About 100 million Samsung cell phones have been sold in the U.S. in 10 years since they hit the market there in 1997. Samsung Electronics said Thursday it sold a total of 24 million cell phones in the U.S. this year and the accumulated amount topped 100 million. With the sales record, the Korean company is expected to become the second largest cell phone provider in the U.S. this year, up one notch from third place last year.

Samsung had sold 10 million cell phones there in 2001 four years after it advanced into the U.S. market and more than 50 million by 2004. The U.S. is the first country where Samsung Electronics has sold more than 100 million phones.

According to a press release, Samsung Electronics’ telecommunications sector chief Lee Ki-tae said the company has been able to grow into a global cell phone brand thanks to success in the U.S., the world’s largest cell phone market.

(englishnews@chosun.com )