[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics filed the largest number of patents in Korea among local companies in 2017, data showed on June 20, maintaining its top standing for the second year in a row.

According to the data compiled by industry tracker CEO Score, LG Electronics filed 2,892 patents to the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the highest figure among 500 companies surveyed.

Samsung Electronics followed with 2,742, with Hyundai Motor also posting 2,643, the industry tracker said, citing the KIPO data.

LG, which first outpaced Samsung in terms of new patents filed in 2016, and won a total of 9,103 patents over the previous three years, narrowing its gap with Samsung’s 9,201.

The smaller rival of Samsung focused on winning patents for handset, TV, and communication technologies, the data showed.

Other companies included in the top 10 list were LG Chem, POSCO, LG Display, Samsung Heavy Industries, LG Innotek, Samsung Display, and Kia Motors.

By conglomerate, LG Group filed a total of 7,693 patents last year, outpacing Samsung Group’s 5,212. Hyundai Motor Group, POSCO Group, and SK Group trailed with 4,063, 1,448, and 727 cases, respectively.

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