Hancom achieved its largest-ever quarterly and half-year sales on the back of strong performance in its artificial intelligence (AI) business.
Hancom said on the 30th that, in a preliminary earnings filing, it posted 98.6 billion won in cumulative first-half sales and 31 billion won in operating profit on a standalone basis. Sales rose 7.2% from the first half of last year, marking a record half-year sales figure.
First-half operating profit was 31 billion won, down 9.6% from a year earlier. Net profit rose 23.3% to 40.7 billion won, reflecting investment gains from the sale of HANCOM InSpace equity.
Second-quarter sales were 52.1 billion won, the highest on record for a quarter. Operating profit was 13.4 billion won, with an operating margin of 25.7%. The cumulative first-half operating margin was 31.5%.
Hancom said AI product sales drove results. As of the end of June, cumulative AI product sales were 13.5 billion won, and in May, cumulative sales reached 10.3 billion won, surpassing last year's total AI sales of 8.9 billion won.
Hancom set this year's AI product sales target at 31.5 billion won. The annual sales and operating profit targets are 210 billion won and 60 billion won, respectively, with a target operating margin of 28.6%.
Cashable assets also increased. As of the end of the second quarter on a standalone basis, cash and cash equivalents and short-term financial products were 114.9 billion won, up 42.9 billion won from 72 billion won at the end of last year. On a consolidation basis, liquid assets were 185.3 billion won.
Hancom said it is reducing initial marketing expense and the burden of large-scale facility investment by supplying AI products to existing customers.
Among Hancom's business-to-business (B2B) customers, the share that shifted to AI package products increased from 4.2% at the end of March to 6.2% as of the end of June.
Hancom CEO Kim Yeon-su said, "Keeping pace with market changes, we are boldly investing in AI technology and business expansion while maintaining profitability and financial soundness, successfully carrying out our pivot to an AI company," adding, "This year, we will set a milestone with the commercialization of Agentic OS and leap forward as a global AI company targeting the domestic and European markets."