Business - The Korea Times

Samsung SDS to operate S-Oil’s IT system

Samsung SDS will operate and manage the IT infrastructure and applications of refiner S-Oil starting next year, the Samsung unit said Monday. Samsung SDS CEO Lee June-hee and S-Oil President Ryu Yul signed an information technology outsourcing (ITO) contract during a ceremony at the latter’s headquarters in Mapo District, Seoul, Friday. Under the contract, Samsung SDS will provide operation and management services for the entirety of S-Oil’s IT infrastructure, including its data center and applications, from March next year to 2029. Samsung SDS said it also plans to accelerate S-Oil’s digital transformation by enhancing IT governance and providing customized IT assessments, consulting services and cloud migration support. S-Oil has been operating and managing its data infrastructure and applications separately, but decided to sign the integrated ITO contract with Samsung SDS to enhance its competitiveness. Through the contract, S-Oil seeks to improve its operations as well as set up a digital ecosystem based on strengthened security systems. “The contract is a major step toward S

Nov 17, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

Samsung SDS to operate S-Oil’s IT system

LG Display wins CES Innovation Awards with dual view display for car

LG Display said Monday it won two CES Innovation Awards with its automotive display solutions, including a dual view monitor capable of presenting different images to the driver and the passenger depending on their positions. The Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of the world’s largest tech show CES, awarded its CES 2026 Innovation Awards to LG Display’s Dual View OLED and Under Display Camera–infrared (UDC-IR) OLED. The technologies were recognized in the In-Vehicle Entertainment category for maximizing space efficiency, delivering high image quality and meeting key standards for safety, reliability and durability. The Dual View OLED is the world’s first in-cabin OLED solution that presents different images depending on the viewer’s position. This allows the driver to view navigation while the front-seat passenger watches a movie or streaming content on the same screen. When installed in the back row, passengers can watch separate videos at the same time. By optimizing the pixel structure, the Dual View OLED ensures that when one person touches and controls their

Nov 17, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

LG Display wins CES Innovation Awards with dual view display for car

Trade deal with US set to boost Korea's exports

Korea’s exports are expected to see a major boost following the landmark trade deal with the United States, as documents released with the agreement offer a clearer outlook for U.S.-bound shipments in key industries, including automobiles and semiconductors. On Friday, Seoul and Washington released the fact sheet summarizing the results of the Oct. 29 summit between Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump. The two countries also signed a new memorandum of understanding, sealing the details of their tariff negotiations since July. Under the new agreement, the U.S. has agreed to lower its tariffs on Korean automobiles and automotive parts from 25 percent to 15 percent, applied retroactively from Nov. 1. The new tariff rate effectively puts Korean exporters on an equal footing with their counterparts from Japan and the European Union in one of its key industries. The timing is critical, as the country’s automotive industry has been grappling with months of uncertainty over higher tariff rates. Since the previous 25 percent tariff was imposed in April, Korea’s au

Nov 16, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Trade deal with US set to boost Korea's exports

Can Krafton address investors' concerns about stock price?

BUSAN — Krafton, the Korean game developer behind hits like PUBG: Battlegrounds, saw its stock price drop 28.3 percent over the past six months, from 376,500 won on May 12 to 270,000 won on Friday. Over the same period, the country’s benchmark KOSPI jumped 59.2 percent, while another domestic game giant Netmarble saw its stock rise 10.9 percent. Although listed on the Japanese stock market, another Korean game titan, Nexon, recorded a 62.7 percent increase in its stock price. The company’s absence from the broader stock rally came despite its solid earnings. Buoyed by the steady popularity of the PUBG franchise, Krafton has been posting record-high earnings almost every quarter. Most recently, the company, for the first time, surpassed the 1 trillion won ($680.6 million) mark in its cumulative operating profit — from January to September — after posting 870.6 billion won in sales and 348.6 billion won in operating profit for the third quarter. The fundamental reason behind its sluggish stock performance is that its pipeline of new titles have yet to meet the expectations. The c

Nov 14, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

Can Krafton address investors' concerns about stock price?

G-Star 2025 opens with 5-hour queues as gamers rush to try new titles

BUSAN — Long lines, overnight camping and the return of a major franchise set an intense tone as G-Star 2025, Korea’s largest game exhibition, opened Thursday at BEXCO in the southeastern city of Busan. By 10:30 a.m., a holding area of about 3,600 square meters was packed with thousands of visitors. The first attendee arrived at 10:20 p.m. the night before. One office worker who traveled from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, said he “laid out a sleeping bag after getting off the late train,” hoping to try upcoming indie releases. Another visitor said he drove down from Seoul at 2 a.m. to secure a spot for NCSOFT’s long-awaited title, AION 2. This year’s exhibition runs for four days and features 1,273 companies from 44 countries running 3,269 booths. Although major Korean publishers such as Nexon and Smilegate skipped the event, concerns about weakened turnout quickly faded as crowds surged into the venue. NCSOFT, Netmarble and Krafton each unveiled high-profile titles for the first time, drawing nationwide attention. Five-hour waits for AION 2 NCSOFT’s AION 2, considered one of th

