(Yicai) July 31 -- LG Display, a South Korean panel giant, may change its plan to sell its 8.5-generation liquid crystal display production line in Guangzhou, China's southern Guangdong province, after the global LCD market improved in the first half.

LG Display has postponed its sale schedule for the 8.5G LCD production line in Guangzhou after significant ease of operating pressure, a senior analyst from the panel sector told Yicai, without providing details about the latest development.

Seoul-based LG Display planned to sell its 8.5G LCD production line in Guangzhou this year to turn a loss into a profit as soon as possible, according to previous information.

In addition to reducing losses, LG Display's plan to sell the production line matches the general trend of South Korean panel makers shifting their business focus to organic light-emitting diode panels, Huang Dan, senior research manager of AVC Revo, told Yicai, pointing out that the South Korean firm is the world's leading supplier of large OLED panels.

LG Display selling its production line in Guangzhou will mean that South Korean panel makers have retreated from the LCD panel market, so their Chinese peers will amplify their global strength, leading to South Korean television producers relying more on the supply of Chinese panels, Huang noted. This is likely one of the reasons for the hesitation to sell the assets, Huang added.

LG Display's 8.5G LCD panels made in Guangzhou are mainly bought by South Korean companies, including the world's largest TV maker Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. Potential buyers of the production lines include Chinese LCD panel giants BOE Display Technology and TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology and TV contract manufacturer MTC.

Prices of panels for LCD TVs, OLED phones, and information technology-related products jumped in the first half, with leading panel suppliers turning losses into profits or narrowing losses after the market cooled last year. However, prices declined again this month.

Editor: Martin Kadiev