Analysts say Korea's Samsung, LG Electronics and Pantech are struggling in the handset market, which has grown intensely competitive now that vendors like Motorola are aggressively pursuing new markets in India and Brazil. The stronger value of the won against the dollar has also hurt export competitiveness. According to Woori Investment Securities, Samsung Electronics' share of the global mobile-phone business dropped 1.1 percentage points in the first quarter from the previous quarter. LG Electronics saw its market share increase marginally but saw deficits in its operating margins. Pantech underwent restructuring late last year, while VK Mobile, which is supplying handsets to MVNO Helio, has reportedly gone under. Analysts expect Korea's mobile-phone makers to post results in the second quarter that won't show much improvement from the first quarter.
To read more about the falling market share Korea's handset makers are facing:
- check out this article from JoongAng Daily