Samsung has developed to become the world’s biggest handset maker since the introduction of its Galaxy S smartphone series equipped with Google’s Android mobile operating platform. In contrast with Apple’s iOS, Samsung strengthened its partnership with Google for the Android mobile operating system which boasted being open platform. However, it seems that things may change with the demand for an improved variety of mobile platforms from handset manufacturers as well as mobile carriers.

beSUCCESS covers weekly news in Korea, 25 Mar.

Samsung Display recently dropped an injunction seeking a ban on their archenemy, LG Display. The ban was surrounded around the OLED, or organic light-emitting diode technology. Whether this is a reconciliatory move or purely for strategic purposes is up for debate.

South Korea is now the second most innovative country in the world, according to Bloomberg. The data compiled by financial and data provider ranked Korea behind the US – who topped the list by climbing 6 ranks. Korea moved up 1, from 3rd place to 2nd. The research indicated progress in Korea’s innovation-related sector. However, Korea’s productivity ranked relatively low at 32nd, while it made the top 10 in the seven other measures. The nation’s patent activity ranked first among the 50 countries in the ranking. Finland, which topped the ranking last year, fell to fourth place, while Japan and China ranked sixth and 29th, respectively.

SK Telecom Co.,South Korea’s top mobile operator reported a two-fold growth in its Q4 profit in 2012. They claimed that this was due to a decrease in marketing costs – meaning what? The results come as the country’s three mobile operators ― SK Telecom, KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. ― have been slowing down their marketing drive recently amid the communications watchdog’s move to cool market competition. In December last year, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) fined the three firms a combined 11.9 billion won and imposed business suspensions for giving out excessive subsidies to lure LTE subscribers.

Last week, Samsung made its biggest run yet at the iPhone’s loyalists by unveiling the new Galaxy S4 – this was done at Times Square, a few blocks away from Apple’s flagship store in New York. The event had big implications because it was at Apple’s home ground. What are some of the implications for Samsung’s launch?

For the first time this year, cheaper and smaller devices gained favor with the consumers. Google surpassed Apple in tablets — Google’s software will power more tablets than Apple’s, or so Bloomberg reported. It is expected that Google’s shares will rise to 49% in 2013, while Apple’s share will dip to 46% – last year they had 51%, and Google had 46%. Tablets from Google, and products from Samsung and Amazon are gaining favor due to their prices; the prices start at around $200, which is less than half the cost of the newest iPad model. iPad Mini was released to defend their market dominance amid mounting competition.

Samsung Galaxies – the specs, the evolution. Samsung’s Galaxy was first launched in 2010, and 20 million were sold. Samsung Galaxy S2 sold 28 million and was launched a year after that. Samsung Galaxy S3 was launched in 2012 and sold 50 million. Galaxy S4 was launched in 2013 and is available in 155 countries.

“There is energy in the Philippine startup ecosystem and it’s being powered by WebGeek.” This was John Arce’s cry, so we decided to take a look at the scene, with his guidance to determine what is happening in one of the hottest startup hubs in Asia.

It seems that iPad Mini will find itself with yet another competitor in the near future – Galaxy Note 8. The tension between Apple and Samsung is heating up again, with Apple’s iPhone 6 (rumored) and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 both featuring wireless charging.

A potential patent dispute could arise between LG and Samsung, who recently launched the new Galaxy S4. It was revealed that some technologies in the new handset are similar to patents belonging to LG.

Earlier this year we reported that smartphone penetration had reached 60%, and the new figure (only 2 months later) shows that a massive 67% of South Korean mobile subscribers use smartphones.

Galaxy S4 will be launched and have its first public appearance in New York City on March 14. What are some of its specs and what would it mean for fans of Samsung?

The Chinese government will strengthen its position in international trade and domestic performance by nurturing major electronics firms (and it this may threaten South Korean electronics companies). The Chinese government will support major electronics firms such as Huawei, Lenovo, Haier and ZTE until 2015. These companies are also leading the reconstructing and are expanding quickly in terms of both company size and net worth.

SparkLabs, a startup accelerator in Korea, hosted its first Demo Day today in Seoul, Korea. SparkLabs also announced its expansion into healthcare for its upcoming second class. Sparklabs is founded by Bernard Moon, Hanjoo Lee and Jimmy Kim.

beLAUNCH and GMIC have formed a strategic alliance to leverage the most from our flagship Asian startup events. beSUCCESS and The GWC will also be engaged in a long term alliance, bringing two of Asia’s heavyweight startup facilitators together, towards the achievement of our joint vision.

A decision has been made by a presidential committee to cancel regulatory measures on Web board games, citing a lack of legal grounding for the measures. Gaming shares have surged as a result.

The likes of KT, SK Telecom and LG Uplus are the indicator of what was going to come from other operators of the world. Korean mobile operators have become the measurement for deciphering global trends. Needless to say, the profile of Korean carriers has increased significantly since 2011 when LTE networks were set up.

Movida CEO, Taizo Son, is dedicated to creating a North East Asian equivalent to Silicon Valley, by investing in up to 1,000 startups from the region.

The Optimus LTE III apparently differs from the Optimus LTE II as it made significant improvements from the battery of Optimus LTE II (2,150 mAh) to 2,420 mAh battery. As seen in the picture, it will have flip covers like Galaxy Note series. Also, not only you will be able to expect 4G speeds and it will also be an economically competitive option for people who need a 4G smartphone at inexpensive costs.