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Sharp wants a 'Japan alliance' to boost OLED TV competition
Sharp wants to gain a foothold in the OLED market by teaming up with rival company Japan Display. Sharp's chief executive, Tai Jeng-wu, told reporters at the Tokyo Stock Exchange that he wants to form a "Japan alliance" to better compete with the South Korean makers that are dominating the industry.
Visa swaps payment cards for NFC gloves at the Winter Olympics
Visa is very fond of showing off its tap-to-pay technology at the Olympics, and that's truer than ever with the 2018 Winter Olympics around the corner. The payment giant is selling a trio of NFC-equipped gadgets to help you shop at the PyeongChang games, most notably a set of winter gloves. Yes, you can pay for that souvenir without freezing your hands as you reach for a credit card or even your phone. You won't have to use them or the other devices at the games, but they'll come with prepaid values of between 30,000KRW to 50,000KRW ($27 to $45) to encourage shopping in South Korea. Visa hasn't offered pricing.
North Korean hackers allegedly stole South Korean and US war plans
According to a report, North Korean hackers acquired military intel last year from South Korea that included a plan to 'decapitate' North Korean leadership. According to a South Korean lawmaker, the 235 GB of data were stolen from SK and contained detailed plans in collaboration with the US as well as contingencies and infrastructure information.
South Korea cracks down on use of digital cash for crowdfunding
South Koreans who were planning to raise funds using cryptocurrency will have to find an alternative method. The country has decided to follow in China's footsteps and has banned raising money through all forms of virtual currency, according to Reuters. As TechCrunch noted, businesses around the globe have raised over $1.8 billion this year using the method known as initial coin offering or ICO. It's a convenient way to gather funding for various products, but it's not regulated and could easily be used to scam millions out of investors.
The pro 'StarCraft' scene is alive and well
StarCraft used to be the belle of the ball when it came to eSports, but times have changed. While it still has a viable competitive scene, you're more likely to hear about Dota 2, League of Legends or even a classic rival like CS:GO. Don't tell that to Blizzard, though -- at least in South Korea, it looks like the StarCraft series might be in for a revival among pros. The developer just held an eSports history event in Busan to mark the impending launch of StarCraft: Remastered, and... well, just look at the photo above. Blizzard tells us over 10,000 people watched in person, and 500,000 watched through both streaming and TV broadcasts. That's not exactly what you'd expect from a game whose competitive appeal is on the decline.
Samsung's resurrected Galaxy Note 7 launches on July 7th
If you've missed the Galaxy Note 7 ever since it was discontinued over chronic battery fires, you now have a second chance at ownership... if you're willing to book a flight to Seoul. Samsung has confirmed both recent rumors and its own teaser by announcing a refurbished version of the Note 7, the Galaxy Note Fan Edition, that will launch in South Korea on (appropriately enough) July 7th. As you might guess, it's largely the same phone hardware-wise -- the big difference is the use of safer, smaller-capacity batteries that have passed stricter testing standards. They'll also include the Bixby assistant software introduced with the Galaxy S8.
South Korea wants its own Hyperloop for high-speed transit
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has signed a deal to codevelop the future of transit with South Korea. The partnership will see the company working with both the local government, its institute of civil engineering, and Hanyang University. The group will research all aspects of Hyperloop technology, from the tubes themselves through to developing safety regulations determining its use.
South Korea turns its back on coal and nuclear power
South Korea is clearly a tech-savvy country when companies like Samsung and LG dominate, but you almost wouldn't know it by looking at its energy policies. It not only depends heavily on coal and nuclear reactors (70 percent of its power comes from those sources), but gives them tax breaks to keep prices down. However, it's making an about-face now that there's a new president. New leader Moon Jae-in is proposing an energy strategy that would discourage the uses of coal and nuclear in favor of both natural gas and renewable sources like hydro and solar. It would be unusually rapid -- and not without potential problems.
Korea is building a 'city' for self-driving cars
South Korea will soon open an 88 acre facility with everything an autonomous car might encounter, including expressways, parking areas and bus-only lanes, according to the Korea Business Times. First announced last year, it will be the world's largest, dwarfing Michigan's 32-acre Mcity facility that it's reportedly based on. The idea is to let companies test self-driving tech in a repeatable way, without the hard-to-get permits normally required to test vehicles on Korea's public roads.
South Korean presidential candidate campaigns with 'Starcraft' maps
How should politicians connect with younger voters? How do you cut through the relentless waves of promises, speeches and the rest? If you're South Korean presidential candidate Moon Jae-in, you take to Starcraft. Perhaps even more surprisingly, he's actually a legitimate, tenable candidate who could well be the country's next leader, according to recent polls. Moon Jae-in has launched two free maps on his campaign blog, a clever idea in a country that loves it some Starcraft.
