SEOUL--WPP PR agencies have been locked in successive pitches for six-figure global PR briefs from Korea’s LG Electronics.

The Holmes Report has learned that LG Mobile has narrowed its search for a global PR agency down to two WPP contenders: incumbent firm Burson-Marsteller and LG-One. The latter unit is the combined Ogilvy PR/Hill & Knowlton team that won LG Electronics’ global corporate PR activity in 2009.

Meanwhile, LG Display has selected Hill & Knowlton to handle its global PR account after a pitch that again included WPP sibling Burson-Marsteller.

The LG Mobile assignment is based in Seoul, but includes global product communications across Europe and North America. LG has struggled to carve out a successful smartphone offering against competitors such as Apple, RIM and Samsung; it is understood that the company is hoping to rejuvenate global perceptions.

The LG Mobile account is estimated at $500,000. The smaller LG Display assignment, meanwhile, will be led by Synergy Hill & Knowlton in Seoul, supported by H&K’s offices in China and San Francisco.

H&K’s responsibilities include strategic messaging and campaign planning as well as execution for LG Display corporate and product communication. LG Display is the world’s second-largest display maker, behind Korean rival Samsung Electronics.

Since winning the global corporate mandate in 2009, LG-One has expanded its remit to include several local markets in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.