**LG Electronics Reports Significant Drop in Q3 Net Profit Amid Rising Logistics Costs**

Seoul: LG Electronics Inc. announced a substantial 81.4 percent decline in its third-quarter net profit, attributing the downturn to escalating logistics costs. The company's net income for the July-September period was recorded at 90.2 billion won ($65.4 million), a sharp fall from the 4.85 trillion won reported during the same period last year. According to Yonhap News Agency, LG Electronics disclosed in a regulatory filing that its operating profit decreased by 20.9 percent year-on-year to 751.9 billion won, down from 950.1 billion won. Despite the profit slump, sales increased by 10.7 percent to 22.17 trillion won, marking the highest sales figure for a third quarter in the company's history. However, the operating profit was 22.4 percent lower than the average estimate, based on a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data arm of Yonhap News Agency. The electronics giant credited its strategic pivot towards business-to-business operations for the consistent expansion in quarterly sales over the past year. Yet, the company's bottom line suffered due to increased global maritime logistics costs, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and heightened U.S. tariffs on China. LG Electronics' traditional home appliances sector maintained steady performance with sales reaching 8.3 trillion won, an 11.7 percent increase over the previous year, and operating profit rising by 5.5 percent to 527.2 billion won. The TV division recorded sales of 3.7 trillion won and an operating profit of 49.4 billion won. The vehicle component solutions segment, highlighted as one of LG's emerging flagship businesses, achieved sales of 2.6 trillion won and an operating profit of 1.1 billion won. Meanwhile, the business solution division reported an increase in sales to 1.4 trillion won but suffered an operating loss of 76.9 trillion won.