Samsung and LG Leaders Make Global Debut... Unveiling the 'Blueprint for the Future' [Preview CES]

CES 2026, the world's largest home appliance and information technology (IT) exhibition, holds significant meaning as it serves as an official stage where top executives from Korea's electronics industry will make direct appearances. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics plan to unveil their visions for the AI era and next-generation technology strategies, presenting a blueprint for the future led by their newly appointed leaders.

According to industry sources on December 26, No Tae-moon, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics and Head of the DX Division, will be the keynote speaker at the "Samsung The First Look" event, which will take place in Las Vegas, USA, on January 4, two days before the opening of CES. No was officially appointed as the Head of the DX Division through last month's executive reshuffle, and this will mark his first appearance on the global stage in his new role.

No Tae-moon, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The theme of The First Look is "Your AI Companion for Everyday Life." This event is drawing attention as it will be No's first time standing before global partners since his responsibilities expanded from mobile to overseeing TVs, home appliances, and the entire DX Division. At the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) held in Germany in September, No highlighted "AI Driven Company" as the company-wide direction for Samsung Electronics. At this CES, the company is expected to reveal not only how it will innovate customer experiences through AI but also concrete plans for transforming its business operations.

LG Electronics will also see its new leader make his debut. Ryu Jaecheol, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), will present the company's mid- to long-term vision and new product strategies at "LG World Premiere" on January 5. This will be his first global engagement since being appointed CEO. Previously, as Head of the Home Appliance & Air Solution (HS) Business Division, Ryu elevated LG Electronics' home appliance business to the top tier globally. At the last IFA event, he personally emphasized the importance of the North American and European markets. In North America, the company plans to focus on solutions that emphasize the entire "space" rather than individual products, while also strengthening its business-to-business (B2B) strategy.

Ryu Jaecheol, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LG Electronics. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This year's CES is being viewed as more than just a showcase for new products and technologies; it is an opportunity to observe the leadership and strategic direction of Korea's electronics and IT industries on the international stage. With both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics putting their new leaders at the forefront, the vision of companies navigating the AI transition will be directly conveyed through the CEOs' messages. How each company integrates AI as a company-wide strategy, rather than just a function or product, will be a key point of interest.

Meanwhile, SK Group, including SK Hynix, will not participate in the official CES exhibition, but there is speculation that Chairman Chey Tae-won may visit the event in person. The possibility of traveling to Las Vegas by private jet is being considered, and if he does visit, a meeting with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, for an "AI summit" is reportedly being arranged. Kwak Nojeong, CEO of SK Hynix, is also expected to visit CES for meetings with clients and to further strengthen the company's presence in the global AI ecosystem.

As for Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, he has not attended the CES event in person since 2013. Instead, it is known that Chairman Lee recently made a whirlwind trip across New York, Texas, and California in mid-December, where he met with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, to discuss strengthening semiconductor cooperation.