Journalist

Jo Seung-jun
  • SK Intellix wins two Red Dot Design Awards for 2026 product design
    SK Intellix wins two Red Dot Design Awards for 2026 product design SK Intellix has won two top prizes at the Red Dot Design Award 2026, one of the world’s three major design awards, the company said. SK Intellix said it received two Winner awards in the product design category at the Red Dot Design Award 2026 ceremony held in Germany on the 22nd. The Red Dot Design Award is widely regarded as one of the world’s top three design competitions, along with Germany’s iF and the United States’ IDEA. The wins came in both kitchen appliances and robotics. In the kitchen appliance category, the SK Magic TwoWater water purifier was recognized for combining functionality — providing both mineral water and pure water — with a minimalist exterior design. The company said the product had also received the top “Grand Gold” grade at a water-taste evaluation, and the Red Dot award further validated both its technology and design. In the robotics category, the wellness robot NAMUHX A1 won a Winner award. The company said the product combines autonomous air purification with voice conversation, based on agentic AI technology. Its rounded, soft design, inspired by the traditional Korean moon jar, was praised for emphasizing an emotional appeal as a “daily companion,” rather than a conventional appliance. An SK Intellix official said the awards showed global recognition of the company’s design capabilities across both its health platform brand SK Magic and its wellness robotics brand NAMUHX. “We will combine AI technology and design to move forward as a ‘global AI wellness platform’ company,” the official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:20:54
  • LG Electronics Expands B2B Advanced Materials Business With PuroTec
    LG Electronics Expands B2B Advanced Materials Business With PuroTec LG Electronics is expanding its B2B business with its functional advanced material, LG PuroTec, aiming to broaden its footprint beyond a home-appliance-centered portfolio into the industrial materials market. The company said it is showcasing LG PuroTec at Chinaplas 2026, an industrial materials exhibition being held in Shanghai for four days starting April 21. Chinaplas is one of the world’s three major industrial materials trade shows, drawing about 4,000 companies from roughly 150 countries. LG Electronics set up its largest booth ever and highlighted applications of PuroTec across industries. The company said use cases now extend from appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners to building materials, functional apparel, hygiene products and food packaging. PuroTec is a powder made by crushing glass blended with functional ingredients. When added in small amounts to plastics, paint or rubber, it provides antibacterial and anti-mold effects that help curb odors, contamination and discoloration caused by microorganisms. LG Electronics said the material is designed for high compatibility, minimizing interference with various base materials and additives, making it suitable for a wide range of industries. The company also operated a dedicated consultation area for B2B customers, offering tailored proposals. LG Electronics said visitors showed strong interest in its ability to maintain existing material properties even in products such as transparent and flame-retardant plastics. LG Electronics is increasing investment in advanced materials as a new growth engine. Since ramping up the business in 2023, revenue has more than doubled each year, the company said. It is also expanding production capacity. LG Electronics operates a facility at its Changwon Smart Park in South Gyeongsang Province with annual capacity of 4,500 tons, and is building a second glass-powder production base in Hai Phong, Vietnam, targeting operations within this year. The company said it has secured about 420 patents related to glass powder and has passed antibacterial-agent regulations needed to enter European and U.S. markets. It is also working with international testing and certification bodies to obtain global certifications for antibacterial performance. Beyond PuroTec, LG Electronics said it is developing additional glass-powder-based materials, including “Marine Glass,” used for marine ecosystem restoration, and “Mineral Wash,” which enables washing without detergent. “Based on functional materials including PuroTec, we will rapidly expand our advanced materials business to meet customer needs across industries,” an LG Electronics official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:09:59
  • LS-VINA to Supply Extra-High-Voltage Cables for Vingroup’s Hai Phong New City Project
    LS-VINA to Supply Extra-High-Voltage Cables for Vingroup’s Hai Phong New City Project LS Eco Energy said Tuesday that its Vietnam manufacturing unit, LS-VINA, has supplied extra-high-voltage cables for Vingroup’s new city development project in Hai Phong. LS-VINA is the top player in Vietnam’s extra-high-voltage cable market, with about an 80% share, the company said. It said the order strengthens LS-VINA’s position as a key supplier for local power infrastructure. Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private company with businesses spanning real estate, retail, automobiles and energy, is developing a mixed-use new city in Hai Phong that combines residential, commercial and tourism functions under the Vinhomes Vu Yen project. The company said Vietnam’s accelerating urbanization is supporting demand. The government aims to raise the urbanization rate to 50% by 2030 and, under the national power development plan known as PDP8, is pursuing about 200 trillion won in generation and transmission investment. LS-VINA is the only company producing extra-high-voltage cables in Vietnam, LS Eco Energy said, positioning it to benefit directly from the investment cycle and to sustain mid- to long-term revenue growth. LS Eco Energy said the trend is reflected in results: first-quarter revenue and operating profit rose about 30% from a year earlier, and revenue hit a quarterly record. Extra-high-voltage cable sales jumped 177%, driven by grid investment and rising demand tied to AI data centers. “Urbanization and expanding power investment are combining to rapidly broaden LS-VINA’s mid- to long-term growth base,” a company official said. The official added that LS-VINA recently obtained quality certification for 230-kilovolt extra-high-voltage cables from a global certification body, laying groundwork to enter the North American market. LS-VINA entered Vietnam’s domestic market in 1994 as LG-VINA and has since grown into ASEAN’s largest wire and cable company, with annual revenue of about 1 trillion won, and Vietnam’s top cable exporter, LS Eco Energy said. 2026-04-22 10:57:47
  • Samsung Showcases Next-Gen Displays and AI at World IT Show 2026
    Samsung Showcases Next-Gen Displays and AI at World IT Show 2026 Samsung Electronics is showcasing a wide range of products using next-generation display, mobile and AI technologies, highlighting its future AI competitiveness. Samsung said it is taking part in the 2026 World IT Show, running April 22-24 at COEX in Seoul, to present innovations spanning displays and mobile devices. At the entrance, Samsung placed its glasses-free 3D display “Spatial Signage” to guide visitors. An “AI Fan Curator” explains each experience zone, with the display delivering a 3D effect without additional equipment. The company said its proprietary “3D Plate” technology adds depth that makes the screen appear to contain another space. Also featured prominently is “Micro RGB,” a next-generation display technology that individually controls ultra-fine RGB elements to render color and contrast more precisely, delivering improved picture quality compared with conventional displays. In mobile, Samsung built camera and AI experience zones around the Galaxy S26 series. Visitors can try the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 200-megapixel camera and 10x zoom, and test the “Horizon Lock Super Steady” feature for shake-free video. AI demonstrations were expanded. Using “Photo Assist,” visitors can generate images with natural-language prompts and view results on an LED wall in the exhibit area. The “Galaxy AI Live Show” demonstrates key features including photo editing, call screening and privacy tools. Wearables and next-generation platforms were also on display, including a listening zone for the Galaxy Buds4 series and a hands-on area for “Galaxy XR” based on Android XR, offering immersive content experiences. In entertainment, Samsung is running a “cross-platform zone” designed to blur device boundaries. The company set it up so the same game can be played across smartphones, tablets, PCs, TVs and gaming monitors, underscoring its ecosystem strategy. Samsung also introduced the AI portable projector “The Freestyle+” and the TV AI platform “Vision AI Companion.” The Freestyle+ includes automatic screen correction and obstacle-avoidance features to support flexible installation, while Vision AI Companion provides real-time information during viewing. 2026-04-22 10:08:06
  • LG Showcases Connected AI Home at 2026 World IT Show in Seoul
    LG Showcases Connected AI Home at 2026 World IT Show in Seoul LG Electronics has built an “AI home” as a real-life living space, aiming to show a concrete vision of future housing. The company said the focus goes beyond a technology display, letting visitors experience an AI-based environment designed to operate in everyday life. LG Electronics said it is taking part in the “2026 World IT Show,” running April 22-24 at COEX in Seoul, with an 870-square-meter exhibition hall under the theme “Dear Home.” The space centers on an AI home concept and also highlights subscription services and core component technologies in an integrated layout. At the center is the AI home hub “ThinQ On,” which connects appliances and IoT devices. LG set up three zones — a home office, smart kitchen and OLED theater — to demonstrate how AI responds to different situations. In the home office, LG said the system can recognize a user through a door lock and automatically activate a “return home mode,” adjusting lighting and running an air conditioner and air purifier to optimize temperature, humidity and air quality based on the user’s patterns and settings. In the smart kitchen, LG said AI analyzes ingredients in the refrigerator to recommend menus and automatically controls heat and timing during cooking. The induction cooktop can detect when soup is boiling to help prevent overflow, the company said. In the OLED theater area, LG combined an OLED TV with “LG Sound Suite,” which it said recognizes a user’s position to provide optimized audio. LG also presented a strategy to extend the AI home experience through subscriptions. At a central “subscription plaza,” it introduced services for major appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners, including consumable replacement and internal cleaning by experts. LG described it as a model that goes beyond product sales to ongoing care. The company also highlighted technology it says underpins the AI home. In a “tech lounge,” LG showcased “AI Core Tech,” applying AI to key components including an AI DD motor, a dual inverter heat pump and an inverter compressor. LG said the system analyzes usage patterns and the environment to optimize performance and energy efficiency. LG also displayed technologies including AI air care, ultra-low-power displays and high-performance TV processors, describing them as part of the foundation for its AI home concept. LG said the exhibition is meant to show the AI home as a “connected living environment,” not a single product, and that it plans to expand the business by integrating appliances, services and space-based experiences to manage daily life more broadly. 2026-04-22 10:06:34
