LG Group plans to invest a total of 7.3 trillion won ($7.4 billion) in R&D projects by 2007, including 3.2 trillion won for this year. At a meeting on the R&D results of LG Group held at LG Chemical Technology Research Center in Daejeon on March 23, Koo Bon-moo, chairman of the business group, said, "LG researchers make best efforts to develop new technology that can offer customers new value and lead the future market." Related to this, LG plans to expand the number of researchers, including those holding master's degree or doctorate, from 19,500 early this year to 24,500 next year with the portion of R&D manpower soaring from 16 percent of the total to 19 percent. LG Electronics and LG Chemical will be actively fostered as enterprises specialized in information, home appliance, and electronics materials. LG Electronics will divide it business arena into three sectors _ extensively fostering business (PDP, LCD TV, thirdgeneration mobile phone), new business (mobile device, car infotainment, home network), and the future-oriented business (post PC and intellectual robot). LG Chemical will seek ways to develop petrochemical products carrying high value added, while fostering the future-growth engines, including energy and state-of-the-art display materials. At the meeting, some 250 LG executives and senior officials, including Kang Yoo-shik, vice chairman of LG Group, Kim Ssang-soo, vice chairman of LG Electronics, and Koo Bon-joon, vice chairman of LG Philips LCD, attended.