[Exclusive] Taiwan Semiconductor Expert's Direct Advice: "Lee Kunhee's New Management Was Brilliant, But Times Have Changed... Samsung Needs a New Management Philosophy"

Colley Hwang of Digitimes: "Samsung's 1993 'New Management' Declaration Was Brilliant, But Times Have Changed"
"Samsung Needs a 'Second New Management' Philosophy... Korea and Taiwan Must Cooperate"
"Korea and Taiwan Are 'Co-creation' Partners, Not Competitors... Taiwan Cannot Catch Up in HBM Within 10 Years"
"The Real Rival Is Shenzhen, China... The Threat of Low-Cost Memory Is More Concerning Than HBM"

Kolly Hwang, Chairman of Taiwan Digitimes, a leading global semiconductor analysis institution and media outlet, emphasized the necessity of semiconductor cooperation between South Korea and Taiwan, advising Samsung Electronics that "as times have changed, a new management philosophy is needed."

On the 10th, at the National Assembly, Chairman Hwang offered in-depth advice on Samsung Electronics' future leadership in an interview with The Asia Business Daily. He highly praised former Chairman Lee Kunhee's 1993 "New Management" declaration, calling it a "brilliant decision." He explained that Samsung's shift away from low-price competition toward technology, branding, and capital-intensive projects is what shaped today's Samsung.

Hwang Collie, Chairman of Taiwan Digitimes, is speaking at a seminar held at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

Nevertheless, Chairman Hwang directly stated, "Now that the world has changed, Samsung also needs a new philosophy to run the company." He added, "Leadership and mission are extremely important. Morris Chang of TSMC is a good example."

Regarding semiconductor competition between South Korea and Taiwan, he presented cooperation as a core task. He said, "We cannot rely solely on the United States and China. We must survive," stressing the need for South Korea and Taiwan to seek ways to cooperate, particularly in the semiconductor sector. He recommended that major Korean semiconductor companies invest in research collaborations with Taiwanese firms, while predicting that Japan would abandon semiconductor development and instead focus on semiconductor equipment.

Chairman Hwang acknowledged that South Korea and Taiwan do compete in some areas, but pointed out that "co-sharing" and "co-creation" across the industry as a whole are far more important.

Kolly Hwang, Chairman of Taiwan Digitimes, is talking with Go Dongjin, a member of the People Power Party, at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

He cited HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) as a concrete example. Chairman Hwang stated, "Frankly, it is impossible for Taiwan to independently produce high bandwidth memory (HBM) within the next 10 years," and added, "The reality is that we have to purchase HBM from South Korea." As an example, he mentioned that South Korea recently recorded its largest-ever trade surplus with Taiwan, which occurred because SK Hynix supplied HBM to TSMC in Taiwan for deliveries to Nvidia.

Chairman Hwang also mentioned that he recently met with Intel's CEO and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Junghyun Jeon, stressing that South Korea and Taiwan should cooperate rather than keep each other in check.

He discussed the "ultra-dense society" and "low birth rate" issues that both South Korea and Taiwan face, diagnosing that it would be difficult for any other country to catch up with them. He said, "Taiwan's real competitor is not South Korea, but Shenzhen, China."

Chairman Hwang stated, "South Korea and Taiwan have accumulated more than 40 years of experience in the semiconductor field since the 1980s and have achieved vertical integration," emphasizing, "It is hard to find such countries anywhere else in the world. Germany, the United Kingdom, and India want to catch up, but it is almost impossible."

He revealed that he is more concerned about China's low-cost memory sector than cutting-edge technologies like HBM, which are currently attracting market attention. He diagnosed that China, leveraging vast resources and a centrally controlled system, is exerting tremendous influence in the low-cost memory semiconductor market, which could pose a threat to both South Korea and Taiwan.

Chairman Hwang is a prominent analyst recognized in the semiconductor field. He also demonstrated his fluent Korean language skills. He explained that when South Korea's semiconductor industry once dominated Taiwan's, he was dispatched to South Korea to study the industry and learned Korean. During his current visit to Korea, he said he traveled by car to Yeosu, Wando, Gwangju, Sokcho, and other places. Chairman Hwang also suggested to Go Dongjin, a member of the People Power Party, that they take a commemorative photo with his Samsung Electronics smartphone, noting that Go is a well-known figure even in Taiwan.