Saturday, November 17, 2007

[Korea.net News, Culture / Events, November 13 2007] Korean drama to be widely distributed in Japan

Korean digital media company Chorokbaem Media said Tuesday (Nov. 13) it has signed a deal to export the Korean TV drama "Lobbyist" to the Japanese market.

"We signed a contract with Unisia Co. of Japan to allow the Japanese firm the right to televise the drama in Japan and to transfer the rights to produce and sell DVDs and VHS video tapes of the drama in Japan," said Chorokbaem Media.

[Korea.net News, Culture / Events, November 13 2007] Korean movie to be remade for American audiences

Korean thriller movie "Seven Days" will be remade for the U.S. market, according to the movie's Korean distributor Prime Entertainment Tuesday (Nov. 13).

Thursday, November 15, 2007

AsiaMedia :: KOREA: Shin files lawsuit against newspaper

AsiaMedia :: KOREA: Shin files lawsuit against newspaper: "Fake degree-holder Shin Jeong-ah files lawsuit against 'Munhwa Ilbo' for publishing allegedly false nude pictures

The Korea Times Thursday,
November 8, 2007
By Park Si-soo

Degree scammer Shin Jeong-ah has filed a lawsuit against a local daily which printed her nude photos and raised questions over her improper relations with high-profile figures to help her climb the social ladder. Seoul Central District Court said Thursday she lodged a complaint against the Munhwa Ilbo and its managing editor, which published two nude photos of Shin in September, alleging that she had intercourse with some influential figures in the art field."

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

[The Chosun Ilbo, November 14 2007] Man Films Himself Committing Suicide

A man in his 20s filmed himself committing suicide. The man identified as Ahn was found dead in his room in an apartment in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday afternoon. His grandmother called the police, saying when no sounds were heard from the room, she opened the door and found her grandson sitting on the bed with his head covered in a plastic bag. A digital camera found in the room contained video clips of the man putting his head in the bag. Police are questioning family members to learn why Ahn, who was preparing to take the civil service exam, killed himself.
[Tha Chosun Ilbo, November 14 2007] 'Ice Princess' Divorce Rumors Surface Again

Rumors are circulating again that former KBS anchor No Hyun-jung has split from her husband Chung Dae-sun, a scion of the Hyundai founding family. News website Asia Today reported Tuesday that No divorced Chung in July, two months after she gave birth to their son at a hospital in Boston. No is now said to be staying in a hotel in Seoul.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 14 2007] KTF Shows Overseas Mobile Phone Wallet System

Korean mobile phone users may soon be able to use their phones to pay for their shopping overseas. KTF, Korea's second-largest wireless operator, said that it successfully demonstrated its M-payment service, which lets people use their 3G phones to pay for items overseas when roaming is activated, at the 2007 Mobile Asia Congress at the Venetian Macau on Tuesday. "The service is the world's first universal subscriber identity module (USIM)-based mobile payment service. It's significant because it enables mobile payments overseas after we introduce it in the country," KTF president Cho Young-chu said in his keynote speech. USIM is a small chip in the phone that stores the user's personal information such as passwords, roaming information and phone numbers. With the chip, users can use their phones like credit or debit cards. KTF said that the service will probably be made available in the first half of next year.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 14 2007] LG's Chocolate Thrives in Japan's Perilous Phone Market

LG Electronics is causing an unexpected stir in Japan with its Chocolate phone, which was developed to target international markets. Having sold more than 14 million units so far since its overseas release in the first half of last year, the phone posted sales of 5,000 units on its first day in Japan on Oct. 19 this year, and has since seen daily sales average 2,000 units.

The Japanese handset market is considered a graveyard for non-Japanese manufacturers. The island nation's own top 10 makers such as Sharp, Panasonic, and NEC dominate over 90 percent of the market, while Nokia, Motorola and other international giants have failed to make much of an impression.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 13 2007] Survey Finds Few Youngsters in Korea's Boardrooms

The average age of Korea's leading executives is 51, according to a survey by jobs website Jobs Korea. The website surveyed 2,365 executives working at 25 of the nation's 30 largest businesses in terms of sales, as determined by financial statements submitted to the Financial Supervisory Service in June.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 13 2007] Korean Chip Makers Worried About Hynix Tech 'Leak'

Controversy is growing over Hynix Semiconductor's plan to provide 66-nanometer process technology to ProMOS Technologies, its Taiwanese strategic business partner.

