INEWS24

Samsung Electronics ranked first in smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year, fueled by the success of the Galaxy S25 lineup. However, the gap with second-place Apple narrowed from 4% in the first quarter of last year to 1%. Customers line up in a long line at Samsung's Gangnam store on the first day of the Galaxy S25 series pre-sale. [Photo = Samsung Electronics] According to market research firm Canalys on the 30th, Samsung Electronics maintained its lead by shipping 60.5 million units this year, fueled by the launch of its latest flagship model and price-competitive A series new products. Its market share was 20%. Apple, which shipped about 55 million units in the first quarter of this year, followed Samsung Electronics with a 19% market share. Canalys explained that this was the result of emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region and growth in the United States. While Samsung's market share remained the same as the sa...

Smilegate's co-published game 'Claire Obscur: 33rd Expedition (hereafter Claire Obscur)' is recording overwhelming success in the global market, from sales to expert and user ratings. This is an evaluation that Smilegate's foresight in recognizing the potential of a new developer has shone through. Smilegate's co-published game 'Claire Obscur: 33rd Expedition (hereafter Claire Obscur)' is recording overwhelming success in the global market, from sales to expert and user ratings. [Photo = Smilegate] According to global review site Metacritic on the 30th, Claire Obscur's expert Metacritic score was 92, and user ratings were 9.7. The PC, PS5, and Xbox versions all received over 90 points. This is the highest score among global new releases this year. The PC Steam platform evaluation also recorded a 'very positive' rating with 92% of the 19,169 total evaluations. It is ranked 2nd in sales on the Smilegate Stove platform, and a...

Nexon (Co-CEOs Kang Dae-hyun and Kim Jung-wook) announced on the 30th that the Korean national team will participate in the 'FC Pro Masters 2025', a global competition for 'FC Online' and 'FC Mobile' on May 8th. FC Pro Masters 2025 is a national competition in which players from five countries - Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam - of FC Online and FC Mobile will compete for a total prize pool of $180,000. It will be held at the DN Coliseum in Jamsil, Seoul from May 8th to the 11th. Tickets will open for a capacity of 200 seats and can be purchased through Ticket Link from 3 PM on April 30th. [Photo = Nexon] In the FC Online competition, two national teams from Korea, China, Thailand, and Vietnam will compete for a total prize pool of $150,000 and the ranking points needed to advance to the top national competition 'FC Pro Champions Cup'. The matches will be played in a best-of-five format with a mix of double elimination ...

Hyundai Motor Company's flagship sports utility vehicle (SUV) Palisade is equipped with a next-generation hybrid (HEV) system and is targeting the rapidly growing hybrid market. This is the first time that a Palisade model has been equipped with a hybrid powertrain (power unit). Front side of Hyundai Motor Company's 'The All New Palisade' hybrid. [Photo = Reporter Kim Jong-seong] The 'The All New Palisade HEV' model combines fuel efficiency, stable driving performance and ride quality, spaciousness, and the convenience of an electric vehicle. The Palisade, which has returned with a completely new look after six years, is the first model to feature Hyundai Motor Group's next-generation hybrid system. In terms of appearance, there is no significant difference from the existing gasoline model. The 18-inch alloy wheels of the Exclusive trim are distinguished as a design exclusive to the HEV, but the test drive model, the 7-seater Calligra...

NVIDIA 64.9%, TSMC 48.5%, SK Hynix 42.2%. NVIDIA, TSMC, and SK Hynix, which have formed a 'triangular alliance' in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor ecosystem, are recording high operating profit rates through market dominance. The operating profit rates of 40% recorded by TSMC and SK Hynix, which operate large-scale production facilities, are close to a 'dream number' in the manufacturing industry. NVIDIA, a semiconductor design specialist (fabless) company, has also maintained an operating profit rate of 60%, which is overwhelmingly higher than its competitors, for nearly a year. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is giving a keynote speech at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, USA on January 6 (local time). [Photo = Yonhap News] ◇ Design - HBM Manufacturing - Logic and Post-processing Structure According to the semiconductor industry on the 25th, TSMC and SK Hynix, which recently announced their first quarter (January to March) performan...

