SEOUL, April 29 (Reuters) - SK Innovation Co Ltd

, owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, said

on Monday it expects solid refining margins to continue in the

second quarter backed by firm demand from the strong economy.

The company posted an operating profit of 625 billion won

($454.07 million) for the January-March period, versus a 375

billion won profit a year earlier. That compared with an average

analyst forecast of 466 billion won.

($1 = 1,376.4300 won)