It was originally introduced as the LG Cyon SV420 in the Asian market in November 2006,[3] and debuted for other regions in February 2007.

[5] A clamshell shiny metal phone variant (model VX8700, also known as LG Shine Flip), for CDMA carriers such as Verizon Wireless, Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility, was released around the same time as the regular Shine.

The LG KE970 takes on a slider form; featuring a polished-metal exterior and stainless steel case.

Offering the same features as the original LG Shine though, in a shiny gold colour.

The main factors that differentiate the U970 are the lack of a microSD card reader and the addition of HSDPA and a front camera for videoconferencing.

In 2024, this model appeared on a drama Lovely Runner, as cellular phone used by Ryu Sun-jae, a character played by Byeon Woo-seok.