South Korea tests prepaid cards to replace pocket change
Coins are a pain in more ways than one. You probably don't like fishing for change, of course, but they're also expensive to make (the US loses money on every penny) and require mining that hurts the environment. Wouldn't it be good to get rid of coins altogether? South Korea is trying just that. The country is starting a trial that could lead to a coinless society. As of April 20th, shoppers at several stores (Seven Eleven, CU, E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Lotte Department Store) can deposit their change into mobile and prepaid cards. If you need to pay with cash, you can stick with paper notes instead of lugging around coins that you're unlikely to use all that often.
Samsung-linked scandal takes down South Korea's president
The same scandal behind the arrest and indictment of Samsung exec and heir Lee Jae-yong has resulted in the removal of South Korean president Park Geun-Hye. Parliament impeached Park on December 9th over charges including bribery and corruption for allegedly trying to squeeze money out of large companies in return for favors. Today's unanimous court decision by eight judges ends the 92-day leadership crisis (the country's prime minister had assumed her duties) and triggers the process for a new election to take place within 60 days.
China bans new South Korean games over a political crisis
China is rather irate that South Korea is starting to install the US' THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system to protect against North Korean threats. To that end, it's punishing the South with retaliatory policies... including one that targets video games. Chinese officials have frozen new licenses for games made in South Korea, preventing any more titles from launching in the country.
Samsung to change donation policies amid bribery scandal
In the last six months, Samsung has been no stranger to scandal. Since September, it's hurriedly dealt with the fallout from its Galaxy Note 7 recall, and in recent weeks has been thrust into an investigation over bribery claims involving some of its top executives. After staying mostly silent on the South Korean monetary probe, the electronics giant today issued a statement outlining steps to stop it from finding itself in similar position in the future.
Samsung's South Korean leader has been arrested for bribery
That took a little longer than expected. Samsung's vice chairman Lee Jae-yong (better known as Jay Y. Lee) has been arrested over charges of bribery, according to Bloomberg. In early January a court had yet to approve the warrant.
South Korea's sound barrier-chasing train, and more in the week that was
Tesla's Gigafactory is spitting out lithium-ion batteries at breakneck pace, but the automaker isn't stopping there. Elon Musk just announced plans to give the factory a $350 million upgrade so that it can manufacture electric motors and gearboxes for the upcoming Model 3. Meanwhile, South Korea unveiled plans for a new hyper train that can travel nearly as fast as the speed of sound. A German engineer has developed the world's most compact folding bike, which fits into a carry-on suitcase. And New York City is preparing to roll out Citi Bikes that shoot laser bike lanes to keep cyclists safe.
Samsung boss won't face arrest, at least for now
Samsung just dodged a bullet... for a while, anyway. A South Korean court has dismissed a warrant to arrest the company's Vice Chairman and de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, in an investigation alleging that Samsung paid the President's scandal-ridden confidant to illegally secure approval for a merger. There's just not enough evidence to suggest that an arrest is needed, according to the judge. While this doesn't guarantee that Lee is completely off the hook, he won't have to worry about jail time in the foreseeable future.
Korean military used video game clips to sell real fighter jets
South Korea proudly showed off footage of its top-of-the-line Kai KF-X fighter jet in 2015; the culmination of over 14 years of work. Unfortunately, a year and a bit later, Korea Times discovered that footage used to show off the fighter's impressive performance actually came from old video games. Whoops.
Samsung leader faces arrest in South Korea
Samsung's past several months have been pretty lousy, but they're about to get much, much worse. South Korean prosecutors have announced that they're seeking a warrant to arrest Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong (aka Jay Y. Lee), the electronics giant's effective leader, over accusations of bribery and other misdeeds. Investigators allege that Lee was involved in payments made to Choi Soon-sil, an ally of the country's impeached President with cultish control, in a supposed bid to clinch approval for a merger.
Samsung boss is a suspect in a South Korean political scandal
South Korea is currently embroiled in a massive corruption scandal: President Park Geun-hye is facing impeachment after word broke that her 'friend,' Choi Soon-sil, had cult-like control over Park that included access to sensitive info and forced donations to Choi's foundations. And now, it looks like Samsung's highest leadership might be caught up in the whole affair. The country's special prosecutor's office has named effective Samsung leader Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong (aka Jay Y. Lee) as a suspect in a case alleging that Samsung illegally influenced government decisions. Investigators are worried that roughly $25 million in payments to a Choi business and foundations may have convinced the national pension fund to support a merger of two Samsung affiliate companies. It may have offered bribes, in other words.
