Google chairman meets LG execs at Cheongna

By Kim Ji-hyun and Shin Ji-hye


Google chairman Eric Schmidt on Thursday met with LG executives that could have included LG Electronics Vice Chairman Koo Bon-joon to discuss bilateral issues including the upcoming Nexus 5, sources close to the matter told The Korea Herald.

Schmidt reportedly arrived in a helicopter that parked at LG’s building in Cheongra district in Incheon at around 6 p.m., the sources said.

Cheongra is where LG operates an R&D complex for auto parts including motors, inverters and auto displays. 

"Since Google is developing driverless cars, there may be areas the two can cooperate in," said the source.

Schmidt earlier met with Samsung executives that are likely to have included Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jay-yong during his visit here.

This is the chairman’s fourth visit to Korea. The last time he visited was in September last year.

Google and LG have an ongoing Nexus project, namely the Nexus 5, which was to be launched earlier but was reportedly deferred due to LG Electronics’ concerns about overshadowing the G Flex, which is the electronics maker’s first curved phone, competing against Samsung’s Galaxy Round.

LG’s high-end Chrome lineup also may have been a topic for discussion, the sources said.

There had been little news about whether the Google chairman would be visiting LG, but sources said Schmidt would not have visited Samsung without also visiting LG.