LG Electronics said Thursday it would roll out 55-inch organic light-emitting diode televisions nationwide on Monday as it strove to obtain the top position in next-generation TVs.

The world’s No. 2 TV maker said that it would be the world’s first to display the OLED TVs at stores across the nation on Feb. 18. It will begin shipping its 100 pre-ordered TV sets on the same day. The price of the new 55-inch OLED TV will be above 11 million won ($10,144).

The company said it aimed to increase its flat-screen sales by 15 percent this year with its new lineup of next-generation TVs as well as Cinema 3-D Smart TVs. This is 10 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the entire industry expected this year.

LG also plans to ship its 55-inch and 65-inch Ultra High Definition TVs in the third quarter with pricing around 6 million won to 7 million won, according to Lee In-kyu, recently appointed head of TV business unit at LG.

“On top of the fact that LG is launching a 55-inch OLED and has released the 84-inch UHD TVs for the first time in the world, Korea is rising as a test bed for next-generation TVs,” said Kwon Hee-won, president of LG’s home entertainment business.

“Strengthened by our partner LG Display’s competitiveness, we will work to expand our industry-leading role.”

The new lineup of Cinema 3-D Smart TVs, which were released here Thursday, will offer signature features like the redesigned Magic Remote with added functions such as voice recognition and Voice Mate, a voice-operated search feature.

Now On, an advanced service that recommends video-on-demand and broadcast programs, is also in place, on top of its narrower bezel design, according to its officials.

Kwon did not provide a rosy outlook for the 2013 global TV market, but said the industry would be little impacted by volatile exchange rates.

“Since we have our production bases in many locations around the world, we are less impacted by the currency rate, but more influenced by how we localize the products,” he said. “We must be able to lead the market by knowing the needs of different customers and also come up with ways to embed the premium functions in the lineup of lower-cost TVs.”

Kwon also said that its Chinese rivals were more of a threat than Japanese TV makers because the China-based firms had the technology to develop modules.

“They have caught up a great deal in user interface and design, but there’s a 3-4 year gap in terms of technology,” he said. “It’s a matter of how fast the Korean firms continue to advance.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)