Nov 14, 2025By Hankookilbo

G-Star 2025 opens with 5-hour queues as gamers rush to try new titles

Korea Water Cluster signs MOU with Kazakh agency, Vietnamese company

The Korea Water Cluster, a government-supported industrial complex in Daegu, signed a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kazakhstan’s Almaty Water and Sewerage Company and Vietnam’s Minh Tan Group on Thursday. Kazakhstan’s Almaty Water and Sewerage Company is a public agency responsible for providing water and managing wastewater in the city of Almaty, and the agreement aims to support water industry cooperation and promote overseas business entry for Korean water technology firms, according to the Korea Water Cluster. The MOU is a follow-up from last year’s discussions during Korea International Water Week (KIWW) 2024 and stems from the 2025 Overseas Co-Entry Support Project being managed by the cluster as part of its role under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The cluster has previously supported a sewage modernization project in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan and an eco-industrial equipment demonstration project in Vietnam. Under the agreement, the Korea Water Cluster will be responsible for proposing collaboration projects, providing the cluster’s infrastructur

Nov 13, 2025By Jhoo Dong-chan

Korea Water Cluster signs MOU with Kazakh agency, Vietnamese company

NCSOFT to launch Horizon on mobile in late 2026

BUSAN — NCSOFT plans to release a PC and mobile version of Sony’s global hit Horizon series as early as late next year, the company announced during the world premiere of the much-touted game’s footage at G-STAR 2025, Thursday. NCSOFT unveiled video footage of the pre-alpha version of Horizon Steel Frontiers during the opening session of the game convention. For years, there had been speculation that NCSOFT would use the Horizon series’s intellectual property, but this is the first time the company has officially announced that it is developing a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) as an official entry in the Horizon franchise. “Except for the initial concept stage, we have been working with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Guerrilla Games for about four years,” NCSOFT Executive Producer Lee Sung-gu said during the premiere. “We are targeting a global audience, and while it was important to respect the existing Horizon fandom, we also wanted to show the fun of MMORPGs to players who may not be familiar with the genre … We cannot confirm the exact ti

Nov 13, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

NCSOFT to launch Horizon on mobile in late 2026

Samsung to release trifold smartphone next month

Samsung Electronics will release its new trifold smartphone next month, industry sources said Wednesday, with its price tag expected to be around 4 million won ($2,720). According to the sources, the Korean tech giant will hold a launch ceremony for the trifold smartphone on Dec. 5 and begin domestic sales. The new model is designed to fold twice in three sections, offering a tablet-sized 10-inch display when fully unfolded while maintaining the portability of a standard smartphone when closed. Samsung Electronics plans to release the product initially in major markets, including China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, according to the sources. The new device is expected to be priced between just under 3 million and over 4 million won, they noted. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, released in July, was priced locally at 2.37 million won for the 256GB model. Industry watchers expect Samsung to release around 20,000 to 30,000 units in the initial launch.

Nov 12, 2025By Yonhap

Samsung to release trifold smartphone next month

Nexon’s Mabinogi Mobile wins 2025 Korea Game Awards

BUSAN — Devcat, a Nexon studio, won the grand prize of the 30th Korea Game Awards with its hit title Mabinogi Mobile, which is based on the intellectual property (IP) of Nexon’s 2004 title, Mabinogi. During the award ceremony at BEXCO convention center in Busan, Wednesday, Mabinogi Mobile won the top honor over competition including Nexon's The First Berserker: Khazan, Netmarble’s Seven Knights Re:BIRTH, Neowiz’s Lies of P: Overture and other hit games. Mabinogi Mobile is a mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released in March. It successfully brought the atmosphere and content of the original Mabinogi game into the mobile environment, achieving 3.64 million cumulative downloads and topping Google Play and Apple App Store game charts. “During the development (of Mabinogi Mobile,) my grandmother passed away,” Devcat CEO Kim Dong-gun said after winning the prize. “Because Mabinogi was inspired by the stories she used to tell me, I thought about her a lot while working on the game.” Unlike many MMORPGs which focus on action and battles, th

Nov 12, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

Nexon’s Mabinogi Mobile wins 2025 Korea Game Awards

LG Energy Solution teams up with US firm for aerospace battery cell

LG Energy Solution has teamed up with United States startup South 8 to jointly develop space-rated lithium-ion batteries, the Korean battery giant said Wednesday. LG Energy Solution and South Technologies signed a “strategic partnership for aerospace battery cell research and development.” The agreement marks LG Energy Solution's foray into the aerospace battery market, which requires technologies that can withstand harsh environments including extreme low temperatures. Founded in 2013, South 8 specializes in electrolyte, a key material for rechargeable batteries. It was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of 2024 with its world's first liquefied gas electrolyte, LiGas. LiGas replaces conventional liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion cells, enabling ultra-low temperature operation down to minus 60 degrees Celsius, significantly outperforming conventional liquid electrolytes that struggle below minus 20 degrees Celsius. LiGas batteries also has shorter burning time compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. LiGas also has the potential to drastically improve batte