Samsung Electronics announced on the 28th that it is launching the premium home projector 'The Premiere 5'. The Premiere 5 is a projector equipped with a touch solution and can be used in various environments such as education, business, and home entertainment. Models playing with Samsung Electronics' 'The Premiere 5'. [Photo = Samsung Electronics] Models playing with Samsung Electronics' 'The Premiere 5'. [Photo = Samsung Electronics] This product is an ultra-short-throw projector that can project up to 100 inches from a distance of about 43 cm using triple laser technology, allowing you to easily create a large screen anywhere with a flat surface such as a wall, floor, or table. In particular, the stand dedicated to the Premiere 5 is equipped with an infrared camera and infrared laser module to support touch-based user operation. When linked with Samsung Electronics' artificial intelligence (AI) platform ...

The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which represents the U.S. information technology (IT) industry, announced its position on the 28th regarding the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, saying, "We urge a halt to the promotion of discriminatory bills such as the Platform Competition Promotion Act (Platform Act)." Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) logo [Photo = Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)] On this day, CCIA stated that it shares the same opinion as the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) that released its position on the 15th titled, "Low Tariffs Aren't Enough: Korea Should Remove Its Trade Barriers With the United States." The ITIF has stated that despite the fact that the average tariff rate has been reduced to less than 3% since the conclusion of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) and is expected to be reduced to less than 0.5% by next yea...

'Blue Archive' is a monumental game that captured the hearts of local gamers when it was released in Japan, the birthplace of subculture. The game, which rose to the top of the Japanese market immediately after its release in February 2021, has successfully recovered in popularity and sales with every major update, and has maintained its popularity to this day, four years later. Furthermore, it has successfully pioneered the position of domestic subculture games by gaining explosive popularity in the Korean and global markets. Blue Archive is the first subculture game released by Nexon Games, which won the Korea Game Awards twice in 2016 and 2020 with 'Hit' and 'V4'. While most subculture games adopt a dark and hopeless worldview called 'apocalypse', this game differentiates itself with a story in which the user, who takes on the role of a teacher assigned to the school city 'Kibotos', leads students to complete missions. As the t...

Emperor penguin couple in Antarctica. There are warnings that if global warming continues, emperor penguins could become extinct by the end of this century. [Photo=Reporter Jeong Jong-oh] It has been revealed that the population of penguins living in Antarctica has decreased by up to 50% in some areas. This is because their foraging activities are limited due to the harsh Antarctic environment and climate crisis, which has reduced sea ice. April 25th is 'World Penguin Day'. Emperor penguins begin to migrate north before the Antarctic winter begins, before the sea freezes. This commemoration was established in consideration of the fact that they are frequently observed near the McMurdo Antarctic Station in the United States. It was designated to protect penguins, which are gradually disappearing due to climate crisis and habitat destruction, and to raise awareness of their importance. Emperor penguins, which represent Antarctica, are currently cla...

Innospace's Hanbit-Nano launch pad and launch vehicle. After successfully completing the system linkage test, they are currently being transported to Brazil. Their first commercial launch will take place in July. [Photo = Innospace] "The goal of the transportation means is clear. Whether it's a guest, a cargo, or a satellite, it is to deliver it to the exact time and place the customer wants. Innospace's role is to transport the relevant payload to the space the customer wants accurately via the Hanbit-Nano launch vehicle. That's our role." Innospace CEO Kim Soo-jong said this in a recent interview with iNews24. Innospace will have its first commercial launch in Brazil in July. After a successful test launch in Brazil in March 2023, the company is determined to establish itself as a full-fledged space transportation company. In fact, ahead of this first commercial launch, the Korea Aerospace Science and Technology Administration propose...

A study found that the immunity of organisms may be weakened in soil contaminated with microplastics. In the case of earthworms exposed to microplastics, phagocytosis decreased. The National Research Foundation of Korea (Chairman Hong Won-hwa) announced on the 22nd that the research team of Professor Ahn Yoon-joo of Konkuk University and Professor Hyun Young-min of Yonsei University confirmed through joint research that earthworms exposed to microplastics are vulnerable to infection. Earthworms, which live in soil environments inhabited by various bacteria, must have normal immune functions, just like humans, to properly perform their roles in the soil ecosystem. Earthworms' immunity decreased in soil contaminated with microplastics. [Photo = National Research Foundation of Korea] Currently, environmental toxicity assessment studies considering soil contamination by microplastics are increasing. Research on the immunotoxicity of soil-dwelling organis...

