A model poses with LG Display's transparent OLED-based T-Console display at an exhibition titled "Invitation to Open Innovation" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of LG Display

By Baek Byung-yeul

LG Display is seeking to expand into the business-to-business (B2B) sector with its transparent OLEDs as the company believes various industries such as retail, transportation, mobility, the arts and entertainment will increasingly utilize the company's new display technology in order to increase promotional effectiveness and user convenience, the display maker said Thursday.

To let more people glimpse at the future of the transparent OLED-using world, the company is currently holding an exhibition titled "Invitation to Open Innovation" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The exhibition is designed to show how LG Display is seeking innovation with its transparent OLEDs in various industries.

LG Display is the only company that succeeded in developing and mass-producing the transparent OLEDs. The company said the transparent OLEDs maximize the advantages of OLED that self-emit light. The new technology has a high transparency and is thin and light enough to replace existing types of glass.

Visitors to Invitation to Open Innovation" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul take a look at how ancient artifacts are buried on the floor made of LG Display's transparent OLEDs, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

Comprised of six zones, LG Display exhibited how its transparent OLEDs can be used in digital signage, architecture, mobility, workspaces, living spaces, digital art and museums at the exhibition.

At each exhibition zone, the company enables visitors to see how the transparent OLEDs are used as doors, windows, partitions or in our everyday lives. They can also be applied to vehicles or subway train windows.

LG Display emphasized that companies using its transparent OLEDs can also generate advertising revenue as the screen shows not only information to passengers such as subway lines and train arrival times but also video advertisements.

When the displays are used on the wall or window, people can use their desks or conference rooms more widely. Also, the transparent OLEDs are expected to be useful for arts and cultural spaces.

The market size of the transparent OLEDs this year is estimated at around 100 billion won ($78.35 million), but the market is forecast to grow rapidly. According to Boston Consulting Group, the market will be expanded to 3 trillion won in 2025 and 12 trillion won by 2030.

An LG Display employee introduces how its transparent OLED can be used in luxury handbag store during the "Invitation to Open Innovation" exhibition at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

"The transparent OLEDs is something only LG Display can do. Any place that uses space can use the transparent OLEDs, so we expect the business has high potential, way beyond the existing display market," Kim Hee-yeon, chief strategy officer of the company, said.

Yeo Chun-ho, vice president of the company, said "many companies in B2B, retail, public institutions, banks and museums have shown their interests in the transparent OLEDs."

"In particular, companies that have their shops at the Incheon International Airport have suggested a lot of idea to apply transparent OLEDs to signage," the vice president added.