SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean handset maker LG Electronics Inc. on Monday confirmed plans to release the "Optimus G Pro," a follow-up to its flagship smartphone "Optimus G."

   The Optimus G Pro, which is likely to be launched locally in the first quarter, is set to pack a 5.5-inch full high-definition (HD) display and run on a quad-core application processor, the company said.

LG said it plans to ramp up the user experience and hardware features of the Optimus G on the new device.