[Yonhap News Photo]
South Korean cosmetics giant AmorePacific on Monday reported a 33 percent increase in first-quarter net income thanks to brisk sales in China and other foreign countries.
In the January-March period, AmorePacific's net profit rose to 325 billion won (284 million US dollars) from 244 billion a year earlier.
First-quarter operating profit soared 31 percent on-year to 419 billion won on sales of 1.75 trillion won which rose 22 percent, the company said in a regulatory filing.
AmorePacific's sales have seen a dramatic increase in the past five years, buoyed by South Korea's pop culture wave "Hallyu". Its profit jumped 52 percent on-year to 585 billion won last year.
Hallyu sparked the tremendous popularity of South Korean cosmetics in Asia. Their shipments hit a record high of $2.45 billion last year. AmorePacific has vowed to step up sales abroad, and market analysts have predicted its sales this year would grow more than 30 percent.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com