As part of its Google-led overhaul to become a lean and mean smartphone outfit, Motorola is pulling out of South Korea next year. Around 540 jobs will be lost, with 60-or-so staffers being offered a chance to relocate to the company's R&D departments elsewhere. It's not the first high-profile departure from the country this year, after HTC found it difficult to compete with the local superpowers -- and we can't imagine it'll be the last.