FILE PHOTO - A show attendee passes by the LG Electronics booth during the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 9, 2009. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s LG Electronics plans to start operating its new washing machine factory in the United States in the fourth quarter this year, its chief executive said on Thursday.

The start date for the Tennessee factory now being built has been moved forward from a previous target of Feb. 2019, Jo Seong-Jin, who is also vice chairman of LG Electronics, said on the sidelines of a trade show.

In November, the U.S. International Trade Commision recommended tariffs to keep LG and domestic rival Samsung Electronics from selling inexpensive washers in the U.S. market, a step that would benefit American appliance maker Whirlpool Corp.