Some Korean chip makers on Monday expressed concern about the plan, saying that since Taiwanese chip makers have had a hard time developing the 60-nano level production process, the provision of the technology by Hynix will lead to greatly reducing the technological gap between Korean and Taiwanese companies.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 13 2007] Phone Makers Get New Standard for Slimmer Contact

Starting next year, mobile phones will come with a single contact that can be used to both charge the battery and plug in an earphone. The Telecommunications Technology Association said Monday that it has established new standards for external contacts for mobile phones in a general meeting.

According to the new standards, the charge contact will have two rows and 20 pins instead of the current one row and 24 pins, and serve as an earphone contact as well, standardizing earphone contacts which currently vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. A connecting contact will be provided for users to be able to continue to use the old 24-pin chargers. The new standards have been devised because manufacturers have been having a hard time fitting the 24-pin contacts in handsets which are getting slimmer and smaller.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 13] Korean Cellphone Makers Expand Global Market Share

Korean mobile phone makers expanded their global market share in the third quarter.

Data released by a market research firm Strategy Analytics on Monday show Samsung Electronics grabbed 15 percent of the global cell phone market, up half a percentage point from a quarter earlier.

LG Electronics took up nearly eight percent of the global pie, up three-tenths of a point.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 12 2007] Samsung Quits Japan's Consumer Electronics Market

Samsung Electronics has decided to stop selling consumer electronics in Japan with the exception of monitors, the company said Friday.

The company sold MP3 players, LCD TVs and DVD players through websites and some retailers in Japan but sales have been lackluster.

Samsung Electronics said consumer electronics account for around just one percent of its total sales in Japan, which lean heavily towards semiconductors and LCD panels.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 9 2007] Over 90% of Korean Households Have High-Speed Internet

Around 30 percent of all Koreans have Internet subscriptions, and 90 percent of households have high-speed connections, according to the Ministry of Information and Communication and Internet service providers on Thursday. Some 30.11 percent of the population had Internet subscriptions as of September, up by 0.14 percentage points from August.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 9 2007] Researchers Unveil Korea's First Emotional Robot

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) on Thursday said it has developed Korea's first emotional robots. Kobie and Rabie show emotional reactions, play English word games and even respond to touching.

Kobie looks like a fluffy koala, stretching his body and making a contented sound when gently stroked. It can recognize human faces, make eye contact, and express seven emotions through motions and sounds, including joy, shyness and shock.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 9 2007] BlackBerry Maker Sues LG for Black Label Name

Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry smartphones, has filed a lawsuit against LG Electronics claiming that LG's Black Label smartphone violates the BlackBerry trademark, Bloomberg news agency reported Thursday. According to the report, Research In Motion says the name of the LG phone is "confusingly similar" to the BlackBerry. The complaint was filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Research In Motion sued Samsung Electronics last December, claiming that Samsung's BlackJack smartphone infringes the BlackBerry trademark.

BlackBerry smartphones come with word processing and advanced e-mail features, allowing users to work on the move. BlackBerry sales have been growing rapidly in America and Europe.
[The Chosun Ilbo, November 8 2007] Chung Vows to Change Press Policies

United New Democratic Party presidential candidate Chung Dong-young on Wednesday promised to change the government’s draconian new media policies if he is elected. He made the promise in a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a senior journalists' association, when asked if he could promise to “pull the nails out of the doors” of press rooms at government agencies -- a reference to President Roh Moo-hyun’s vow to nail them shut.

Chung said he had been a broadcasting reporter himself. “Seeing reporters expelled from the pressroom and sitting on the floor of the Foreign Ministry, I felt insulted too. I will change the current government’s media policies,” he said. “The government has caused massive damage to the people due to its conflict with the media over the past five years. Except for the president, no government officials are elected, so the government needs to be monitored by the public and media.”