A smarter AI technology that resembles the human brain has emerged. The research team led by Director Lee Chang-joon of the Cognition and Sociality Research Group at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS, President Noh Do-young) and the research team led by Professor Song Kyung-woo of the Department of Applied Statistics at Yonsei University have developed a new technology that enhances the image recognition capabilities of AI by applying the way the brain's visual cortex selects and processes visual information. The human visual system has excellent recognition capabilities. It can recognize objects at a glance and quickly select important information even in complex environments. Existing AI models still show limitations. In the actual brain's visual cortex, neurons are widely and smoothly connected based on the center. This connection strength shows the characteristic of gradually changing with distance (a, b). On the other hand, in existing convolutio...

Businesses that utilize KakaoTalk will be able to promote their brands to users in the United States, beyond Korea. [Photo = Kakao] According to Kakao on the 22nd, they will be launching a global advertising platform in North America at the end of this month. The company recently announced this in advance to advertisers and began recruiting applicants. According to Kakao, the global average monthly active users (MAU) of the messenger KakaoTalk is estimated at around 54 million. Most of these are people who use KakaoTalk in Korea, and various advertising products have been provided to businesses based on this user base in Korea. Representative examples include display ads (DA) that are displayed in the form of image banners on KakaoTalk, and channel message ads that allow users to receive various discount benefits or brand news as chat room messages when they add a KakaoTalk channel opened by a business as a friend. With the launch of this global advertis...

Google announced on the 22nd that it is connecting the existing search engine usage experience to shopping with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Dan Taylor, Vice President of Google Global Advertising [Photo = Google Korea] According to Google Korea, Dan Taylor, Vice President of Google Global Advertising, made this announcement during an online (video) briefing while introducing the company's various services and business status. Regarding the current status of the image-based search function 'Google Lens,' Vice President Taylor said, "The number of monthly searches reaches 20 billion, and one in four of these are searches with commercial intent or purpose." He added, "The 'Circle to Search' function linked to Google Lens allows users to search for elements of interest on the screen without switching apps, and leads searches to shopping." He also emphasized that Google and the video service YouTube play an...

Wemade has come forward to publicize the fact that Chinese game companies are not paying royalties related to the 'Legend of Mir 2' IP. The unpaid royalty revenue amounts to hundreds of billions of won. On the 14th, Wemade (CEO Park Gwan-ho) held a meeting to explain in detail the current status of the dispute surrounding the IP of the Legend of Mir 2. The Legend of Mir 2 is an online game IP jointly copyrighted by Wemade and Actozsoft, and is popular in both Korea and China. Wemade's core IP, 'Legend of Mir 2'. [Photo = Wemade] The company stated that Zhejiang Huanyou's 'Namyue Chronicles (in service)', Jiuling's 'Yongseong Jeonjia (service terminated)', and 'Jeongi Lai Liao (game name presumed to have changed)' are not paying royalties and compensation to Wemade. These companies are all under the parent company of Shanghai Kingnet in China, and Wemade explains that Shanghai Kingnet is not paying royalties by ...

Samsung Electronics announced on the 21st that it has achieved considerable results from a project to restore the coral reef ecosystem under the sea using the Galaxy smartphone camera. In particular, Samsung Electronics developed and installed the 'Ocean Mode' function in the Galaxy camera to enable filming of coral reefs under the sea and monitoring the ecosystem. Samsung Electronics is taking pictures of coral reefs with the Galaxy camera for the 'Coral in Focus' marine ecosystem restoration project. [Photo = Samsung Electronics] Since last year, Samsung Electronics has been conducting the 'Coral in Focus' coral reef restoration project in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the American non-profit organization SeaTree. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego is a marine research institute established in 1903. ...

