SEOUL, KOREA - LG Electronics’ G3 smartphone is enjoying rising popularity, with its cumulative sales likely to pass the 10-million mark, first among LG smartphones.Backed by the growing popularity of G3, LG Electronics’ share in domestic smartphone market rose to near 30 percent, the highest since it launched the smartphone business in 2010.

LG Electronics’ mobile phone business is forecast to achieve more than 4 trillion won sales in the third quarter of this year. This would be the first time for LG’s mobile business to record more than 4 trillion won quarterly sales since the third quarter of 2009.

The G3 played a key role in reversing the history of LG Electronics. Until the first half of 2009, LG’s mobile phone business flourished, showing off a variety of smash-hit models, including Chocolate phone, Shine phone and Prada phone. LG, then, was a key rival to Samsung Electronics in the mobile phone business.

Apple iPhone landed in Korea in 2009, bringing the era of smartphone to Korea. Samsung Electronics instantly prepared to develop Galaxy series, while LG Electronics failed to respond swiftly to the sudden change of the market. Thereafter, the gap between Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics has widened sharply.