Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that its operating profit fell some 53 percent last year due to a slump in its semiconductor business. 

According to the world's largest memory chip maker, its operating profit came to 27-point-77 trillion won last year, down 52-point-84 percent from a year earlier.
 
The tech firm's annual sales posted 230-point-four trillion won last year, down five-point-48 percent on-year. Its net profit plunged 50-point-98 percent on-year to 21-point-74 trillion won. 

Operating profit for the fourth quarter of last year slipped 33-point-seven percent on-year to seven-point-two trillion won, beating market estimates by over ten percent.