LG Electronics announced on the 21st that it will supply the next-generation cinema LED 'LG Miraclass' to Megabox. LG Electronics' cinema LED 'LG Miraclass' for theaters [Photo = LG Electronics] LG Electronics has decided to supply LG Miraclass to Megabox COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It has started operating the 'MEGA ǀ LED' special theater by installing LG Miraclass in two theaters, and plans to increase this to a total of three by the end of this month. It also plans to supply LG Miraclass to the newly opening Megabox East Pole store in Gwangjin-gu. LG Miraclass is a compound word of miracle and class, meaning 'amazing viewing experience'. It features 4K resolution, self-illuminating pixels that excel in contrast ratio and color reproducibility, and expresses the entire screen with uniform brightness. It also expresses deep darkness, rich colors, and textures on a clear screen without distortion. Based on the s...

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and representative malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis. It is considered a fatal disease with a low survival rate as most cases relapse within a year even after standard treatment including extensive brain resection. A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has discovered for the first time that glioblastoma has precancerous cells that have the potential to deteriorate into cancer cells. KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on the 21st that the research team led by Professor Jeong-Ho Lee of the Graduate School of Medical Science and Technology has identified 'precancerous cells' that are the source of glioblastoma evolution, recurrence , and treatment resistance. It has been revealed that precancerous cells differentiate from cancer mutation-originating cells (brain stem cells) and play a key role in the evolution, recurrence, and formation of intratumoral heter...

As US President Donald Trump restricted exports of NVIDIA's artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor, H20, to China, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang visited China and expressed his will to continue cooperation with China. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang arrived in Beijing, China on the 17th [Photo = Weibo capture] According to China's state-run CCTV, CEO Huang met with Zhu Renhongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), during his visit to Beijing on the 17th. During the meeting, CEO Huang praised China, saying, "China is not only one of the world's largest consumer markets, but also has a dynamic industrial ecosystem with cutting-edge software capabilities," and "It has become a key driving force for NVIDIA's innovation." He also emphasized, "The US government's semiconductor export controls have already had a significant impact on NVIDIA's business," and "We will c...

Gravity Game Vision (GGV), the Hong Kong branch of Gravity, announced on the 18th that it has officially launched its new mobile game 'Ragnarok: Back to Glory' in Southeast Asia. Ragnarok: Back to Glory is a 3D MMORPG based on the original work's emotions. It supports both horizontal and vertical screen modes, so you can play the way you want, and the global integrated exchange system allows for free trading with users in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The official launch version will feature a new map and MVP boss, and you can enjoy party dungeon play and more. [Photo = Gravity] The company has selected a famous Thai actor as its promotional model and is communicating in various ways, such as through promotional videos. In addition, about 2 million people participated in the pre-registration held on the app market and the official pre-registration page from March 17th until the official launch. Kim Jin-hwan, CEO of Gravity Game Vision,...

Com2uS (CEO Nam Jae-kwan) announced on the 18th that it has started pre-registration for 'Starseed: Arsenic Trigger (hereinafter referred to as Starseed)' on the Japanese Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Com2uS begins pre-registration for 'Starseed: Arsenic Trigger' in Japan. [Photo = Com2uS] 'Starseed' is an AI pretty girl character collection RPG developed by Joycity (CEO Cho Sung-won) and serviced globally by Com2uS. Com2uS launched the domestic service of 'Starseed' on March 28th of last year, and expanded the service to approximately 160 regions including Asia, America, and Europe on November 28th. It reached the top of the Google Play Store popularity ranking within a day of its domestic release, and after its global release, it ranked first in Google's popular games in Thailand and Taiwan. It also ranked high in eight regions including Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In the case of Japan, it plans to a...

"Hey Gemini (Google's AI model), check if this code is malicious." With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity threats are becoming more sophisticated, but at the same time, AI is evolving into a 'shield' that detects and responds to them in real time. Evolving cybersecurity threats with the advancement of AI and cloud Mark Johnston, Google Cloud APAC's General Manager for Security, Networking and Collaboration, demonstrated a future security system in which AI detects malware with a simple command in his keynote speech at the '31st Information and Communications Network Information Security Conference (NetSec-KR 2025)' held at COEX in Seoul on the 17th. It showed the future of cybersecurity in which AI detects and responds to threats in real time. Mark Johnston, Google Cloud APAC's General Manager for Security, Networking and Collaboration, is giving a keynote speech at the '31st Informat...