  • Sleep Tech Heats Up as Samsung, LG Expand Platforms, Stir Small-Business Concerns
    Sleep Tech Heats Up as Samsung, LG Expand Platforms, Stir Small-Business Concerns Sleep tech — applying artificial intelligence, home appliances and health care technology to sleep management — is drawing attention as a next-generation growth industry. But as major conglomerates move in, concerns are also rising that they could squeeze out smaller players.   According to market research firm Straits Research on the 21st, the global sleep tech market topped $20.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $64.6918 billion by 2033.  Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are approaching sleep tech as a connected lifestyle data business. The term combines “sleep” and “technology” and refers to measuring and analyzing sleep data using AI, the internet of things and big data to help people sleep better. Samsung is upgrading a system centered on SmartThings that links sleep data collected from wearables such as the Galaxy Watch with air conditioners, air purifiers and lighting to automatically create an optimal sleep environment. The system adjusts temperature and brightness based on sleep stages, and changes air quality and lighting around wake-up time. LG is also focusing on expanding sleep data across its broader appliance lineup under its “AI Home” strategy. It aims to provide personalized sleep environments by connecting appliances that control air quality, temperature and humidity, and to tie sleep data into health management through integration with health care platforms. LG is also reviewing the possibility of offering sleep management services bundled with its subscription-based appliance business. As big companies enter the market with data and appliance ecosystems, competition is shifting quickly from individual products to platforms. Analysts say that if a structure takes hold in which multiple devices are connected around sleep data, market leadership could move toward appliance and platform companies. That shift is also fueling criticism that large firms could disrupt the existing ecosystem. With sleep tech still in an early growth stage, industry watchers warn that companies with deep pockets and established platforms could rapidly tilt the competitive landscape. Existing sleep tech players are responding by upgrading their technology. Coway, seen as a leading player, is strengthening a “full sleep-cycle management” strategy through its sleep and healing care brand BEREX, building out product lines that include motion beds, massage mattresses and sleep-sensor mattresses. Simmons is also bolstering capabilities through premium mattresses, motion beds and experiential consulting. Jangsu Dolchimdae is pursuing business plans that combine heating technology with sleep and health care functions. “Sleep tech has strong potential to grow into a high value-added industry by combining sleep data with health care,” an industry official said. “But if major companies take control of platforms, existing bed makers could be pushed into the role of simple hardware suppliers, making conflict unavoidable as the market is reshaped.” 2026-04-21 18:15:25
  • KOTRA Steps Up Support for Korean Shipbuilding Equipment Firms Entering Japan
    KOTRA Steps Up Support for Korean Shipbuilding Equipment Firms Entering Japan Japan’s shipbuilding industry is accelerating its shift to greener and more digital operations under a government-led rebuilding drive, opening more opportunities for South Korean marine equipment suppliers. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, known as KOTRA, said April 21 it will join the city of Busan and the Korea Marine Equipment Association, or KOMEA, at “Sea Japan 2026,” running from April 22-24 in Japan, to operate a pavilion showcasing top Korean marine equipment products. KOTRA also published a report titled “Japan’s Shipbuilding Revival Policy and Market Entry Opportunities.” KOTRA said the push is aimed at helping Korean firms respond to changes driven by Japan’s shipbuilding reconstruction policy. Japan held about half of the global shipbuilding market in the 1970s, but its share fell to 5.4% last year as South Korea and China rose. Japan’s government drew up a “Shipbuilding Industry Revitalization Roadmap” in 2025, calling for shipbuilding capacity to double to 18 million gross tons by 2035, alongside large-scale investment in digitalization and decarbonization. Under that policy direction, Japanese shipbuilders are stepping up investment in production automation, autonomous navigation technology and development of eco-friendly vessels, KOTRA said. With mandatory implementation of a greenhouse gas emissions trading system starting in April this year, demand is rising quickly for carbon-reduction