[Power K-Women] "Small Success Experiences Are Important... Overcome Fear and Take on Challenges"

Jeon Jin-su, Former CEO of Super Labs... Expanding into Manufacturers, Telecoms, and Developers
Pioneering New Businesses in Virtual Reality (VR), Metaverse, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
"Innovation Comes from Convergence... Communication and Respect Are Key"
A Pause After 24 Years... "Career Is a Long-Distance Marathon"

Jeon Jin-su, former CEO of Superlabs, is nicknamed the "extreme empiricist." He says he feels satisfied only when he physically confronts challenges. His career spans a wide spectrum. He has worked across major corporations and startups alike, including Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, and Superlabs, covering manufacturers, telecom companies, and software (SW) developers. Within these roles, he took charge of new businesses such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended virtual worlds (metaverse), and generative artificial intelligence (AI). Pioneering new fields ahead of others inevitably involves risks as much as opportunities. This is especially true for uncharted new technologies. Some ask, "Why step forward to face the cold wind first?" but Jeon said, "Precisely because of that, I was able to break through like the tip of an arrow." After joining Samsung Electronics in 2000 and running tirelessly, he stepped down as CEO of Superlabs last September. We met Jeon, who is taking his first break in a 24-year career.

"The experience of small successes is important"

Jeon’s willingness to stand at the forefront began with small successes. He joined Samsung Electronics’ wireless division as an SW engineer and was immediately assigned a major project: developing the first flagship phone targeting the U.S. market, the 'SPH-A500.' It was a color phone equipped with a high-definition liquid crystal display (LCD) and the first to integrate a game engine. Despite being priced 10-20% higher than competitors like Sony and Ericsson, it received a positive response. On a business trip to the U.S., a man sitting next to him played games on the phone throughout the flight and boasted, "Isn't this phone really cool?" Jeon replied, "I’m the one who developed that (SPH-A500)." He explained, "After months of working day and night, the success felt like climbing a big step. Gaining confidence, I began developing at the forefront."

Jeon developed software across various devices such as the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab series. He also participated in developing devices for China, Japan, and Europe. This process provided opportunities to communicate with global platform companies and application (app) developers. Experiencing diverse devices, platforms, and markets broadened his perspective. By his 12th year, he was confident he had done everything possible at a device manufacturer. He said, "I started when Motorola was the competitor and experienced surpassing Apple with the Galaxy S2. To grow further, change is necessary."

Power K Women - Interview with Jeon Jin-su, CEO of Jeon Super Labs. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Ten years in new businesses... proven through intensity and consistency

In 2012, Jeon moved to SK Telecom, where he was responsible for AR, VR, and immersive media. His role was to develop new content and services suited for the upcoming 5G era. He jumped into new attempts without hesitation. The 'Life Log' service introduced at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC) and the 'HoloBox' launched in 2018 were his creations. The Life Log service reads the user's lifestyle from smartphone texts, schedules, app information, and surrounding device data to provide tailored services. Although wearable devices like smartwatches became popular later and life log services such as sleep management diversified, 2014 was much earlier than that. HoloBox is AI you can see. When you speak to the cylindrical box, an AI-based hologram character appears and converses with you. At the time, he collaborated with SM Entertainment to create a hologram of Red Velvet member 'Wendy.' Jeon recalled, "Looking back, it was a very early attempt. Although we had to discontinue it due to lack of business viability, the technology laid the foundation for Ifland (metaverse) and A.Dot (AI personal assistant)."

Continuing work that might fail was not easy. He had to persuade not only company executives but also team members. This is why Jeon fiercely proved his vision by launching new services every year. Consistency was also his weapon. If he failed to achieve goals, he was ready to quit the company. When SK Telecom first imported Meta’s VR headset 'Oculus Quest 2,' Korea was a market where customers needed to try devices in offline stores and receive after-sales service (AS). However, Meta insisted on direct sales only through its official website. Jeon said, "To support promising Korean VR startups, Oculus had to enter Korean stores. I persuaded them for nearly three years," adding, "In 2021, we secured distribution rights in Korea for the first time."

Power K Woman - Interview with Jeon Jin-su, CEO of Jeon Super Labs. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

His intensity and consistency accumulated into achievements. Global big tech companies responded first. He was invited twice to Google I/O, Google's largest developer event, in 2015 and 2017. SK Telecom collaborated with Google to showcase AR and VR platforms. It was unusual for a Korean company to be invited twice to present technology. Jeon said, "Although AR and VR were not yet in the spotlight, collaborating with big tech gave us strength within the organization." At the time, Park Jung-ho, then Vice Chairman of SK Hynix leading SK Telecom, and Yoo Young-sang, current SK Telecom CEO, were his strong supporters.

Building on internal and external support, he launched the metaverse platform 'Ifland' in 2021. English, Chinese, and Japanese versions were created and released simultaneously in 49 countries. The platform featured global content such as K-pop concerts and photo ops with local influencers, breaking the limitations of a telecom company that had been confined to the domestic market. Within five months of launch, monthly active users (MAU) surpassed one million.

Competition is 'yesterday’s self'... "Never stop challenging"

Jeon never stopped challenging himself. Although he launched the metaverse by consolidating his accumulated technologies, new challenges caught his eye. He said, "The metaverse is quite labor-intensive, requiring painstaking computer graphics work. Integrating AI technology could change the game." To quickly adapt to change, he left SK Telecom and chose entrepreneurship. In 2022, he founded Superlabs, which creates virtual characters using generative AI. Upon founding, he received investment from Naver. Superlabs was incorporated as a subsidiary of Snow, a Naver affiliate responsible for investing in and discovering promising services.

Power K Woman - Interview with Jeon Jin-su, CEO of Jeon Super Labs. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Although his career has been ever-changing, he follows certain principles with each new challenge. First, he aims to be better than "yesterday’s self." Placing himself at the center of competition, if he cannot grow further, he boldly embraces change. Another principle is contributing to the organization. He chooses paths that allow others in the organization to grow alongside him. Jeon emphasized, "Having been in the IT industry for over 20 years, I’ve seen that innovation comes from connecting different things to create new value. It’s not just about my own success; communicating with others and respecting unfamiliar fields is important."

His recent decision to step down as CEO of Superlabs also followed these principles. Perhaps because he had never rested before, burnout led him to take time to recharge. He is now catching up on exercise and reading while mentoring other startups. He said, "Even when I’m in my 70s or 80s, I want to keep growing and helping others. Taking a break and coming back is a way to sustain that." Jeon advises juniors to keep challenging themselves. Encountering new things is always daunting, but he believes that doing nothing leads to nothing. He said, "(Considering childbirth and childcare) a woman’s career is a long-distance marathon. Don’t rush; look for new opportunities."

▶About former CEO Jeon Jin-su

He completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer engineering at Hanyang University. From 2000, he worked as an SW engineer in Samsung Electronics’ wireless division. In 2012, he moved to SK Telecom, where he was responsible for AR, VR, immersive media, and 5GX service development. From 2020, he served as Vice President and head of the metaverse division, leading metaverse business. After leaving SK Telecom at the end of 2021, he founded Superlabs in 2022. He left Superlabs last September to pursue new challenges. Superlabs was merged into Snow, a Naver subsidiary.