LG PDP TV Ranks 2nd in North American Markets

LG Electronics yesterday released rosy prospects for its securing second position in North America`s PDP market this year, announcing that it would sell over 5,000 PDP (Plasma Display Panel) sets to hotels, department stores, and stadiums in the U.S.

LG Electronics recently won a contract to install 14 42-inch PDP sets in the Empire State Building observatory in New York and is already working to set up 531 42-inch PDP sets at New York`s Millennium Hilton Hotel. The company also plans to provide 288 PDP sets and 293 LCD sets for VIP sky boxes at new football stadiums in Philadelphia. To meet market demands, LG Electronics has been running production lines in Mexico since February, which can produce about 100,000 PDP sets a year. The manufacturer is now focusing on entering distribution markets by strengthening alliances with other major distributors, such as Circuit City in the U.S.

LG PDP marketing director, Choi Cheol-gui, said that “LG aims to dominate the PDP TV market in North America by 2005, and plans to strengthen its distribution network for high-value-added digital appliances and to increase staff for PDP marketing.”

Tae-Han Kim freewill@donga.com