One-Point Personnel Reshuffle on the 21st
'Semiconductor Shinwha' Key Figures Deployed
"Proactive Measures to Strengthen Future Semiconductor Competitiveness"
President Kyung Gye-hyun Voluntarily Resigns
Assumes Head of Future Business Planning Team to Discover Future Growth Engines
On the 21st, Samsung Electronics made a surprise personnel appointment by naming Jeon Young-hyun, Head of the Future Business Planning Group (64, Vice Chairman), as the new leader of its semiconductor business. This was a sudden 'one-point' personnel move carried out on the same day. It is interpreted as a decision made by Samsung Electronics to revitalize the atmosphere and lead the market this year after recovering from a loss of about 15 trillion won caused by the semiconductor industry's downturn last year. Kyung Kye-hyun, head of the Semiconductor (DS) Division, moved to the position of Head of the Future Business Planning Group, previously held by Vice Chairman Jeon.
Vice Chairman Jeon, appointed as the new head of the DS Division, is known as a key figure in the 'semiconductor myth.' He joined Samsung Electronics' Memory Business Division in 2000, working on DRAM and Flash development and strategic marketing, and served as the head of the Memory Business Division from 2014. In 2017, he moved to SDI and served as CEO for five years. In 2024, he was appointed Vice Chairman and Head of the Future Business Planning Group at Samsung Electronics, discovering future growth engines for Samsung Electronics and its affiliates.
Vice Chairman Jeon is expected to lead the DS Division by focusing on semiconductor technology gap innovation and strengthening future competitiveness through technological innovation and organizational revitalization.
Last year, Samsung Electronics' DS Division posted an annual loss of 14.88 trillion won due to sluggish semiconductor market conditions. While the IT demand downturn was a major factor, there were also criticisms that the company failed to properly respond to next-generation technology development and market preemption, losing leadership in the rapidly growing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market to SK Hynix.
In the first quarter of this year, thanks to the recovery of front-end demand and rising memory prices, Samsung Electronics succeeded in turning a profit for the first time in five quarters since Q4 2022 and is accelerating mass production of the 12-layer HBM3E, the 5th generation of HBM. Samsung Electronics stated, "Vice Chairman Jeon is the key figure who grew Samsung Electronics' memory semiconductor and battery businesses to a global top level, and it is expected that he will overcome the semiconductor crisis based on his accumulated rich management know-how."
It is known that President Kyung voluntarily stepped down as head of the division to find a new breakthrough amid the recent semiconductor crisis. He reportedly consulted with Han Jong-hee, Head of the Device Experience (DX) Division, and reported in advance to the board of directors. However, Kyung will continue to serve as the head of SAIT (formerly Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology), a position he previously held.
Since 2020, Kyung has served as CEO of Samsung Electro-Mechanics, enhancing the competitiveness of multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) technology. From 2022, he has led Samsung Electronics' DS Division, overseeing the semiconductor business, and will lead the Future Business Planning Group to spearhead the discovery of future growth engines.
Samsung Electronics stated that no follow-up personnel changes have been considered for division heads or business unit heads below the division head level. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics also appointed Yoo Kyu-tae, Vice President and Head of Strategic Marketing Team of the Medical Device Business Division, as the new head of the Medical Device Business Division and CEO of Samsung Medison on the same day.
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