Seoul: Emart Inc., South Korea's leading discount retailer, reported a second-quarter net loss of 31.4 billion won (US$22.6 million), marking continued financial difficulties compared to the previous year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Emart's operating income for the April-June period was 21.6 billion won, an improvement from a loss of 34.6 billion won a year earlier. However, the company's sales experienced a slight decline of 0.2 percent, totaling 7.03 trillion won during the same period.

The operating profit for the quarter was 34.6 percent lower than the average estimate, as revealed by a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency. The report did not provide an estimate for net profit.