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Samsung's partnership with Japanese appliance maker Sony remains intact, a senior Samsung executive has said, denying reports that the alliance has come to an end.
Samsung LCD president Lee Sang-wan, at an industrial meeting at the Renaissance Hotel on Monday, denied a breakup with Sony. The Japanese news outlets recently reported that Sony signed a long-term contract with Sharp to purchase next-generation liquid crystal displays. Asked if there is anything wrong with Samsung-Sony partnership, Lee said that his company did not sever ties with the Japanese firm.
However, Lee did not answer a question whether Samsung had received prior notice of Sony's new contract with Sharp. Sony and Samsung made a joint investment of W2 trillion (US$1=W947) in establishing S-LCD in 2003. Since then, Sony has purchased all the LCDs it needs from the joint venture.
Observers say the Samsung-Sony partnership may yet collapse in the wake of reports of a Sony-Sharp partnership. Sony plans to announce its official position this week. But LG Philips LCD president Kwon Young-soo, who also attended the meeting, called Sony's deal with Sharp ¡°a natural decision¡± insofar as a TV maker does not rely on a single LCD supplier and Sony may have wanted to diversify suppliers. Kwon said his company is poised to build a new plant for next-generation active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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