AFP April 26, 2018 03:01 78 Profits bump thanks to strong demand for memory chips, smartphones Net profit for the January to March period hit 11.69 trillion won ($10.8 billion) SEOUL: Samsung Electronics reported a 52 percent jump in its first quarter net profit Thursday, thanks to strong demand for memory chips and its latest flagship smartphone. Net profit for the January to March period hit 11.69 trillion won ($10.8 billion), up from 7.68 trillion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit was a record 15.64 trillion won, in line with the estimate of 15.6 trillion won suggested in a preliminary guidance report released earlier this month. “The semiconductor business posted solid earnings — 11.55 trillion won in operating profit on a 20.78 trillion won revenue — on strong demand for memory chips,” the company said in a statement. Total sales grew 19.8 percent to 60.56 trillion won and Samsung expects the memory business to maintain its strong performance in the second quarter. But generating overall earnings growth across the company will be a challenge due to weakness in the display panel segment and a decline in profitability in the mobile business in the face of rising competition, it said