KakaoTalk crashes briefly after court rules to remove Yoon Suk Yeol

KakaoTalk, South Korea’s dominant messenger app, experienced a temporary disruption on Friday following the Constitutional Court’s ruling to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. When Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae read the court’s verdict at approximately 11:22 a.m., upholding Yoon’s impeachment, users reported issues with KakaoTalk on both mobile and PC versions, being unable to send messages or log in to the system. A notification in the chat screen read, "An unexpected error has o

April 4, 2025

Foreign investors show confidence in Korea as FDI arrivals surge

FDI marks second-highest Q1 total on record Despite political turmoil surrounding the impending decision on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment and broader economic uncertainty, foreign direct investment in South Korea remained resilient, bolstered by government efforts to stabilize investor sentiment. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Thursday, FDI pledges to Korea in the January-March period totaled $6.41 billion, down 9.2 percent year-on-year. Despite the decline, t

April 3, 2025

Samsung, SK face fresh uncertainty over CHIPS Act funding

Despite subsidy risks, Korean chipmakers remain focused on building US customer base, experts say The US is reportedly considering holding back subsidies promised under the CHIPS Act unless companies increase their investment in the country, creating fresh uncertainty for South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Bloomberg, citing eight people familiar with the matter, reported Tuesday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has signaled a possible pause in previously approved gra

April 2, 2025

SK digitally revives legacy of late chair

SK Group announced Wednesday that it has completed a two-year digital archiving project to restore and preserve the legacy of the late Chairman Chey Jong-hyun, a pivotal figure in South Korea’s economic development from the 1970s through the 1990s. Dubbed the “Sunkyong Chronicles,” the extensive archive includes 3,530 voice recordings of Chey and has been digitized for the first time, according to the SK Supex Council. The collection is expected to serve as a valuable resource for understanding

April 2, 2025

YouthMeta unveils revamped ‘RisingX’ AI crypto platform, accelerates global expansion

YouthMeta, a cryptocurrency data solution provider based in Seoul, has launched a revamped version of its AI-based platform RisingX as part of its strategy to accelerate its global expansion, the company announced Tuesday. RisingX provides real-time market analysis and trading signals for over 290 cryptocurrencies listed on Binance Futures, a major global crypto exchange. Key tools such as Kibot Chart and Meta Chart help users identify market trends and deliver "L" (long) or "S" (short) signals,

April 1, 2025

Apple Intelligence launches Korean service

Apple announced Tuesday that it is launching a Korean-language service for Apple Intelligence, its new artificial intelligence system for iPhones, other mobile devices and PCs. Apple Intelligence will now be available in Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. The system offers a range of features, including writing tools, an AI-powered photo eraser, mail and notification summaries, visual intelligence and voice recording with transcription and summ

April 1, 2025

ChatGPT hits 1.2m daily users in Korea amid Ghibli-style AI-generated image trend

If you have been on social media recently, chances are you have come across Studio Ghibli-style images created by ChatGPT. The global trend of AI-generated images has also taken off in Korea, with many users experimenting with Ghibli-style visuals. This surge in interest is reflected in ChatGPT’s user numbers here. According to industry tracker IGAWorks, the AI chatbot recorded a record 1,252,925 daily active users in South Korea on Thursday, a sharp increase from 799,571 on March 1. The platfor

April 1, 2025

Samsung unveils new Bespoke AI lineup

Touchscreen displays and smarter Bixby offer strengthen AI experience for users Samsung Electronics on Sunday introduced its latest lineup of 2025 Bespoke AI home appliances, boasting advanced artificial intelligence technology and larger screens to support more personalized user experiences. Hosting a press unveiling event on Friday, Samsung said it has expanded the number of home appliances and devices that incorporate the company's AI features, and that more have screens for enhanced connecti

March 30, 2025

Seoul official says no timeframe set for resumption of DeepSeek service

South Korea has yet to decide on the timeframe for the resumption of the local service of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence after its suspension last month due to concerns over its data management, a senior Seoul official said Thursday. The Personal Information Protection Commission temporarily suspended new downloads of the Chinese AI app from Feb. 15, citing concerns about its data collection practices. The commission said the service will be resumed after "improvements and remedies" ar

March 27, 2025

SK hynix: HBM chips for 2026 to sell out in first half

SK hynix plans to finalize next year's supply agreement for the high-bandwidth memory chips that are critical to artificial intelligence in the first half of this year, according to the chipmaker's CEO Kwak Noh-jung. “This year’s HBM supply volume has already sold out, and we plan to finalize consultations with customers for the 2026 volume in the first half of this year,” Kwak said at the company’s general shareholders meeting at its headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Kwak add

March 27, 2025

LG's new AI speeds up product design, testing

LG Electronics has developed a new manufacturing artificial intelligence system that enables significantly faster and more accurate quality predictions during the product design phase, the company said Thursday. The new AI system reduces the time required to assess the quality of completed products by up to 99 percent, cuts AI training time by more than 95 percent and lowers memory usage to one-tenth of previous levels, according to LG. Where it previously took 3 to 8 hours to predict product qu

March 27, 2025

LG chief vows to make batteries core growth engine

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo vowed to foster the battery business as a core pillar of the conglomerate alongside its key future growth areas — artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals and clean tech — during the group’s regular shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday. “Industries like batteries are national industries of the future and must become key growth engines for LG Group,” Koo said in a written address delivered at LG Corp.’s 63rd general shareholders’ meeting, held at LG Twin Tower, the

March 26, 2025

[Photo News] KT, Microsoft chiefs meet in Seoul

KT CEO Kim Young-Shub (left) and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella shake hands during a meeting to discuss AI transformation at KT's headquarters in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Tuesday. Nadella is visiting Seoul for the Microsoft AI Tour 2025 and is meeting with Korean business leaders to explore cooperation in AI and other areas. (KT)

March 26, 2025

SK Telecom to adopt Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs: CEO

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang on Wednesday said the company plans to adopt Nvidia’s latest Blackwell graphics processing units for its data center, citing their efficiency compared to the H200 series. “The Blackwell GPUs appear to be more efficient than the H200, so we plan to adopt them to meet demand,” Ryu told reporters following the company’s annual general shareholders meeting held at its headquarters in central Seoul. The country's largest wireless carrier had initially planned to adopt Nv

March 26, 2025

Samsung’s co-CEO system in question after Han Jong-hee's death

Short-term disruptions inevitable in M&A drive, global outreach: experts Following the sudden passing of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, concerns are rising over the impact of a leadership vacuum in the company’s electronics and consumer device business -- now left under the sole leadership of its semiconductor chief. Industry experts say the unexpected absence of one leader in Samsung’s two-CEO system will inevitably present immediate challenges. However, they believe the impact

March 26, 2025