UPDATE 3-Whirlpool wins duties on S.Korea, Mexico refrigerators

* Fridge imports from two countries topped $3 bln in 2010

* Samsung, LG says they will fight duties (Updates with announcement, Samsung, LG comments)

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday handed American manufacturer Whirlpool a victory over some of its fiercest foreign competition by slapping preliminary anti-dumping duties of up to 37 percent on bottom-mount refrigerators made in South Korea and Mexico.

"When foreign companies like Samsung and LG violate trade laws, they destroy the ability of United States producers to invest, innovate and create jobs here in America," Whirlpool Corp. spokesperson Kristine Vernier said in a statement welcoming the decision.

The 100-year-old American company has 23,000 U.S. employees and manufactures bottom-mount refrigerators at its plant in Amana, Iowa. Its global workforce is 71,000.

Whirlpool accused South Korean and Mexican producers of selling the appliances, which have the freezer section below the refrigerator, in the U.S. market at unfairly low prices in a complaint filed with the Commerce Department this year.

The Michigan-based manufacturer also said its South Korean competitors receive government subsidies, but the Commerce Department denied duties on that front in an earlier preliminary ruling.

The United States imported about $881 million of all types of refrigerators from South Korea in 2010, up sharply from $601 million in 2009.

Imports from Mexico totaled more than $2.31 billion in 2010, up from $1.95 billion in 2009.

The Commerce Department slapped a 36.65 percent anti-dumping duty on Samsung refrigerators made in Mexico and 32.20 percent on its refrigerators made in South Korea.

"Samsung disagrees with the preliminary findings, and is confident that once the full investigation is concluded, the Department of Commerce will determine that Samsung is in compliance with U.S. trade laws," a company spokeswoman said.

A final Commerce Department decision on anti-dumping and countervailing duties is expected around March of next year. In addition, the U.S. International Trade Commission must give its approval for duties to remain in force.

Commerce slapped a 16.44 percent duty on LG's Mexican-made refrigerators and a 4.09 percent duty on its South Korean-made refrigerators.

Wayne Park, president and chief executive of LG Electronics USA, said the company was confident the Commerce Department's final determination "will demonstrate that bottom-mount refrigerators have not been dumped in the United States."

Meanwhile, the department said it was not imposing any anti-dumping duties on another Korean manufacturer, Daewoo, targeted by Whirlpool in its case.

Two other companies, Mabe and Electrolux, were hit with duties of 36.21 percent and 19.80 percent respectively on their Mexican-made products.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)