Korea's chemical company LG Chem posted 20 trillion won in sales and 1.8 trillion won in operating profits last year, according to its regulatory filing on Wednesday. 
 
The company's sales dipped 10.5 percent but its operating profits increased 39.1 percent from the previous year. LG Chem said, "Sales went down slightly due to the global economic slowdown and oil’s price fall,” adding, "However, the profitability was improved due to differentiated product portfolios."
 
By business area, its basic materials posted 14 trillion won in sales and 1.6 trillion won in operating profits. The sales dipped 15.2 percent and the operating income increased 50.1 percent year-on-year.
 
Its materials for information electronics recorded 2.7 trillion won in sales and 146 billion won in operating profits. The sales went down 1.7 percent and the operating income rose 8.9 percent from the previous year.
 
As for battery business, it posted 3.1 trillion won in sales and 500 million won in operating profits. The sales went up 10.4 percent but the operating profits dipped 99.2 percent.
 
LG Chem said its latest quarterly earnings posted 5 trillion won in sales, 352 billion won in operating profits and 207 billion won in net income.
 
Compared to the previous quarter, the sales went down 6.2 percent, operating profits went up 52 percent and net income rose 89.2 percent.