FIERCE COMPETITION OVER 8K TV'S

[Anchor Lead]

Samsung and LG, archrivals in Korea's electronics industry, are engaging in even more heated competition these days to promote their state-of-the-art 8K TVs. They are going so far as to highlight and publicize the flaws of each other's product. Market analysts say that this intensifying competition between domestic companies is attributable to a deepening crisis in the LCD industry.

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8K TVs are viewed as a cutting-edge development with a super-ultra high definition panel, which is four times better than existing displays. Samsung and LG began an 8K TV war against each other at a consumer electronics show in the German capital of Berlin earlier this month.

[Soundbite] LEE JEONG-SEOK(LG ELECTRONICS(SEP. 6)) : "Our TV offers a combination of the best video quality and the highest resolution."

[Soundbite] JEONG JUN-HO(SAMSUNG ELCTRONICS(SEP. 6)) : "We will expand the QLED 8K TV lineup."

On the domestic front, the two tech giants held comparative presentations on the same day and condemned each other's product. While LG claimed that its 8K TV offers a better video quality, denouncing its rival's products as failing to meet the international standard,

[Soundbite] (LG ELECTRONICS OFFICIAL) : "I am asking you to compare the number of stars and display brightness the LG OLED model offers with those of other QLED TVs."

Samsung hit back at LG by directly comparing the quality of images on both TVs.

[Soundbite] (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS OFFICIAL) : "Please consider LG's lack of content tailored for 8K TVs."

Market analysts say that behind this conflict is their desperate efforts to survive in the competitive TV market. As Chinese companies have dominated the LCD TV market with a low pricing strategy, the two Korean firms are battling it out to get a head start in the market for state-of-the-art TVs. The display businesses of Samsung and LG are carrying out massive layoffs due to a slump in the LCD industry.

[Soundbite] KIM DONG-WON(KB SECURITIES) : "It is necessary for Samsung and LG to adopt a strategy to exit the LCD business, while switching to advanced business models through the adoption of business structures focused on OLED."

LG Display is heavily shifting to the 8K TV business by setting up an OLED display factory in Guangzhou, China. Samsung is reviewing a plan to invest in quantum-dot OLED display development. Demand for next-generation OLED TVs is predicted to reach ten million units by 2022 and the battle between the two tech giants will likely heat up further.