The Korea Times

Another Samsung shakeup?

Lee mulling bigger role for heir-apparent son By Kim Yoo-chul Since returning to the management helm at Samsung Electronics in February, following a two-year hiatus forced by a corruption scandal, Lee Kun-hee has been providing needed pace and purpose to the company's efforts to regain its reputation for making innovative and exciting products. And it remains to be seen whether the chairman will be quick to trust his son, Jae-yong, the heir-apparent to the Samsung corporate throne, for a bigger role in pushing the rebuilding plan forward as he mulls another major restructuring of the Asian technology giant. In January last year, Samsung announced a sweeping reshuffle designed to give more autonomy to key business units in an attempt to jolt innovation in its products. According to Samsung sources, Lee is now planning to tweak the company’s corporate structure again with the objectives of attacking new rivals like Apple. ``There will be a wide range of changes in management,’’ Lee told reporters before departing to China for the Guangzhou Asian Games, just days

Nov 12, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Fading CeBIT promises to offer more excitement

By Kim Yoo-chul CeBIT, finding itself falling behind other consumer electronics exhibitions such as CES, MWC and IFA, is now trying to adopt new strategies in order to regain its lost fame. A senior executive of the CeBIT division at Deutsche Messe said that next year’s exhibition will focus more on the leading edge of telecommunication such as cloud computing. CeBIT is one of the world’s trade fairs showcasing digital information & technology (IT) and telecommunications devices for the home and work places. Next year’s CeBIT will be held in Hannover, Germany, from March 1 to 5 with tech majors such as Samsung Electronics, IBM, Siemens, Intel, Google, Microsoft and Dell. ``The 2011 CeBIT will make the participants more excited,’’ said Frank Porschmann, a senior vice president at Deutsche Messe, in a news conference in Seoul, last week. This year, the show will be divided into CeBIT pro, CeBIT gov, CeBIT life and CeBIT lab. The executive said CeBIT is geared for advanced ICT solutions for business operations, while CeBIT gov targets the public sector. CeBIT lif

Nov 12, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

With Galaxy Tab, Samsung aims to lead in tablet war

7-inch compact device helps strengthen PC portfolio By Kim Yoo-chul The digital tablet-style format is not completely new. It has been around for over a decade now. Just like the iPod, which made a fresh impetus and became the new standard for almost all digital music players, tablet PCs, which also came on the market just a few months ago, seems to have grabbed everyone’s fancy. Industry officials have no big questions over a ``time for tablets,’’ and a Korean consumer electronics major is hoping for the better position in the new segment. Samsung Electronics, which is also the world’s biggest technology company by revenue, is taking on smartphone and PC majors in the highly-lucrative and rapidly-growing tablet PC market with its latest such device ― the Galaxy Tab. The launches will stir up the intense competition between companies to more capitalize on the public’s new-found love affair with the iPad-style devices in the lead-up to year-end. Some entry-level tablet PCs have been criticized over everything from poor touch-screen performances to being

Nov 11, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Samsung makes push in batteries for cars

By Kim Yoo-chul ULSAN, South Gyeongsang Province ― Samsung Group, the country's biggest conglomerate, has vowed to push lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles as its next cash-cow amid ongoing green initiatives by governments. The market for lithium-ion batteries is dramatically increasing as electric-car technology improves and prices drop, fueling additional momentum for interested parties to steadily inject more of their resources to enjoy "first-mover" advantage in the growing market. By riding the "new wave," SB LiMotive ― the battery joint venture between the group's parts affiliate Samsung SDI and Germany's Bosch _ has several contracts with global carmakers in the United States and China to supply batteries for electric vehicles, a senior Samsung executive said. "SB LiMotive has been in talks with major carmakers in the United States, as well as those in Europe and Asia," said Choi Chi-hun, the chief executive of Samsung SDI, in a press conference at an event to open the venture’s new battery line in the southeastern city of Ulsan, Wednes

Nov 11, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Cloud computing to dispel rainy days of elderly

By Kim Yoo-chul For aging societies, including South Korea’s, cloud computing may play a pivotal role as the latest trend to change the daily lives of senior citizens and to secure more business opportunities. Michael Thatcher, a regional technology officer at Microsoft (MS) for Asia made this point in an interview with The Korea Times, adding that the nation will emerge as a leader in the promising cloud computing business thanks to its high broadband connectivity and unrivaled Internet literacy. Cloud computing refers to Internet-enabled processing where shared resources, software and information are offered to computers on demand over the Web, instead of dedicated ones. It is like using computing resources and software as much as a corporation or individual clients would want just as they use tap water. Hence, the costs are calculated on a pay-as-you-go format. ``It’s not diplomatic. MS is seeing huge potential in cloud computing, here. Internet connectivity is available everywhere across the country and I think that it’s quite interesting how the elderly start

