LG Telecom Q1 net rises 52 pct on lower costs

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SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- LG Telecom Ltd., South Korea's smallest mobile
carrier, said Monday its first-quarter earnings soared 52 percent from a year
earlier largely due to lower marketing costs.

Net income stood at 115.7 billion won (US$86.9 million) in the January-March
period, up 52.1 percent from 76 billion won a year earlier, LG Telecom said in a
regulatory filing.
Sales, however, fell 1.13 percent on-year to 1.15 trillion won, while operating
profit rose 58.8 percent to 142.7 billion won, it said.
Shares of LG Telecom stood at 8,800 won as of 10:00 a.m., up 2.07 pct from the
previous session.
The company said it cut marketing costs and capital expenditure due to the global
recession, but added it will increase expenses aggressively in developing its
fourth-generation mobile service beginning in the second quarter.
LG Telecom, the mobile unit of South Korea's third-largest conglomerate LG Group,
has a market share of 18 percent.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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