Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., based in the Republic of Korea (ROK), announced Tuesday the opening of its new LCD service center in Hong Kong.

Samsung said the Hong Kong center will serve the local market, as well as other areas in South China and Southeast Asia.

Equipped with the most advanced facilities and experienced technicians, the 2,500-square-meter Samsung Hong Kong LCD Service Center is located in Sha Tin.

It can handle 6,000 items per month -- representing the largest capacity in the world outside of ROK.

At the opening ceremony held on Tuesday, President of Samsung Electronics HK Co. Ltd. BJ Chung said that the establishment of the service center in Hong Kong demonstrated the company's long-term commitment to using the city as a regional base to serve the region.

Chung explained the strategic importance of the center to the company's business development. He said there was rising demand in the global LCD market.

"We are selling around 10,000 40-inch and larger panels per month around the world. As the key market player, Samsung Electronics is committed to providing top standard after sales services to our customers," he said.

"Our new service center in Hong Kong will play an important role in enhancing our quality and shortening the turnaround time for our services. This will strengthen our overall competitiveness in the region," Chung said.

Associate Director-General of Hong Kong Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong John Rutherford officiated at the opening ceremony.

"We welcome Samsung Electronics decision in choosing Hong Kong to set up one of the company's largest service centers," Rutherford said. "An investment of this size by one of the world's great technology companies is a great vote of confidence in Hong Kong's business environment," he added.

Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd. is one of the global leaders in LCD, semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies. In 2004, the parent company recorded sales of 55.2 billion US dollars and a net income of 10.3 US dollars.

In addition to ROK and Hong Kong, Samsung Electronics operates LCD service centers in US, Britain, Japan and some other countries and regions.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2005)