equipment and propulsion systems based on hydrogen, ammonia and LNG. Structural pressures are also reshaping the market. Japan’s shipbuilding sector faces labor shortages and aging facilities, driving demand for robots, data-driven operations and equipment that improves maintenance efficiency. KOTRA said this is expanding openings for Korean companies with strengths in areas such as AI-based ship safety management and smart design and maintenance solutions. At Sea Japan 2026, KOTRA will hold product displays and business consultations with 20 Korean companies. The pavilion will feature AI-based safety management systems, eco-friendly ship equipment, and design and maintenance solutions, with KOTRA aiming to support export results through networking and B2B meetings with global buyers. Sea Japan is Japan’s largest shipbuilding and maritime exhibition, bringing together global companies and experts across shipbuilding, shipping and marine equipment, and is seen as a key platform for entering the market. KOTRA Vice President Kim Kwan-mook said Japan’s roadmap “is an opportunity for South Korea and Japan to respond together to changes in the global maritime industry,” adding that KOTRA will continue supporting Korean marine equipment companies seeking to expand into Japan. 2026-04-21 14:15:27
  • Samsung widow sells over 3 trillion won in Samsung shares to settle inheritance taxes
    Samsung widow sells over 3 trillion won in Samsung shares to settle inheritance taxes SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - Hong Ra-hee, the widow of the late Samsung chief Lee Kun-hee, has sold some of her stocks in Samsung Electronics worth more than 3 trillion Korean won (about US$2 billion) to settle inheritance taxes on the family's vast fortune. According to financial insiders, Hong sold 15 million Samsung Electronics shares, about a 0.25 percent stake, through an after-hours block trade on Thursday, which typically occurs after stock market hours close, allowing large transactions without disrupting regular trading. The shares were priced at 205,237 won each, reflecting a 2.5 percent discount to the previous day’s closing price of 210,500 won. The sell-off totaled about 3.08 trillion won, reducing her stake from 1.49 percent to 1.24 percent. Hong and her family members including current Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong, have been paying inheritance taxes of roughly 12 trillion won over five years. They took out hundreds of billions of won in bank loans and other resources to cover the taxes after their patriarch's death in 2020, with full payment expected this month. 2026-04-09 10:22:55
  • LGs clothing-care machine surpasses 2 million units in cumulative global sales
    LG's clothing-care machine surpasses 2 million units in cumulative global sales SEOUL, April 5 (AJP) - LG Electronics' clothing-care contraption, called the LG Styler, has sold over 2 million units in cumulative global sales, the home-appliance giant said on Sunday. The milestone comes just five years after over 1 million units were sold in 2021, about a decade after its release in 2011. The machine, which resembles a combination of a wardrobe and a fridge, removes odors, dust, and wrinkles while sterilizing clothes, all without the time-consuming effort of washing. It is now sold in 27 countries worldwide. Sales have surged particularly in Asia and North America, with revenue in China, Taiwan, and the U.S. jumping more than 30 percent last year. LG credited its popularity in Asia to clothing habits involving uniforms and suits that aren't washed often, combined with keen interest in hygiene. LG said the machine, built on advanced technology with more than 200 patents, sanitizes 99.99 percent of harmful bacteria and viruses and removes over 99 percent of 18 types of everyday odors. It added that a moving hanger inside the LG Styler rotates up to 350 times per minute to reduce dust and wrinkles, with the latest version adding a feature that analyzes garment weight and suggests the optimal styling. "We will further strengthen our position in the global market by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into core components and technologies," said Son Chang-woo, a manager in LG's home appliance division. 2026-04-05 12:31:21
  • Kim Yun-ji becomes first South Korean woman to win Winter Paralympics gold
    Kim Yun-ji becomes first South Korean woman to win Winter Paralympics gold SEOUL, March 9 (AJP) - Biathlete Kim Yun-ji on Sunday won gold at the Winter Paralympics, which kicked off last week in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Kim finished with a time of 38:00.1 in the women's sitting sprint 12.5-kilometer biathlon, narrowly ahead of Germany's Anja Wicker, who crossed the finish line with 38:12.09. Kendall Gretsch of the United States took bronze with 38:36.1. With the victory, she became the first South Korean woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Paralympics. The historic achievement was also South Korea's first Winter Paralympics gold medal in about eight years, since skier Shin Eui-hyun won gold in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Paralympics in the alpine city of Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. The para biathlon combines cross-country skiing and shooting over 12.5 kilometers, with the fastest finisher taking gold. Later in the day, Lee Je-hyuk won bronze in the men's snowboard cross SB-LL2, marking South Korea's first-ever Paralympic medal in the discipline. This year's Winter Paralympics run until March 15. 2026-03-09 09:13:38