Nov 10, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

With 3W network, KT aims for leadership in wireless

Amid explosive wireless data, aim is to widen gap with rivals By Kim Yoo-chul Lee Suk-chae, the chairman of KT, has been set to steal the limelight from some top business leaders from the G20 and non-member countries at the G20 Business Summit by showing off improved capabilities to handle information and technology services. In line with its ambitious strategies to become a “Mobile Wonderland” supported by its “3W” network consisting of 3G mobile communication (WCDMA), wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) and high-speed wireless Internet (WiBro), the KT CEO plans to get further business chances throughout separate meetings with his counterparts at major telecom companies. The summit is also expected to lay some ground work for the nation’s top broadband operator to further promote its latest corporate transition to offer cloud computing services. As the main telecommunication service provider for the G20 Business Summit and G20 Summit, KT will offer three respective IT services ― IPTVs, visual Web phones and mobile IPTV ― in 14 different languages. Resulting from the partnership w

Nov 10, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

LG Electronics sees breakthroughs in handsets

Customized strategies help early comeback By Kim Yoo-chul LG Electronics is set to make an early comeback in the market for smartphones and feature-added digital devices such as tablet PCs. After a year-long slump in its critical handset business mainly due to its laziness in developing premium portable digital devices, the South Korean consumer electronics maker expects its latest Optimus One to help raise its presence in the rapidly-growing and highly-lucrative smartphone market. A smartphone is a handset that provides advanced computing ability and a greater connectivity than a traditional one. It is the fastest growing sector of the mobile phone market, inviting handset majors with updated and fine-tuned strategies. As for the responsibility for the late response in smartphones, LG brought Koo Bon-joon, the younger brother of the LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, to take over the top seat at the conglomerate’s key electronics affiliates. In the third quarter, the net profits of LG Electronics were down 99.2 percent year-on-year, while operating results were in the

Nov 10, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Others

Parks compassion

By Kim Yoo-chul The Doosan Group is one of the oldest conglomerates in Korea turning 100 years old this year. Despite its long history, the group is young in attitude, undergoing a transformation of its core business. Simply put, it is no longer a light industry-oriented conglomerate but has become a heavy industry focused growth engine of Korea Inc. At the center of this transformation is Chairman Park Yong-hyun, a physician who leads the group together with his younger brother Yong-maan. The elder Park also pays keen attention to corporate social responsibility or CSR, perhaps due to his long experience as a medical doctor. During the upcoming G20 Business Summit, Park will deal with such issues. ``Doosan needs to react actively amid the rising calls for CSR activities. It’s the key to guaranteeing corporate sustainability by giving more support to our parts suppliers,’’ Park said. As part of this initiative, Park plans to urge participants to reach a consensus to help provide more medical aid to African countries. ``Doosan needs to do more as a trul

Nov 9, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Samsung, Hynix strengthening leadership in chips

Combined market share exceeds 60 percent for first time By Kim Yoo-chul The heyday for the South Korean chip duo ― Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor is at its height. Despite the business struggles of their fellow rivals, the Korean companies are cementing their leadership in the crowded memory chip market. Combined market shares captured by Samsung and Hynix exceeded 60 percent by the end of the third quarter ― the first time in history since South Korea's appearance in the memory chip market, according to market research firms. It is widely expected the combined shares will undergo some corrections in the current quarter due to aggressive moves by competitors to lower inventories as the year-end approaches. But analysts have no looming doubt over the continued joint leadership by Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor in the sector, citing advanced technologies, better cost cuts and more shipments of value-added computer chips. Memory chips are commonly divided into two categories ― dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and flash-type ones or NAND. DRAMs read t

Nov 8, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Companies

Korea needs to get ahead in smart grid deal

Partnerships with other countries under way By Kim Yoo-chul Smart grids are the latest trend in Korea's "green" drive, and despite their short history, Seoul is heavily betting on them. One of the leaders in this field is Koo Ja-kyun, chairman of the Korea Smart Grid Association (KSGA). Koo is positive about the outlook. "The potential for market growth is great, considering the estimated number of connected clients and the solid network infrastructure across the country," Koo said in a recent written interview with The Korea Times. Koo, also the chief executive and vice chairman of LS Industrial, will organize the Korea Smart Grid Week on Jeju Island, this week, together with the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy, the International Smart Grid Action Network and the International Energy Agency. "With experts from the United States, Japan, Australia, Italy and the Netherlands, the conference will become a forum to find strategic fields that need standardization for additional value," Koo said. A smart grid refers to the computerized control of supply and deman

Nov 7, 2010By Kim Yoo-chul

Kim Yoo-chul

Read more

Another Samsung shakeup?

Fading CeBIT promises to offer more excitement

With Galaxy Tab, Samsung aims to lead in tablet war

Samsung makes push in batteries for cars

Cloud computing to dispel rainy days of elderly

With 3W network, KT aims for leadership in wireless

LG Electronics sees breakthroughs in handsets

Parks compassion

Samsung, Hynix strengthening leadership in chips

Korea needs to get ahead in smart grid deal

Top 5 stories