korea

Motorola Mobility will close "most" of its South Korean operations by 2013, according to a leaked internal memo.

According to the memo (in Korean), the move is part of a continued global restructuring effort by parent company Google, which bought the smartphone maker earlier this year for $12.5 billion. Since then, however, restructuring costs have bumped the overall price close to $13 billion.

The deal was proposed by Google to acquire more than 17,000 patents from Motorola, but the hefty price tag will soon be challenged in court, where the search giant may discover that … Read more

Apple said today that the iPhone 5 would be available in South Korea on Friday, with more than 50 additional countries getting its marquee smartphone later this month.

As the company has gotten its supply chain issues under control, with ship times in the U.S. dropping dramatically, it is starting to look to expand availability and reach of the iPhone 5.

Apple last week said that the iPhone 5, the iPad Mini, and the fourth-generation iPad would hit the China market in December.

As with previous launches, Apple has had a tough go of it this time around in … Read more

I've been to some bizarre spots in South Korea, from DMZ tunnels to a seaside park dedicated to giant penises, but a new theme park in Suwon is at the top of my must-see list: it celebrates toilets.

The Restroom Cultural Park is billed as the world's first toilet theme park. It's a monument to the colorful former mayor of Suwon, a man known as Mr. Toilet.

The late Sim Jae-duck was himself born in a toilet and had an affection for loos throughout his life, rigorously promoting public facilities while mayor. … Read more

South Korea has voiced its displeasure over Apple's map service for the iPhone indicating both the Korean and Japanese names in reference to the Dokdo islets, the ownership of which is a point of tension between the two countries.

Citing a foreign ministry official, a report by Yonhap News on Wednesday said Apple's Korean unit notified the local government its new English map service under the iOS 6 mobile operating software simultaneously uses Korean, Japanese and Franco-English names -- "the Liancourt Rocks" -- to describe Dokdo, which is also claimed by Japan.

The … Read more

Google TV is expanding its reach and moving into Korea. The local provider, LG Uplus, is now offering an integrated Google TV set-top box with its television subscription service.

"If you've ever considered moving to Korea to enjoy its kimchi and K-pop -- starting today we have another reason for you," Google wrote in a blog post. "New and existing LG Uplus subscribers can get the u+tv G starting today, bringing live TV and 50,000 on demand titles, now integrated with Google TV apps like Search, YouTube, Google Play and Chrome."

Earlier this year, auto manufacturer Hyundai designed a pavilion in Seoul, South Korea, that served as a platform for touting the company's corporate philosophy and future ambitions during the 2012 Yeosu Expo. This probably sounds terribly boring, but one item within might amaze you.

Media firm Jonpasang worked in collaboration with Hyundai to create Hyper-Matrix, an enormous 180-degree installation with one major twist: the walls actually consist of thousands of motorized cubes that create a crazy sense of texture. … Read more

Samsung has filed an injunction against LG, its main rival in the television and display technology sector, over technology leaks, the Yonhap News Agency reports.

Samsung Mobile Display, an subsidiary affiliate of Samsung, submitted documents to the Seoul Central District Court against LG Display, about 18 "confidential technologies" for OLED screens and 21 other details, the news agency reports. 

The court documents seek compensation of 1 billion won ($880,500) where each leak was passed on to a third party or where LG used the technologies, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Earlier this year, 11 … Read more

Facebook's recently launched organ donor "life-saving" tool is now expanding to Asia. South Korea and Japan are the newest countries whose residents will be able to register as organ donors and announce their status to the world via the social network.

According to The Next Web, South Korea and Japan have more than 22 million Facebook users combined, which is sure to help with the social network's goal of increasing organ donation. Although Facebook didn't make a formal announcement about the launch of the feature, a company spokesperson confirmed with CNET that it was indeed … Read more

Competing against domestic technology giants including Samsung, Taiwanese phone maker HTC has closed its doors in South Korea.

The smartphone maker has long struggled against low handset sales in the Asian country, and has finally bitten the bullet and closed its South Korea office.

According to an official statement, the move has been made in order to "streamline operations" and improve efficiency across the whole company. "This is a hard decision that has direct impact on people who have contributed to the growth HTC has experienced the past several years," the company said in a statement.… Read more