[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics said on June 11 sales of its premium refrigerators in Korea shot up fivefold over the January-May period of 2018 compared to a year earlier.

The Korean tech giant said sales of the Family Hub refrigerators increased sharply on-year in the first five months of 018 as their top-notch features, including the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technology, appealed to local consumers.

The Family Hub refrigerator comes with a 21.5-inch screen installed on the door and supports the Bixby voice-recognition system, allowing users to, for example, find recipes or play music.

Following rising demand for premium refrigerators, Samsung said its production line in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, has been operating at full capacity.

The company added that the 2018 model of the Samsung Chef Collection refrigerator, released in April, has been well received by consumers and is selling well.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)