiates 20-nano mobile DRAMs

By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it’s been producing ultra-thin mobile memory chips based on 20-nanometer level technology since mid-April, dismissing market concerns that the impact of an Apple-Elpida partnership could hurt the Korean company. In a statement, Samsung said it began supplying 4Gb mobile DRAMs using the technology to customers amid the rising popularity of data-intensive and Web-connected devices such as smartphones and tablets that need faster data-downloading speed. Industry officials said that the company has already supplied the chips to Apple. ``Apple is definitely using the chips,’’ a ranking industry official said, asking not to be named. Apple is the company’s biggest client in parts, and is expected to buy $11 billion worth of chips and flat-screens this year. The press release was scheduled to be released Monday but Samsung changed its schedule as it needs to soothe market concerns over the impact on the Apple-Elpida tie-up, according to officials. On Wednesday, Samsung lost 6 percent of its market value, or some $11

May 17, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

LG shrugs off concerns of Qualcomm tsunami

By Kim Yoo-chul, Cho Mu-hyun LG Electronics has shrugged off rising concern caused by a supply shortage of chips for its strategic Optimus-branded smartphones from U.S.-based Qualcomm. LG’s company’s mobile division chief Park Jong-seok admitted that the current supply shortage will probably impede its plan to boost production and sales this year but the impact will be limited. ``This is an issue that almost all handset manufacturers are facing. I can’t say LG Electronics is immune to the shortage. But we will put more focus on qualified growth not external growth by rolling out high-end mobile phones,’’ Park told reporters during an event to unveil its upgraded Optimus smartphone that supports advanced Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology. LG released its latest smartphone at the firm’s headquarters in Yeouido, downtown Seoul, Thursday. The LG executive said that despite the supply shortage, its plan to sell 35 million smartphones hasn’t changed. The new Optimus LTE is a continuation of the Optimus series, for which LG plans further sequels as it believes a change

May 17, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

US ruling won’t affect Samsung’s Tab sales

By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it will continue to sell its 10.1-inch tablet PCs ― Galaxy Tab ― in the United States despite an appeals court’s ruling Tuesday that revived Apple’s bid to bar the sales of Galaxy Tab there. Samsung, the world’s biggest technology company by revenue, simply downplayed the effects of the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for the sale of its tablets and stressed the company will push its distribution channels to sell the devices. The court ruled Monday that Apple could push for its bid for an immediate injunction to bar the sale of some tablet computers made by Samsung Electronics. It sent the case back to the district count for further review. ``The decision doesn’t mean that Samsung should stop selling the Tabs, immediately. This isn’t a preliminary injunction,’’ said Samsung said in a statement. ``We don’t think the latest ruling from the United States is unfavorable for us. We will prove that Apple’s claims are totally groundless by using all our legal power. Samsung will keep our intellectual

May 15, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Kim Yoo-chul

Read more

Samsung warns of Euro turmoil

LG chief drives design initiatives

Samsung enters corporate printer market

LG to build biggest LCD plant in China

MS may seek tie-ups in cloud computing

Murky strategy

Samsung may innovate chip-making process

Samsung initiates 20-nano mobile DRAMs

LG shrugs off concerns of Qualcomm tsunami

US ruling won’t affect Samsung’s Tab sales

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